Became a Traitor in an Academy

Clubs

After the brief club introduction time, most students training in the stadium were considering which club to join.

Though they called them clubs, it would be fair to say it was like taking another class.

Plus, they taught things not covered in the regular curriculum.

So clubs were something you had to join if you didn’t want to fall behind others.

Of course, I had already decided before entering the academy.

Naturally, where Min-ho would go.

He was one of the targets I had to follow both out of fan sentiment and according to the plan.

Of course, I needed to keep the game protagonists in check too.

But since they didn’t have cheat elements like the protagonist, they grew orthodoxly – that is, slowly.

…Instead, or rather, they were just naturally talented from birth.

I suddenly felt irritated again.

“Jin-hyeon, have you thought about which club you’ll join?”

“I’m not sure. Nothing really appeals to me…”

“Ugh, but you’re still going to join a club, right? Everyone else is doing it, so it’d be weird to do nothing alone. Just try joining anything for now.”

Maybe it’s because I hear such carefree talk.

Though it could be because there’s no particularly suitable club for special types, he shouldn’t show it so obviously.

Even Lim Chang-won, whose ability is practically complete, is still working hard in the magic club.

I don’t understand how he can act so thoughtlessly about what he is.

It’s amazing how every single thing he says and does can be so annoying.

Though it hasn’t even been a week since we met, I could fill a small notebook just with his actions that I didn’t like.

You might say I’m looking through colored glasses?

Absolutely not.

I’d bet my pinky nail since fingers would be too much, but other kids are probably quietly finding him annoying too, though not as much as me.

“…Anyway, Yeonhwa. Where are you going?”

“Me? Of course the magic club! I can get one-on-one lessons from seniors with similar abilities!”

“I-I’m also… going there…! Learning from mom and dad, grandmother is good but… I thought maybe I should hear advice from others too…”

“Lapis, you too?! That’s great!”

Lapis, who was trying to escape from Yeonhwa clinging like a dog that found its owner, frantically looked for a place to hide before rushing into my arms and burying her face when she saw me.

“Hii, hii… I’m saved…”

How is she planning to be a hero when she’s this timid?

Thinking to myself that she’ll have a really hard time during workplace experience later, I put my hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her away while asking:

“Um, Lapis. Your horns are stabbing my chest and it hurts. Could you move away?”

It hurts. Really hurts.

The curved ends poking me felt like being stabbed with needles.

“Ah. I-I was about to… Sorry…!”

Then Lapis turned so pale her brown skin almost looked white before slipping into Yeonhwa’s arms.

Yeonhwa, who had been acting like an excited retriever until just now, was looking down at Lapis with a somewhat depressed expression like a tired retriever for some reason.

Do Lapis’s horns hurt Yeonhwa too?

But she doesn’t look like she got stabbed.

Just as I was about to ask what was wrong since it felt awkward how the usually bright Yeonhwa changed so suddenly-

“…Well what’s good is good! So Blanca, which club are you going to join?”

She quickly regained her energy and asked me.

“I’m still thinking about it. Fighting techniques, magic, weapons… they all tempt me. Can’t join all three clubs at once, right?”

So I casually answered that I wasn’t sure.

The reason I pretended to be considering despite having already decided was because of Min-ho.

Since he kept glancing this way while talking with Seolhwa, it seemed he was quite concerned about me.

If I said here that I’d join the club he’s going to…

Well. He might go to a different club than in the original work.

Since that would be a disaster, I was putting up a smoke screen for now.

“Hmm, I guess anything would suit Blanca well.”

Yeonhwa headed out of the stadium saying she’d go apply now, still holding Lapis.

Jin-hyeon just watched Yeonhwa leave.

Come to think of it, I haven’t said anything separately to him.

Until now I either only spoke to Yeonhwa or spoke to Yeonhwa too.

I had never specifically spoken to this guy alone.

…Since I don’t like him either, should I say something harsh?

“You should think about something too. You can’t become a hero without taking it seriously.”

If you’re going to be so half-hearted about it, just quit being a hero and drop out.

…Though I softened it since I couldn’t say that, it was still what I wanted to say.

Don’t just stand there going “hehe” with your hands behind your back while everyone else is working their bones off. At least show some effort if you’re supposed to be the protagonist.

“Okay, Blanca. I’ll try to work hard.”

“It’s not ‘try to work hard’ – it should be ‘I will work hard’, you frustrating guy. Hah, forget it. Do whatever you want.”

He’s a guy whose club doesn’t even appear in the story.

Just waste time somewhere appropriate.

With that mindset, just as I was about to turn around and follow Min-ho leaving the stadium.

Suddenly one idea crossed my mind.

If he hasn’t decided where to go, couldn’t I decide for him – that kind of thought.

Even after thinking it, I was internally flustered about why I was trying to help such a guy.

But thinking about it, it seemed like quite a good proposal.

Of course, the best would be if this guy didn’t join any club and wasted his talent, but that didn’t seem likely.

So instead I planned to keep him under control by keeping him by my side.

That was the first reason. To prevent him from meeting some strange fate somewhere and having explosive growth.

Secondly, it seemed like it would help keep the original protagonist in check.

Given the nature of the club the protagonist would join, the more people there were, the harder it would be for the protagonist to gain benefits.

Just me and that guy going would be like increasing the original number of people by 100%.

“Or, I have a club in mind. If nothing particularly appeals to you, want to go together?”

“With you… same club?”

“Yeah. If you don’t like it, you can just leave.”

Jin-hyeon was still tilting his head but obediently followed me, saying it wouldn’t hurt to try.

I hated everything else about him, but I liked just this one point about how easy he was to use.

I was secretly nervous about whether Blanca would follow this time too, but fortunately it seemed not.

She was already harming my heart health by causing various troubles before the first week was even over.

Though she hadn’t caused any big trouble yet, seeing her fight with Yamaguchi and get close with Lapis, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Because I couldn’t even dare to predict how that would turn out later.

I couldn’t understand her behavioral principles. Now I’m not even sure if she has some purpose.

After thoroughly trampling them like that, then turning around and apologizing first.

It made me confused about how to deal with her.

Moreover, Lapis was really troublesome.

If Blanca formed friendships with her first, honestly I couldn’t think of how I could approach Lapis.

However, since there was no justification for separating Lapis and Blanca…

I could only watch with an aching heart.

Besides that, seeing students like Jin-hyeon and Yeonhwa who I had never seen or heard of in the original work, I wondered if this world was really the one I knew.

Maybe it’s some kind of parallel world where only the class students are different,

Where everything else is the same, but those three exist.

“Ah. Sorry, sorry… Being a senior and showing such an unsightly side to my juniors. Ehehe. Give me a break. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve had club members…”

The female student in front of me pushed up her glasses while scratching her head embarrassedly.

Though physically smaller than a first-year, she was still a third-year academy student.

And one of several hidden fateful encounters in this academy.

“Um… anyway, welcome to the Ability Research Club! My name is Meirin, the club president! I hope you’ll achieve good results as test subj… no, as club members!”

“Just now… didn’t you say test subjects…?”

The girl next to me, Lucia, mercilessly picked at the senior’s mistake.

“N-no! How could I call our precious test… er, precious club members test subjects?! No, no!”

“…Alright. If you say so.”

Lucia seems normal. That’s a relief.

At least the heroines seem to be exactly as I know them, except for Blanca.

…Except for, Blanca.

For now, since she seems to be treated as a heroine… I should stay close to her.

But I really didn’t feel like doing that.

It felt like sticking my head into a wide-open tiger’s mouth.

It wasn’t a matter of likes or dislikes. My instincts were warning me of danger at a basic level.

But to figure out who she is and what she wants, her ultimate identity, I needed to at least interact with her.

“Well, light experiments should be fine. But that’s not important! Since it’s the first day, instead of that, let’s start by filling out profiles!”

I only thought I should try it once before the next event.

Meirin handed us papers with an incredible number of fields, smiling brightly.

“Do we… have to… fill all this?”

“Of course~ To analyze your abilities in detail, profiles are essential! Come on, come on. Write everything without hiding anything!”

“…I wonder if this really helps.”

Along with Lucia’s complaints, we somehow filled out the dense fields.

Then, a voice that was familiar yet shouldn’t be heard came from outside.

‘So, it should be around here… where was it…?’