Chapter 14

Chapter 14

I Became the Academy Mafia, Chapter 14“Good morning. Did everyone get plenty of rest yesterday?”

Ji Su-hyeon placed what appeared to be an attendance book on the podium and looked around. At the students’ responses of ‘Yes~’, Ji Su-hyeon nodded and smiled.

“That’s good, then. Now, the first day was for determining whether there was anyone among you worth raising, and the second day was for checking what kind of combat you preferred. Well, there was one guy I couldn’t check because he went down the moment it started.”

At Ji Su-hyeon’s words, the other students’ gazes gathered on Jin-woo.

Embarrassed that she had suddenly started talking about him, Jin-woo lowered his head.

But Ji Su-hyeon continued speaking without caring.

“And today is the third day. Today’s activity is a kind of Academy orientation. Let’s see... Ah, we still haven’t chosen a class president. What a pain...”

As Ji Su-hyeon muttered that and snapped her fingers, the stack of papers she had brought along with the attendance book disappeared, and a booklet appeared in front of each of our desks.

“Now, those booklets contain today’s schedule, so check them yourselves.”...

She simultaneously moved twelve objects of that size into designated locations?

It wouldn’t be strange to call it an insane feat of acrobatics, yet this woman had done it simply because she found handing them out bothersome.

Was that the power of the spatial mage who had once been praised as a genius?

When I opened the booklet Ji Su-hyeon had sent over, it contained a map of the Academy and a schedule divided by class periods, along with illustrations.[Periods 1, 2 (09:00~12:30). Academy Tour: You, who have newly entered the Academy. This is your first time at our Academy, right? An event prepared by our Hero Academy just for you! Take a look around the clubs located throughout the Academy!][Lunch Break (12:30~13:50). Move to Cafeteria: Have you seen plenty of clubs? Now let’s eat!][Periods 3, 4 (13:50~17:20). General Education Class: Your class will receive lessons on the qualities and refinement a hero should possess.]The Academy’s classes were held four times in total, each lasting an hour and thirty minutes.

And just as expected, it seemed periods 1 and 2 would involve touring clubs, just like in the game.

“As it says there, periods 1 and 2 are for touring the clubs in the Academy. If you head out soon, the various clubs will be making a huge fuss trying to recruit freshmen, so go take a look. Well, there are plenty of clubs that could help you in the future, so it’d be good to look around carefully.”

After hearing her words, I glanced out the window and saw that booths for club promotion had already been set up all over the Academy.

It’s crowded...

“Now then, the time is... We still have some left? It’s 8:40 right now, so should we pick a class president? Han Eugene?”...

Why are you calling my name in such an ominous way?

“Yes.”

“You be class president.”

“Pardon?”

No, you’re just dumping the class president position on me like this?

“Why, you don’t want to?”

Ji Su-hyeon asked again while looking at me with a mocking expression.

“Got a problem?”

Seriously, this crazy bitch.

I sighed and said.

“Shouldn’t you at least accept candidates? There may be someone who wants to be class president.”

“Hm? I just think it’d be nice if you did it.”

She was trying to make me class president for just that reason?

For the sake of my plan, I absolutely could not become class president, so I decided to refuse first.

“Sorry──”

“I’ll do it.”

Just as I was about to refuse Ji Su-hyeon’s proposal, Kim Young-je, who was sitting in front of me, raised his hand and declared his candidacy.

“Oh? Fine, Kim Young-je. You want to be class president?”

“Yes. I’d like to volunteer.”

“Really?”

After saying that, Ji Su-hyeon glanced at me.

I avoided her gaze and looked out the window.

“Well... fine, then. He says he doesn’t want to do it. Anyone besides Kim Young-je want to volunteer?”

This time, no hands were raised. At that, Ji Su-hyeon took a notebook from her pocket and began writing something down.

“Class president is Kim Young-je. Vice president... Hmm, do I need to accept candidates for this too?”

“I’ll do it.”

“Hm?”

Ji Su-hyeon looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to be class president?”

“Vice president is a different matter, isn’t it?”

“Huh, you’re one funny bastard.”

Ji Su-hyeon glared sharply at me.

In fact, there was a separate reason why I had applied for vice president rather than president.

First, unlike the class president, the vice president was not required to be dragged into school events.

Since I also handled Family business, that would be an enormous disadvantage for me, so I couldn’t become class president.

Second, while the vice president did not get dragged into those events, they could still wield authority as a class officer and easily gain access to meetings and events that only the class president and vice president could attend.

And third.

Ji Su-hyeon──“Fine, you be vice president. Doesn’t look like anyone else is applying either... Ah, class president and vice president, let’s have dinner with this instructor after the Academy ends today, alright? This instructor will pay.”

She was an instructor who tended to treat her class president and vice president more specially than the other students.

“Now then, with that, the class president and vice president are both decided... Rest for a bit, and when the bell rings, go look around the clubs. Today’s homeroom is over.”

After saying only what she wanted to say, she immediately tried to leave the classroom. I raised my hand high and stopped Ji Su-hyeon.

“Instructor.”

“Hm? What is it, Vice President? You asking what we’re eating today?”

Ji Su-hyeon said something ridiculous toward me when I raised my hand. Ignoring her words, I said what I had originally intended to say.

“...

You didn’t explain how to establish a club.”

Ji Su-hyeon’s expression went blank at my question.

“What? Establish one?”

Her body slowly began to tremble.

“Pfft. Kh!”

Then, as though she couldn’t hold it in anymore, she bent over and started laughing.

“Pfft! Khuhuhuhu! Establish one? Of course you can establish one! Creating a club is a student’s right. But it’ll be hard, you know? Why, are you planning to make a club?”

I wanted to immediately say yes here, but there was no need to go that far yet.

I casually pretended not to know and led her on.

“Shouldn’t we at least hear about it first?”

“Wow, looks like you really are planning to make one? Sure, if you don’t know anything, I can understand. This instructor understands.”

Ji Su-hyeon suddenly nodded to herself and returned to the podium where she had originally been standing.

“Then, since our vice president is asking so persistently, shall I explain it? How to establish a club at the Academy. It’s not as difficult as you might think.”

Ji Su-hyeon used mana to draw chalk into her hand and began writing on the blackboard.

Everyone in the classroom focused their attention on the board.[1. Recruit a minimum of 4 club members.][2. Recruit a club advisor instructor.]

“Now, up to this point is how clubs are usually established at other schools. You just make one with people you like and that’s the end. Very simple. But this is the Hero Academy. It’s an institution that trains heroes, not students. Therefore, there are additional steps.”

Ji Su-hyeon said that and continued writing on the blackboard.[3. Three Club Establishment Consent Forms.]

“Three club establishment consent forms. You can only create a club after obtaining these.”

Ji Su-hyeon said that and continued moving the hand holding the chalk.[3. Three Club Establishment Consent Forms.]┗Consent form from a Bronze Club.┗Consent form from a Silver Club.┗Consent form from a Gold Club.

Tap! Ji Su-hyeon placed a dot beside the consent form from a Gold Club and looked at us with a smile.

“Consent forms. By any means necessary, you need to obtain one from the president of a club in each rank. Whether through force, wealth, or connections.”

Right, that was the biggest obstacle.

“Academy clubs ultimately receive support from the Academy. But what if there are parasites with no ability who try to suck the Academy dry? We can’t allow that, so the consent form system was introduced. But this isn’t the end.”

Saying that, Ji Su-hyeon began writing more on the blackboard.[4. Submit the consent forms to the Student Council and pass the review]

“You have to go through this as well before you can finally create a club.”

That too was a system devised by the Academy to prevent unnecessary clubs.

Three consent forms? Let’s say we could somehow obtain them.

But if you couldn’t get past the wall called the Student Council, then in the end, you still couldn’t make a club. That was the Academy’s club system.

“Establishing a club? Sounds great~ Go ahead and try if you can. If you’re confident you can raid your seniors’ clubs to get their consent forms and persuade the Student Council, that is.”

The entire classroom fell silent at Ji Su-hyeon’s smile, which could only be described as wicked.

“For reference, there hasn’t been a single case in the past two years of first-years establishing a club. None of them could satisfy the conditions demanded by their seniors.”

At Ji Su-hyeon’s words, Kim Young-je raised his hand this time.

“Fine, what is it?”

“Then, are you saying there was a case three years ago where a first-year established a club?”

“Three years ago? Hmm. There was. Those crazy bastards.”

As she said that, Ji Su-hyeon sharply pointed her chalk at the words ‘Student Council’ written on the board.

“The Student Council. The current Student Council President created a club in their first year and raised it to Diamond rank in their second year. Using the authority gained from that, that person ran for Student Council President together with the club presidents who followed them. And as you all know, became the Student Council President. Seriously, the Academy was fun back then.”

Everything Ji Su-hyeon was saying now was information you learned if you took the Academy route, and it was all true.

“How about that, did that answer your question? Cadet Kim Young-je.”

“...

Yes. Thank you.”

“Good. Now, anyone else with questions? No?”

Ji Su-hyeon checked one final time to see if anyone would raise their hand, and after confirming that no one did, she picked up the attendance book again.

“Good. Then I’m really leaving?”

With those final words, Ji Su-hyeon immediately left the classroom.

I got up from my seat at once and followed her outside.

“Instructor.”

“Hm? Why are you following me? Got another question?”

“I want to establish a club.”

“...

What? Did you not hear the explanation I just gave?”

“I heard it.”

“And you still insist on establishing a club? A first-year freshman?”

“Yes.”

“You know you’ve only been enrolled for three days, right?”

“I know.”

“And you want to establish a club? Right now?”

“Yes.”

The corners of Ji Su-hyeon’s mouth rose after hearing me.

“So, why are you telling me?”

“I’d like you to become the advisor for the club I create.”

“...

What? Are you insane? Why should I do that?”

“I’ll give you what you want, Instructor.”

“What I want? How do you even know what I want, and how are you planning to give it to me?”

“Chaos. I’ll bring war to this Academy that has been quiet for two years. Unprecedented chaos.”

“What?”

Last night. The newly updated information on Ji Su-hyeon contained information that was extremely necessary to me right now.[Name: Ji Su-hyeon (Ji Su-hyeon)][Affiliation: South Korea, Academy][Age: 28 years old][Specialty: Spatial magic and tactical command][Family Relations: Both parents deceased, no siblings][Information: An instructor at Seoul Hero Academy who has long believed that heroes are born in crisis.

She views a survival-of-the-fittest ecosystem where people compete against one another very positively and has submitted three papers citing this ideology.

During her active-duty days, she once nearly lost her life due to the appearance of a dungeon, but survived with the help of Don Vito Calione.]

For the past several years, the Academy’s atmosphere had stabilized around a few powerful groups.

It was probably a good thing if you looked at it positively. After all, they could reliably train graduates in a stable and quiet atmosphere.

But those weren’t the kind of Academy graduates she wanted. What she wanted were not merely ordinary people who were a little stronger than others, but true heroes.

Heroes who emerged from crisis.

Heroes capable of inspiring hope merely by existing.

True heroes, more special and noble than anyone else.

Ji Su-hyeon, a woman who believed that one had to endlessly trample and break the three-leaf clovers before a four-leaf clover could appear, would find my proposal unbearably sweet.

I would bring new chaos to the Academy, which had remained peaceful beneath the Student Council until now?

Wasn’t that exactly the true Academy she desired?

And as though telling me that my prediction had been correct, she looked at me with an extremely delighted expression.

“You planned this from the beginning, didn’t you? Asking about club establishment in front of the kids, suddenly volunteering for vice president. You were aiming for all of this.”

“...

You caught me?”

As expected of Ji Su-hyeon, I smiled as I looked at her.

“How could I not? Asking in front of the kids was probably your way of subtly planting the thought that ‘you’ll never be able to do it’ and stirring up their rebelliousness. First-years are like that, you know. Tell them, ‘You can’t do it. Give up,’ and freshmen only want to do it more.”

After saying that, she looked directly into my eyes and smiled with them.

“Wow, thinking about it again, you really are something, aren’t you? You used me of all people? Hahahaha! You really are that old man’s son.”

Ji Su-hyeon slowly approached me while laughing brightly.

“Fine, I’ll play along. I really like you so far.

She placed her hand on my shoulder.

“But I have a condition.”

“A condition...?”

“Yeah. Bring me three club establishment consent forms by tomorrow. Then I’ll be your advisor. And that’s not all. I might even help you pass the Student Council’s review. What do you think? If you’ve really made up your mind to establish a club, you can manage that much, can’t you?”

As expected, she was the Ji Su-hyeon I knew.

A woman who actually enjoyed it when someone openly challenged her, who accepted any challenge with a smile.

That was why she was nicknamed a crazy bitch.

“That really is an offer I can’t refuse.”

“Right?”

“Yes.”

Truly.