How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 31. The Disciplinary Committee

From the next morning, the real activities of the Disciplinary Committee began.

It may be called serious work, but in truth, there was little to it.

Simply donning an armband, they would patrol a designated area in pairs during arrival, departure, and lunch breaks.

Even that was enough to significantly reduce the number of rule violations among the students.

Anyway, Kim Do-jin, assigned to the disciplinary committee, left the dormitory thirty minutes earlier than usual to fulfill this duty.

– Druk.

Upon arriving at the classroom and opening the door, he spotted Yoon Yu-na already seated, wearing her armband.

“You’re early.”

Kim Do-jin approached, trying to act nonchalant as he greeted her, but as expected, Yoon Yu-na’s response was cold.

“…….”

It had always been this way, and considering the unfortunate incident in the training room not long ago, it was no surprise.

“Ahem.”

Clearing his throat unnecessarily, Kim Do-jin walked to his seat, soon pulling out the armband and fastening it to his arm as he spoke.

“Shall we go?”

She probably didn’t want to, but there was no choice in the matter.

After all, they had been assigned to the same patrol team in the disciplinary committee.

“Yeah.”

Yoon Yu-na replied curtly, then trudged ahead, while Kim Do-jin followed a step behind, keeping a slight distance.

“…….”

An awkward silence stretched on for quite a while.

‘Hmm…’

Feeling uncomfortable, Kim Do-jin fiddled with his neck, but he hesitated to break the silence.

He naturally held goodwill towards Yoon Yu-na, the daughter of his benefactor, yet it was clear that she disliked this incarnation of Kim Do-jin, making it difficult to navigate the situation.

‘Perhaps this distance isn’t so bad after all.’

So, he continued walking in silence, and soon they encountered a throng of students making their way to school.

But perhaps the sight of Kim Do-jin and Yoon Yu-na together struck them as peculiar.

“Huh?”

Students glanced back at Kim Do-jin and Yoon Yu-na, whispering among themselves.

“Yoon Yu-na and Kim Do-jin. What kind of pairing is that?”

“Look at the armband on his arm. They must be in the same disciplinary committee now.”

“Oh, right. Wow… why on earth did Kim Do-jin join the disciplinary committee?”

“I don’t know either. But seeing those two walking side by side, they really do match well. Just look at their proportions…”

Kim Do-jin and Yoon Yoo-na continued to walk silently, passing by the curious students.

And after some time had passed.

“Huh?”

Im So-hee, who usually walked with both hands gripping her bag straps, suddenly spotted Kim Do-jin and broke into a wide smile.

But in the very next moment.

“…!”

Her face stiffened as she caught sight of Yoon Yoo-na beside him.

“Oh, hi….”

Im So-hee offered a clumsy greeting before hastily passing by Kim Do-jin.

“….”

Yoon Yoo-na glanced back and forth between Im So-hee and Kim Do-jin, then swiftly turned her head and resumed walking.

And Kim Do-jin thought.

‘What’s this? Are Im So-hee and Yoon Yoo-na not that close?’

With a puzzled expression, he looked back at Im So-hee and Yoon Yoo-na before following after Yoon Yoo-na.

How much longer did they walk?

“Bark!”

This time, Winter, who had been out for a morning stroll alone, suddenly spotted Kim Do-jin and approached him happily, barking.

But then.

“Huh?”

Yoon Yoo-na, who hadn’t thought Winter was Kim Do-jin’s dog, approached with a worried expression.

“Oh my, what to do? Did the leash break and the owner lose him?”

It was only natural that Winter had no leash since he was out for a walk alone, but Yoon Yoo-na was misinterpreting the situation, fearing he might be lost.

‘The owner is right here…’

Kim Do-jin stepped forward to explain, but sensing that Yoon Yoo-na seemed to be in a good mood, he paused to observe her.

“Kyaah! So cute! Is he asking for a belly rub?”

Incredibly, the cold demeanor she had shown until now melted away, and Yoon Yoo-na was beaming with a bright smile at Winter’s antics.

It seemed she had forgotten that Kim Do-jin was standing right behind her.

In any case, Yoon Yoo-na was thoroughly enamored with Winter, but soon tried to calm herself and find his owner.

She examined the tag hanging from Winter’s collar, but in that moment, her body jolted and froze.

“…….”

Surely, he had seen the name Winter and the phone number written beneath it, so why did he not take any action?

Kim Do-jin tilted his head in confusion, and when the silence stretched on, he decided to speak first.

“If you’re thinking of finding its owner, you don’t need to. Actually, I’m that guy’s owner.”

“Huh? Ah! Uh, really?”

“Yeah. And this little one usually wanders off on its own.”

As he gestured, Winter sprang up and dashed toward Kim Do-jin.

– Thud!

Winter leaped onto Kim Do-jin’s palm and then effortlessly hopped onto his shoulder, showcasing a little trick. Yoon Yu-na, witnessing this, gasped in delight and clapped her hands.

‘Where does this little rascal get off doing as it pleases?’

Kim Do-jin intended to scold Winter for its antics, but the moment he glanced down at Yoon Yu-na’s face, all thoughts vanished.

‘She can smile so innocently like this.’

Yoon Yu-na’s face, lit up with joy at Winter’s performance, was indeed one of the prettiest he had ever seen, even among the elite of ‘Arc.’

Her eyes sparkled like rubies in the warm morning sunlight, and her skin was as white as snow.

And her silvery hair flowed gracefully, complementing her beauty.

Kim Do-jin found himself gasping in admiration, his mouth agape.

‘Ah!’

Now was not the time for such distractions.

He shook his head sharply, regaining his focus, and Yoon Yu-na, noticing his sudden seriousness, chuckled softly, a hint of surprise in her smile.

* * *

After some time had passed, the morning patrol came to an end.

Kim Do-jin and Yoon Yu-na returned to the classroom, each settling into their seats to prepare for the morning lessons.

But then, in the midst of it all.

“Huh?”

A familiar figure opened the classroom door after a long absence.

“Eh!? You, you b*stard!”

The person who greeted them with incomprehensible Japanese was none other than Nasukawa Renya.

The Japanese exchange student who had been used in Woo Tae-sung’s scheme and had fallen from a cliff.

“Uh? Oh, I’m fine. In fact, I’d say that accident powered me up, you know?”

Nasukawa Renya said this to his classmates who gathered around him, demonstrating his body, now partially turned to stone.

– Crackle!

“Eh? Oh!”

Originally, he could only petrify his fists, but how had he managed to petrify his entire body in the meantime?

“Heh heh…”

What Nasca and Renya explained was this:

In the moment of falling from the cliff, his survival instinct had kicked in, allowing him to petrify his head and avoid a fatal injury. Thanks to that sensation, he was able to develop his petrification ability to encompass his whole body.

“Wow~ Is this what they call a blessing in disguise?”

“Congratulations, Renya.”

In truth, awakening or developing a superpower in a moment of crisis was not an uncommon occurrence.

Regardless, it was fortunate that Nasca and Renya had safely been discharged.

Kim Do-jin turned his head again, a gentle smile gracing his lips.

‘Huh?’

Coincidentally, he locked eyes with Yoon Yoo-na at that moment.

‘…Ah!’

Kim Do-jin quickly wiped the smile from his face, pretending to search for something on his desk.

“……”

Yoon Yoo-na stared at him for a moment before eventually looking away, and Kim Do-jin sighed, resolving to pay more attention to his expressions.

* * *

A little while later, the morning assembly concluded, and the first class of the day began.

This morning’s class was the ‘Conquest’ exam.

Two teams, each composed of five members, would battle over five conquest points, with the basic rule being that the team controlling the most areas when time was up would be declared the winner.

“No questions?”

As soon as the instructor finished explaining the rules, he instructed the students to freely form their teams, and they quickly began to move about.

Each was eager to create a strong team or to become a member of one.

“Hmm…”

Of course, Kim Do-jin also needed a good team, so he slowly surveyed his surroundings, deep in thought.

‘Should I team up with Lee Jin-ryul this time?’

Lee Jin-ryul was the top student of Class 1-1 and a genius aiming for the overall top spot of the first year.

Naturally, all the students wanted to be on his team, but Kim Do-jin was different.

Despite sitting next to each other, they were not close at all, and because of that, he had never really considered the idea of being on the same team.

However, now that they had grown somewhat familiar, there was no reason to refuse being on the same team.

‘Personally, I’m a bit curious…’

Kim Do-jin made his decision and set out to find Lee Jin-ryul.

‘Where could he be?’

Lee Jin-ryul had an average height and a relatively ordinary appearance, but he was not hard to find.

If one sought the place where the most gazes converged, there stood Lee Jin-ryul.

‘There he is.’

Soon, Kim Do-jin spotted Lee Jin-ryul and trudged over.

But then.

‘Hmm?’

Coincidentally, Yoon Yu-na was standing right in the middle of the path.

Moreover, Yoon Yu-na happened to be glancing around when her eyes met Kim Do-jin’s.

“……!”

Yoon Yu-na flinched and averted her gaze, yet she was acutely aware of Kim Do-jin’s presence, and he thought to himself as he observed her.

‘What’s this? She seems to think I’m approaching her for some reason?’

Kim Do-jin’s suspicion was correct.

‘Oh no… should I go around her?’

Not wanting to create a misunderstanding, Kim Do-jin moistened his lips and pondered what to do.

But fortunately, it turned out to be unnecessary.

“Yoon Yu-na, want to team up?”

Before he knew it, Lee Jin-ryul, who had formed a team with Dokgo-su, approached Yoon Yu-na and made the first team proposal.

‘What? If that’s the case, I can’t team up with Lee Jin-ryul.’

For Kim Do-jin, maintaining distance from Yoon Yu-na took precedence.

‘I need to look for someone else.’

With that shift in focus, Kim Do-jin turned on his heel and set off to find another teammate.

* * *

Among the 100 students in Class 1-1.

There was always one person who was the busiest during team formations.

“Jin-ryul, want to be on the same team?”

“I think I can do well on this test, so how about it?”

He was, of course, Lee Jin-ryul.

Currently holding the top spot in the rankings, he turned to survey the throng of students that flocked to him, brushing them aside with a casual flick of his hand.

“Who? Yoon Yoo-na?”

The question came from Dokgo-soo, who had recently begun to stick close, forming a team together.

Lee Jin-ryul nodded in response, his gaze steady.

“Yeah. There’s no other dealer and supporter like her. You should look for her, see where she is.”

Thus, like meerkats peering into the distance, Lee Jin-ryul and Dokgo-soo scanned their surroundings until they finally spotted Yoon Yoo-na.

“There she is. Let’s go.”

Lee Jin-ryul trudged over to her, his steps heavy with purpose, and at last reached her side, initiating conversation.

“Yoon Yoo-na. Want to team up?”

He expected her to readily accept his proposal, just as she had before.

But then—

“Huh?”

For some reason, Yoon Yoo-na flinched, glancing back in surprise before turning her head again, searching for something.

“…?”

With a puzzled expression, Lee Jin-ryul followed her gaze, only to find Kim Do-jin ambling off somewhere, his back turned to them.

‘Is she looking at Kim Do-jin?’

Lee Jin-ryul pondered this as he turned back to Yoon Yoo-na.

“Uh…”

For reasons unknown, she made that sound, scratching her head for a moment, before finally letting her shoulders droop in resignation.

“Fine.”

It was a response slightly different from what he had anticipated, but nonetheless, they were now a team.

Lee Jin-ryul nodded, determination flickering in his eyes.

“Alright. Then let’s find the other two.”

Time passed, and at last, all teams were formed, the air thick with anticipation as the exam was about to commence.

The supervising instructor ascended the platform, manipulating the drawing device, ready to announce the matchups.

“Now, the first battle will be… Lee Jin-ryul’s team against Kim Do-jin’s team. To your positions.”

In that moment, Lee Jin-ryul wore an expression of intrigue, while Yoon Yoo-na, standing beside him, let out a strange sound of surprise, her eyes wide with shock.