Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: I Hate Clubs (6)
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Clap clap. As I shook the water off my hands and returned to the classroom, I saw Frey slumped over her desk like she was glued to it—completely different from before.
"Frey?"
"...Yeah."
Why did she look so drained? She'd been bursting with energy earlier, grabbing and shaking me around, but now seeing her like this started to worry me. Poke poke. I prodded her body with my finger, and she seemed in pretty bad shape. There should always be that smooth slime where it belonged, but even when I poked her like this, there was no slime—just dry skin.
"Frey, you feeling okay?"
"Rain..."
"Rain?"
Rain out of nowhere? That reminded me of Frey's ability. Snail... right, snails like humid places and...
They're super vulnerable in dry weather. Come to think of it, the rain had stopped earlier. Now that time had passed and even the humidity was gone, the air had turned dry. But could that alone affect her this much? Seeing her sprinkle water bit by bit all over her body to moisten herself, I couldn't help but click my tongue in sympathy.
"...So, what'd they talk about?"
"Practical exam stuff, and invitations to join clubs."
Her voice was so weak it sounded like it was crawling into the ground, and I felt bad for her for a moment—until the word "clubs" made Frey's antennae shoot straight up toward the sky.
"...Clubs?"
"Yeah, Professor Veronica and Professor Ray-sha invited me."
Twirl—
Her antennae spun once in the air before morphing into a question mark shape.
"Professor Veronica invited you?"
Her antennae turned into exclamation points as Frey jerked her head up and shouted. With that, nearby gazes turned our way. Sure enough—Professor Veronica's club got special treatment in the academy.
It was practically a must for elite heroes-to-be. Getting invited there naturally drew eyes, though honestly, it felt a bit burdensome.
"Frey...!"
I pressed my index finger to my lips with a frown, and Frey patted her mouth before continuing.
"Ahh, sorry. I was just so shocked. So—you're joining?"
"Nah, just thinking it over."
It didn't really appeal to me, and I didn't put that much stock in being a hero anyway. I answered casually, like it was no big deal, and Frey narrowed her eyes, glaring at me.
"You... you're not gonna join, are you?"
"Huh? No, I mean... not really feeling it."
"You idiot! How can you even hesitate on this?!"
"But it's a club for three whole years—I can't just pick randomly. And I hate rigid schedules anyway."
I was already spending a ton of time just on studying. And with Hera Carmen looming in the future, I'd need to prep to develop my ability more too. I was busy enough with preparations alone—no room for club activities on top.
Well, that magic club might have some leeway if you only count the curriculum... but did I really need to join?
I just stared blankly at Frey as she ranted on—how amazing the club I got invited to was, how even debating it was absurd, how I should join right now. It was fascinating seeing her perk up like this after being so limp earlier, and I appreciated that she was just worried about me.
Suddenly struck by the thought, I reached out to pet her head. Frey froze solid in mid-sentence. My hand slid between her antennae, her gaze followed upward—and when our eyes finally met, she spoke in a trembling voice.
"W-What... are you doing?"
"Petting you."
Ah, feels nice. Ignoring her words, the texture of petting her was pretty great. Her hair was soft, and unlike her slimy body, it felt like stroking puppy fur. After petting her for a good while, Frey suddenly bowed her head deeply.
"...It's too soon for that, Aisha. We're just friends still..."
"What're you talking about."
She's imagining something weird again. This wasn't the first or second time, so now I could just laugh it off. At first, my cheeks burned a bit, but with her doing this dozens of times a day, I'd gotten used to it.
"Anyway, can you explain the clubs to me?"
I brought up what I'd meant to ask originally, and Frey nodded quietly with her head still down.
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There were way more types than I thought. Frey's explanation dragged on pretty long—eating up the entire 20-minute break after class. She rattled off dozens of club names alone, so while I jotted them down in my notebook as she spoke, I needed time to sort my thoughts.
"...But nothing really clicks."
In the original story, club activities barely came up—just that one upcoming event, and after that, no mentions at all except for Zenon's club. Nothing here pulled me in. If anything, Professor Ray-sha's 'magic' club—the one I'd thought was the weirdest—sparked the most interest.
But if I was gonna go there anyway, did I even need to join a club?
Tap tap. As I drummed my fingers on the desk and stared at the paper crammed with club notes, a large shadow fell in front of me.
"Aisha."
I naturally looked up at the familiar voice and found Zenon staring right at me. His eyes were a bit puffy from crying earlier. As I examined them, Zenon pointed to one corner of the paper—the magic club spot.
"That... magic club."
"The one Professor Ray-sha mentioned?"
"Yeah... I'm joining."
I probably looked just like Frey had earlier. Hearing Zenon say that, I froze while gazing up at him. Wait, why there all of a sudden?
"And I'd like you to join too."
"Whoa, hold on. Zenon, at least give me a reason first."
Anyone would misunderstand. I pressed down on my fluttering eyelids and demanded an explanation from Zenon. Had he suddenly gotten into magic? No, earlier when Professor Ray-sha came up, he'd seemed totally indifferent. I narrowed my eyes interrogatively, and Zenon tapped his smartwatch before speaking.
"Let's talk outside first. Not great to discuss here."
"...Okay."
Break time still had a bit left. Frey glanced at us as Zenon and I left the classroom, but I just gave a little wave as my goodbye and stepped out. The place Zenon led us to was an empty classroom with no one around.
I shot him a side-eye like why come all the way here, and Zenon manipulated his smartwatch to project a hologram of one person.
"Know her?"
The hologram showed a woman. Long black hair like jet-black cascading down, with a rather fierce impression. She wore what looked like a military uniform, as if she'd once been a soldier. I stared, but no one came to mind.
"Who's that?"
"...How about Ray Meyer?"
Ray Meyer—I've heard that name before. The moment that thought hit, someone flashed through my mind, and I grew curious why Zenon was asking me about her. No way he'd bring up a 'Top Hero' from before Edwin Carmen out of nowhere.
"Why bring her up suddenly?"
"Then you know this one?"
Ignoring me, Zenon showed another person—a face I knew well. I'd just seen her today, so no forgetting that.
"Professor Ray-sha... wait, you don't mean."
A pretty wild idea popped into my head. Showing me these two and asking if I knew them—it was like he was about to say they were... the same person.
Their faces were different. Ray had a fierce look, while Ray-sha was softer, sometimes even seeming airheaded. Recalling Ray-sha lately—crying easily, slacking on her duties—could she really be Ray Meyer?
...No way.
But shattering my doubt, Zenon quietly nodded in response to my question.
"The Ray-sha we know... probably, no—definitely is Ray Meyer."
"...How do you know?"
Nothing matched. Faces, personalities, even non-facial features were totally different. And Ray Meyer was from decades ago in the original timeline—how was she still alive?
"Their abilities are the same."
Zenon said it flatly. Same ability? What was Ray Meyer's again? The moment I recalled that briefly mentioned ability from the original—my face went pale.
Ray Meyer's ability was magic. Actual magic-like supernatural phenomena, a kind of miracle. And the magic club. That ridiculous club fit her ability perfectly.
...This wasn't in the original at all.