And a Random Box in the Club Room! (1)
And a Random Box in the Club Room! (1)
The first place Elena led him to was a building near the Student Council.
A state-of-the-art club hall built of marble.
The gleaming white stone was almost blinding.
Tucked away in a corner of that building was an empty room.
"This is the best of the available clubrooms," she said.
"It does look clean. But wouldn't competition for a spot like this be fierce?"
At Ian's question, Elena planted her hands on her hips, a triumphant look on her face.
"Yes! I got the inside information from the Student Council in secret, and I'm only telling you, Brother Ian!"
Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him.
The expression practically screamed, I did well, right? Praise me! So much so that Ian felt compelled to point it out.
"Are you really allowed to do that? Isn't this a bit like cheating?"
"Th-that's...!"
Elena's face flushed crimson.
Her mouth opened and closed uselessly.
"...If you're going to panic that fast, why pull a stunt like this in the first place?"
"W-well, that is..."
Elena, desperately searching for an excuse, finally squeezed her eyes shut as if admitting defeat.
Her true feelings slipped out.
"B-because of Sister Danya!"
"Danya?"
"Yes! I can do better than Sister Danya! I want to prove it to you!"
She had already lost the fight against Danya, but Elena hadn't given up. It wasn't as if Danya could stick to Ian's side every single day. If she could just get close to Ian himself, the source, she'd have plenty of chances to get her hands on that frozen treat.
So her first priority was to gain the upper hand in Ian's regard.
Her mind was spinning unusually well today.
After all, everything depends on the human heart!
It was the firm resolve of a young priestess determined to monopolize a fruit blessed by the gods.
Meanwhile.
Watching Elena, Ian felt a swell of pride.
It was a conclusion tinged with a slight misunderstanding.
Competing with Danya to see who can become stronger? That's admirable already.
Growing stronger meant rigorous training.
Come to think of it, wasn't there a top-notch training facility nearby?
Elena was this serious about her training.
"Your relentless dedication to training has really struck a chord with me, Elena."
Accompanied by his little misconception, Ian nodded with satisfaction.
"...?"
"But this place doesn't look suitable for living and eating."
"Living and eating?"
Among the clubrooms, certain types permitted boarding.
"I mean the kind with a shower room and bathroom nearby. And plumbing and a stove for cooking."
"Ah, this isn't one of those, but they do exist. How did you know?"
Well, that was because in Fanta X Aca, clubrooms functioned as a sort of home base.
They were where players could overnight and where all the characters you'd collected would gather in little clusters.
An academy story really does need clubs, after all.
Ian wanted to find a decent clubroom where that classic academy-fantasy life could play out.
Truth be told, he was also starting to think that running around everywhere to meet up with the kids was getting exhausting.
"It could double as our clubroom and the hideout for our promotion team."
"Th-that isn't allowed... Clubrooms must be used strictly for club activities."
"Sure, sure."
"...Are you actually convinced?"
"Yep."
Elena launched into a round of nagging.
With her leading the way, Ian set out to explore the various available rooms.
His conditions were simple: livable, and spacious enough that people wouldn't feel cramped gathering there.
But finding such a room proved surprisingly difficult.
"The farther they are toward the outskirts of the academy, the bigger they get. The ones in the center are cramped."
"True."
"...They've all been a bit ambiguous."
Ian and Elena wandered all over the academy grounds.
It must have been after checking out about six rooms.
"...I do know of one place that fits the criteria."
Elena trailed off hesitantly.
"It's large and has all sorts of facilities. But..."
Why was she acting like that?
"Is the deposit expensive?"
"No! That's not it, either..."
"Then why are you so fidgety?"
"W-well...! You'll understand once we get there!"
Elena guided him to the former Magic School building.
"Isn't this decent enough?"
It definitely showed its age, but it didn't feel dirty.
The ivy and leaves covering the walls gave it a vaguely antique atmosphere, perhaps.
As Ian moved to enter the main gate without hesitation, Elena tugged on the back of his shirt.
"Brother Ian, haven't you ever heard the rumors about this place?"
"Huh?"
"It's one of the Ten Mysteries of Lichten Academy..."
"Ah."
Of course he'd heard of the Ten Mysteries.
He thought the main story had touched on two or three of them.
The former Magic School wasn't among them, though.
"Why is this place a mystery?"
"Gh-gho..."
"Ghoul? A creature?"
"No, that's not—!"
Glancing around, Elena leaned in and whispered to him.
"Gh-ghosts. There are rumors about ghosts in this building."
"I see. But why are you whispering?"
"Th-the ghosts might overhear us!"
Ian gave her a dumbfounded look for a moment before quickly schooling his features.
At that, Elena flinched.
"O-of course, I am a servant of God. I don't believe in things like ghosts! Even if one appeared, I-I would simply purify it!"
"Really."
"O-of-of course!"
"Then let's go in."
"Go in? Seriously?"
"Are you scared?"
"Deus will always be at my side, so I'm not scared...!"
She said it while clinging to his back.
A wry smile tugged at Ian's lips as he walked right in without a second thought.
The conditions here are too good.
It was close to the academy center, yet slightly offset to the northeast.
Convenient for sourcing ingredients from the North Market. Also a solid base for expanding into the high-end shopping district near the East Gate.
Moreover, since the building had some years on it, the interior looked quite spacious.
The main entrance radiated a feeling of deep age.
Desks and chairs were scattered about haphazardly.
— Creeeak!
"Eeeek!"
Elena shrieked and latched onto Ian's back.
"The wooden floor creaked. That's all, Elena."
She pulled away, her face red, though her fingertips still clutched the hem of his shirt.
"I-it's here."
Elena, who had been consulting something on her Kirtos terminal the whole time, stopped in front of a classroom.
"This one has been completely vacant for about three years. It seems no one has considered forming a club in this eerie, ghost-ridden building during that time."
Ian opened the door without much hesitation.
"It's quite big."
The space was nearly the size of a standard classroom.
It was larger than the clubroom Ian had imagined.
"We could put basic furniture like sofas and tables over there."
Having mentally arranged the furniture, Ian spun around.
A sink and a cooking area were tucked away in one corner.
"That corner looks suitable for setting up the equipment for the Dessert Research Society."
Even after that, plenty of empty space remained.
At this size, I could practically move in my whole household and live here.
Even if he partitioned off half of it, it would still be bigger than his current dorm room.
Should he just relocate his living quarters here?
Ian thought that wouldn't be a bad idea at all.
It would drastically cut down travel time to the academy, and the training ground was close by.
Most of all, being inside the academy, where outsider access was strictly restricted, felt a little safer. Especially from people like the Blood Maiden.
The only downside was that the long neglect had left traces of dust in every corner.
That was nothing a bit of vigorous scrubbing with a rag couldn't fix.
If it feels gross, I'll just run my Authority over it once.
While he was looking around.
"Hm?"
From a shelf in the corner, Ian picked up a small box.
An antique, palm-sized container that seemed to be crafted from luxurious but aged solid wood.
The golden lock fastening the box was remarkably intricate.
"...Why would this be here?"
"What is it?"
"One of those Ten Academy Mysteries you mentioned."
"Eeeek!"
Elena, who had poked her head out with curiosity, instantly retreated to a safe distance.
She stared at it as if it were a volatile explosive, but in reality, this was an exceptionally valuable item.
It was one of the few Numbers items obtainable at the academy, after all.
「No. 777. The Mysterious Box.」
I had no idea this was here.
Ian was genuinely surprised.
Number 777. The Mysterious Box.
True to its name, the box itself was the 'item.'
If you opened it and placed valuables like gold coins or magic stones inside, it would transform them into other objects of equivalent worth.
It's a kind of gacha tool.
The reason Ian had wanted to find this item back when he played the game was because he'd speculated it would let him simulate the effects of spending real money, but using in-game currency instead.
To think it was hidden away in a corner like this.
He'd struggled so much trying to track this box down...
The painful memory of never finding it resurfaced.
Stashed inside a drawer in an old classroom like this, it made sense in hindsight.
"Anyway, it should have a key."
He glanced around, but no object resembling a key was immediately visible.
At that moment.
— Rattle!
"Kyaaaah!"
The door suddenly swung open, and Elena, once again terrified, flung herself at Ian.
"Calm down. It's not a ghost."
After soothing Elena, Ian looked toward the open door.
A large build, bronze skin.
A male student with slicked-up blonde hair and earrings, radiating a considerably thuggish vibe.
The guy stepped into the room and offered a greeting.
"A new neighbor?"
"I'm considering it."
"Talking down to me, huh."
"You too."
That brief exchange was enough for both to gauge each other's disposition.
A smirk tugged at the corner of the newcomer's mouth as he shrugged and spoke.
"Don't be so wary. I just came to give you a few pointers."
"...Pointers?"
"Yeah. If you want to use this place, you've gotta pay a development fund and a toll."
"...A development fund?"
Instead of answering, the guy pulled something from his pocket.
A sharply honed dagger.
Like some cliché villain from a bygone era, the blonde youth ran his tongue along the blade.
"Th-that weapon is against the academy rules—!"
Ian stopped Elena.
He intended to resolve this through talking, if possible.
"Development fund? Why should I have to pay something like that?"
"If you're moving into a building managed by our club, you show some courtesy."
"I don't know what your club's deal is. But what if I refuse to pay?"
"Then you get out of here, right now."
The blonde delinquent thrust his knife forward in a threatening stance.
Elena scurried forward and shouted.
So she's fearless as long as her opponent isn't a ghost.
"C-calm down! Do you think the Student Council will just sit back if you act like this? Just carrying a weapon like that makes you a disciplinary case! This building shouldn't have any combat clubs — just which club are you from anyway?!"
Cutting off Elena's words, Ian yelled urgently.
"Elena, shield!"
The blonde bastard had hurled his knife and was charging straight at them.