Creak— The classroom door was pushed open by Luo Shu.
What came into view was a plain, spacious classroom—almost entirely empty. There was a blackboard, a teacher's podium, and ten chairs piled in a corner, all of which Luo Shu and the others had already cleaned during an earlier visit. Aside from those, the only other item in the room was a cabinet in the back right corner holding cleaning tools—barely qualifying as "club property."
"Since we just founded the club and only have three members, and since it's already mid-semester, of course we haven't been given a single yen in activity funds," Eriri muttered as she walked in, taking in the barren state of the room with the tone of someone looking at a startup running out of a garage.
In Japanese schools, student clubs usually receive operating funds, managed by the student council. The sports clubs get the most, followed by well-connected upperclassmen's groups. By the time the money trickles down, small, niche clubs like this Astronomy Club—founded late and with only three members—are lucky to get anything at all. They can only pay out of their own pockets to buy club supplies. Normally, Eriri would never have joined such a money-draining operation, but thanks to the leverage Luo Shu held over her, she had no choice.
"We can borrow astronomy books from the library, but if we want telescopes or camping gear, we'll have to buy them ourselves…" she added, hands on her hips as she surveyed the room. "By the way, I'll pay for all that stuff. But in return, you two are never allowed to mention the fact that I'm Kashiwagi Eri. This is an equivalent exchange. Got it?"
"Got it… at least partially." Luo Shu, with one hand in his pocket, stepped further into the room and moved toward the window. Watching the students out on the field—some in clubs, others part of the "Go Home Club"—he squinted slightly and said, "But, Sawamura-san, I think you're misunderstanding something."
"What?" Eriri blinked and instinctively turned to look at him.
But before she could process anything else, she heard a click. It sounded like the classroom door being locked from the inside.
She spun around, only to see Kasumigaoka Utaha leaning against the door, having just locked it.
Classroom, locked door, high school girls, one guy, two girls…
In an instant, a slew of danger signals popped into Eriri's mind. Her face turned pale as she instinctively hugged herself and took a few steps back, panicked. "Wait! What are you two planning? This is the third floor! Any noise can be heard downstairs! If you try anything funny—I'll scream, I swear!"
"Pfft~" Utaha chuckled softly, clearly enjoying the misunderstanding. She glanced toward Luo Shu and said, "Alright, that's enough teasing her. Let's get started on building our secret base."
Luo Shu threw a look at the flustered Eriri and smiled. "You really can't take a joke, can you?"
Before Eriri could respond, he raised his hand and clapped twice.
Clap! Clap!
As soon as the second clap rang out, all ambient sounds from the school outside stopped abruptly. The sudden silence stunned Eriri. She quickly turned to the window—but the schoolyard was gone, replaced by an endless field of white.
It was as if a white curtain had been drawn over the classroom window.
"What… is going on?" she stammered.
At that moment, Utaha turned and unlocked the door, pulling it open. The same white void appeared beyond it as well. When she reached out, her hand stopped short, blocked, as if by an invisible wall, or like pushing against a sheet of fabric.
Eriri stared blankly, completely bewildered. Meanwhile, Utaha took a step back and remarked with awe, "So this is the alternate dimension you mentioned, Luo Shu? The one you said only cost 1000 points of energy? Is this our future base for the Astronomy Club?"
"That's right," Luo Shu replied, clapping once more.
The classroom, originally around 40 square meters, instantly expanded and transformed. It now resembled a luxury apartment like the one Utaha rented—but even more spacious, with an extra bedroom compared to hers.
"It can expand up to 300 square meters, with a ceiling height of 3 meters. Water, gas, electricity—even a fridge and daily snacks are included for a monthly cost of 1 unit of energy. It even includes Wi-Fi," Luo Shu explained as he pointed to the lights, bedrooms, and bathroom. He shrugged and added, "Though technically, the IP address still routes through the original classroom's network. According to it, this space overlaps with the one we were assigned, the same location but in a different dimension."
Utaha immediately understood what he meant by "it"—the system. In her mind, it was Luo Shu's divine attendant, a subordinate intelligence created to assist him in becoming the ruler of gods and forming a new mythology. She ran her hand along the smooth wall and couldn't help but marvel, "To think something like this only costs 1000 energy… In a way, energy really is divine power, isn't it?"
"You could see it that way," Luo Shu agreed, then added, "But I think energy is most valuable when used to strengthen oneself. After all, power means the most when it's something you personally possess."
With that, he turned to look at Eriri, who had somehow ended up sitting on the floor, dazed and overwhelmed. Luo Shu grinned. "Looks like our new recruit still hasn't wrapped her head around things."
Utaha glanced at Eriri and walked over. "Let me explain," she offered. "As you can see, Sawamura-san, this isn't the same classroom we were just in. This is an alternate dimension—something Luo Shu-kun just created."
Eriri instinctively scooted back, panic etched all over her face. "You—are you people even human?!"
"We're a god and his divine servant," Utaha replied, teasing with a sweet smile.
Then, with a voice full of temptation, she whispered, "Do you want an eternal youth that never fades? Do you want immortality? Do you want supernatural powers beyond human imagination?"
"If you do—then swear your allegiance. Pledge your loyalty to our god. Pledge it to our Lord!"
Luo Shu chuckled at her performance. "That brainwashing tone of yours is really something."
Then, as Eriri sat frozen in disbelief, Luo Shu gave her a mischievous smile and said:
"Before the formal introductions, Sawamura-san…"
"—Welcome to the real [Astronomy Club]!"