Chapter 168: Countdown
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 168: Countdown
The season was now autumn.
A season of clear skies and crisp air.
For the high school students of Japan, it was also one of the most important times of the year.
The school trip, one of the absolute highlights of their school days, was just around the corner.
"With that, the destination for this year's school trip has been decided. We're going to Kyoto."
"Aww~"
The moment our homeroom teacher, Matsuda, finished speaking, groans erupted from all corners of the classroom.
"Sir! Why aren't we going abroad this year?"
"We want to go to Hawaii too!"
"Hot foreign babes! Bikinis! Love blossoming on the beach!"
"Ugh, boys are so gross."
"What's with them?"
"Still, Kyoto is a bit much. If I go this time, it'll mean I've gone to Kyoto for my elementary, middle, and high school trips."
"You too?"
"At this point, you're practically a native, aren't you? You could probably navigate the tourist spots with your eyes closed."
As complaints flooded in from every direction, Matsuda let out a deep sigh and spoke, as if making an excuse.
"You think I want to go to Kyoto? It's because of what happened last year. The third-years who went to Hawaii snuck out of the hotel at night and got caught by the local police. The principal banned all overseas trips for the time being."
The reason was so painfully realistic that we had no choice but to accept it.
To be honest, I'd never been to Kyoto, so I didn't have any complaints.
In any case, having weathered the storm of his students' jeers, Matsuda continued with his duties.
"Alright, we need to form groups for who will share rooms on the trip. Have you all decided already?"
"Yes~"
"Well, that was fast. Good. Call them out in order. I'll write them on the board."
One by one, starting from the front row, students began calling out the names of their group members.
"Okay, so for the boys' Group 3, it's Momochi Satoru, Sakamoto Ryuji, and Kim Yoo-Sung. Is that correct for the three of you?"
"Yes."
As we had arranged beforehand, I was grouped with those two.
A relief.
If I had to share a room with any of the other guys, it probably would have been incredibly awkward.
With the groups settled in the blink of an eye, Matsuda brought up the next topic.
"Alright, next up is the cultural festival. What's our class going to do?"
At that, one of the Bald Trio who had been talking about swimsuits earlier frankly expressed his desire.
"A maid cafe!"
Matsuda shot the bald student a pathetic look and muttered.
"Ryohei, you have no intention of hiding the fact that you're a pervert, do you?"
"What's wrong with a guy being a pervert!"
"I don't think you're wrong, but you should think about your reputation."
As Matsuda said this, he glanced at the girls as if seeking their agreement, but surprisingly, their reaction wasn't bad.
"A maid cafe doesn't sound too bad."
"They're cute, so I've always wanted to try one on~ A maid outfit~"
The response was so far beyond his expectations that Matsuda's face went blank for a moment.
He immediately sought reinforcements.
"Class President! What do you think?!"
The class president pushed up her round glasses, the very symbol of an intellectual, and replied.
"A maid cafe… to be honest, I don't think it's a bad idea. Other things don't make money, but a maid cafe, as long as it's at least average, can rake in a hefty sum."
"Et tu, Brute?"
The teacher spoke as if he'd been betrayed, but knowing the class president's penny-pinching tendencies, it seemed like a perfectly rational choice to me.
Maid cafes make money.
I had already experienced that fact firsthand in Akihabara.
"Any other opinions?! A haunted house, or a play, or something!"
But for a classroom of adolescent boys, there was no other option but a maid cafe.
"How about the guys wear butler uniforms!"
"That's a great idea! What if we also make and sell cookies and cakes!"
If anything, they became even more proactive, doing whatever they could to get the proposal passed.
And their efforts were reflected in the vote.
"Tch, the maid cafe is in first place with 20 votes."
Matsuda put down the chalk with a frustrated look, but the outcome had been pretty much decided halfway through the vote, and the boys were already in a festive mood.
"Alright, Class President, if there are any other ideas or proposals, organize them and let me know. I have another class, so I'm off."
With that, Matsuda fled the classroom.
As always, wrapping up the class meeting was left to the class president, Ayase.
*
"So yeah, it was total chaos."
It was Wednesday, time for club activities.
Having shown up at the student council room as usual, I recounted the story of our class meeting.
"Fufu, it seems your class is never short of excitement, Yoo-Sung-kun."
The President sipped her tea with an elegant gesture, playing along with my story, but her smile seemed to lack its usual energy.
"President? Are you feeling alright?"
My sudden question made her startle, her eyes widening.
"Pardon? Me?"
"Yes. You don't seem to be focused on the conversation like you usually are."
"Ah… I just have a lot on my mind."
The President said, forcing a bitter smile.
The Vice President, who had been watching from the side, pushed his glasses up with his middle finger and said.
"The President's health is managed day and night by the doctors at her residence, so there's no need for you to worry, Kim Yoo-Sung."
"Well, that's a relief."
I said, scratching the back of my head. Then I looked around for Minami, who was nowhere to be seen today.
"By the way, where's Minami?"
"Minami went to the train station to pick up an acquaintance who came to Tokyo. She should be back soon."
"Ah, I see…"
Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack!
Speak of the devil.
No sooner had the President finished her sentence than we heard the busy sound of footsteps approaching from the hallway.
"It seems she's back."
The President said, setting down the teacup in her hand.
A moment later, the firmly closed door to the student council room opened.
"Young Miss, I have returned."
It was Minami, the student council's accountant, who entered, her voice stark.
And standing behind her was a stranger.
"Hello, Lady Kumiko. It's been a while."
The person who entered with Minami was a woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties.
She was probably the person Minami went to the station to pick up.
She had a beauty mark near the corner of her mouth, and perhaps because of her neatly tied-up hair, she gave off the impression of a young madam who ran a place like a high-end snack bar.
The moment she greeted them, the President and Vice President stood up simultaneously.
"Izumo-ssi."
"Master!"
Apparently, they both knew her.
It seemed I was the only student council member who didn't recognize her.
It felt awkward to remain seated on the sofa while everyone else was standing, so I got up hesitantly. The woman called Izumo smiled mysteriously and spoke.
"So you must be the rumored Kim Yoo-Sung-kun. You look as dependable as I've heard."
"Huh? Ah, yes."
It seemed she already knew who I was.
Have I become famous without even realizing it?
Pondering this, I watched as the others conversed.
"What brings you here so suddenly? You didn't contact us beforehand."
"Fufu, I wanted it to be a surprise."
The Vice President, who was usually prickly with everyone, was acting like a gentle lamb in front of this woman, Izumo.
He had called her 'Master,' so she was likely some kind of teacher, but it didn't seem like a typical master-disciple relationship.
As if to prove my guess, Minami, who was standing in the back, explained who she was.
"This is Koga Izumo, the 11th head of 'Koga,' the ninja alliance that unites the 53 Families. She is my brother's and my master. In the underworld, she is known by the nickname 'The Heroine'."
"A pleasure to meet you, Kim Yoo-Sung-kun. My name is Koga Izumo. Please, feel free to call me Izumo."
She spoke amiably, extending her hand.
As I shook it, somewhat dazed, I was surprised by the fact that this person was the master of those two.
There are way too many ninjas around here.
Honestly, at this point, their appearance rate was on par with some ridiculous eye-power battle manga.
The original author must have been really running out of ideas.
Even though we had just met, I asked her bluntly.
"How do you know about me?"
Izumo grinned as if she'd heard something amusing and replied.
"It would be stranger if I didn't. After all, it's the name of the man who defeated one of the legendary Seven Fist Masters. And you've recently made contact with the Fuma Clan, haven't you?"
"……"
Being a ninja by trade, she seemed to be an expert at digging into people's backgrounds.
The first part was understandable since it was famous, but the fact that she knew I had been in contact with Fuma-senpai, and by extension the Fuma Clan, was quite unexpected.
"Fufu, no need to look so tense. I'm only here today to see the Young Miss."
Releasing my hand, Izumo turned to the President and said.
"As I informed you in writing, I have come today to escort you personally, Young Miss. The President has very high expectations for this arranged meeting."
An arranged meeting? What is she talking about?
"…I suppose so. Otherwise, you, my grandfather's personal secretary, wouldn't have come yourself."
"Shall we go, then? If we don't start preparing now, I'm afraid we'll be late for this evening's appointment."
"I understand."
The President gave a short reply, then looked at me.
"Yoo-Sung-kun, I'll be leaving first today. Unfortunately, I have plans this evening."
Her chilly attitude, so different from usual, left me feeling a strange sense of disappointment.
But as someone who was nothing to her, it wasn't my place to say anything. While I hesitated for a moment, the President, the Vice President, and Minami had already left with the woman named Izumo. I ended up watching over the now-empty student council room until it was time to go home, then locked up and left.