PTSD Military Chaplain of the Academy

“The point is direction.”

Professor Armstrong muttered as he leaned against the railing. I didn’t miss his words.

“Direction, you say?”

“Yes. Professor Antorelli. What do you think new students, who have just entered the Academy, will be enchanted by enough to join a club?”

“That is….”

Well, what could it be?

The backing of a powerful student in the club? Wanting to engage in club activities with a friend they want to get close to? Or perhaps a research club that’s good for accumulating credits?

After I listed various thoughts, Professor Armstrong took a moment to sip his coffee in silence.

“…Is this not enough?”

“It is. That’s more than sufficient. But….”

He trailed off. I quietly waited for him to continue.

“All three of those elements depend entirely on the choices of the students, do they not?”

“…The choices of the students, you say?”

“Yes. Students will join a research club that helps them improve their academic performance. Or they will join a specific club to be with friends. Or, they might join a club that a student from a good family belongs to, hoping to reap some benefits….”

“…”

“In a hypothetical situation where students would only pick the best outcomes based on their circumstances, it merely leaves the premise that students choose clubs without any intervention.”

I contemplated Professor Armstrong’s words deeply. The students’ circumstances, countless assumptions for optimal outcomes, choices made without intervention…

Professor Sylvester Armstrong is the advisory professor of the Fitness Club, which boasts a large number of members within the Academy.

How could he attract so many students just by exercising to build stamina? I tried to think from the perspective of a student.

First of all, the advisory professor is Armstrong. He is a recognized strongman and, at the same time, a figure of admiration among students of the Combat Department.

The fact that such a famous person is the advisory professor would undoubtedly be highly attractive to students from the Combat Department.

Furthermore, I heard that the Fitness Club also aids in promoting students’ health through dieting support. Usually, fellow members or teaching assistants from the same grade assist, but occasionally, Professor Armstrong himself provides consultations on physical conditions and creates curricula.

As an expert in physical training and development, under his guidance, students who care about their appearance, even if they are not part of the Combat Department, would find sufficient appeal.

Moreover, if someone wins the bodybuilding contest held once a year by the Fitness Club, they could even receive a letter of recommendation from Professor Armstrong.

A contest that evaluates students based on the excellent physiques of the students from the Caldera Imperial Academy, which is neither too strict nor too loose, may indeed be the easiest way to obtain a recommendation from a prominent professor, as long as one puts in effort rather than relying on talent.

There are many other useful aspects, but listing them out could go on indefinitely. As I pondered further into these three attractive points, I eventually noticed a commonality.

“We need to make the club appear as attractive as possible to students, right?”

Looking into the appealing aspects of the Fitness Club managed by Professor Armstrong, it became clear that they not only highlighted the support previously offered by the Academy but also found their unique strengths to actively communicate to students.

For example, the fact that Professor Armstrong personally guides physical training or that he helps with writing letters of recommendation.

All of these are advantages that new students would maul over. The process is undoubtedly not easy, but at this age, students often chase visible benefits rather than deliberating such matters.

“Without straying from the essential themes of the club, we present things that could appear attractive to students… Am I right?”

Hearing my question, Professor Armstrong chuckled and casually tossed the crumpled paper cup into the trash can, nodding his head.

“That’s correct. By the way, what is it? You already knew that, didn’t you, Professor Antorelli?”

“That’s not it….”

The method Professor Armstrong shared would definitely be effective.

However, in other words, that was a given.

We need to draw in as many new students as possible. But, new students are not showing much interest in our club, and there are hardly any students wishing to join. So far, the only person who has visited the club is Riina, right?

In fact, even Riina looked at the dim, gloomy clubroom and said she would think about it some more before leaving. Even that one person who made it here is still not definitively committed to joining.

So, we need to present ourselves as a more attractive club to those new students who are still at the crossroads of decision. While there might be good students who like volunteer work, it is only natural that students will join a club that offers some sort of reward or brings useful achievements to them.

The real problem is that it’s not that I hadn’t considered this.

If merely talking could solve everything, what couldn’t I do? If I could resolve everything just by mouthing off, I wouldn’t have been desperately praying for Helena and my comrades to be resurrected.

The crux of the matter is how to promote the Occult Research Club to make it attractive in the eyes of new students.

“I managed to manage some semblance of survival for the club due to Daniel and Vivian two years ago, and Chloe and Elin last year….”

But this year, I wanted to move away from merely clinging to life in a club that survives by a thread.

It’s not that I hold a deep attachment to the Occult Research Club. In the grand scheme of things, it’s just a place that has been a headache for me for less than a year.

However, what’s troubling is…

“I cannot give up on my club.”

The gaze of the students looking at me lingered in my mind.

Chloe, who was elected as the next head of the Occult Research Club, the often grumbling yet competent Elin, now Daniel and Vivian who will find their participation rate dropping significantly, and even Sofia Sub-priest.

I remember the enthusiasm Daniel and Vivian showed during our summer break activities last year.

Carrying heavy ghost detectors and various tools while climbing up the mountain, they maintained a focused expression even while sweating profusely and crossing through the humid and hot forest.

Daniel and Vivian’s love for the occult is genuine. Looking back two years, when the topic of club dissolution wasn’t even raised, they most likely joined the moment they saw the promotion for the Occult Research Club.

Students’ enthusiasm should be directed to worthwhile causes. But at the same time, nurturing that enthusiasm toward the right direction is the role of the educator.

I realized that the interest and love that Daniel and Vivian show towards the occult is ‘real,’ and I now wanted to personally protect the Occult Research Club that they wish to uphold.

However, I have no idea how to explain this situation of mine with the Occult Research Club to Professor Armstrong. I stammered several times before falling silent.

As I kept quiet, Professor Armstrong sighed and crumpled the paper cup. Until a moment ago, he had been drinking hot coffee like water, but now he was breathing mist into the chilly early spring air.

“Professor Antorelli, club dissolution happens quite frequently. Last year, four clubs had to take down their signs.”

“Is that so?”

“The students are the true owners of the Caldera Imperial Academy. Not in a material sense, but in leading the future of the Academy.”

The ones driving the wagon are the horses. The horses are connected to the wagon and set the direction, galloping in one particular direction propelled by the whip.

It is the professors who whip the horses and sometimes offer carrots, gauging the direction.

The wagon represents the Academy.

“So, it’s only natural that a club that has lost the interest of students goes through the dissolution process….”

“….”

“Of course, I’m merely explaining the situation. You could easily handle the matter of just two new members, couldn’t you, Professor Antorelli?”

“But I don’t really know how to do that….”

“Professor Antorelli, what does the Occult Research Club do best?”

What the Occult Research Club does best.

In other words, what we could confidently point to as the charm of the club.

“I… I don’t know.”

I didn’t even know that.

“Then all that’s left is to watch the club dissolve without knowing anything.

“….”

“Well, don’t be too disheartened. A club facing dissolution due to a temporary shortage of members doesn’t immediately enter the dissolution process. It merely means that the administrative office will temporarily freeze the club’s budget.”

Freezing the budget effectively puts a death sentence on the club. Because club activities, whether one likes it or not, will always require money.

And even if it’s a club formed by students, one cannot sustain it without submitting any activity reports. The Academy simply isn’t generous enough to hand a room to a club that conducts no activities.

Thus, it indirectly establishes a state of incapacity to recover.

“…So, realistically, that’s as far as the possibilities go.”

“…What?”

As I leaned against the railing, quietly staring ahead, Professor Armstrong suddenly resumed our conversation with an unusually cheerful tone. I looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“From now on, I will offer my advice not as Professor Armstrong of the Caldera Imperial Academy, but as this human Sylvester Armstrong.”

“Ah, yes.”

“First, tell that bizarre and terrifying monster impersonation to stop. The makeup was well done, but honestly, it’s so well made that it’s rather off-putting. Just seeing it gives me the chills.”

“…That’s something I can’t help with. The former club president was quite adamant about that and is truly passionate about the occult.”

“Oh… That’s unfortunate. In that case, here’s my second piece of advice.”

Professor Armstrong adjusted his posture. I too, detached myself from the railing and stood up straight.

“When was the time when the Occult Research Club shone the brightest?”

“…That would likely be during the period when it was known as the Holy Relic Research Association….”

“Then, it will suffice to refer to the actions taken during that period. Am I wrong?”

“…Ah.”

Right, why hadn’t I thought of that?

It wasn’t merely due to the support of the Holy Empire that students flocked to it. There must have been something that could pique the interest of students, whether from the time of the Holy Relic Research Association or now.

Retrieve that and revitalize the Occult Research Club, where the current advantages have faded. It sounded plausible.

“If that’s the case….”

I nodded. I felt like I had found a clue to solving the problem.

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