The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character
Chapter 136: Club Week [1]

Chapter 136: Club Week [1]

After a rollercoaster of chaos, fights, and emotional whiplash, I’d somehow made it to the fourth week at Velcrest Academy.

Which meant...it was almost two months since I came to this world.

The first month? It was just me, myself, and my self-training. The academy was temporarily shut down after Kai Foster’s little terrorist performance. The second month wasn’t exactly peaceful either, it was very stressful because of that Phycopath killer Professor Ethan.

But I managed to stop him, so it’s all good.

And now here we are—Week Four.

A.k.a. Club Week.

Yeah, you heard me right. Clubs.

It’s basically a law of the universe that no academy-based story can exist without a club phase. Some call it character development. Some call it filler. I call it: plot with optional drama and hidden dungeon bosses.

In the original [World’s Greatest Hero], this part of the story came at a pretty bleak time. The academy’s rep was already in the gutter, so clubs were less about fun and more about proving your worth. Kind of like saying, "Hey, we’re not all traumatized or villains!"

There were clubs for everything—hobbies, combat training, magical research, even a ridiculous club that chased down real-life criminals. And then there was the Student Council.

Ah yes. The infamous student council. The kind of group that gave off "We secretly run the country" vibes. If I remembered correctly, they had way too much authority for students. It was half political faction, half mafia.

You could technically join more than one club, but let’s be honest—three clubs was the absolute limit if you didn’t want to collapse from exhaustion. In the original story, Ryen joined the gaming club and the travel club. Leo? He did the classic protagonist move and made his own club out of nowhere.

And me?

Well, like any seasoned transmigrator who read the original plot, I already knew which club I had to join. No hesitation. No second thoughts. It was tied directly to one of the most important story arcs, and if I missed the timing, I might lose a key opportunity.

Still, I could understand why everyone around me was buzzing like bees on sugar.

Club recruitment week was noisy.

Banner after banner. Students shouting, bribing, flirting, begging. Tables set up all over the courtyard with samples of food, gadgets, and even magical beasts just to attract members.

One club was doing a live performance.

Another was offering "free potions with sign-up."

I even passed by a girl trying to summon a spirit with a half-broken ritual circle. It smelled like burnt socks.

Honestly, the whole scene reminded me more of a festival than a school event.

I sighed as I stepped into the classroom and immediately regretted my life choices.

Why?

"Loser, which club are you gonna join? Wanna join the cooking club with me?"

Because of her.

Kiera. A.k.a. Miss Buttcheeks.

Despite everything that happened—and everything I did for her—she was still calling me loser like it was my actual name. And of course, she was hovering near my desk again.

At least this time, she wasn’t sitting on it with her butt. Small mercy, I guess.

I ignored her.

I tried to, anyway.

But then came the follow-up.

"What are you saying?" Ryen piped up from behind me, practically bouncing with energy. "Rin is joining the gaming club with me! We’ve got full-dive games, immersive quests... it’s going to be sick! Actually, if that’s not your thing, Rin, we could also join the travel club and go on adventures around the world. Just imagine—skyships, ruins, exotic foods—"

Okay, Ryen was one enthusiastic salesman. If this academy thing didn’t work out, he could absolutely sell overpriced potions in the market and make a fortune.

I didn’t even have time to respond before another voice joined in.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Leona cut in, clearly annoyed. "Gaming? Traveling? That’s just wasting time. Rin’s joining the Swordsmanship Club. He needs to get stronger—and we’ve already trained together once, haven’t we?"

Ouch.

I could feel the subtext there. He’s weak. He needs it.

Thanks, Leona. That was subtle.

I thought we’d gotten a little closer after our... not-quite-date. But clearly, I was the only one who remembered it that way.

And the best part? Neither Kiera nor Leona were even in this class.

Yet here they were. Again.

I opened my mouth, tempted to point that out—but held back.

Why?

Because I’m a gentleman. Probably. Maybe. ...Hopefully?

Either way, I didn’t want to cause a scene. The classroom was already buzzing with side conversations, whispers, and way too many eyes on me.

I just wanted to survive the day.

That was the goal. Simple. Low effort. Reasonable.

I already knew which club I wanted to join. Had it all figured out days ago, actually. It was the one tied to a hidden questline and—more importantly—a potential legendary weapon. Something that would make the grind ahead a lot easier.

But I wasn’t about to say that out loud.

Why? Because the moment I opened my mouth, I’d be bombarded with questions. And there was no way I was giving anyone the "I-know-the-future" speech. Not yet. They’d either call me crazy or worse—start following me around like I was some prophecy-spouting lunatic.

So instead, I muttered, "Still thinking."

"Still thinking?!" Ryen practically choked. "Rin, this is Club Week! You can’t still be thinking! Do you know what happens to indecisive people during Club Week? They end up in weird niche groups like the Farming Appreciation Society or the Indoor Rock Balancing Club!"

Kiera scoffed. "Honestly, better than joining whatever mess you’re recruiting for."

"My club," Ryen said, puffing out his chest, "is going to have everything. Snacks, gaming, a VR tower with full-sensory enchantments. We’re building the future of recreational magic!"

Kiera raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Sounds like a creep convention."

Oof. That was harsh. Even by her standards.

At least this time, the insult wasn’t directed at me. Small victories.

Still... thank the stars Nora wasn’t around.

If she’d been here to hear that, Kiera would’ve ended up in the infirmary by tomorrow. And not from anything obvious, no—Nora would give her the kind of psychological breakdown you don’t recover from. I could already imagine the fake smile, the polite venom, the guilt-tripping so layered it should be taught in villain classes.

Kiera would have PTSD for sure

Just thinking about it gave me chills.

Before the situation could escalate any further, an unwelcome voice joined in.

"Excuse me."

I turned. "Leo?"

"I overheard your conversation," Leo said, striding toward us with that calm, calculated smile of his. "And I’ve decided it’s only logical for me to join."

...Join what?

Kiera took a step back the moment Leo got close, eyes flickering with something complicated. She wouldn’t admit it, but she clearly had a thing for him. Unfortunately for her, Leo was... well, Leo. Not exactly the type to notice or care.

"Unfortunately," he continued, "Rin can’t join the gaming club."

Ryen blinked. "What? Why?"

"Because the club I’m founding will focus on monster hunting. Its activities will conflict with any other combat or field-related clubs. Especially ones as... unstructured as yours."

Ryen looked absolutely crushed.

"You’re making a club with Leo...?" he asked, turning to me with an expression like I’d kicked his puppy, stolen his lunch, and dated his sister all at once.

"I’m not," I said flatly.

Didn’t matter.

Everyone was already looking at me like I’d just announced I was transferring schools and never coming back. Their eyes were full of betrayal, confusion, and maybe just a little bit of over-the-top melodrama.

I sighed.

All I wanted was to quietly join a useful club, avoid drama, and not die.

Clearly, that was too much to ask but Leo didn’t flinch.

He didn’t look surprised.

He simply narrowed his eyes at me with that calm, unnerving certainty that only someone like him could pull off and said,

"You will join."

Ah. Of course.

The classic protagonist move.

I didn’t know what kind of power fantasy he thought this was, but I was about one "fate has chosen you" away from slapping him with a mana-suppressed dictionary.

I gave him a flat stare. "No. I won’t."

Leo didn’t blink. "Yes. You will."

This wasn’t a conversation anymore. This was a chess game where he’d already made the final move and was just waiting for me to accept checkmate.

Kiera, sensing the tension, stepped back—slowly, like she was backing away from a bomb about to go off.

Ryen? He was watching with wide, stunned eyes and half a granola bar sticking out of his mouth. Completely useless.

I crossed my arms. "Why do you even care what club I join?"

Leo looked me dead in the eyes. "Because it’s necessary."

...Huh.

No explanation? No threats? No dramatic flair?

Just necessary?

That word sat uncomfortably in the air between us.

"For what?" I asked.

"For what comes next," he said simply, as if that clarified anything.

Spoiler: it didn’t.

Before I could shoot back, Leona suddenly spoke up. "Wait, wait, wait. Since when do you get to decide who joins what club? Rin doesn’t belong to you, Leo."

Leo turned his gaze to her. "He’s stronger than he thinks. And you know it."

Leona flinched.

It was quick. Barely noticeable. But I saw it.

I frowned.

"You say that like it’s a compliment," I muttered. "But it sounds like a threat."

Leo didn’t deny it.

"I’m just stating facts. I’m building a team. And Rin is part of it."

"And I like I said, Rin is not some kind of objects that belongs to you."

Leona intervened again, this time more angerir then before.

----

Author Note:-

Just one Chapter today. Been busy but tomorrow will be mass release and for that I have to write more then I would daily! Hopefully I would able to complete my goal!

thanks for reading!

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