Oath of Loyalty
“Is the academy food always this delicious? I feel like I ate until my stomach's about to burst!”
Walking out of the cafeteria after finishing our meal, Sea-a patted her belly contentedly and flashed a beaming smile.
“It's food you'll be eating from now on anyway, so why'd you have to devour it like your life depended on it?”
Jinwoo snickered at the sight, teasing her. Sea-a shot him a sharp glare in return.
“Says the guy who only ate cake for dessert because 'that's all you need to break even'!”
“It was the best thing there—what can I say!”
The two suddenly started bickering. After spending the day trailing after me and dealing with all sorts of chaos, it was a relief to see them getting along so quickly.
“Boss, just like you asked, I uploaded the 'Fund Investment Club's ledger to the school community boards. People are already talking lawsuits, death threats—it's getting ugly.”
Youngje reported on the tasks I'd given him before the sparring match, chuckling to himself.
“I asked around with some kids from other classes during lunch, and all the freshmen who were supposed to join today have canceled. The vibe over there... well, you can imagine.”
“Of course.”
I didn't need details to picture it. At this rate, the 'Fund Investment Club' wouldn't just face massive compensation claims—they'd be branded as crooks who embezzled investor funds. Unable to handle the backlash, members would start dropping out one by one, leaving the club president to shoulder all the blame.
In short, the 'Fund Investment Club' was as good as finished.
“I never imagined you'd dismantle a gold-plated club in a single day. Where the hell did you even get that dirty ledger from?”
It was a perfectly reasonable question. That ledger exposing their corruption had been the key to it all.
“Connections.”
“Connections?”
“Yeah. It wasn't hard.”
Dirty money always finds its way into the back alleys for laundering. And passing through Calione was an unavoidable step.
“By the way, Glasses. Why the sudden 'Boss' thing?”
“...It's Youngje. Anyway, that's what you were wondering about?”
I nodded, and he shrugged it off like it was no big deal.
“I knew it'd work out for sure.”
“Hm?”
“After hearing your plan, I was convinced the club would get approved. Since you'd be the boss soon enough, I figured I'd call you that ahead of time.”
“...I see.”
In other words, he'd trusted me completely. My lips curved into a smile without me realizing it.
“Well, 'Boss' does have a nice ring to it.”
I turned and headed off elsewhere, and Young's voice called from behind.
“Boss. Classroom's that way?”
“Got a stop to make.”
“A stop? Oh.”
He quickly realized I was heading toward the club building and nodded.
“You're one busy boss.”
“Get used to it.”
Leaving the three of them behind as they grew distant, I arrived at the club rooms and made a beeline for the International Trade Club on the fourth floor, where Inomiya Haru was.
This time, no one tried to stop me. The staff bowed their heads as I entered the sub-room.
“Is the president inside?”
One of them spoke up.
“She's having lunch in there. She said to escort you right in if Han Yujin showed up.”
She must've figured I'd come during lunch hour.
Following the staffer's lead into the president's office, I saw Inomiya Haru at her desk, chowing down on a sandwich while furiously approving documents.
“You look swamped.”
I closed the door and approached. She swallowed her bite carefully before speaking.
“Yes. I got word that a bunch of clubs cut ties with the 'Fund Investment Club' before lunch, so I'm sorry I couldn't greet you properly. I'll wrap this up as fast as I can.”
“No rush.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
She gave a quick bow and dove back into her sandwich and papers. Her eyes scanned the documents without a flicker of hesitation, while her puffy white cheeks worked nonstop.
I watched her work in a daze until she finally swallowed the last bite and stood.
“Whew. Sorry to keep you waiting so long.”
“Hm? That was quicker than I thought.”
“Thanks to your patience.”
She thanked me again and sat across from me politely. As I crossed my legs and waited, she unfolded the paper in her hand and got down to business.
“The paperwork we submitted against the 'Fund Investment Club' is going through student council review right now. Other clubs are circling like vultures, but since we've already filed for a club war, no one else can snatch it.”
“So that's basically their downfall.”
“Exactly. If things go as planned, the club war will be declared by end of day, and at the same time, the 'Fund Investment Club' will concede defeat and be absorbed by us.”
In other words, it was over before it started.
“Good work.”
“Praise like that is too much for me—I just added a spoon to the table you set.”
She bowed her head humbly, and an awkward silence followed.
“So... what do you think of the offer I made?”
I broached the real reason for my visit carefully. Her eyes, which had been on the papers, turned to me.
“You mean that confession from earlier today?”
“...You're still going with that joke?”
“I've been getting complaints from other club members that I should joke around more.”
Even so. Jokes like that were lethal to me. Thank god for
honestly.
“Maybe you should try joking sometimes too, young master. Studies show emotionless leaders struggle to earn their comrades' trust.”
Such studies existed...?
“Who the hell researches that?”
“The Seoul Hero Academy Psychology Club.”
“...Sounds credible enough.”
Coming from that den of crazies, it had to be true. Worth keeping in mind.
“So why keep dodging my question?”
Her body froze at my words. Her pupils began to tremble violently, and the paper in her hand started rustling audibly.
“Th-that's... because...”
“Hm?”
Her voice was so tiny I barely caught it. Realizing I hadn't heard, she bowed her head deeper. Then, a slightly louder whisper.
“It's embarrassing... To answer a call to become your person...”
“What?”
Her unexpected reaction made me flinch. Her body started shaking too. She looked up, eyes narrowed as she covered her mouth—holding back a laugh, maybe.
“That was a joke too.”
“...Keep that up and I'll have a heart attack for real.”
“Glad this one landed a bit.”
Seeing her smile more often now, unlike our first meeting, felt strangely novel. Had she ever shown this range of expressions in the game? She always struck me as the stone-faced customer service type...
“Young master?”
Who could look at her now and think it was that Inomiya Haru? A smile crept onto my face unbidden.
She suddenly whipped her head away.
“Hm? What's up?”
“...So even you know how to joke.”
“Joke?”
“...Something like that.”
Why the sudden weirdness? Had I messed up? As I pondered how to respond,
“Then, my answer to your question.”
She switched back to business mode, stood, and knelt on one knee before me.
“Inomiya Haru of the Inomiya Group. I pledge my loyalty to Calione, as I did in the past and do now.”
But, she continued.
“Right now, I pledge that loyalty solely to the firstborn heir of Calione before me—Eugene Han Calione, young master. Please accept it.”
A formal Famiglia oath. No words needed for her loyalty.
I just extended my hand silently. Feeling it approach, she kissed the 'Heir's Ring' her father had given her.
“Inomiya Haru, your enemies shall be mine. Any who harm you will be erased by my hand.”
And the price for joining me wasn't steep.
“All you need to do is build a new friendship with me. Sound like a sweet deal?”
With everything said, she slowly looked up at my face.
“You've gotten a little better at jokes, truly.”
“Good to hear.”
“As you say, young master, the International Trade Club and I will stand with you.”
I flipped my outstretched hand palm-up, and she took it naturally, rising to her feet. She glanced at the clock.
“We've got some time left—tea?”
“Tea...”
Plenty of time before culture class. I was about to relax into some casual chat when a letter-envelope icon blinked in the corner of my vision.
“Young master?”
“Hold on.”
Thinking to open the envelope in my sight, the message popped up.
How had the student council processed it so fast? Ji Suhyun wasn't one for jokes like this, though.
“Sorry, tea next time. Something urgent came up.”
“Urgent... matter?”
For a split second, her eyes seemed to tremble.
“Then we'll postpone. The International Trade Club always welcomes you, young master.”
I stood, and she bowed. Leaving her behind, I hurried toward the academy's main building and the staff room.
“What the hell did they do at the student council to get results this quick?”
An uneasy premonition began to stir.