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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Grand Drama Club (2)
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Professor Choi Bigstar had once again cast an extensive sleep magic spell for his students today, thanks to which I was able to enjoy a deep sleep.
After class, feeling refreshed, I was in the process of meeting and checking each person whose name was written on the paper Daisy had given me yesterday.
'There weren't any among the first-years.'
I individually checked all the friends in my year using my Heavenly Insight, even if their names weren't on the paper.
Because if there was a child among the first-years who had been harmed, there would be no situation as serious as that.
As a result of that check, fortunately, none of the first-years had been targeted by the Toy of Greed, and now I was in the process of individually meeting the seniors.
"Ju-junior."
The man calling me now, with his striking brown hair and freckles, was Monte, a second-year senior.
On the paper, it was written that he had become extremely timid after confessing to a beautiful classmate who was out of his league and getting rejected.
Sure enough. Despite being a senior, Monte was trying to read my expression, and seeing that, as a fellow man, I couldn't help but feel sympathy.
"Did I perhaps do something wrong?"
"No."
"But why did you suddenly call me and then just stare at me so intently?"
Had I looked at him with too much pity? Monte asked me that, even though he hadn't done anything wrong.
Feeling a slight pang of guilt at his reaction, I gave a plausible reason and turned away.
"I had something to check as a member of the Disciplinary Committee. It's over now, so you can go."
"..."
"Ah, Senior Monte."
Just then, feeling sorry for Senior Monte, who seemed utterly dejected, I turned back around.
I simply couldn't bear it. As a fellow man, I felt like my conscience wouldn't be at ease if I didn't encourage him.
"Huh?"
"There are many women in the world, but it's just that none of them are *my* woman. So cheer up!"
How touched must he have been? Senior Monte bowed his head, his eyes welling up with tears, and I patted his shoulder before turning away.
And then, I drew a line through Monte's name on the paper with a pen.
"So, it's not among these people."
Having busily met people here and there, I had somehow already met everyone whose name was on the paper.
Despite that, regrettably, I still hadn't encountered the Toy of Greed.
"That means it's one of two possibilities..."
The Toy of Greed hasn't harmed anyone yet, or,
It's parasitizing a senior or faculty member whose name isn't on this list.
'Where on earth could it be hiding?'
If possible, I'd like to find it and kill it before it causes any serious trouble.
It seems I'll need a bit more time to find this guy.
'Then again, it was a cautious one.'
It was the same in the game. This Toy of Greed was smarter than expected, and because it moved very secretly until it achieved its goal, it was very difficult for players to find.
'Well, I have Heavenly Insight.'
I should be able to find it more easily than when I played the game.
More importantly, seeing that I've searched this much and there's no trace of it, it's probably best to assume it hasn't made a move yet.
Having come to that conclusion, I started walking towards the academy's theater.
The reason was that today was the day of the Drama Club's new member welcoming party.
****
On the way to the theater.
I was walking, mulling over my memories of the Drama Club.
'I'm getting nervous for no reason.'
I'm usually not one to get nervous.
But as I thought about what I had to do at today's new member welcoming party, my heart started pounding for no reason.
'Acting, huh...'
They call it a welcoming party. But in truth, it would be more accurate to call it a place to confirm whether new members are truly suited for the Drama Club.
The seniors make the new members stand one by one in front of them and present a topic.
The new members must perform an act suitable for that topic for the seniors.
There's no option to refuse here. Because new members who don't perform are never acknowledged as juniors by the Drama Club seniors.
It was the same in the game. Players who weren't acknowledged by the Drama Club seniors couldn't proceed with any quests related to the Drama Club.
It was an obvious fact. If they didn't even call you and just avoided you, how could quests possibly proceed?
Therefore, whether I had acted before or not, I had to perform in front of others.
Since possessing this body, I hadn't really acted except for when I tricked my master, so perhaps that's why I was subtly worried.
On the other hand, I was also looking forward to it.
Seeing the clumsy acting of various characters, and,
The skit that Dahlia, the president, and Damon, the vice-president, would perform.
'It was quite fun.'
Those two would pretend to fight, raising their voices, to prank the new students.
Naturally, the new members showed signs of fidgeting nervously.
It was understandable. They had come to the club with excitement, but their seniors, who were supposed to be highly respected, were fighting loudly.
From a junior's perspective, it couldn't be anything but awkward.
'I just have to watch, right?'
It was already an amusing scene. But now, a large number of characters I hadn't seen in the game were included among the new members.
'Rose, plus Sage and Daisy. Ugh.'
As my thoughts reached here, a sudden thought occurred to me. Could Dahlia and Damon really control these dazzling new members?
'Well, it has nothing to do with me.'
Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised by their pranks.
I just had to enjoy watching the reactions of the main characters.
Walking while thinking that, I had already arrived at the theater.
'What kind of situation is this now?'
I had thought there would be absolutely nothing to surprise me.
After checking the faces of the new members standing in a line, I couldn't help but be astonished, my mouth agape.
Naturally, it wasn't because Sage, Daisy, and Rose were here.
"That annoying bastard."
"..."
Nor was it because the unexpected characters, Rachel and Fran, were present.
"Oh."
The real reason I was surprised was the presence of a sickly girl standing next to Rose, opening her small lips to look at me.
"Mr. Caramel."
Perhaps due to withdrawal symptoms, raising a subtly trembling hand to acknowledge me, the woman was the Saintess, Lily.
"No, Saintess, why are you here?"
I tilted my head and asked, standing in front of her.
It was a situation that made so little sense. Even if I had intervened somehow, why was Lily, who considered smoking and resting her best hobbies, here? Ah, no way.
"Were you perhaps in the Drama Club?"
"I wasn't, but I'm thinking of trying it. I've always wanted to try it, and I have a little free time these days."
I asked just in case. But this wasn't it either. Well, Lily must have been very busy last year, so it was a natural conclusion.
"But isn't Lady Lily a second-year?"
"Does it matter? I'm saying I want to join as a new member."
"Ah."
When I asked a questionable point, Lily, for some reason, answered with a bright smile. Of course, that bright smile and her statement didn't quite align.
'Two duchesses, a future hero candidate, the top student, and even the third-ranked student, not to mention a Saintess...'
My gaze naturally shifted.
"Dahlia. I, I'm going to quit. I think that's the right thing to do."
"Don't be ridiculous. If we're going to die, we'll die together."
Sure enough, I saw two people, a man and a woman, with expressions as if their souls had left their bodies.
"Saintess."
While I was dumbfounded by the surprising situation in many ways, a familiar voice reached my ears at the same time I smelled the scent of roses at the tip of my nose.
When I turned my gaze back, Rose had her index and middle fingers pressed to her pursed lips, and was brightly smiling as she whispered something to the Saintess.
"Don't you feel like you need to go soon?"
"I'm not sure what you mean, Sister."
At that, Lily's eyebrows twitched, and she replied, making a gesture of covering her mouth with her index finger.
"That's strange, at my house, it usually flows right out..."
"Sister, here, it's a bit..."
Rose and Lily, while smiling brightly, conversed without lowering their gazes from each other.
For reference, these two knew each other, and terribly disliked each other.
That's because four years ago, I had helped Lily and temporarily hid her in Rose's mansion.
At that time, Lily was in such a painful situation that she had to smoke cigarettes full of narcotic ingredients in Rose's mansion, and Rose had disliked Lily ever since.
"Mr. Caramel!"
While Lily and Rose were in the midst of a staring contest, Daisy's cheerful voice reached my ears.
Rose sharply turned her head towards Daisy, and Daisy, who approached with a silly smile, stared at Rose for a moment, then immediately shifted her gaze to Lily.
"..."
Lily tilted her head, and Daisy lowered her gaze from Lily's face.
Next, she looked at her own chest,
And then again, below Lily's face.
After moving her gaze a few times like that, Daisy let out a small chuckle, then turned her gaze to me.
And Lily's pupils, which had been following that gaze, began to tremble violently.
"Ex-excuse me, ju-juniors?"
It was the moment my head was about to nod unconsciously.
It was then that Dahlia, the president of the Drama Club, whom I remembered as someone who used to scold juniors mercilessly, called out to us in a whimpering voice.
"It s-seems everyone is here, c-can we s-start the new student welcoming party?"
Dahlia asked very politely, and the new members, including me, nodded.
"W-we'll first take a l-look at the new members' performances, one by one. A-anyway, w-we are the D-Drama..."
It was truly a pitiful sight: the president, stammering under the juniors' overwhelming presence.
It was then that a voice like salvation reached Dahlia.
"Oh dear, I'm late."
At the deep voice echoing through the theater, everyone's gaze turned towards the main entrance.
"It seems our president is very nervous. Would it be alright if I explained to the new members?"
What came into view was a man with a tall and imposing presence.
'Xenon the Mad.'
A professor in the Alchemy Department and the Drama Club's advisor in charge. Xenon Philight.
He was one of the biggest reasons I joined the Drama Club.