Episode 89: Catching a Thief (2)
The day before the final exam.
After school, Ryozo called the members, including me, to Lang Class. Once everyone was there, Ryozo took out a wad of paper from his backpack.
“… Did you finish all this in the meantime?”
I looked back and forth between the notes and the documents with dazed eyes.
“Yeah, but I don’t know the details because I couldn’t review it because I only printed it out. I have to check it now.”
She shrugged. I sighed and looked back down at the pile of papers on the road.
‘I didn’t just pick a list.’
Documents that are meticulously organized, including detailed personal information of employees, a list of names, and even the movements of suspicious people. It’s hard to believe that they were written in less than two days.
‘I knew you were going to do it when you did it.’
Ryojo, who stood before the scheduled reward, seemed like a completely different person. What on earth was he trying so hard to ask for? A feeling of desolation flashed through him, but he said it wasn’t something material.
“… But, Manager, is this okay?”
Weapon, who had been examining the wad of paper, hesitated and continued speaking.
“Even if the goal is to find villains, this is purely a crime… … And Ryozo, don’t you think this is a bit much? What, you even wrote down how many times a day I went to the bathroom? What are you going to do about these people’s human rights?”
“It was a crime from the moment you hacked it, so what are you talking about now?”
“… Oh my! There’s a limit! This is just too much of a crime!”
“Hey, hey, the gentlemanly man, Weapon-nim, has been taken away-.”
Weapon’s expression crumpled without mercy at Ryozo’s sarcasm. I placed a hand on his shoulder and shook my head.
“The more information, even if it’s small, the better.”
“Ugh, Manager, if you say that, then what… … .”
I also understand Weapon’s reaction. From a moral standpoint, it is clearly wrong. But there is not much time left to consider the pros and cons of the means.
‘But since there are members like Weapon, we can at least maintain a minimum level of line.’
To be honest, except for me and Weapon, the moral boundaries of all the club members are vague.
Even though Chloe is a former assassin, Ryozo also has a cold side that adapts the means to the ends.
Senior Hana enjoys reading or eating tea quietly by herself, but I don’t know what she’s thinking.
Even when she sees immoral acts, she doesn’t really put the brakes on them or encourage them. She just raises her glasses and watches with a strange smile.
Objectively speaking, the female members, excluding Weapon and me, had personalities that were beyond common sense. I patted Weapon on the back and spoke to him as if to soothe him.
“Once this is over, I’ll shred everything. So don’t worry too much. Right, Ryozo?”
I asked Ryozoh’s opinion with a nod. She also nodded coolly. Only then did Weapon let out a sigh of approval. I smiled with satisfaction.
“Anyway, as you may have heard from Ryozo, our travel club has to move to identify the villain during the final exams. Anyone have any questions?”
“me.”
One senior suddenly raised her hand. Her glasses flashed once and she asked quietly.
“Can you tell me where the information came from?”
“… … .”
As soon as I finished asking the question, I was met with curious looks.
‘You pointed out something I was trying to gloss over.’
However, that doesn’t mean I can reveal Choi Seol-ah’s existence. If I reveal that I had an affair with her, who was a villain but lost her magic power, there will be more things to explain.
If that happened, it would be annoying, and more than anything, Chloe, who had been quiet recently, would probably go into yandere mode.
Even though the kernel was rotten, if Chloe found out that I was using a beauty like Choi Seol-ah as a puppet… … . I could become a guest who would never return to the pink cutter. I glanced at Chloe and opened my mouth again.
“I can’t tell you right now, senior. But I can tell you this one thing: that you are a trustworthy source of information.”
“Hehe-.”
Although the word ‘trustworthy’ is a bit misleading, there’s no way she’d lie to me after she’d lost her stallion badge. Choi Seol-ah herself would know what would happen if she harbored other intentions.
“I’ll reveal who my source is later when I get the chance. But not now.”
“Okay, okay, I got it.”
I looked at Senior Hana, who nodded her head loosely. With her glasses covering her eyes, it was hard to gauge her intentions. At first glance, she seemed like a quiet model student, but occasionally she acted mischievously.
‘The person I know the least among the same members.’
Although Ryojo didn’t show it, he was wary of Hana Sempai.
When I stared at her intently, Senior Hana just smiled. She rested her chin on her hand with a tired smile on her lips. For a moment, a sense of foreboding came over me.
‘Oh my, he looks like someone, but I don’t know who it is.’
I tried to suppress my thoughts. Everyone seemed to be waiting for me to open my mouth. Their eyes were filled with trust. I looked at them for a moment and then opened my mouth.
“Then, let’s start the first travel club meeting.”
* * *
“Phew… … .”
I took a deep breath and wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on my forehead.
This was my first time at a meeting like this, so I was a little nervous. Still, I felt like the intention was well communicated, and the members were discussing the agenda among themselves.
“Hey, Ryozo. What about this guy? He wasn’t there last month, and his movements are a bit suspicious.”
“Mark all people with suspicious circumstances.”
“Okay.”
Weapon, who had been hesitant at first, actively offered his opinion. Then he moved his pencil busily. Unlike a few days ago when he was preparing for the written test, his eyes were filled with passion.
‘There is no time more enjoyable to do something else than during exam period.’
I watched the members discuss from a distance. They will do the brain work. I finished my role by explaining the agenda. That must be my privilege as a manager.
At that moment, Chloe approached him tentatively. Then she handed him a bottle of water.
“Hey, Mr. Geumma, thank you for your hard work. This.”
“Oh, thank you. My throat was already parched.”
“… Oh, no.”
I took a sip of water and glanced at Chloe. The gloom on her face seemed to have dampened her spirits. I looked back and forth between Chloe and the rest of the group.
‘Oh, I see.’
I blurted out to Chloe.
“Don’t worry too much, Chloe.”
“yes?”
After I swallowed the last drop of water down my throat, I continued speaking.
“Ryozo and Weapon usually like that kind of thing, right? They’re the kind of guys who like to wrap their heads around things.”
“still…….”
“Chloe, you can do things they can’t. If it weren’t for you, during the Buffalo Dungeon and this festival, the club wouldn’t have been able to run.”
She is also a valuable resource to us. If it weren’t for Chloe, the assassin, in Buffalo Dungeon, we would have left a bad aftertaste.
‘Chloe took care of the consulate staff so we could finish things off neatly.’
Her exceptional presence detection skills and sleight of hand will certainly come in handy in the future.
“Me, really?”
“of course.”
Chloe’s complexion brightened in an instant. Soon, she turned her bright gaze toward me.
“If Mr. Geumma says so… I! I’ll try harder from now on!”
Chloe clenched her fists and made a pledge to herself. I nodded. Then, Chloe suddenly blushed and muttered something softly.
“… In this test too… If I had been in the same group as Gunma-kun… … .”
At that moment.
Rollin~♬
As soon as the notification sound rang, I took out my phone. The members all checked to see if I was the only one who had received a text message.
===
[The members of the final exam group for the first semester of 2034 for Cadet ‘Kang Geom Ma’ are as follows.]
◉ We would like to inform you that third-year students are excluded from this exam, which is held jointly by all grades, due to the entrance exam.
⎯⎯⌜Jo Won⌟⎯⎯
Sanhana – 2nd year, Ordinary Class.
Kanggeomma – Wolf Class 1st year.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
⎯⎯⌜Promoter⌟⎯⎯
… …
… …
===
When I lowered my eyes slightly, my eyebrows trembled.
“Oh, that’s fucked up.”
I swore with a vain face.
===
⎯⎯⌜Promoter⌟⎯⎯
Rachel de Murat – 1st year, Star Class.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
[※ Once assigned, a group cannot be changed.]
===
I ended up in the same group as the guy I wanted to avoid the most.
* * *
Before the club meeting was over, Kang Geum-ma left first, saying he was tired. Chloe stared at the spot where Kang Geum-ma had been for a while before speaking.
“Your Majesty, your complexion doesn’t look so good… I guess you’re worried about this exam.”
The weapon next to him nodded.
“That makes sense. The team leader is Rachel. Manager, you’re probably tired again this time.”
“… That bitch, no, that blonde vixen… … .”
The venom in Chloe’s eyes rose.
He thought of Rachel’s table while gnashing his teeth fiercely. A cheeky woman who drooled while looking at the black horse. And the owner of a voluptuous body like a wild horse.
Suddenly Chloe brushed her hands across her chest. She frowned and shook her head.
“The swordsman said he likes small breasts.”
There was a moment of silence. A complex and subtle current swept through the classroom.
Weapon broke the silence with an awkward laugh.
“Well, since we were in the same group for the midterms, I guess I’ll do well. But my senior is also in the same group. What could go wrong? And there’s nothing more useless than worrying about the head of the department.”
“… That’s true.”
Chloe looked at Sanha. Her gaze was filled with many emotions.
Sanhana looked like she was building a soft smile.
“Don’t worry, Chloe. I’ll keep a close eye on you so you don’t lose sight of me.”
Only then did Chloe let out a small sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Ryozo was busy shuffling through documents on one side. She furrowed her brow slightly and suddenly spoke in a low voice.
“The manager is also here, so let’s end the meeting here for today. The test starts tomorrow. I also have to go to the dorm to prepare. Let’s disband now.”
“What, Ryozo, are you also preparing for the exam?”
Weapon’s eyes widened. Ryozo didn’t even respond with a dumbfounded expression.
In response, Weapon scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and packed his bags. Starting with him, Chloe and Sanha also each cleaned up their places.
“Everyone, look at the notes carefully tomorrow!”
“Come on, fighting!”
Weapon waved his hand and escaped. Chloe followed suit and bowed to the remaining members before walking away. In this way, only Ryozo and Sanha were left in the Lang class.
“… … .”
Ryozo looked straight at Sanhana’s glasses. Ryozo crossed his arms and glared at her. Sanhana’s glasses sparkled in the sunset. At that time, an uncomfortable silence flowed between the two women.
“I’m going to go now too.”
Sanhana, who had been receiving cold stares, tried to avoid the spot.
“Senior Hana.”
“huh?”
But Ryozo’s voice called her. Sanha answered with a natural smile.
“Is there anything else to see?”
“… … .”
Ryozo clicked his tongue slightly and then opened his eyes.
“…What is your identity?”
Sanha tilted her head. A question mark appeared above her head. Ryozo tapped the papers on the desk with his index finger and asked.
“Why is your name on the faculty and staff list?”
