Manga Club Mayhem and Magical Recruitment
"Hey, how can I explain myself to get out of this?!"
"Uh... probably tough... She really doesn't like witches. Hard to explain in detail, but just keep that in mind."
"Why...? Did witches do something bad?"
"There are bad witches, sure, but lately, any wicked ones get torn limb from limb by Witchcraft and burned alive. Even the folks sharpening their blades for revenge were like, 'This might be going too far... Isn't straight-up killing them better?'"
"....Doesn't burning kill you?"
"I said burned alive, not that they died."
I didn't have the guts to ask Kiduna-senpai how long they stayed burning alive after that. I felt dizzy just trying to imagine how much of a terror symbol my mom really was.
Still, the fact that they only let it slide at the "Witchcraft" level without hurling worse insults had cold sweat pouring down my back.
"So it's because of me, then?"
"Nah, not your fault, junior. What sin did you commit when you weren't even born yet... Right? I've lived so long, my sense of time's a bit off."
"Off enough that you slept for a whole week straight in the clubroom."
From Echo-senpai's story, I instantly got why our seniors were perennial repeaters. They'd basically decided to hole up and live at school instead of home.
I stared at her with a look that screamed Don't you pay insane tuition fees like that? Kiduna-senpai saw right through my obvious thoughts and laughed.
"Ah, it's fine~ My dad's a huge show-off, so he gives me tons of allowance?"
"For real?"
"Yeah, and my little sis too."
"Is living like that really okay?!"
It felt like something you shouldn't say so casually—wasn't that a serious family issue?! Even if they're super close, wouldn't the affection wear thin? Her bold claim that their unwavering bond kept it from fading made me drop the probing.
"Anyway, welcome to our soon-to-be-defunct manga club, junior. It boasts a whopping 200 years of history."
Kiduna-senpai bragged that, history-wise, it ranked among the top clubs. But for a club that old, the room was cramped enough to feel stuffy with four people, and the facilities were downright abysmal. You expect at least desks or chairs, but huddling around what looked like a dinner tray was just pitiful.
"No achievements, that's why."
Kiduna-senpai just read manga, while incoming members steadily drew some—but none hit big success, she said with a smile. Made sense; obsessing over manga left no room to keep up with academy classes. Most built basics here, honed skills, then published post-graduation. She showed me manga left by alumni who'd debuted as pros—even ones I recognized—but grads didn't count toward club achievements. Still, it scraped by as "accomplishments," barely dodging disbandment.
"But how's the club survived this long?"
Just from what Yungmei-senpai told me earlier, weak clubs like this were prime targets. No room meant outdoor activities, making them sitting ducks.
"This the manga club?! Hand over the room for our [Weed Growing] club!!"
Right then, members from another club kicked open the rickety door, yelling a challenge.
"Get used to it, junior. Happens every week."
"Same club every time?"
"Nah, different ones."
Clubs popped up and vanished constantly, all coveting rooms, so they targeted bottom-rankers. I wondered even more why they hadn't lost theirs yet.
"Heh heh... Freshmen this year have spirit."
Kiduna-senpai single-handedly swept away the four attackers with shadows, unscathed.
"If you repeat years without expulsion, you're a survivor..."
"That's just incompetence, senpai."
The real reason this weird club endured was simple: Kiduna-senpai's overwhelming strength crushed every challenger. Her long academy stint earned her the moniker [Ghost of the Manga Club], with monstrous power to match.
Was a manga club really held together by brute force? Whatever.
We left Kiduna-senpai to mop up the hallway hordes—especially the influx of bold freshmen and retrying upperclassmen during new club signup season—and Echo-senpai and I wrapped up disbandment talk.
"What if we recruit using alumni manga? Contact grads for occasional lectures!!"
"We do that—but reading manga's fun, drawing's brutal."
"If serialization's too hard, stack achievements with short stories?"
"If it were that easy, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"Then how do we snag newbies?"
[No choice—time to atone with our bodies.]
Grand Duke, is that the line for this flow?!
As I panicked, he plopped bunny girl and maid outfits on the table from gods-know-where.
"Urgh... I'm a guy! Why do I have to wear this?! It'd suit Kiduna-senpai way better!"
"Nah, no way."
Echo-senpai might look the part, but Kiduna-senpai had that inexplicable, baseless confidence. He warned me not to let her wear it, lest my eyesight suffer.
What did that mean? Don't girls in those outfits just make guys happy normally?
[Get out of my head, Shimura!!!]
No clue why, but seeing Grand Duke in agony meant there was a reason. With our main senior in jail partly because of me, it was my duty to step up!!
I had to wear one... one of them!! Gender aside, this was about responsibility!!
[A fine compromise: bunny maid, lad.]
"First time hearing Grand Duke sound so chipper."
[Your imagination!]
Clutching my head, I agonized over the least embarrassing option that wouldn't spark weird rumors. Either way, photos would spread everywhere. Gotta consider Mom spying on me out of curiosity and getting shocked.
"Alright, decided!! I'll hold a 'Join Manga Club' sign in the lobby!! Changing now—"
Screech.
"Um, I'm Yamucha Aranemu, a first-year. Can I join manga club?"
[You little shit!]
BAM.
"Ya, Yamuchaaaaaaa!!!"
Grand Duke's body slam flattened Yamucha Aranemu cold. Drooling, he passed out with an indignant Why me...? face.
[Now, pick your outfit to lure newbies.]
"We got one!!!"
[Damn it.]
I ignored the deeply disappointed Grand Duke, dragged Yamucha—sprawled like a bug amid the hallway bodies—back to the room.
Just like that, disbandment loomed no more—a miracle!
"Two first-years~ Safe till next year~"
"Haha, yeah!"
The two seniors beamed, maybe luckier this year. Yamucha sat awkwardly beside me, glancing around. Come to think, we were strangers... super awkward.
"Alright, you two—can you draw at all?"
"Uh... not at all."
"I can, a bit."
"No pressure in a learning club. We got reference books—wanna try?"
Echo-senpai handed over blank white paper. I could draw before, but post-girlhood, even handwriting sucked—doubt art fared better.
".....Will it work?"
Suddenly curious, I stared holes through it. Light slowly descended from the top like printing, completing a manga page.
"Whoa! It worked! Projected my imagined manga perfectly! Witch powers are OP!"
[Only you'd pull that off, lad.]
Everyone gawked at my witch power's "click"—the first page—faces screaming Is this for real?
"Fix the tones... backgrounds and anatomy off a tad... Revise and it'll be good."
"Oh, Yamucha knows manga? Team up then."
""Huh?"""
How'd that happen? Yamucha and I stared, then nodded, shook hands: "Please to meet ya."
"So, what's the story? Who's this handsome guy?"
"Uh, the handsome guy's Grand Duke as I imagine him. Kinda like, wondering how Mom got along with him."
Grand Duke's super kind and great crow, I added—then he silently teared up.
Demons were bound by ironclad contracts once made. Overpowered masters meant extra suffering.
──Recalling agonizing days with the first gen, the sweet second gen brought tears.
"Uh... Grand Duke... you okay? Want the maid outfit?"
[Please!!]
He begged, slamming his head on the table, pride be damned.
"It's... embarrassing, so dorm room try-on."
[Yay!!]
Master's maid outfit for my eyes only!! Demon lord Change is thrilled!