I got into school for nothing - Chapter 149
I got into school for nothing (149)
Lesson 30. Final Exam - 4
“A toast to commemorate our Special Admissions team's great comeback――!”
Clink—! With a boisterous clang, Stonemason clinked two glasses together in mid-air.
No one responded to his toast, so he had to generate his own enthusiasm.
“If you want to toast, at least do it quietly, seriously.”
Kshana replied, barely concealing her annoyance at Stonemason, who had been desperately trying to attract attention from his juniors (especially the female ones) and make an impression for a while now.
“And what's a ‘Special Admissions team’? We have a club name, ‘Union Journey Club’. Is there nothing but rocks in your head?”
“Ugh... B-but Rebellion was already thriving, and this triumph is thanks to our Special Admissions students uniting as one... Right, Kshana! Congratulations on your 7th place in the Comprehensive Practical Combat evaluation! To soar over 200 ranks in one go, you truly are the hope of our team—no, our club—”
Strictly speaking, she usually benefited from the buff effects of Stonemason's talismans, but in the Comprehensive Practical Combat evaluation—unlike Tower exploration—one couldn't carry artifacts imbued with another's mana, so it was true that she hadn't received any help from him in this specific instance.
From her perspective, she wanted to earn goodwill and get closer to Ban Yuwon now that they were having drinks together, but the annoying Stonemason, whom she had no interest in, kept clinging to her, which made her reply even more harshly out of irritation.
“Who's ‘our Ban Yuwon’?”
“Ugh—! Oh, ah, our leader! I meant to say ‘our club leader,’ my words just came out wrong!”
“Ah-ha.”
However, at Rucell's words, spoken with a sweet smile from Ban Yuwon's right, Kshana whimpered and backed away.
It was a bit funny that Kshana, who ranked 7th in the second year, was scared of Rucell, who ranked 5th in the first year, but... considering how exceptional the top-ranked first-years were this time, Rucell was certainly a formidable enough individual to represent her grade.
Ban Yuwon chuckled softly at the sight and calmed Rucell down.
“Don't be too hard on your senior, Rucell.”
“Okay. Nom.”
He picked up a vegetable stick from the table and offered it to Rucell, who, after growling just moments before, became docile and began to quietly nibble on it.
At this sight, even Kshana quieted down.
They were overwhelmed by the two's effortlessly natural, playful affection.
“How does that Stonemason manage to pick out only the exact actions that make a man unpopular?”
Mira, who had claimed the seat to Ban Yuwon's left, opposite Rucell, muttered dismissively. He shrugged in response.
“That's pretty common. You'll hear rumors like he stalked a junior during vacation, or even went to their house, and then by the new semester, you won't see his face in the club anymore.”
The female members of this club should be grateful that they each live in different dimensions.
“...It's like you've experienced it yourself. Who was that woman? I'll take care of her.”
“It wasn't me, it was my sister, so don't make such a scary face.”
What's the biggest reason clubs fall apart, if not romantic entanglements?
Especially those guys who are always in every club, saying things like, “Just call me oppa,” or “I can treat you better than that jerk”—they never know how to read the room, constantly shamelessly hitting on people, ruining the atmosphere, and ultimately shattering the club completely.
He never imagined such types would appear even here at Union Academy, which gathers the most talented individuals from across dimensions... But thinking about it, maybe it's not a matter of talent.
“So I thought!”
Stonemason, who had been continuously downing drinks because no one would toast with him, slurred, already tipsy.
“Now that our exam results are good, maybe we don't need Ban Yuwon's help anymore!”
“Huh?”
That guy seriously looks like he'll disappear by the new semester.
“Look, all our abilities have improved, and our written scores are out of the danger zone. So, we don't need to bow our heads to that brat anymore, do we?”
“Wow... that's truly...”
Woohyeolrin, always smiling, clapped for Stonemason's words with his usual gentle smile, then said,
“That's a truly garbage idea, Senior.”
“Is that guy really the same intelligent species as us?”
“No, he's definitely a monster.”
The club members were aghast.
Actually, Ban Yuwon had been wondering if it might be good to just remove Stonemason from the club, but before he could gleefully tear up Stonemason's contract, the others began to lynch Stonemason.
“Have you already forgotten your contract with Ban Yuwon?”
“Senior, can't you just die?”
“It's a sin to hit a person, but wouldn't kicking a rock be innocent?”
“It would be.”
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone... ”
“Agh! Ugh! Guuuuh! Quack! Everyone snap out of it! We won't be slaves!! Gyaaaah!”
Stonemason, surrounded and beaten by the members, made for quite a decent side dish with their drinks.
Ban Yuwon, joined by the Rebellion members and even Mira, toasted and enjoyed the sight.
“Wait, include me too—!”
“Oh, Misty, you're here? Leixu too.”
“Hello!”
Nevertheless, out of camaraderie from spending half a semester in the club together, Misty Aiole and Leixu arrived late to the after-party.
Stonemason, even while getting beaten, looked pleased at the arrival of the two beauties, but was soon buried under the crowd again.
“But... where's Aire?”
“She went on a solo exploration.”
“Ah. The exams just finished, what's she so diligent about?”
Misty Aiole dropped her head, visibly disappointed.
Ban Yuwon gave a wry smile and motioned for her to sit down.
“Aire isn't here, but stay and have fun. Just be careful not to step on that Stonemason over there.”
“Well, I've wanted to have a gathering like this with you all at some point, so, yeah. It's not bad...”
“How did you make this reservation? Even if a club could get group off-campus activity permission somehow, competition for party rooms is insane this season.”
Leixu, the mage girl who came with Misty Aiole, looked around and asked.
Ban Yuwon silently pointed to Mira, who was sitting next to him.
“Authority.”
“Authority that can overcome the Special Class, comprised solely of students from higher dimensions...?”
“It also means our club's standing has risen significantly in such a short time.”
“Amazing.”
“To choose a club like this, Aire really does have foresight.”
“You just want to praise Aire, no matter what.”
Although they initially joined the club following Aire, seeing them interact like this now, they seemed to have blended quite well into the club's atmosphere.
“Please take care of me in the second semester too.”
“You don't even need to say that; anyway, there's nowhere else to go now.”
“Ugh, I'm a bit worried about going home for vacation...”
Vacation.
Although two weeks of exploration and two weeks of special activities awaited, once those were over, they could truly return to Earth.
‘No, but there's something I need to finish before that. Mingling with the club members seems done for now...’
Ban Yuwon checked the time and stood up.
Rucell and Mira, who had been half-leaning on him, lost their balance and stumbled, sending him somewhat resentful glares. Only Dokgo Yeon, who was sharing drinks with As Light and teaching him the ‘Way of Alcohol,’ smiled faintly.
“Are you going to the Tower?”
“Yes. I want to settle things before our exploration begins.”
“A good decision. ...If you were going to spend the whole day drinking among women after losing to that vermin, I was going to flip this table myself.”
Rucell, on behalf of Ban Yuwon, who had unknowingly narrowly escaped death, retorted to Dokgo Yeon.
“Dokgo Yeon, you're too strict. Ban Yuwon has only just started growing seriously less than half a year ago.”
“Those with exceptional talent should not be judged by the same standards as ordinary individuals.”
Dokgo Yeon, who naturally devalued Union Academy—a place where the most talented individuals from all dimensions gathered—as ‘ordinary,’ scoffed and urged Ban Yuwon.
“Ban Yuwon, if you're going to the Tower, hurry. As you said yourself, you'll need to finish it before entering the dungeon on Monday.”
“Alright, I'll leave this gathering to you.”
“I'll only be responsible for this fool, though.”
“Uh-oh—? Ban, are you leaving? Hehe, then take me too... *Hic!*”
Seeing As Light, flushed red and acting drunk like that, truly felt like a university club's social gathering.
“I'll contact Professor Yumina. She's been practically singing about coming right over as soon as her work is done...”
“Professor Yumina is coming?! To be able to drink with her... that's amazing! Ban Yuwon, you're the best!”
“Ah— Woohyeolrin Senior? Could you keep Stonemason in check?”
“Leave it to me.”
Only after entrusting the aftermath of Stonemason to Woohyeolrin, the most reliable man at the gathering, could Ban Yuwon leave the drinking party with peace of mind.
Suddenly, he wondered why Stonemason had made such an absurd and pathetic declaration earlier. It bothered him.
‘A drunken joke? No, that can't be. Perhaps precisely because he knows about the contract—that was serious.’
As he left the store and looked back, he saw Woohyeolrin holding Stonemason and saying something with a threatening smile.
Stonemason, Cartro El Fassis, avoided Woohyeolrin with an ambiguous expression.
As the two got closer, faint flowing concepts could be seen rising around them.
They seemed to be trying to hide it, but unfortunately, Ban Yuwon possessed the ability to see through to the essence more accurately than anyone else.
‘As expected—they get buffs even without the talisman. And at maximum strength.’
He was certain that they were comrades.
Comrades, connected even more deeply than a team climbing the Tower together.
Otherwise, Woohyeolrin wouldn't have been receiving his buff effects at maximum strength even before applying Cartro's talisman.
It was a very suspicious relationship, and so Ban Yuwon had been keeping a close eye on them.
On the surface, they were just a fool and a genuinely good person, but precisely for that reason, he was wary.
‘But what Cartro said earlier, Woohyeolrin immediately shut him down, so it must have been an unwelcome remark. Are they perhaps at odds?’
The two were already bound by a contract, their leashes held.
Either they were confident they could escape that contract, or there was something they had to do even at that cost.
It didn't matter which.
Although the distinction between friend and foe wasn't clear yet... if they considered his contract to be merely a curse or a lower-tier Authority, they would be in for a rude awakening.
‘I don't know when they'll reveal their true colors, but I hope they stay as they are, if possible.’
It's never a pleasant feeling to personally cut ties with someone you've grown fond of.
Ban Yuwon sighed softly and moved towards the Tower.
Incidentally, that drinking party continued until 3 AM due to Professor Yumina's rampage, and sure enough, Stonemason, who had tried to flirt with her, ended up tied to tree roots that sprouted from the floor and was displayed in the city square, bringing the evening to a close.
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