Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Outdoor Activities
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"Alright, let me explain the plan."
Amelia declared confidently.
Her confident demeanor was a sight to behold, but at the same time, it filled me with unease.
...She's not coming up with some weird plan again, is she?
Amelia's plans were always cause for worry.
"It's not something weird, right?"
"What are you saying! Just listen and try not to be shocked."
Her boldness like this only made me even more anxious.
What on earth was she planning to do?
"It's a date!"
"Huh?"
"You know, a date! When a guy and a girl go out to have fun!"
I was surprised.
It was far more ordinary than I'd expected.
No, ordinary might not be the right word—a date was still pretty daunting.
"...Where? No, how would we even do that in the first place?"
There was one major obstacle in her plan.
First off, there was no pretext for a date.
Even if.
Even if, just hypothetically, she had fallen for me.
And that's why Arte was acting that way toward me.
Even conceding a hundred steps and assuming that was true, there was no way to meet her.
She and I had no real connection... at least on the surface.
Just the shared points of being in the same class and club.
We'd never even had a proper conversation.
If I suddenly asked her out on a date, I'd just get rejected.
"Don't worry. We have the club, don't we?"
"...The club?"
"The president mentioned it last time. We won an award, so let's go on an outdoor activity."
My head started throbbing.
Outdoor activity?
Had the president ever said something like that?
...No, I didn't think so.
Something felt off.
The club only had four members, and it wasn't very popular, so I definitely remembered everything clearly.
I'd never heard anything like that...
"We'll pair you up with Arte during the outdoor activity trip. It'll be perfect for a quick outing!"
"...Amelia. Did the president really say that?"
"Your memory's terrible, huh? You were there too. She said we got a big reward for catching that chameleon villain. Don't you remember?"
Was that right?
Well, there had been all sorts of incidents lately.
I might've been too tired to remember.
Yoo Siu decided not to dwell on it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Ehehe. I'm so happy."
"That happy?"
"Of course! Look at this commendation!"
The club president proudly held up the commendation.
It was a certificate praising the academy students for brilliantly repelling a villain who had infiltrated the academy grounds.
An award for the Exploration Club.
"They even gave us a generous budget...! I'm over the moon! You guys are the best!"
"We're glad you like it."
I flashed a smile at the president.
We were supposed to get an award anyway, but the original reward was much smaller than this.
Writer-nim had boosted the reward.
Why boost it?
Because we're going to use it all up anyway.
"This is all thanks to you guys...! Thanks to you, we can go on an outdoor activity and boost the club's prestige!"
"Glad you're enjoying it. Even with just the four of us, shall we have some fun?"
"Yeah! You really have to keep good juniors around!"
The outdoor activity naturally had to align with the club's purpose.
The Exploration Club was, as the name suggested, all about exploration.
Even if we went camping for fun, we could just claim it was exploration.
That's why Yoo Siu and Amelia were excited too.
"Ufufu, I'm looking forward to it."
"Right? It's gonna be fun!"
Yeah, it'll be fun.
For the nameless readers perusing Writer-nim's story, that is.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Thump, thump...! A new event is starting!] Yes.
The start of a new event.
Heading out externally in an academy novel?
That usually meant one of two things.
Chasing the enemy, or the enemy chasing you.
Of course, our protagonist and heroine duo hadn't even grasped the enemy's true nature yet.
All they knew was that Laira belonged to an organization called Übermensch, and the villain who infiltrated the academy was one of their members.
So, what would the outcome be?
What else? An ambush.
"I'm looking forward to it. Wonder what fun event awaits us."
"Hmm, summer's coming soon, so maybe not the beach? How about the mountains?"
"The mountains, huh? Sounds fun!"
"Hmm, or maybe not... What about a scenic spot?"
"Hehe, that sounds fun too."
When the president asked where everyone wanted to go, we all said anywhere was fine.
She wouldn't be able to choose anyway.
Writer-nim was the one who decides.
Not that puppet.
"Hm hm, hmm~"
As I watched the president humming and pondering our destination, Writer-nim chimed in.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Save the beach for a summer event... Alright, decided! An unmanaged mountain area!] "Ugh, that's expensive... L-Let's go here."
The president showed everyone the location on her computer screen.
It was in the mountains.
"It says it's an untouched mountain area. Perfect for camping, right? They say there used to be a dungeon there too?!"
See?
In the end, they can't choose anything themselves.
In this world, only I and Writer-nim have free will.
Everyone else is just puppets strung up by the threads of fate.
When Writer-nim swaps out the strings, they simply act out their destined roles.
"Sounds fun."
"B-But the mountains... What about bugs and stuff...?"
"There aren't many other good options. This is perfect for four people. The scenic spots have crazy entry fees. Wanna see?"
When Amelia voiced her reluctance about the mountains, the president showed her the entry fee for a scenic spot.
It was ridiculously expensive.
Not fitting for four people even with the villain bounty reward.
No matter how generous the reward, entry fees were per person.
In truth, since Writer-nim could adjust the bounty amount at will, entering there was never impossible.
But Writer-nim wanted the mountains.
That's why the scenic spot fees were set so high.
I wasn't sure what a "scenic spot" was exactly. Probably one of the settings Writer-nim tossed in.
...Well, the name gives a pretty good idea.
"B-But if I chip in...!"
"It's obvious you can't make club members cover outdoor activity costs personally."
"Ugh!"
Is that obvious?
I glanced at them subtly, but couldn't confirm if it was true.
Well, not worth worrying about.
Even if it wasn't obvious, Writer-nim could make it so.
"Alright, the outdoor activity spot is decided: right here! Got it?"
"Yes."
"Sounds fun. Gotta pack tons of meat and seafood!"
We'll see.
I doubt we'll get to eat.
It's obvious it'll turn into a mess.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Heh, meat... seafood... I wanna eat...] ...If Writer-nim wants some vicarious satisfaction, maybe we can eat.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Ah, Laira. You're early."
"...Yeah, whatever."
Her body stiffened with tension.
Last time it was a simple task, but would it be the same this time?
Was this finally it—her death?
"I have another favor to ask."
"What is it...?"
"This mountain here."
She stared at the map Arte had given her and shuddered for a moment.
...This was where Übermensch's hideout was.
She'd been told to flee here if things went south.
"I'm planning to spend some quality time there with your former comrades."
"Oh...?"
"Yes. Since there'll be quite a few people, I was hoping you'd help with crowd control."
"C-Crowd control?"
Crowd control?
...What the hell did that mean?
Despite her fear, curiosity got the better of her, and she asked before she could stop herself.
Her perked-up ears and tail betrayed her tension, which pissed her off.
Damn it. These emotions show way too easily.
Luckily, Arte didn't seem to care and answered straightforwardly.
The content was more than straightforward—it was chilling.
"Well, if any civilians wander in, it'll be a big problem, right?"
"...Why?"
"If they come in... ufufu. Nothing good will come of it."
Crazy bitch.
She's out of her mind.
Though she trailed off, Laira got the gist.
If outsiders showed up and more bodies piled up, it'd be a hassle, so block them in advance.
Damn it.
She resented her past self.
Getting tangled with someone this dangerous out of sheer inferiority complex.
I must've been insane.
"...Oh, right. I promised you a reward."
Twitch.
Laira's ears perked up for a different reason this time.
...A reward?
Come to think of it, she had said something like that.
She'd mentioned it as a casual reward for buying a swimsuit, but after Laira bought it, nothing more was said, so she'd assumed it was empty words.
"Hmm, I wasn't thrilled with the swimsuit I got... But that's my fault for not specifying exactly."
She started muttering to the air.
...Again with that 'Writer-nim.'
Whoever she was talking about, it was nothing good to know.
Laira decided to play dumb.
The most precious thing was her life.
Power or whatever, survival came first.
Laira had only realized that after tasting the fear of death.
"Here, take this."
"What's this...?"
"It's good for the body."
What Arte handed her was something dark red.
The eerie color sparked revulsion.
"...This?"
"Eat it. It'll make you stronger."
For a moment, Laira wanted to hurl the thing in her hand away, but she barely restrained herself.
Another drug.
The cause of her purple wolf ears and tail.
...Does this woman know I hate drugs now and give them anyway?
No, no way.
"...What if I don't?"
"I don't mind if you don't."
Arte smiled sweetly.
...Chilling.
It reminded her of that smile from the irresistible offer she couldn't refuse.
"Just don't blame me if you die without taking it."
"...I'll hold onto it for now."
"Sure. It's fast-acting, so you'll get stronger the moment you eat it."
Bullshit.
Transformation pills weren't that kind of drug.
It took time for the body to process them.
That's why the wolf ears and tail hadn't appeared right away after taking it.
"Oh, and if anyone tries to leave from the inside, don't let them out either."
"...Got it."
"Great. I'm counting on you."
With that, Arte left.
It took a while for Laira to realize she was really gone before she let out a sigh.
"This is insane..."
Laira looked up at the sky.
A beautifully glowing crescent moon filled her eyes.
Damn, it's pretty.
She'd never understood why people craved cigarettes so much.
For the first time, she wanted one. Badly.