Chapter 546
Dick led Simon, Fitzgerald, and Toto around to check out the surrounding club booths.
“I asked the council servants to bring over some supplies we need for decorating the booth.”
With a casual motion, Dick slung his arm around Fitzgerald’s neck as he spoke.
“In the meantime, we’ll spy on the competition and figure out what they’re doing right—or what they’re missing.”
“Understood.”
Fitzgerald adjusted his glasses and nodded.
“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. My name is—”
“Ranked 20th overall, Fitzgerald.”
Fitzgerald’s eyes widened in shock. Dick, clearly used to such reactions, smirked and rattled off details as if reading from a file.
“Hobbies: reading. Specialty: philosophical debate. Your proudest possession these days? That pair of luxury glasses worth 30 gold.”
“……How do you even know that?”
“Haha! This is my bread and butter, so don’t sweat it. Anyway—”
Dick stopped and swept his arm across the line of booths.
“Take a look at your rivals. You too, Toto.”
“Uh, okay!”
Fitzgerald and Toto’s gazes slowly circled the booths before returning. Dick grinned slyly.
“Now you get it, right? Why they’re thriving… and why your club’s a disaster!”
“Not at all.”
Fitzgerald pushed his glasses up again.
“Yeah, I don’t really get it.”
Toto mumbled uncertainly.
Dick glanced at Simon with an exaggerated mouth movement: “Are they always this clueless?” Simon quietly looked away, pretending not to hear.
“Alright, fine! No need to overthink this!”
Dick pointed ahead.
“The Gourmet Club—they’re basically running a giant restaurant, pulling in freshmen with taste and smell. You can tell exactly what their club does at a glance. New applicants even get a free meal. Clever, right?”
Then he gestured the other way.
“The Physical Club? They’re practically naked, greased up with oil, dazzling everyone with the beauty of raw muscle. The Darkness Kendo Club has an entire collection of flashy swords on display, totally stealing the spotlight. The Transformation Club? They’re running an event where a member transforms into a cat, and you have to guess which one’s the real cat.”
He shrugged.
“See the pattern? They showcase what fits their identity, and they make it appealing.”
“How strange.”
Fitzgerald tilted his head.
“If that’s the advice, we’re already doing—”
“You’re not talking about that disgusting Seiren Chimera and that retching Death Worm, are you?”
Fitzgerald scowled, but Dick shook his head firmly.
“No, no. The point is to highlight your identity while also presenting something the general crowd can like. You know—like cute little summon beasts that girls love?”
“There is a miniature Abomination Chimera I made by grafting organs of a mouse and a rabbit. It’s small and—”
“Rejected. Thank you for your submission.”
The situation was worse than he thought. Dick let out a deep sigh.
“Forget playing up your quirks for now. Let’s dig deeper—into the fundamentals.”
He clapped his hands together.
“What draws people in?”
At last, Fitzgerald’s eyes gleamed as if a worthy topic had appeared.
“The pursuit of truth and boundless intellectual curiosity.”
“…Somebody shut him up.”
Dick grumbled and continued.
“Fine, let me put it simpler. What do teenage boys and girls care about most? The opposite sex!”
Fitzgerald nodded.
“The opposite sex. I concur.”
“Oh? Finally making sense, huh?”
Dick spread his arms and raised his voice.
“Come on, what do seventeen-year-olds love? Romance! Crushes! Sweetness! Campus dates! Boys! Girls! Love! Look over there!”
Up ahead, some male students in sharp suits were handing out flyers. Each one looked like they had stepped out of a sculpture gallery. They struck up easy conversations with passing girls, and their practiced charm left first-year noble ladies blushing furiously.
One girl even accepted a flyer, fixed her hairstyle, circled around, and came back for another.
“And over there!”
Down the opposite street, second-year girls were handing out flyers too—dressed in dangerously short cheerleading outfits or even maid uniforms.
The lofty upperclasswomen clung to freshmen boys’ arms, whispering sweet pleas for them to join. The boys, entranced, couldn’t help but sign the application forms.
It was an entirely different world.
“W-What the hell is this?!”
Toto’s face flushed red.
“Vulgar. And disgraceful.”
Fitzgerald sneered as well. Simon, who had been quietly observing, smirked.
“Didn’t you just say you agreed about being attracted to the opposite sex?”
“That’s different. That’s animalistic instinct, not rational attraction.”
Adjusting his glasses again, Fitzgerald muttered:
“The elite Keyzen name weeps at such displays. Frankly, I wouldn’t accept freshmen who were lured by such shallow tactics.”
Dick’s eyes rolled back in fury.
“You! Have no right! To mock them, Fitzgerald!”
He pointed at one of the maid-costumed girls, voice rising.
“You think they like doing this? Everyone wants to be comfortable, to be treated with respect, to look cool. But these girls—they know what works. They know which methods get real results, and they’re putting themselves on the line to achieve it!”
Fitzgerald glared back, unwilling to yield.
“Mutants have a philosophy of their own. Better to keep my club strictly for second-years again than to accept freshmen swayed by such cheap tricks.”
“No! You’re dead wrong! First, you need people. Only after people come in can they learn about your philosophy, your values. Without that, you’re nothing but a big, fat zero! No potential! No future!”
“…Dick, calm down.”
Simon tried to stop him, baffled at how worked up he was.
“Think about it—you sneer at those who put in the effort, while clinging to your narrow standards. That’s arrogance, that’s foolishness! Tell me: who’s more worthy of respect? The ones who swallow their pride and hustle to gain results, or you—who laughs at them but accomplishes nothing?”
He jabbed a finger at Fitzgerald, voice cold.
“Which one is truly worthy of the Keyzen name?”
“……”
Fitzgerald’s pupils trembled. He turned his head away and adjusted his glasses again.
“I may not have confidence in my looks or charm, but—”
“Phew.”
Dick swept his bangs back with his hand.
“That doesn’t matter. Whether it’s wearing a mascot costume or putting on makeup, the key is the mindset. The determination to draw people in—that’s what counts.”
With that, Dick strode ahead.
“Let’s head back to the booth. The supplies should’ve arrived by now.”
* * *
By the time they returned, the servants had already delivered the materials. Under Dick’s direction, everyone worked together to redecorate the booth.
First, they tore down the grotesque occult decorations and replaced them with a neat interior design. Then they changed the mutant-style lettering on the roof to something far more readable.
They pinned up pictures of amusing summoned beasts on the walls, while Toto dismissed the stinking Death Worm back into subspace.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!”
Meanwhile, the Seiren summon was juggling balls skillfully with its six arms. Fitzgerald, controlling it with sheer thought from behind, adjusted his glasses.
“This is the bare minimum.”
But his face twisted with something like defeat, and he lowered his head.
“Still… why do I feel like I’ve somehow lost…?”
“Hahaha! In the name of commerce, anything flashy and eye-catching is fair game!”
At that moment, Toto poked his head out from behind a booth pillar.
“Uh, Dick! We’re really doing this?”
“Of course we—huh?”
Toto stepped out, blushing furiously.
He was wearing a baggy long dress and a long-haired wig on his head. Dick actually gasped, as if even he hadn’t expected how well it fit.
“Perfect! A flawless frail little maiden, down to the last detail!”
“…Dick.”
Simon sighed heavily, glaring at him.
“Don’t mess around with Toto.”
“Mess around? I’m dead serious! Saving your failing club—this is the only way!”
“…If crossdressing Toto is truly our only salvation, I’d rather let the club die.”
“Ahem! Don’t say that! We had something to attract the girls, but nothing to lure the boys. We had no choice.”
Dick shoved a stack of flyers into Toto’s arms.
“Now go! Our mutant trump card! Target the first-year boys!”
“No way! Not like this…!”
“Relax! You’ve got makeup on, no one will recognize you.”
Dick’s sweet words, combined with the safety of disguise and anonymity, made Toto falter. His expression turned doubtful rather than outright refusing.
“Y-You’re sure no one will figure it out, right?”
“As the Keyzen treasurer, I guarantee it! Now get moving!”
Toto shuffled off nervously. This time, Dick turned to Simon.
“And Simon! How long are you going to just stand in the back looking important? Your clubmates are working their butts off—you should pitch in too.”
Simon blinked.
“You know I’m the Student Council President. Wouldn’t it be improper for me to directly help a specific club?”
“Heh! I knew you’d say that, so I sent minions to ask Professor Jane earlier. Since this year’s budget allocation standards are crystal-clear, lending a light hand on the final day is fine.”
Flap!
Dick tapped Simon’s Student Council President’s coat with a sly smile.
“The hero of the legendary entrance ceremony rescue mission! Time to put that fame to use!”
Simon felt a chill of unease run through his body.
* * *
At the same time—
Princess Molly was wandering alone through the central plaza.
“……”
Her friends, who’d come with her to see the Seiyur performance, had all drifted off on their own. Now she was by herself.
Everywhere she went, second-years who recognized her swarmed like hyenas.
“Your Highness, club activities are the true flower of Keyzen Academy!”
“It would be an honor if you joined our research society!”
“Princess, if you would allow us to escort you…”
Molly shook her head coldly and kept walking.
“I’m sorry.”
She wanted to enjoy the fair like the other freshmen—browse the booths, try out some activities. But she had no peace. Everywhere she turned, upperclassmen hounded her.
“Back off, all of you! Hey! Didn’t you hear me?!”
A sharp voice cut through as a second-year girl pushed her way forward, scattering others who were trying to claim Molly.
It was Elisa Celine, head of Noble. Several of her clubmates surrounded her.
“Princess Molly! We’ve been waiting for you! Please, come with us.”
Elisa bowed with courtesy as she continued.
“Of course, once you’re in your second year, the position of Noble’s club president will be yours. You’ll succeed Prince Andre—”
“…You mean my brother Andre?”
Molly’s expression turned icy.
“The same brother who exploited his peers like personal maids, abused school authority and budget, dragged the honor of the Royal Dark Knights through the mud, and even brought suffering upon Senior Simon?”
‘Uh-oh.’
This was not the reaction Elisa had anticipated.
“P-Princess, that’s not—”
“I’m sorry, but I will never join Noble.”
Molly stormed off, vanishing into the crowd.
Elisa and the Noble members stood stunned. They had assumed Molly’s entry was guaranteed, only to be blindsided.
‘One last check, then I’m leaving.’
With a weary, disgusted look, Molly pushed through the crowd.
She pulled out the booth map from her uniform pocket, focusing on it—
Thud!
An elbow slammed into her face out of nowhere. She let out a strangled gasp and toppled to the ground.
‘?!’
She had never even been slapped in her life. Now, clutching her nose, she let out a silent scream.
“Oh, sorry.”
A voice came from above.
When she looked up, a girl sat perched on a tall chair, holding a massive three-tier cake.
“Didn’t see you there.”
Short brown hair. Eyes dark as burnt sugar, sunk pale against her face.
And that distinct, menacing aura.
‘…No way!’
Molly pressed her aching nose, her face tense.
Before her stood none other than the undisputed strongest of the first years.
Special Admission No. 1—Sasha Endrasil.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters