Chapter 27: College Student Do Min-jeong (2)
Chapter 27: College Student Do Min-jeong (2)
Time had flown since the day I walked out of the Association Chairman’s office.
Between enrolling in university, adjusting to a new environment, and keeping busy with various tasks, it was already the end of March. It was hard to believe a whole month had passed since I’d tentatively put my hero activities on hold.
However, the fact that time had passed quickly didn't mean my life during that period had been particularly fun.
"I’m so boooored..."
It was too different from my life as a hero, where I never knew what might happen from one moment to the next. Now, I just showed up at a set time, learned things I had zero interest in, and made small talk with my classmates. That was it.
I’d done it all—the freshman seminars, orientation, and even the membership training retreat. But there was nothing special there, either. I just went, drank myself into a stupor, and came back. To make matters worse, my physical stats were so high that even heavy drinking didn't really affect me.
I thought there’d be at least something a little lewd...
I suppose you could say it was surprisingly wholesome. Or maybe things were happening in secret and I was just the only one left out. I had no way of knowing, but it was clear that I hadn't been involved in anything remotely scandalous.
Of course, some people would be perfectly satisfied with this. For those who had just graduated high school and were looking forward to college life, they’d probably never experienced this much freedom before.
...But I wasn't one of them.
When I was a hero, the work was fun, and I had plenty of time to play...
Since I’d only enrolled because I wanted to experience the college life everyone else raved about, I had no real interest in my major in the humanities. But since grades were important, I had to attend every class and study consistently.
When I started out as a hero, I loved it from the get-go, and I could work when I wanted and rest when I didn't. This was fundamentally different. Is this why people say you should make your hobby your profession?
And, also... I could enjoy defeat play.
But above all else, the biggest void was the defeat play. It was the best hobby I’d discovered recently. Purposely letting myself be defeated by a villain like the Invisible Man, or entering a Gate to be relentlessly ravished by monsters like slimes.
I can't believe I can't do any of that...
If I’d never known the pleasure, it would be one thing, but having to hold back now that I knew what I was missing made me feel like I was going to explode.
With all these factors combined, the realization that I couldn't act as a hero for the time being felt like utter despair. To put it simply, it just wasn't fun. The dopamine that used to flow constantly during my hero activities had completely dried up.
If I had to summarize my March in three words, it would be: Dopamine Detox College. The dopamine that had been gushing out non-stop from hero work and defeat play had vanished as if it were all a lie.
"...Min-jeong?"
"Sigh..."
"Min-jeong, are you listening?"
"Wh-huh?! Yeah!"
I finally snapped out of it at the sound of my classmate's voice. Right, we were eating at the student cafeteria together after class.
I’d been so lost in thoughts of resuming my hero activities and indulging in defeat play that I hadn't even heard her calling me. At this rate, I was just a hollow imitation of a college student.
"Wh-what were you saying?"
"Geez, I have to say everything twice with you."
The female classmate grumbled as if it were a chore, but she continued to chatter away excitedly. It was mostly about other classmates, seniors, or the guys she’d met at a blind date last week. Of course, I had zero interest in any of it. I was only listening to be polite.
But as I listened, one topic actually caught my attention.
"...A club?"
"Yeah, I’m trying to decide which one to join. It’s already the end of March, so if I hesitate any longer, no one will take me."
"Right, I forgot about clubs."
I thought I’d been diligently participating in all the "college content" a freshman could experience over the past month, but it seemed I’d inadvertently skipped one. And a pretty significant one at that.
I hadn't found anything else interesting, but maybe a club would be different. With that thought, I began to actually listen to what she was saying.
"I want to join one too. Do you have any recommendations?"
"Hmm~ well, I’d have to know what you’re into first."
"That’s true."
"And even with clubs, they’re not all the same. There are central clubs run by the university, and then there are college-specific clubs. There are even smaller ones for each department."
The first thing that came to mind was a hero-related club. An active hero joining a hero club—that sounded like it could lead to some hilarious situations.
"A hero club? Huh, that’s unexpected. Are you a hero fangirl, Min-jeong?"
"What? It’s not like I’m a huge fan! I’ve just seen some cool people lately!"
"Really? Like who?"
"Uh, well... like Magical Girl Floss. I don't know much about her, but she seems really strong and cool..."
My classmate gave me a look of forced empathy, her face showing she couldn't care less.
"Ah~ right. She is pretty. Cute, too. She’s exactly the type guys would like."
"Is... is that so? Ahaha... I thought she was pretty popular with girls too... What do you think of her?"
"Me? I don't know, her outfit emphasizes her body way too much, so I’m not a fan. And with a body like that, calling herself a 'girl' is a stretch."
"..."
I shut my mouth tight, like I’d eaten a bag of bees. I had plenty of excuses and rebuttals, but the moment I started arguing those points, I’d look like a total hero otaku and a hardcore Magical Girl Floss stan...
"I looked it up, and there is one in the College of Engineering. But the recruitment period is over, and it’s mostly engineering students, so it’d be hard to fit in."
To be precise, the hero club was a "hero-fandom" club. It wasn't for aspiring heroes.
I knew that, of course. As someone with a history of gloomily ego-surfing my own name on the Female Hero Gallery every night, I was just hoping there might be a fan of mine among the students.
But to think I couldn't even get in. That was a bit disappointing. Since March was almost over, I guess they figured everyone who wanted to join had already done so and stopped recruiting.
"Is there anything else besides the hero club?"
"Hmm, hold on."
But the disappointment was fleeting. The university was big, and there were plenty of clubs. Surely one or two would catch my eye.
"How about a sports club? Those are pretty standard."
"Sports?"
"Yeah. There’s women’s soccer, women’s baseball, or even swimming..."
"Basketball! I want to play basketball!"
I hadn't even considered it until now, but the mention of sports clubs sparked a memory. Playing basketball with my friends during lunch in high school had been so much fun.
The past has a way of turning into a more brilliant memory as time goes by. My eyes sparkled as I asked my classmate about the basketball club.
"The basketball club? There is one in our humanities department, but..."
For some reason, my classmate’s expression soured. She hadn't looked this openly repulsed even when I brought up the hero club, which she clearly thought was for nerds. But at the mention of the basketball club, she actually scowled.
"I don't know, the basketball club is a bit..."
"Why? Is something wrong?"
"It’s not that something’s 'wrong,' it’s just that the rumors are bad. Especially among the female students."
I tilted my head. Since I hadn't been interested in clubs, I’d never heard any nasty rumors about the basketball club. Or maybe I’d heard them and immediately forgotten.
When I pressed her for details, she finally gave in. She glanced around at the people passing by and lowered her voice so only I could hear.
"...I heard there was a sex scandal."
"A scandal?"
"You know, bad rumors. Like a scandal."
"I... I know what the word means. I’m asking for specifics."
"Even if you ask for specifics..."
She looked increasingly troubled. Realizing this wasn't a conversation for a public place, we finished our meal and quickly left the cafeteria for the empty student lounge.
"So, what’s the deal?"
"First, you have to know this. Unlike other clubs, the basketball club is co-ed."
"...Huh?"
"Men and women are on the same team."
"Then, purely in terms of strength, the women wouldn't really get to play... wait, I’m not trying to be sexist."
"I know what you mean. But that’s not the point. Apparently, the sexual harassment starts right from the interviews when you apply to be a player."
The story was getting more and more interesting. My classmate probably thought telling me this would scare me off, but...
This is just giving me more reasons to go...!
Since we’d only been friends for barely a month, she had no idea about my sexual preferences.
"Sexual harassment? Really?"
"Several call-out posts were uploaded to the school forums, and they even had to issue an official apology. If the interviews are like that, imagine how bad it is inside a closed-off club. There’s even been a whistleblown case of a gang rape occurring within the club."
"G-gang...?"
Come to think of it, the Invisible Man and the slimes were ultimately one-on-one encounters. No matter how roughly the slime treated me like a breeding sow, it was still just one creature.
The idea of multiple men using a woman like a tool and passing her to the next person was a scenario that always got me going. From a man’s perspective, they might not want to stick it in a pussy that the guy next to them just finished with, but for a masochist bitch like me, it was the stuff of dreams.
"Seriously, is the 'group' part what’s important? It’s rape! Rape!"
"Oh, r-right. Sorry."
"Anyway, the rumors are terrible. I’ve heard that girls who joined because they love basketball never even get to play a game and are basically treated like onahole managers on the bench... and even then, they don't leave, maybe because they’ve been gaslit..."
"You don't think they’re, like, using them as toys in secret...?"
"Maybe. But even with gaslighting, it’s weird that no one says anything when they’re being treated that badly. It makes me wonder if those guys have some kind of superpower..."
A silence hung in the air for a moment. She stared at my face before asking again.
"You’re not still thinking of applying, are you?"
"I have to!"
"...Why?"
"I told you, I like heroes. If something like that is happening in the shadows, shouldn't I go in there myself, expose it, and make sure it never happens again?"
"Th-that actually makes sense..."
My classmate looked impressed, even a bit awestruck by my apparent sense of justice. I could tell by the slight tremble in her voice.
"Wow, you’re amazing... I wish I had courage like yours..."
"No, it’s nothing. I’m just doing it for everyone’s sake."
I sounded like a noble hero, but my mind was in a completely different place.
A gangbang, a manager for sexual relief, a communal meat toilet for the members...!
I suddenly remembered an erotic novel I’d found in the back alleys of the Female Hero Gallery about a month ago. It was a gangbang story about a woman being ravished by an entire amateur soccer club. It was such a masterpiece that I’d fantasized about it and rubbed one out multiple times.
Since it’s the basketball club, they’ll all be big and tall... I wonder if their cocks are big too...?
As I gulped, my classmate added one final detail.
"The current basketball club president is... Michael, yeah. You just have to contact him and say you want to join."
"Michael? Is he a foreigner?"
"I heard he’s an exchange student from the States. He’s Black."
"Holy shit."
"...Huh? What’s 'holy shit'?"
I quickly wiped away the drool that was about to leak from the corner of my mouth and answered hurriedly.
"Nothing. It's nothing."