Club Activities

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There were no regular classes today.

Starting this week, every Monday had been set aside for club activities. The academy had decided that five straight days of lessons would be too harsh on the students, so they gave everyone a hobby day on the most hated day of the week instead.

In short, it was a tradition of the 17th Academy, born out of concern for the students’ physical and mental well-being.

To be honest, at first I figured it was just a money-making scheme to push us toward the paid facilities.

But that turned out not to be the case.

I’d heard that during club hours, every facility on campus switched over to free use.

Then maybe I should join whichever club uses the most expensive paid facilities?

If the goal was to squeeze every last drop of value out of the system, that would be the smart move.

I immediately changed my mind.

No. I’ll just pick the club that fits me best. Something I can actually enjoy.

What good would it do to force myself into some expensive facility? If I couldn’t properly enjoy the club activities, the whole thing would be a complete waste.

Clubs weren’t for killing time—they existed so you could have fun.

“Anyone who wants to create a club, come up front by ten o’clock. Until then, take your time thinking about what kind of club you’d like to make. Carrot.”

That was Professor Santoto.

For reference, every single club had to be founded by us. In other words, there was no joining any pre-existing ones.

The reason was simple. The enrollment period at the 17th Academy was only a year and a half. Right now the only cohorts on campus were the 65th and 66th. And every club the 65th had run was already dissolved.

The 65th had entered a year ahead of us, so they would graduate in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠five months. Once a year had passed, the remaining six months were devoted entirely to practical combat classes with no club activities at all. That was why the 65th’s clubs had all been shut down.

Jang Mugeon, Gil Taehyeong, and I—the three male students—grabbed chairs and gathered around a single desk in the middle.

“So what are you guys gonna do?”

Gil Taehyeong looked back and forth between me and Jang Mugeon. Jang Mugeon answered first.

“I intend to re-establish the club my older sister founded and ran.”

“Oh right, you said you had a sister, Mugeon.”

“Yes. She ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attends the same academy as us.”

“So she’s in the 65th, then.”

Jang Mugeon nodded at Gil Taehyeong’s words.

Jang Mugeon had a sister. That was news to me. Did they look alike?

…No, impossible. Every woman in this world was a beautiful girl. If she resembled Jang Mugeon, she couldn’t possibly be female.

“More importantly, what kind of club did your sister make?”

Gil Taehyeong asked again.

“The Hell Training Club.”

“Hell Training Club?”

“Think of it as a gathering for those who push themselves through brutal training in order to surpass human limits. You should join as well, Gil Taehyeong.”

“Ah…”

Gil Taehyeong’s face twisted in pure disgust. Apparently the weekend training session with Jang Mugeon had left a bad taste in his mouth.

“Appreciate the offer, but… sorry. I was thinking more of a tattoo club or something…”

“Is that so. A shame.”

Gil Taehyeong let out a breath of relief and turned to me.

“What about you, Hahwi?”

“Kang Hahwi will of course join the Hell Training Club I am about to—”

Jang Mugeon tried to enroll me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I hurriedly cut in.

“I’m still thinking it over, but I’m definitely not joining the Hell Training Club.”

Jang Mugeon looked a little disappointed. Who did he think he was, signing people up without asking?

“No plans to found a club of your own?”

“Nope.”

I intended to look over whatever clubs other people made and join one that caught my interest—somewhere that actually seemed fun.

Here and there, snatches of conversation drifted over.

“I wonder what kind of club Hahwi will join.”

“Right? I can’t even begin to guess.”

“Does anyone know what Kang Hahwi likes?”

“I’ve never even had a proper conversation with him. How would I know his hobbies?”

“Hey, let’s just follow whatever club our Hahwi joins.”

“I was already planning on that.”

The girls talking about joining the same club as me. Unfortunately for them, that was nearly impossible.

“Carrot! Everyone’s got the 17th Academy app installed, right? Club applications go through the app!”

Professor Santoto had just said that. Short of being the club president who received the applications, there was no way for anyone to know which club I had applied to.

“And if a club ends up with fewer than five members including the president, it will be dissolved for insufficient membership! Presidents, keep that in mind! Carrot!”

I turned on my phone and installed the academy app. Once it was open, I tapped on “Club List.”

Whoa. There are way more than I expected.

Sixty clubs had already been uploaded. With six hundred students in the 66th cohort, that meant one out of every ten people wanted to found a club.

Hope there are a few decent ones in here.

I scrolled down with my finger, looking over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the options one by one.

The first club that caught my eye was:

Jang Mugeon’s Hell Training Club. With a name that flashy, it was impossible to miss.

I figured no one would apply, but nine people already signed up.

Was it because he was a guy? Gender wasn’t listed, but the name alone screamed male, so a few girls with impure motives had probably applied on impulse. And of course there were bound to be a few people who genuinely loved training as much as Jang Mugeon did.

Either way, I had zero intention of joining a club like that, so I scrolled past it quickly.

The next one that stood out was:

The Motel Club. Not that I was particularly interested—I only clicked out of idle curiosity about what a motel club even did.

Entry requirement is guys only…

If the president were a guy, maybe. But she was a girl herself, so why only accept male members? The description claimed otherwise, yet no matter how you looked at it, there were clearly impure motives involved.

There’s no way someone named Lee Areum is a guy…

The name alone was obviously female. At least among the men I’d met so far, none of them had been called Areum.

She probably just posted it as a joke.

I scrolled down again and skimmed the other clubs. The one that grabbed my attention this time was:

The Game Club. The first one I’d found that lined up perfectly with my hobbies.

But they didn’t specify what kinds of games they play.

What I liked were computer games. I didn’t care much about other types like board games. Of course, even if it turned out to be board games, I wouldn’t hate them—they were still games—I just wasn’t particularly interested.

I’ll put this one on hold for now.

I didn’t apply right away. Better to look around more and only join if nothing better turned up. There might still be a club that appealed to me more.

A place whose goal was developing the Shinbi you already had. It wasn’t exactly a hobby, but the purpose itself wasn’t bad. Still, I passed.

It was a guys-only club, after all.

In the past I would have applied immediately, happy there were no girls. But I was different now. I had steeled my resolve just this morning.

It was time to start hanging out with the female students as well.

The reason I’d suddenly found the courage was simple: I could no longer afford to stall and waffle around. The academy enrollment period was only a year and a half—extremely short. Until now I had been overlooking that fact.

I have to stop being scared of girls and running away. There’s no time.

It was time to start properly overcoming my trauma.

Next week I’ll have a bit of money on hand, so I should look into a psychiatric clinic soon too.

For those reasons, I decided against the Shinbi Research Club. I went back to scanning the others. The end of the list was coming into view.

Something weird had slipped in there somewhere… but anyway.

Nothing was really grabbing me. Should I just apply to the Game Club after all?

While I was thinking that, one last club sitting at the very bottom of the list snagged my attention.