Chapter 108
"......Sorry."
Maelyn, sitting next to Simon with both hands placed on her knees, bowed her head deeply as Simon let out a pained groan.
Simon forced a smile and said,
"It's fine. It's not like you did it on purp—urk!"
"Ah! Are you really okay? I told you to just go to the infirmary!"
Simon smiled as if he was okay, but if he went there and the doctor ordered him to stop attending class, it would truly be frustrating. It was better to just endure it.
"Ah."
Across from him, his gaze met Kamibarez's.
She, who had a half-worried, half-glad expression, smiled softly and greeted him.
"Hello, Simon~"
"Hey. Kamy, nothing happened to you either, right?"
"Nope!"
At that moment, Dick shrugged off his school uniform jacket.
"Anyway, back to what we were talking about...."
Then he began pulling out club flyers that were stuffed into every pocket of the jacket.
"This club season is the only time of the year when the second years treat us first years well."
Apparently, they were also talking about clubs. Curious, Simon asked,
"They're not just treating us well, they're desperate. Why are they so eager to recruit first years?"
Dick chuckled and made a coin shape with his fingers.
"Isn't it all about this? The number of new recruits directly affects the club funding they receive."
"......Ahh."
Simon immediately understood. In Keyzen life, money was critical.
"As the semester goes on, some first years drop out or get expelled from Keyzen, but the funding cut from withdrawals isn't that big. So the idea is to secure as many students as possible first! That’s pretty much the strategy. Ugh, how did I even manage to stuff flyers into my back pocket?"
Dick grumbled as he pulled a flyer from his back pocket. Truly, every pocket was crammed with flyers.
"And also,"
Maelyn added, patting her own shoulder,
"Apparently, once club season is over, some clubs start treating first years like dirt. So don’t even glance at sketchy ones. Safer to join a relatively major club."
"Where did you guys join?"
In response to Simon’s question, Kamibarez raised her hand.
"I joined 'Sadam', the Haematology Research Club!"
"Ah, that one."
Simon gave a wry smile.
"I’m in the Pure Magic Research Society."
Maelyn said.
Pure magic, unlike Darkness-based magic, was the old-fashioned kind where one drew magic circles using only mana.
"Pure Magic Research Society? Why that one?"
Dick raised his head at Simon’s question.
"I wanted to ask that too. Why’d you suddenly want to learn pure magic?"
"Well, I’m from the Ivory Tower, so I have an interest, and anyway, it’s the root of Darkness Elemental magic, right? I heard it gives you lots of inspiration when you study it."
Both had chosen clubs that matched their desired specializations and talents.
Simon turned his head.
"What about you, Dick?"
Dick shrugged.
"Huhu! I actually started a new club!"
"Seriously? What kind of club?"
"The Rochest Startup Support Club!"
"......Ugh."
Maelyn made a disgusted face.
"Are there really people joining that? Don’t you need at least three members for a new club to be approved?"
"Super easy to find. I just told students not interested in clubs that I’d split the club funding with them if they just signed up, and bam—tons of them!"
"......You’re always gaming the system."
"Call it taking the shortcut."
Kamibarez leaned in and asked,
"What about Simon? Have you decided where you’re going?"
"Still thinking."
Simon replied, popping a potato chip into his mouth—spicy ones, just the kind Dick liked, covered in red pepper powder.
"But Simon, didn’t you get an offer from 'Noble'?"
At Dick’s question, Simon flinched.
"Y-Yeah, I did."
"Ha! Knew it! Heard the Special Admission No. 1 was a target for recruitment!"
"'Noble'... that’s the club with the prince, right?"
"Yup. The power player gathering."
Dick crossed his arms.
"They’re ridiculously arrogant, but there’s nothing bad about joining. You get all kinds of benefits, and you can form powerful alliances with second years. If anyone messes with their junior members, the second years come down hard on them."
"Pfft, pathetic. So lame."
Maelyn shook her head, then Dick stared at her seriously.
"You might not get it since you’ve got the massive backing of the Ivory Tower, but in Keyzen life, having connections makes a huge difference. With Noble behind you, people treat you differently."
"Connections or whatever, that just stems from a weak mindset that wants to rely on something. In the end, the only one you can trust is yourself."
"That’s exactly what someone from the Ivory Tower would say...."
As the three continued their conversation, Simon was seriously contemplating which club to join.
His gaze drifted to the flyer he had just received from a second-year: the Special Undead Research Club.
* * *
‘Maybe I’ll just hear them out.’
In the end, Simon was heading to the clubroom of the Special Undead Research Society, "Mutant".
The building where the clubroom was located was a bit removed from the main first-year campus. It was closer to the central area, which was filled with restaurants and cafés.
"Hey! You there!"
Simon turned his head. A female student with long cream-colored hair flowing down to her waist was approaching.
'Second year.'
Though she had her uniform jacket tied around her waist, he could tell from the context even without seeing the red badge.
Unlike the relatively subtle makeup of first-year girls, her makeup was bold overall, with advanced eye styling and a short skirt.
Second-year students boldly altered their Keyzen uniforms to suit their own styles.
Male students tightened their pants, and female students shortened their skirts. Still, since the uniforms had built-in full-body protective barriers, it wasn’t a problem.
"Did you call for me, senior?"
Simon bowed politely. She walked up confidently and crossed her arms with a smile.
"Seeing you here means you’ve already chosen your club?"
"Ah, no. I haven’t decided yet. I just wanted to hear more about it."
At that moment, her gaze fell to the flyer in Simon’s hand.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! That! That one!"
She suddenly burst forward, closing the distance rapidly. Simon reflexively leaned back a little.
"Are you thinking about joining 'Mutant'?!"
"I just wanted to hear some info—"
"Hahaha! Great! That’s awesome!"
She laughed loudly and slapped Simon’s back—smack! smack!
Compared to the time Maelyn hit him, the force was on another level, and Simon nearly screamed.
"Whoa, what’s up with you? Why are your eyes watering?"
"......It’s nothing."
"You that moved to be joining my club? Kyahahaha! That’s right, that’s right!"
"Let me just hear the explan—"
She suddenly grabbed Simon's wrist with a firm grip and shouted,
"Let's go!"
She was the type who barely listened to others.
On top of that, she was extremely spontaneous, with a high-pitched voice. Her facial expression radiated sky-high confidence.
She strode ahead with long steps, letting her shortened school skirt flutter carelessly.
The place Simon was dragged to by the wrist was a shabby clubroom.
At the door, a piece of paper with the word "Mutant" written in crooked letters was taped on, ink smudged in several places, with tape slapped on haphazardly.
"Come on in!"
"Thank you."
The clubroom was a bit more worn and old than expected. Simon had heard that clubs at Keyzen were supposed to be grand, magnificent, and luxurious, but this was clearly different from that reputation.
Still, it wasn’t bad. It felt like a secret base, a cozy atmosphere that put him at ease.
Simon had always preferred the well-worn and modest over the flashy.
"......You're here?"
A second-year male student who was lying on the sofa ran a hand through his messy hair and sat up.
Simon immediately recognized him. He was the same dark-circle-eyed student who had handed him the flyer.
"What are you doing, Dio! Today’s the last day!"
"......I’m sleepy. Besides, even if I hand out flyers, barely anyone comes."
"Not true! Look who actually came!"
She pointed to Simon and shouted. Only then did the boy, called Dio, notice him.
"Uh... you’re...."
"Nice to see you again, senior."
Simon showed the flyer he’d received from him and gave a polite bow.
"You guys stay here for a bit! I’m gonna check on the first-year side again!"
"......Just stay here."
"I’ll be back!"
She rushed out, slamming the clubroom door behind her. Dio let out a small sigh and looked at Simon.
"......Make yourself comfortable."
"Sorry?"
Lying back down on the sofa, he muttered,
"......There’ll be an interview soon, so until then... mmnh, mmnh..."
And then he fell asleep. Thinking these people were quite odd, Simon turned his head.
‘Might as well take a look around.’
Simon began to observe the clubroom more closely.
The deeper inside he went, the more professional it felt. Rather than just a resting area, the place gave off the vibe of a workshop.
It seemed like they actually developed undead here. The shelves were filled with a wide variety of undead materials, not unlike a necromancer’s shop. On the desks, various blueprints were scattered among knives, scissors, and even shaved-down bones.
‘So that’s why the room looked cramped.’
At the back of the room were machines as well.
An automatic banding machine powered by mana stones, and even a refrigeration and preservation unit.
With a face full of curiosity, Simon looked around. Just having access to these machines made joining this club seem worth it.
Knock knock.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door. With Dio still sleeping, Simon answered instead.
"Yes, come in."
Click.
The door opened, and a cold-looking male student wearing glasses entered.
He had on a hoodie under his uniform jacket, the hood pulled up to emphasize his bangs and giving off a closed-off, rigid impression.
‘First-year.’
Seeing how he looked around the room with curiosity, Simon spoke up.
"The seniors said they’ll be starting in a bit. They told us to just relax and wait."
He gave a light nod and plopped onto the sofa like it was his own home. Then, he pulled a book out from subspace and silently began flipping through it.
Simon glanced to see what book it was.
<Why Can’t Chimpanzees Become Philosophers?>
‘...What kind of book is that?’
While Simon was still thinking how odd this guy was, there was a second knock at the door.
"Yes, come in."
The door creaked open, and a short boy peeked in. Spotting Simon, his eyes widened.
"Ah, Simon!"
"Toto!"
It was Toto Amoriya, another summonology major. His face had been tense with nerves, but now he smiled brightly with relief.
"Simon! You’re joining this club too?"
"Huh? Oh. I haven’t decided yet."
Seeing a familiar face in an unfamiliar place made the atmosphere feel more relaxed.
The two began chatting away. The glasses guy, seemingly uninterested, continued reading his book in silence.
"I came all the way here just to meet a certain senior."
Said Toto, his voice filled with excitement.
"Which senior?"
"I heard a rumor."
Toto lowered his voice.
"The president of this club is none other than...."
"A second-year, Special Admission No. 5, currently in the student council, Benya Vanilla."
Both of them turned their heads. The glasses guy had, at some point, looked up from his book and was now addressing Simon and Toto.
Hearing the familiar name, Simon’s eyes widened.
"Wait! Vanilla—as in, that—"
"Yeah."
The glasses guy’s eyes lit up.
"The granddaughter of the chairman of the Vanilla Group is the president of this club."
Superb.