I Am a Villain, So What?-Chapter 155: Gourmet Exploration Club

[Imperial Academy - Class A Lecture Hall]

The morning of the closing ceremony was supposed to be peaceful.

Instructor Samantha stood at the podium, holding a thick stack of freshly stamped parchment. The sweltering summer heat was kept at bay by the classroom’s cooling crystals, but the tension in the room was suddenly stifling.

"Cadets who applied to form or join clubs, there will be a brief orientation in the staff room before the closing ceremony officially begins," Samantha announced, her sharp eyes scanning the room. "Come down as your names are called."

She looked down at the top sheet of paper, paused, and let out a rare, genuinely amused huff.

"And... Cadet Lucien. Since you submitted an application to found a new club yesterday afternoon, you’re up first. Follow me to the staff room."

I blinked.

It actually worked? The administration approved the hastily scribbled application Clara and I threw together yesterday?

The Class A cadets immediately began buzzing at the news.

"Ashborne made a club?"

"Who in their right mind would join that?"

"Is it a dueling club? A dark magic syndicate?"

"I bet the hazing involves getting shot."

I stood up, ignoring the whispers, and slung my bag over my shoulder. Honestly, I didn’t think it’d get approved so fast. I had left the roster open on the public board, hoping one or two random outcasts desperate for the 30-silver monthly stipend would blindly sign up to meet the three-person quota required by the System Quest.

"Be happy, Ashborne," Samantha said smoothly as I approached the podium. "Not just one or two... but six people signed up for your little venture before the deadline this morning."

Six people?

I stopped walking. That came completely out of the blue. I didn’t expect anyone, let alone six, to willingly tether their names to the Academy’s Trash.

Suddenly, my newly upgraded [Sixth Sense (Lv. 3)] flared violently, sending a jagged, freezing shiver down my spine. The hairs on my arms stood up.

This didn’t feel like good news...!

"Instructor, um..." I started, a profound sense of impending doom washing over me. "Who exactly—"

"I’ll call them now," Samantha interrupted, reading loudly from the official parchment so the whole class could hear. "Members of the newly founded [Gourmet Exploration Club]: Celestia Aurelian, Ariana Solmere, Kael Ardyn, Elisha Ravenscroft, Bordon Eisenwald, and Mariella Arlon."

"...."

The entire classroom went dead silent. You could hear a pin drop.

"Yes, Instructor!" Kael answered brightly, standing up with a heroic smile.

"Understood," Princess Celestia said with a graceful, regal nod, rising from her seat.

The Protagonist Party stood up in unison, their chairs scraping loudly against the floor. They walked down the aisle and lined up dutifully right behind me.

... ... ...What the actual hell was this?

***

[The Staff Room]

The atmosphere in the staff room was incredibly strained. It felt like standing in a room filled with leaking gas and lit matches.

Standing on my left were my original allies: Clara, who was vibrating with sheer confusion, and Ariana, who had crossed the room to stand by my side. Both of them were currently glaring daggers at the five elites standing on my right.

It was understandable. Just yesterday, we were fretting about meeting the bare minimum of three people. Now, the club had a roster of eight, and it read like the VIP guest list of the Imperial Palace.

Instructor Samantha leaned against her desk, casually explaining the various rules, budget regulations, and safety precautions for club activities during the break.

"That’s all from me regarding the Academy’s policies," Samantha concluded, crossing her arms. "Any questions?"

I immediately raised my hand.

"Instructor Samantha, I have a very serious question."

"Cadet Lucien. What is it?"

I pointed an accusing finger at the golden-haired boy standing next to me.

"Why... are these people here?" I glared at the Protagonist Party, making absolutely no effort to hide my profound irritation.

"Hey, hi! Lucien!" Bordon grinned, scratching his thick neck, completely oblivious to the killing intent in the room. "We’re in the same club now! Let’s get along and eat some good meat!"

"U-Um, hello, Cadet Lucien!" Mariella bowed perfectly, clutching her staff. "I’m always in your debt! I’ll do my best to help with the club’s healing needs!"

Were they clueless? Couldn’t they see the dark aura of annoyance radiating from my body?

And the others were worse. Elisha had her arms crossed, looking away with a haughty ’I’m only here to keep an eye on your shady activities’ expression. Princess Celestia just smiled serenely, clearly finding my visible suffering highly entertaining.

Kael, meanwhile, gave me a solemn, knowing nod. He was still entirely convinced we were secret holy comrades from the fallen Empire. To him, joining my club was probably some sacred duty.

Whether Samantha was oblivious to the tension or just sadistically enjoying it, she kept her eyes on the documents.

"The club application you submitted had open recruitment, Ashborne. These five signed up first thing this morning. As the class instructor, I approved them. It’s already been processed by the Administration, and the club is officially established. Is there a problem?"

"Problem... problem..." I muttered, aggressively rubbing my temples.

I wished there was just one problem. A problem big enough to cancel the club entirely. I didn’t want the Protagonists in my club!

Why? Because it is a fundamental law of this world that trouble follows the Hero. Wherever Kael goes, disaster trails along like a loyal, bloodthirsty dog. A simple trip to a dessert café with these people would probably end with us fighting a Demon Duke, uncovering a kingdom-destroying conspiracy, or stopping an assassination attempt!

If not for the [System Mission] requiring me to establish a club to unlock my hidden base, I would have ripped the application to shreds right then and there.

"If there’s no valid problem, take this and leave."

Samantha flicked her thumb. A heavy gold coin flew through the air in a gleaming arc.

I caught it effortlessly. It was heavy.

"Ten Gold Coins total for the semester," Samantha said, smirking at Clara’s dropped jaw. "A newly formed club with eight members—including a Princess and two Ducal Heirs—gets a Premium Budget. The proposal you submitted regarding ’studying rare flora while analyzing urban culinary developments’ was decent too. Have a fun summer break."

Ten Gold. That was a small fortune just for eating cakes and looking at trees.

I turned to face the Protagonist Party again.

Bordon, smiling cluelessly. Mariella, hiding behind Bordon’s massive frame like a scared fledgling. Elisha, pouting. Princess Celestia, radiating regal amusement. And Kael, awkwardly grinning like we were war buddies.

No, this wasn’t right. I didn’t know what twist of fate or misunderstanding caused this, but I needed to get out before my summer break turned into a survival horror game.

"Instructor Samantha, I resign as Presi—"

SLAM.

"Sorry! I’m late!"

The staff room door flew open, and a familiar, clumsy figure rushed in, her arms full of disorganized paperwork. The soothing scent of spring flowers calmed the tension in the room slightly.

"Assistant Professor Amy, you’re late," Samantha sighed, though there was a hint of a warm smirk on her lips. "Let me introduce her to the rest of you. This is Assistant Professor Amy, the official faculty advisor for the Gourmet & Ecology Exploration Club."

"Hehe, nice to meet you all!" Amy smiled brightly, pushing her sliding glasses back up her nose.

"Hello, Professor!" "Nice to meet you, Professor Amy."

The Protagonist Party returned her greetings warmly.

’I’m going insane,’ I thought, my soul practically leaving my body.

At this moment, with a sweet, well-meaning, constantly-trying-her-best professor like Amy stepping up to help us, I couldn’t even bring myself to say I wanted to disband the club. It would make me look like a complete monster.

How... did things end up like this?

I looked up, alternating my gaze between Samantha and Amy.

For a split second, when the other students were looking down at the club charter, Samantha caught my eye. She gave me a very subtle, almost imperceptible thumbs-up.

I looked at Amy. She beamed at me and offered the exact same secretive, encouraging thumbs-up.

...It was you two?!

They orchestrated this. They purposely approved the Protagonists’ applications and assigned Amy to babysit us. They probably thought they were doing me a massive, heartwarming favor by surrounding the "lonely, misunderstood genius" with the Academy’s brightest stars. They were trying to cure my social isolation!

"With the key players from the Fern Kingdom incident gathered here, it’s quite a sight to behold," Samantha mused, packing up her desk. "I’ll do my part to ensure you have an enjoyable club experience. That’s all. Dismissed. Don’t forget to exchange cadet communication numbers before the ceremony."

At Samantha’s dismissal, I stepped out of the staff room, leaned heavily against the cold stone wall of the corridor, and let out a deep, agonizing sigh.

Meanwhile, the Protagonist Party and Amy gathered around happily in the hall.

"Cadet Lucien!" Amy trotted over, holding a magical communication slate. "Let’s exchange numbers too! As the President, I need your contact!"

"...Sure."

I numbly handed over my cadet slate, letting her sync the mana signatures.

"Alright! I’ll make a group chat for the nine of us later!" Amy cheered, her eyes sparkling. "For now, head back to your classrooms and prepare for the closing ceremony, kids! Have a wonderful summer!"

"Yes, Professor!"

I watched them chat happily. Clara was already arguing loudly with Elisha about which specific dessert café to visit first, while Ariana stood closely by my side, glaring a hole into Princess Celestia’s perfectly composed face. Kael was nodding sagely at Bordon.

I looked up at the ceiling. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

My peaceful summer break was officially dead.