Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Club (1)
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'Wow.'
I blankly stared down at the plate in front of me.
A beautifully seared steak sat there proudly.
Perfect medium-rare doneness.
Gold leaf was even sprinkled on top.
This was none other than the dinner Artel was treating me to.
'It looks ridiculously expensive just at a glance.'
If this were my original world, this was the kind of quality you'd only catch a glimpse of at a Michelin restaurant.
Unlike the free lunches provided, dinners had to be paid for out of pocket by the cadets.
I hadn't converted my dungeon rewards to gold yet, so my funds weren't flush, and with so much I needed to acquire ahead, I couldn't spend gold recklessly.
So normally, I wouldn't even glance at something like this.
'To buy this without any hesitation... As expected of a chaebol daughter...!'
I inwardly marveled once again at Artel's wealth.
It had been a bit awkward in the hallway earlier, but beef covers all sins. Obviously.
That said.
"......"
Where had the momentum from when she dragged me here gone? Now that we were sitting face-to-face, Artel couldn't say a word.
She just quietly cut her steak.
"......!"
Every now and then, she'd sneak peeks at me, but when our eyes met, she'd jolt in surprise and duck her head.
'...What the heck is up with her?'
I couldn't for the life of me understand her bizarre behavior that had been going on since earlier.
After pondering it deeply, I came up with one possibility.
'No way, is she jealous?'
Because of Ciel?
If it were the old me, I wouldn't have dared imagine it.
The academy's S-Rank cool beauty being obsessed with me?
Sounds like the title of some third-rate novel. Ridiculous.
But unlike me, the ordinary gamer office worker, this guy Jeron objectively had a pretty handsome face.
Plus, I'd shown her all sorts of things, so she probably saw me as a lazy but powerful genius mage.
Handsome and capable.
...She could like that, maybe?
Honestly, having lived my life holed up playing games with zero dating experience, I had no clue.
'Nah, no way. Even so, that's not it.'
I quickly concluded it was my overactive imagination.
The game protagonist was handsome too, and a way bigger genius than me.
Yet there were no depictions of Artel having romantic feelings for him.
Her biggest reaction was just a slight smile or reddened ears.
'Probably not romantic feelings...'
Then maybe jealousy as a friend?
Like she felt her friend (me) was being stolen by some stranger kid (Ciel).
The kind of possessiveness little kids often feel.
She had that aloof personality that kept people away, and per her backstory, aside from Luna whom she'd known since childhood, she had no other friends.
'...That makes some sense.'
Thinking of it that way, I could kind of understand.
If it was that kind of jealousy, it might even be kinda cute?
I was having these thoughts while eating the steak when.
"Um, d-does the food taste good?"
Breaking the long silence, Artel asked in a slightly trembling voice.
"Yeah, it's insanely good."
It melted in my mouth so tenderly.
I answered with genuine admiration.
At my response, Artel's face brightened just a tiny bit, but unmistakably.
"That's a relief..."
She let out a sigh of relief and picked up her fork and knife again.
"By the way, Jeron, do you usually eat properly?"
"I just fill up on bread and stuff."
"As I thought. That's just like you."
But that kinda bugs me.
You think I want to live on sliced bread?
It was because the system freaks out if I cook.
But as if she'd made up her mind about something, she scooped some of the meat and veggies from her plate onto mine.
"...Eat a lot. And some veggies too."
"Oh. Thanks."
I happily ate what she'd given me.
Our conversation continued after that.
Well, less a conversation and more her asking questions and me answering, mostly.
"How were classes today?"
"What did you talk about with her earlier?"
She cautiously asked about my well-being or tossed everyday questions.
A bit clumsy, but trying to get closer.
Her efforts weren't unwelcome, even if unfamiliar.
In the end, our dinner wrapped up far more comfortably than I'd expected.
***
Another day passed, bringing Wednesday.
Club recruitment day had finally arrived.
The academy classroom bulletin boards were plastered with colorful posters promoting various clubs.
"Look at this, Imperial Knights Experience Club. Apparently founded by His Highness the Crown Prince himself. They're recruiting from both magic and swordsmanship departments... I wanna join. Get in there and you're straight into the Imperial Knights after graduation, right?"
"But won't the competition be insane?"
"Psh, gotta at least try."
"I'm going for Dessert Exploration Club! We get to hit every tasty spot around the academy?"
"Sigh. Did you come to the academy to play? If you wanna build real strength, join something like the Practical Monster Subjugation Club."
The cadets buzzed excitedly, each mulling over which club to pick.
And.
"Wow, there's a Spirit Exploration Club! We go outside the academy to scout spirit habitats and even make contracts!"
Next to me, Yuria was reading from the club list pamphlet.
Ever since I asked her to read [Tales of the Seven Demons] last time.
I'd been having her read everything I needed to these days.
She'd been a bit shy at first, but now she did it totally naturally.
Super convenient.
Of course, it wasn't just for my convenience.
[Sloth +1!]
Lazily propping my chin and listening like this...
Sloth built up little by little.
"And... Broom Sports Club? It's a game where you ride flying brooms and catch balls. This one's probably not for you, Jeron."
Even without the Sloth trait, I wouldn't pick it.
I never liked moving around much anyway.
Then.
"So, what clubs are you all thinking of joining?"
Artel naturally approached our seats.
By now, the three of us hanging out felt normal.
"Ah! Artel. I'm joining the Spirit Exploration Club!"
Yuria answered.
"I'm going for the Magic Research Society."
Artel said.
Then, with a subtle glance my way, she asked.
"Jeron, if you're okay with it, wanna come to the Magic Research Society too?"
"Jeron, or how about the Spirit Exploration Club? Even non-spirit mages can join. Spirits usually live in scenic natural spots, so you could relax there!"
Yuria tried persuading me too.
"No. Sorry, but I've already decided on one I wanna join."
At my firm refusal, Yuria said puzzledly.
"Really? I figured from the list I read you earlier, nothing would catch your eye. I thought you'd like some relaxing club."
Instead of answering, I pointed to a corner of the pamphlet Yuria had read.
Scrawled there in messy handwriting were just these words.
[Occult Research Club]
- Recruiting new members.
- Location: Basement Level 3, very last room.
"Occult... Research Club?"
"Huh? You're really joining that?"
Artel and Yuria both looked baffled.
***
***
Magic and dark magic.
The two are actually quite closely related disciplines.
Because both use mana.
You might think, aren't they just the same magic then? But the usage methods are completely different.
Like sports using the same ball—one kicks it in soccer, the other throws it in basketball?
So the academy clearly distinguished between magic and dark magic, but there were subtly overlapping parts.
Anyway, that's why the Sloth Shop sold not just magic-related skills, but dark magic ones too.
I myself had my eye on a legendary dark magic skill lately.
More expensive than anything I'd bought so far, so I was steadily saving sloth.
Why think of this now?
Because the club I was joining belonged to the dark magic department.
After parting with Artel and Yuria, I headed straight to the academy's basement level 3.
The room in the most remote corner.
No sign or anything, so it was ambiguous if it was even a clubroom, but I'd been there plenty in the game, so I knew.
"Anyone here?"
Knock knock.
I rapped on the door.
Then came a loud clattering from inside.
A moment later.
Creak...
The door cracked open just wide enough for a single finger.
And someone peeked out.
Just one eye visible.
"Wh-who are you...?"
Long, dark black hair, pale skin without a trace of color—a female student.
Lily Rowendel.
A 2nd-year in Stella Academy's dark magic department,
And the character users called this.
'Bomb.'