Chapter 169

Chapter 169

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 169Since I had been in the middle of handling organization work, I was already completely prepared to head out.

The problem was that Alessia had been helping with the work beside me.

“So, you're saying the Young Master's mentees caused trouble, and you need to go out right now.”

Crack.

The ballpoint pen in Alessia's hand snapped.

“...

A-Alessia?”

I was flustered by the sight of her looking even angrier than I was, but Alessia soon rose from her seat with a cold expression.

“I will immediately prepare to head out. Please wait a moment.”

Head out?

Don't tell me she's planning to come with me?

“Um... why are you coming, Alessia?”

“Pardon?”

She tilted her head as though wondering what I was talking about.

“Isn't it obvious? To discipline those damned juveniles who called the Young Master out at this hour──.”

“No! It's fine! I'm seriously fine, so Alessia, just get some rest!”

If Alessia came along, this might not end with mere words.

If something happened to those guys because of Alessia's methods, it could turn into the worst possible disaster.

I had to stop Alessia somehow.

“But I cannot simply leave alone those who bothered the Young Master at this hour.”

“Well, it's nothing serious. I'll handle it myself.”

At my words, Alessia began thinking while rubbing her lips.

“But as a maid of the Calione family, those who disrespect the Young Master...”

“I'd rather Alessia get some rest. And this matter... I'll take care of it quickly and come back. From what I can tell, it doesn't seem all that complicated.”

The location was Bucheon, too.

Thankfully, it didn't seem likely that things would get any more complicated from here.

______________

Gyeonggi Southern Awakened Police Headquarters.

Since it was also the place Se-ah had been brought to in the past, finding the way wasn't difficult.

The problem was... this place was currently quite a mess.‘No, sir. I really wasn't trying to use my ability, okay?’‘Hey! Your chief lives in Namcheon-dong, right!’‘This is Bucheon, why are you bringing up Namcheon-dong!’‘Did that bastard's restraints get secured properly? What's with the flames in his hand!’The violent crimes division looked like complete chaos.

After looking around, I eventually spotted some familiar heads and walked toward them.

“You little punks, barely old enough to shave, robbed an unmanned store? And you even used your abilities?”

“No one got hurt, so can't you just let it slide? We seriously won't do it again, okay?”

“The three of you put together have criminal records in the triple digits, and you expect me to believe that. Ha.”

A familiar voice remained in my memory.

At that, Han Ji-yeon was the first among the kids to notice me, and she smiled brightly while waving.

“Ah! Oppa!”

Despite having been dragged to the police headquarters, there wasn't even a hint of remorse on her face.

The other kids merely looked annoyed or sleepy as well.

Not a single one of them showed any sign of reflection.

“Are you these children's guardian? Just how are you educating───huh?”

And naturally, the detective who had been facing that attitude seemed unable to help getting even angrier.

“W-what are you doing here?”

Apparently he remembered my face, because his eyes trembled violently in surprise.

Looking at him, he was a detective I remembered as well.

“I'm Han Eugene, the mentor assigned to these children through Seoul Hero Academy's ‘Reformation’ project. Could you explain in detail what happened?”

I first greeted him normally and asked about the situation, and only then did the detective regain his composure and begin explaining the case.

“Reformation, huh. So it's already that time of year. The case itself is nothing complicated. The three of them robbed an unmanned store together. In the process, a patrolling police officer chased them, and that's how they ended up here.”

“Were there any injuries or casualties?”

“No. Fortunately.”

That really was fortunate.

If there had been any casualties other than me, it would have been difficult to keep viewing these kids as ordinary students.

“In that case, I'll take custody of them today. Thank you for your hard work.”

Since I was temporarily listed as their guardian anyway, I decided to take them off their hands here.

The other side became cooperative the moment they heard it was during the ‘Reformation’ period.

In effect, that meant they acknowledged that managing these kids was also part of our work.

Of course, given their impressive track records, the detective didn't forget to add a word.

“Whew, understood. Then please sign these documents... and I'll leave the rest to you.”

“Thank you. All of you, follow me.”

After giving the detective a brief bow, I took the kids outside.

None of them said a word until we left the police headquarters.

Only after we finally passed through the front gate did Han Ji-yeon exhale loudly with a “Hoo-ah!” as though she'd been suffocating.

“Ah─ seriously. We're finally out. Oppa, thank you sooo much. But what's with those clothes? A suit? Were you somewhere? You look even cooler than this morning!”

Maybe the silence had felt awkward, or maybe she genuinely thought nothing of what had happened, because she spoke incredibly casually.

“Right? Your whole vibe is completely different from during the day. Did you come from working at some restaurant or something?”

Kim Hyun-su joined in as well, chuckling.

But I looked down at them and spoke in a low, cold voice.

“Was it really that hard to understand when I told you not to cause trouble? I didn't expect you to start something less than a day after I said it.”

The kids flinched at the sudden shift in atmosphere.

For all their faults, they were still ability users.

Their instincts told them my reaction wasn't normal.

“So, why did you do it?”

Of course, I wasn't expecting much.

I'd already confirmed from our conversation and their attitudes during the day that they weren't the type to listen to reason.

“...

Because we needed money.”

The one who finally answered my question with difficulty was Gi Min-ho.

“Today's the deadline. If we don't pay the activity fee, they'll beat us until we're almost dead.”

“Activity fee?”

“There's a circle we're part of. They provide food and lodging too... we can't exactly starve to death.”

“Ha.”

Were they trying to give me a sob story now?

“What about welfare programs? If your situation is that bad, there should be assistance available.”

“We don't qualify. Legally, both our parents are still alive...”

I roughly understood.

It was common.

Lawlessness thriving in the blind spots of legislation.

Not that it made what they'd done acceptable.

“So, what do you want to do?”

“For now, getting the money somehow and getting out is the priority. Those guys might really come kill us.”

“They actually nearly killed a kid from the next neighborhood not long ago.”

“...

I see.”

In that case, there happened to be a place that suited them perfectly.

Two birds with one stone.

“Follow me.”

The place I took them was inside the car I'd arrived in.

“Get in.”

The kids were bewildered by the luxury sedan that suddenly appeared.

Only after I opened the rear door for them did they cautiously begin climbing inside.

Once all the kids were in, I got into the passenger seat.

“Where shall I take you?”

Han Seo-jun spoke from the driver's seat.

“You remember the warehouse I mentioned today, right? Let's go there.”

“Understood.”

As the situation continued getting stranger, a heavy atmosphere began settling over the back seat.

“Um, Oppa? A warehouse...

?”

“Did you say warehouse? In movies, people usually get buried in places like that...”

“You crazy bastard! Don't say scary things!”

The kids grew increasingly nervous as fewer and fewer people appeared around us.

Eventually, we stopped in front of a warehouse, got out of the car, and opened the rear doors.

“Get out.”

“Pardon? Um... can't we just stay sitting in here? It's warm and nice.”

Kim Hyun-su spouted something ridiculous, apparently afraid to get out...

“I won't say it three times. Get out.”

Thankfully, they scrambled out on the second warning.

“What about her? Did she arrive?”

“Yes. I received word that she arrived a few minutes ago.”

“Good.”

Han Seo-jun and I each grabbed one side of the massive warehouse door and pulled.

Light seeped through the widening gap, revealing the inside.

The interior looked like one of those American warehouse-style homes.

You had to keep your shoes on inside, but it looked more than adequate for someone to live there.

And in what seemed to be the dining area, I saw the silhouette of someone sitting leisurely alone.

“Ah. You've arrived!”

Pure-white hair and a stiff suit that looked freshly tailored.

And bright red eyes.

“I've been waiting, Young Master.”

Among the people currently available to me, she was the one who had spent the longest time living under harsh communal conditions.

Someone who could work regardless of location.

Someone trustworthy.

Most importantly, someone strong enough to protect these kids from outside forces.

It was Ratte.

“Did you wait long?”

“No. I just got here too! Are the children you mentioned... those kids?”

She looked at the children lined up behind me and grinned.

“Oh. They certainly look like the disobedient type. They'll be satisfying to educate.”

“...

Um, Oppa. Who is she?”

Han Ji-yeon, who had been quietly keeping her head down, cautiously raised her hand and asked me.

“Good question. She's a kind of special instructor I brought in specifically for you guys.”

“...

Instructor?”

The kids each reacted differently to my words.

Probably because Ratte looked somewhat harmless on the outside and acted deferentially toward me.

But... how long would those reactions last?

“This is Ratte. Until recently, she was serving a long-term sentence in Niflheim, so she's the perfect person to reform you. Not long ago, she even had a brawl with the Villain Alliance, so if you're truly desperate to say goodbye to this world, feel free to challenge her anytime.”

Despite her small stature and cute appearance... she was strong enough to fillet small fry like these with one hand.

Handling kids like them would be extremely easy for her.

“The Villain Alliance?”

“N-Niflheim? I heard that place is hell.”

“No way...”

And as expected, they still looked like they couldn't quite believe it.

“Well then, since the Young Master asked me to...”

Ratte answered with a gentle smile.

At the same time.

Squeak─squeak─squeak─squeak─squeak─squeak─squeak─squeak─squeak─squeak─squeak─squeak─squeak─“Shall we all begin your education?”

An army of rats swarmed in from around us and began surrounding Ratte, glaring viciously at the kids.

“Eeeeeek! Rats!! Rats!!! Rats!!!”

“W-what the hell is this?”

The kids recoiled in shock at the sudden appearance of the rat swarm.

The rats did have one peculiar feature.

Every single one of them wore the same red octagonal cap, stood upright on two legs, and had their arms crossed.

“Say hello, everyone. These are the instructors who will be helping with your daily lives from now on.”

But Ratte paid no mind to their reactions and cheerfully introduced the rats with a smile.

“The rat instructors will also accompany you to school, so please make sure to get along with them?”

Despite the pure-white smile on her face showing not a trace of malice, the terrified kids either collapsed onto the floor or began laughing emotionlessly.

Well, they might not understand now, but they'd probably realize soon enough.

That they were lucky to have Ratte with them.

That while this was education, it was also protection.

“All right, then shall we go take a look at that circle or whatever it is?”