I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 16

The recruitment of the most urgent club members has finally ended.

Since the condition for founding was a minimum of four members, the only thing left now is to get consent forms from other clubs.

Soon, I plan to use the upcoming club exploration time to efficiently gather consent forms.

"Um... but is it really possible to get three consent forms today?"

Before leaving for the club exploration, Kim Seah, one of the members gathered at my place, cautiously speaks up.

"From what the instructor said, it seems like getting the consent forms won't be easy. Is there anything I can do to help?"

It was understandable that Kim Seah would think that way.

There hasn't been a case at Seoul Hero Academy where three consent forms were obtained in a single day.

However, I possessed an ability different from that of ordinary students.

That I was the player of this game. And that this body is Yoojin Han Calione.

With these two conditions, obtaining three consent forms in a single day was entirely possible.

"Don't worry. I've already made a plan to get the consent forms."

And what they would see would further increase their trust in me.

"Since the boss is saying this much, let's just watch and see. The boss will take care of it, right?"

Perhaps sensing Seah's remaining concern, Jinwoo, with a bright voice, raises the tension and smiles playfully.

That quick-witted guy.

Thanks to him, Kim Seah's expression brightens a bit.

"Yes!"

"Alright, let me show you again this time. Then, slowly..."

Checking my watch, the hour and minute hands pointed to 8:59. The first period of the academy, the club exploration, is about to start.

As I stood up, hearing the bell ring, I spoke to the club members.

"Let's go."

"Alright! Show us your skills, boss!"

"I just need to stay in the back, right?"

"Let's see how our club president handles things."

As I started to leave the classroom for the exploration, mixed in with the students from my class, I headed straight for the first club I had marked.

"Yoojin, where should we go first? I'm not familiar with the academy yet..."

Kim Seah, following us like a duckling following its mother, gently asked me a question.

"The first place we'll go is the board game club. It's a bronze-ranked club located in the basement of the club hall."

"A board game club?"

"Yes, since board games are a niche genre, it's not a popular club. It's not far, so we'll arrive soon."

"Being close is good. Is that it over there?"

The building was too large to be called a hall. Other kids couldn't close their mouths at the enormous scale, like seeing a department store.

"This is the club hall. Most clubs in the academy have their rooms here."

"This is where the club rooms are gathered?"

"Wow, it's really huge. Boss, are we going to have a room here too?"

"...It's a different level."

Suddenly, Kim Youngje, noticing something odd, looked at me and asked.

"But, isn't it strange that there aren't many people near the hall during club exploration time?"

"Usually, they set up booths to attract freshmen. Most of them would be gathered at the sports field or auditorium."

"Then shouldn't we go there too?"

Kim Seah raises a question upon hearing that most clubs are elsewhere.

"The board game club doesn't promote at this time. There are too many competing clubs. So, they usually recruit freshmen who couldn't join other clubs."

"Oh, boss, you know a lot about this?"

"I did my research thoroughly to start a club."

As soon as we entered the hall building and headed to the basement, the kids' expressions changed drastically.

"It's much darker compared to the first floor."

Youngje murmurs while looking around.

Unlike the brightly lit first floor, as soon as we entered the basement, the atmosphere changed, which they quickly noticed.

The flickering lights, the musty smell of the basement, and the trash visible in the corners of the hallways, seemingly uncollected.

If someone saw this scene, they might ask if it was a slum.

"The basement is mainly used by lower-ranked clubs, so they can't help but have their rooms in this environment."

Kim Youngje nods, understanding my explanation.

After walking for about four more minutes, we finally arrived in front of the room with the board game club's sign.

"Wow, the entrance looks really creepy."

"Why are you saying that right at the entrance? They might hear you. Be a bit quieter."

As soon as we stand in front of the entrance, Jinwoo spits out sarcasm.

At this, Youngje frowns and says something, and Jinwoo grumbles alone as he approaches the door.

"Boss, can I open this? I'll open the door."

I nod in agreement, and Jinwoo opens the door wide. At the same time, the inside of the board game club unfolds before our eyes.

Countless display cases reminiscent of a library were filled with an uncountable number of board games neatly arranged.

"Ugh, the smell of dust."

As we enter, waving our hands, a murmuring sound comes from behind the display cases.

-...Should we do it?

-...Do we have to?

-...Isn't it a tradition?

-...Is it a person?

-...Because...

-...?

As we slowly walk towards the source of the sound, we finally see a group gathered behind a large display case.

Six people were gathered in a circle around what appeared to be a board game.

Perhaps sensing our presence, one of them looked up and saw us.

"Huh? Why are there strangers..."

As our eyes meet, the man suddenly starts rubbing his eyes.

Then, looking at me again, he is startled and falls backward.

"P-President! P-People! People have come!"

The guy who fell backward points at us and shouts, and the man wearing red glasses also looks up at us.

"Huh? What, what's this! Four people?! Four people?!"

Only after the president is surprised do the other club members look at us in unison.

"R-Really! Someone really came!"

"Are they freshmen? Are they newbies? Real newbies?"

"Everyone, calm down! They might be here to challenge the club competition!"

As the atmosphere becomes chaotic, the president stands up first to calm the surroundings.

The atmosphere subsides a bit, and when the murmuring completely dies down, the president of the board game club looks at me and cautiously speaks.

"Are you... from which year?"

"First year."

"H-Heek! Real freshmen! What do we do?! What do we do?!"

At the mention of first-year students, the president starts jumping around, looking at the members in a panic.

"President, calm down first!"

"Yes! First, let's ask why they came! They might not be here to join the club! They might be lost or something!"

"Y-Yeah? That must be it, right? I get it! I'll ask!"

No, they're talking loud enough for us to hear everything.

The president turns back to look at us again.

"Uh... are you here to join our club?"

"Unfortunately, that's not the case."

"...I see. Then, did you really get lost?"

"No. We came to the board game club."

From this point on, the president starts to feel something strange and his expression becomes serious.

"You came looking for us? Why would a freshman come to our club?"

It seems they've concluded that we're not here to join the club.

Here, I chose to go straight to the point rather than beating around the bush.

"I came to get the Bronze Club's consent form."

"What?"

The air around us grows cold.

"......You came asking for a consent form?"

"Yes, that's right."

"You said you were a freshman?"

"I did say I was a freshman."

"And you want a certification?"

"Yes."

"Puhah─!"

The president suddenly bursts out laughing at my answer.

"Puhaha! A freshman asking for a club certification, no way. Are you one of them too? One of those freshmen running around trying to start a club?"

The president, wiping away the tears that formed at the corners of his eyes from laughing, looks up at me.

"Do you know what it means for us to issue a club certification?"

"Yes, I understand it's a concept similar to being a guarantor. If a club created with your consent doesn't last half a semester, your club will also be dissolved."

This was another reason why clubs at the academy didn't proliferate unchecked.

In other words, it was the academy's intention to issue certifications only to those recognized by existing clubs.

"Still, you want the consent form?"

"Yes."

"What do you base that on?"

Here it comes. The statement that signals the start of that 'event'.

"I'm seeing you for the first time today, and you want a consent form from someone like you? Don't you think that's too brazen? So────."

The president, who has slumped down to sit on the floor, looks at me with a grin.

"────Let's play a game."

It's hard to believe this is the same man who was taken aback by the appearance of a freshman just moments ago.

Even if it's a minor club, he's a president who is responsible for a club. That means he has the strength to protect a club.

"The conditions are simple. You and your friends will play board games with our club members. We'll play five rounds, and the first to win three rounds wins. How about it?"

"Hmm, deciding it with board games......."

"Why? Do you think it's too much? But you're the ones in need. To put it bluntly, we have nothing to lose by not doing this, so I think this proposal is fair."

He's talking very calmly and with a smirk.

The guys behind the president are already in a heated discussion about what game to play with us.

This is interesting. Should I play along a bit more?

"What happens if we win and get the certification, and what if we lose?"

"If you lose?"

Grinning, the president with red glasses pulls his lips into a wide smile.

"All of you will have to join our club."

So that's how it is.

This is one of the methods used by the board game club members to recruit freshmen, known as the 'Dark Board Game'.

It's about betting on conditions and inducting members through games.

"Of course, if you accept and then lose, you could say you'll leave the club, but you'll have to stay in our club for at least a year. We'll let you leave when you become a sophomore. How about it?"

Although he says it like that, it's not a condition one can easily accept.

The president and the club members behind him, with their sinister smiles, will do anything within a year to show us the joy of board games.

So, with a smile, I put an end to the game.

"──I will decline."