Chapter 80

Chapter 80

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 80As I stepped into the hallway to head toward the student council room, I saw the back of a familiar-colored head up ahead.

Choi Yeon.

One of the current greatest heroes in the Republic of Korea, the heir to the Azure Sky Sword Clan, a prestigious swordsmanship family renowned from the past to the modern day, and the top-ranked freshman of Seoul Hero Academy.

Her distinctive pale aquamarine hair, clearly different from the other students, proved that she carried the bloodline of the Sword Saint.

“That family environment is probably why she developed the habit of sending challenge letters.”

The two challenge letters she'd sent me recently were enough to give me an idea of her family's atmosphere.

“...

She probably grew by sparring with people she thought were similar to or stronger than herself.”

Since the family motto of the Azure Sky Sword Clan was ‘We shall reap through blood,’ shedding blood was simply a natural method of becoming stronger to her.

On top of that, she had several absurd traits attached to her as though she had received the blessing of this world.

And among them was one trait that had the greatest influence on her growth.【Combat Race】[1.

The more you fight against opponents equal to or stronger than yourself and survive, the stronger you become.]

The description couldn't have been simpler, but it was absurdly powerful beyond that.

You get stronger the more you fight?

An environment overflowing with sparring partners, talent for swordsmanship, and a personality that doesn't fear challenges.

For monsters like Choi Yeon, it was a trait that gave her not just wings, but boosters too.

“...?”

Choi Yeon, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped.

Since I had no reason to talk to her or walk beside her, I had been keeping my distance, so I stopped as well and observed her.

Without turning around, she suddenly stood there blankly for a moment before starting to walk again.

Thinking it was nothing, I started walking again too.

Then I noticed something.

The distance between Choi Yeon and me was gradually shrinking...

Don't tell me she's slowing down because she wants to match my pace?

As a test, I slowed down even further, and Choi Yeon's pace noticeably slowed as well.

No way, she's seriously doing that because she wants to walk with me?

In the end, I sighed and approached her first.

“If you wanted to walk together, you could've just said so. Why are you slowing down?”

Only after I came alongside her did Choi Yeon return to her original pace.

Even then, she still didn't look my way and kept staring straight ahead.

“...

That's not it.”

“For someone who says that, you won't even make eye contact with me.”

“Grandpa said when you're sulking, you shouldn't even make eye contact.”

Hm?

“Are you indirectly saying you're sulking right now?”

At my words, the side of her face began turning red.

“...

Anyway, don't make eye contact with me.”

She's more prickly than I expected. Then why was she trying to match my pace?

“In that case, I'll walk a little farther away.”

In the end, I compromised and stopped first to put some distance between us.

Choi Yeon, who had been walking perfectly fine, suddenly slowed down drastically.

“You told me not to make eye contact, so I kindly gave you some distance. What's wrong this time?”

“...

Only.”

“What?”

She muttered something, so when I moved closer, I finally heard her properly.

“I only don't know where the student council room is.”

“Ah.”

Right, she was directionally challenged.

Remembering that trait of hers I'd forgotten, I shook my head and spoke.

“Then just quietly follow me.”

“Okay.”

And so the two of us began walking side by side down the hallway again.

But for some reason, I kept feeling an uncomfortable gaze from beside me.

Glancing over with only my eyes, I realized Choi Yeon was repeatedly sneaking looks at me.

Ah, our eyes met.

“What now?”

“What?”

“Don't keep sneaking glances at me.”

“I wasn't.”

“What do you mean you weren't? We just made eye contact.”

When I pointed out what had just happened, Choi Yeon finally seemed to accept it and nodded.

“I was just wondering why you didn't show up at the place written in the challenge letter last week.”

“...

Ah. The challenge letter. I threw it away.”

“What?”

Choi Yeon's steps stopped.

“You threw it away?”

“I don't remember ever saying I'd accept your challenge. Just because you sent a challenge letter doesn't mean I have to go, does it?”

“That's true, but... it rained that evening too.”

“I know.”

“I waited at the training hall while getting rained on.”

“The Academy training hall is indoors, isn't it?”

“...

I didn't bring an umbrella, so I walked home in the rain.”

Doesn't her story keep changing?

And there was something strange about it too.

In this world, especially in Seoul, the weather bureau boasted a ninety-nine percent accuracy rate thanks to abilities bordering on precognition.

Because of that, most people in this world checked the weather the moment they woke up.

Yet she walked home in the rain?

“Don't tell me you forgot to check the weather forecast and didn't bring an umbrella.”

Flinch.

Her eyebrow twitched.

“...

I trust you won't avoid this week's spar.”

I knew it. She was the one who forgot her umbrella, yet she tried to use that to make me feel guilty.

And she was so clumsy about it that it was completely obvious.

She really was someone whose disposition was the complete opposite of mine.

And I was weak against people like this.

“...

I'll try.”

“I think I'd prefer a definite answer rather than ‘try.’”

In the end, wasn't she just telling me to hurry up and become fodder for her 【Combat Race】?

It wasn't bad for Choi Yeon to become stronger, but I couldn't just watch her grow alone either, so I needed some preparation beforehand. I slightly changed my wording.

“I have my own schedule, so I need to check first. To put it bluntly, you applying for a spar with me was basically a notification rather than a proposal.”

Method one.

Beat her down with facts.

I have my own things to do, so how can you just decide things yourself and then blame me?

It was that sort of method.

It might not work on people with evil tendencies or shameless people.

But for extremely good-natured children like Choi Yeon who were also incapable of lying, this method was the best.

At my words, Choi Yeon stopped in place.

Wondering what was wrong, I saw that although her face looked expressionless, her pupils were trembling from side to side.

Still, because I knew she had absolutely no ill intentions, just seeing that made me feel guilty.

“Next time, if I have time, I'll contact you first. That should be enough, right?”

Only after I said that did Choi Yeon let out a relieved sigh.

Then she looked at me and abruptly held something out.

“...

Hm?”

“Don't have it. Your number.”

“Ah, you're asking for my number.”...

This is my first time having someone ask for my number, and this is how it happens.

After I wrote down my personal number for her, Choi Yeon put her phone back in her pocket.

“I called you, so if anything happens, contact──”

“──Ah, here they are!”

At that moment, I saw a woman in the distance bouncing and waving her hand toward the two of us as we walked side by side after exchanging numbers.

“My, it looks like this year's top-ranked and second-ranked freshmen get along well, so this senior is happy~ But... huh?”

She had apparently been watching us from afar, because she covered her mouth and smiled teasingly.

Then, when she saw my face, she paused and smiled brightly.

“What? Junior, you were the second-ranked freshman? What a huge coincidence~ We've met before, haven't we?”

Sharp eyes, long black hair, and a black name tag attached to her neat Academy uniform.

“...

Yes. It's been a while, Senior.”

She was the female senior who had offered to show me the way to the infirmary after my spar with Jin-woo in the past.

“To think you were the second-ranked first-year. That's pretty surprising. Ah, the one beside you is the top-ranked Choi Yeon, right?”

At the senior speaking as though she knew her, Choi Yeon bowed her head.

“Yes. I'm Choi Yeon.”

“As expected. There aren't many girls in the Academy with hair that color. Then... the male junior must be Han Eugene? I was disappointed that I didn't properly hear your name back then, so this worked out nicely.”

No... I would've preferred it if you hadn't remembered me.

She smiled and extended her hand to shake ours.

“I'm Yuli Rodman, vice president of the student council. Nice to meet you, juniors.”

When I took her slender hand, I felt a chill.

Right now, she merely looked like a kind senior... but the truth was completely different.

She was a Romanian noble who had chosen to study abroad in order to attend the Academy in Europe.

Not only that, she was the next head of a family that could be called a direct descendant of Count Dracula.

Of course, she wasn't the type to recklessly cause huge incidents... but knowing that an event where she randomly went berserk sometimes occurred, she was someone I found a little uncomfortable to meet often.

She normally isn't the type to act this friendly, so why is she approaching me like this?

Still, since she offered a handshake, I should accept it.

“...

I'm Han Eugene.”

“Yes, yes, nice to meet you too, juniors. Then before we go inside, let me tell you a few precautions?”

After I accepted the handshake, she smiled, then instantly erased her smile and raised a finger as though giving a warning.

“First. It's fine to state that you intend to refuse. But never do anything rude. Understood?”

At Yuli's words, Choi Yeon tilted her head as though she didn't understand what she meant.

Since I already knew about the Academy student council, the warning made sense to me, so I simply nodded.

“Good. Then second. This is really important... the president may play a nasty prank on you. Of course, there's no ill intent behind it, and it's kind of an Academy tradition, so just think, ‘Oh, so this is the kind of prank they play~’ and take it lightly. Got it?”

“A nasty prank?”

Once again, Choi Yeon asked as though she didn't understand.

Yuli merely smiled and said, ‘There is such a thing.’

Of course, for me, who had an idea what that prank would be, I knew that smile was poison.

“Alright, then shall we go in? Yeon stands behind me, and Eugene stands behind her.”

Saying that, Yuli stood in front of the student council room door.

Before entering, she neatly adjusted her clothes, knocked, and spoke not in the playful voice she'd used until now, but in a calm and businesslike tone.

“This is Yuli Rodman, vice president of the Academy student council. The top-ranked and second-ranked freshmen. We will enter now.”

No voice came from inside.

Click─But Yuli turned the doorknob anyway and entered.

When the door opened and Choi Yeon followed her inside first.

“...

Wow.”

I saw the normally blunt girl let out a gasp of admiration as she looked around.

At her reaction, I also entered the room and looked around.

A chandelier with an antique design and a red carpet, countless framed pictures and trophies decorating the surrounding walls.

A grand room and works of art that looked as though someone had studied how to express power through wealth.

It was at a level where I couldn't even estimate how much money had been poured into this room alone.

And in the middle of that room was a huge table with four people seated around it.

These were the authorities of Seoul Hero Academy, the Academy's independent student administrative organization.

“Welcome! The top-ranked and second-ranked freshmen!”

The man sitting at the head seat of the large table in the center of the room sprang to his feet and smiled brightly.

Golden hair reminiscent of the radiant sun, vivid blue eyes, and a refreshing smile.

That man stood at the very peak of Seoul Hero Academy and would create huge waves throughout the Republic of Korea the moment he entered society.

“My name is Ray Pendragon. I'm the president of this student council. “And.

“All of us in the Seoul Hero Academy student council welcome you!”

A man who would someday become my enemy.