The Academy's Doomed Side Character-Chapter 155: Perfact Hunting Club [1]

"I’m glad you decided to join my club," Leo said, grinning like he’d just won some long-standing bet.

"It’s not that big of a deal," I replied, brushing off his smugness. "I already had this club in mind from the beginning."

"I knew it," Leo nodded confidently. "I knew you’d pick my side over Ryen’s."

...What the hell is he talking about?

Side? What sides?

Also—how does he already know I’m in another club?

I mean, sure, I joined the Travel Club too. Ryen’s there. But clearly, Leo has chosen to pretend that little detail doesn’t exist.

Typical.

He stood there looking far too satisfied, like this was some kind of victory.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself," I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I joined for the benefits, not for you."

"Benefits?" Leo raised an eyebrow. "You mean me, obviously."

"...No."

He chuckled, ignoring the denial completely.

And somehow, I already regretted stepping into this room.

I decided to ignore Leo for the time being and took a look around the clubroom.

There were five people here in total, including Leo.

I hadn’t met most of them in person before. The only one I vaguely recognized was Violet—I saw her once at the gym, back when Ryen was stepping in to protect Kiera from a group of bullying cadets.

Of course, that whole incident was set up by me. But no one needs to know that.

As our eyes briefly met, I felt a subtle chill crawl down my spine.

Her gaze was sharp—cold, almost. Like I’d just tracked mud across her spotless floor.

She was clearly not pleased.

Why? Was it Leo’s overfriendly attitude toward me? Did she think there was something going on?

...Yeah, probably. That look screamed "territorial."

I swear, she’s like a less-obsessive version of Nora. Still intense, though.

I couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

Things were already getting complicated—and I’d only just walked in the door.

Perfect.

Anyway, the moment I officially joined the club, the reactions of the other members were... well, pretty telling.

Two looked at me with friendly curiosity.

Two couldn’t care less.

And one?

One looked like she wanted me dead on sight.

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Then Leo, who had been oddly quiet up until now, stepped forward with a small, satisfied smile.

Wait—he can smile?

Of course he can. He was just happy I’d picked his club.

"Welcome to the Perfect Hunting Club," he said.

I blinked.

"...Perfect what now?"

"Perfect Hunting Club," he repeated, like it was the most normal name in the world.

"...Seriously?"

"Why?" Leo tilted his head. "You don’t like the name?"

"Well..." I struggled to find a polite way to say ’it’s incredibly cringe’ without actually saying it.

Before I could come up with anything, Leo let out a sigh and turned toward Violet.

"Told you he wouldn’t like it."

Violet, who up until now had just been glaring in my direction like I owed her money, narrowed her eyes.

"You don’t like the name I came up with?"

...Of course it was her.

Why was I even surprised?

And now she was staring directly at me, waiting for an answer.

"No! I mean—yeah! I like it!" I blurted out.

It was pure instinct. Self-preservation, really.

Violet kept staring, not looking convinced.

I forced the most neutral smile I could manage and prayed she wouldn’t throw a dagger at me.

Thankfully, Leo stepped in again—this time with mischief in his voice.

"Well, if even Rin says it’s a bit much, maybe we should reconsider."

"No," Violet said immediately.

"...I didn’t say it was too much," I mumbled.

Leo grinned, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "Oh? So you do like it?"

"...I like it just fine," I said through gritted teeth.

He gave me a smug look. Violet huffed and crossed her arms.

And just like that, I realized I had voluntarily signed up to spend my afternoons surrounded by this chaos.

Perfect Hunting Club, huh?

Yeah. Perfect.

After the whole awkward business of settling on that cringe name, Leo finally got to the real reason he’d called everyone here.

The air shifted.

Gone was the faint trace of amusement in his expression. In its place was his usual cold, focused gaze. His voice sharpened too, like a blade being unsheathed.

"We’re planning to go hunting this weekend," he said. "Are you interested in joining? Participation’s optional, but I expect you to join at least once every three hunts."

"Of course," I replied without hesitation. "I’ll join."

"Good," Leo said with a short nod. "Then—"

"But where exactly are you planning to hunt?"

I had barely asked the question when the tall guy—broad shoulders, bad attitude, the one who’d been glaring at me since I walked in—stepped forward like he’d been waiting for his cue.

"Tch. This guy, asking questions already..."

Leo casually raised a hand to stop him. He didn’t even look. "Let him speak."

The guy looked annoyed but backed off, if only for now.

I continued. "What about dungeons? You guys interested?"

The big guy scoffed. "You think just anyone can stroll into a dungeon? You need permits, guild clearance—"

"If," I cut in, ignoring him, "you accidentally stumbled into an unregistered dungeon, you’re allowed to clear it for survival, right?"

Leo didn’t say anything right away, but his eyes narrowed slightly.

"You’re talking like you know where one is," he said at last.

I met his gaze and smiled. "I do."

The room went quiet.

Everyone except Leo looked at me like I’d grown two heads.

Had they really never thought about this? Or maybe they just didn’t know where to look.

Leo finally spoke again. "If that’s true, it’s a very appealing offer. But I’ll need to confirm it."

"Of course," I said. "All I want in return is to pick one of the dungeon rewards first. That’s it."

That was apparently one word too many for Mr. Angry.

"That’s it—! I’ve had enough of this guy’s smug face!"

He stepped forward again, fists clenched.

But this time, Leo didn’t stop him with a wave.

He just turned slightly, giving him a single look.

A cold one.

"Sit down," Leo said, voice low and final.

The guy froze. His jaw worked like he wanted to argue, but in the end, he backed off and muttered something under his breath.

Leo looked back at me.

"Alright. You’ll guide us to the dungeon. I’ll verify it myself."

"Deal," I said.

Violet crossed her arms, still staring at me with narrowed eyes. "You better not be bluffing."

"If I was, I wouldn’t have offered first pick of the loot," I replied.

She didn’t answer, but her gaze lingered