The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 57

Time has flown by, and it’s already the last day of the festival.

‘I wonder if Senior is alright.’

I was pacing in front of the Disciplinary Committee room.

In my hands were desserts from Shin Seo-ha’s cafe, including a Mont Blanc.

‘She should be here soon.’

In the end, Seo Geum-bi didn’t visit our class throughout the festival. Or rather, she couldn’t visit.

I also couldn’t find the time due to our class event.

‘But the score…’

[Accumulated Popularity: 623]

The increase in popularity score had significantly slowed since the afternoon of the second day. The reason was that the haunted house’s setup had spread like wildfire.

The success of a haunted house depends on how scared people get, and if they aren’t scared, the popularity doesn’t increase.

Just like the Order Score, 800 points is the cutoff for the highest popularity score. At this rate, it might be impossible to reach the highest score.

‘If I make changes hastily, it could backfire…’

Making urgent changes now could result in a decline in quality.

While I was racking my brain for a popularity strategy,

“Junior?”

A welcome voice called from afar.

“Senior.”

There stood Seo Geum-bi.

Her shoulders were more slouched than usual, and she looked tired. It was clear how much she had struggled during the festival.

I offered her the desserts I had brought.

“Have this while you work.”

“You didn’t have to bring this…”

“Shin Seo-ha asked me to pass it along, to cheer you up.”

“Seo-ha…”

Seo Geum-bi, receiving the desserts, bit her lip.

“Thank you. I had a lot to handle regarding the visitors. Actually, I just finished all my work and was about to look for you.”

Seo Geum-bi clenched her fist.

“Finally, I’m free.”

Her stance was so comical that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Then, Senior, let’s go look around together.”

* * *

The first place I decided to take Seo Geum-bi was obvious.

[1-A: Maid Café]

Coincidentally, it was Shin Seo-ha’s shift. It might sound strange, but I had memorized all her shift times.

“What is this?”

Seo Geum-bi pointed to the entrance sign. At the bottom, a large warning was written in red letters.

[Seol Ha-baek not allowed]

It was obvious that Shin Seo-ha had written it.

Ignoring this warning and going in would surely result in being turned away at the door, but…

“Just ignore it.”

What if I entered with Seo Geum-bi?

“Welcome!”

Without hesitation, I stepped inside the classroom.

“Ha-baek, you’re back again!”

“Keep up the good work, Yu-seong.”

Han Yu-seong welcomed me in his maid outfit, unchanged. Honestly, I wish he’d stop this.

“Who’s this with you?”

Han Yu-seong blinked as he looked behind me. Seo Geum-bi, who had entered a beat later, bowed her head.

“Hello. I’m Seo Geum-bi. The maid outfit suits you well.”

“She’s the Head of the Disciplinary Committee.”

“Gasp! Did we do something wrong? Did Seo-ha get into trouble again…?”

“No, it’s nothing like that. I’m just here to enjoy the festival.”

Seo Geum-bi smiled warmly, which seemed to put Han Yu-seong at ease as he sighed in relief.

“Is Seo-ha here?”

“Of course! She’s available right now.”

More like, she probably kicked out all the guests assigned to her.

“Seo-ha, you have a customer!”

As Han Yu-seong called her name, the curtain separating the kitchen from the hall fluttered, and Shin Seo-ha appeared.

“Wow, you’re persistent. You still came looking for me?”

Her exasperated expression screamed that she was unfit to be a maid.

“Ugh, Seol Ha-baek and Geum-bi unnie…”

Shin Seo-ha’s face twisted as though she had bitten into something bitter. In contrast, a smile crept up my face.

“She said she wanted to see you, so I specially brought her here.”

“You bastard, Seol Ha-baek!”

Just as she was about to raise her fist, Shin Seo-ha flinched. The reason was obvious.

“Ahem.”

Realizing Seo Geum-bi was watching, she quickly relaxed her posture.

“I’ll show you to your table.”

Trying to maintain her composure, Shin Seo-ha led us to an empty table. We took our seats at the table she pointed out.

“Pick something from the menu, and I’ll bring it to you, unnie. Seol Ha-baek, you don’t eat.”

“…Doesn’t it feel like you’re being particularly cold to me?”

I could feel her sharp gaze from above. Meanwhile, Seo Geum-bi paused while looking over the menu and looked up at Shin Seo-ha.

“I’ve mentioned this before…”

Tilting her head slightly, Seo Geum-bi smiled softly. Her long, dark green hair cascaded over her cheek.

“It really suits you.”

“…!”

In that instant, Shin Seo-ha’s face turned red with embarrassment.

“W-what are you saying, unnie!”

“Why? I’m just complimenting you.”

Shin Seo-ha shook her hands vigorously. Seo Geum-bi, seemingly enjoying teasing her, covered her mouth and chuckled.

“Ha-baek, is omelet rice okay with you?”

“Yes, it’s fine but…”

“Then, two omelet rice, please.”

“Order received.”

As Shin Seo-ha awkwardly curtsied and began to leave,

“Seo-ha, sorry, but what’s that?”

Seo Geum-bi pointed to a corner of the café.

There was a makeshift shooting range made by covering a table with a tablecloth, equipped with toy guns. On the opposite shelf, various dolls were displayed.

“It’s something we set up as an event. If you shoot a doll and knock it down, you get it as a prize.”

Shin Seo-ha spread her palm open, showing five fingers.

“With every menu order, you get five shots. Want to give it a try? One of the other staff will guide you.”

“It’s perfect to kill time while we wait for our food.”

Seo Geum-bi stood up.

When we approached the shooting range, a male maid who was waiting handed us a toy rifle. The shoulder-mounted rifle was loaded with five bullets.

“Using abilities is prohibited. Ready shooters, begin!”

“Alright then…”

The first turn went to Seo Geum-bi.

She got into a shooting stance, though as a high school girl who probably never fired a gun, her posture was quite awkward.

“I’ll definitely take you home.”

Seo Geum-bi gritted her teeth.

Judging by the aim of her barrel, it seemed she was targeting a large baby penguin doll.

‘Should I just let her enjoy?’

I didn’t want to spoil someone’s fun by giving unsolicited advice. So, I stepped back and watched Seo Geum-bi’s shooting.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Despite the consecutive shots, none of the bullets even grazed the doll.

“Ugh…”

Having exhausted all five shots, Seo Geum-bi lowered the rifle dejectedly. Though she tried to hide it, her disappointment was written all over her face.

“I’ll give it a try.”

Now it was my turn.

How did I handle the rifle during conscription training again?

‘Not sure if the sights are properly aligned.’

I pulled my shoulder back, braced the stock, and aimed so that the front sight aligned perfectly with the rear sight…

Bang!

I pulled the trigger.

The bullet flew straight and hit the penguin doll right on the head.

“Congratulations! That was incredible shooting!”

The nearby maids clapped and cheered. Well, it would be odd if a high schooler who has completed military training couldn’t do it.

“Congratulations! Here, take this!”

The guiding maid approached with the penguin doll. Although it was pretty cute, I couldn’t fully focus on it because of the gaze from behind.

“So envious…”

Seo Geum-bi, staring at the doll with longing in her eyes, mumbled around her finger. She must have wanted this doll quite badly.

“Take this, Senior.”

When I offered the doll to her, Seo Geum-bi blinked in surprise.

“Are you really giving this to me?”

“I hit it to give it to you in the first place.”

Seo Geum-bi accepted the doll with trembling hands. She squeezed its side gently before burying her face into it with all her might.

“Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome.”

This much was enough for me.

* * *

“Pfft, hahaha!”

“…Senior, you’re going to laugh your belly button off at this rate.”

“S-sorry… pfft.”

Seo Geum-bi, sitting next to me on the bench, had an ice cream in one hand and was hugging the doll tightly with the other, laughing uncontrollably. She seemed to be struggling to hold back her laughter.

“Was my maiden ghost costume that funny?”

“No, it wasn’t that it was funny; it just suited you so well… pfft.”

Just thinking about the earlier scene was enough to make her burst into laughter again, even though she was starting to calm down.

‘Thank goodness.’

On the last day of the festival, Seo Geum-bi finally got to enjoy it.

“Thank you. You’ve bought so much for me.”

“No problem. I’ve always wanted to properly repay you, and this turned out to be the perfect opportunity.”

Seo Geum-bi nodded.

The cherry-flavored ice cream she was eating was a snack she had been eyeing the entire time while on patrol duty.

【At 7 PM, the closing ceremony will be held at the First Sports Ground.】

The speaker crackled to life with an announcement. The current time was 6:30 PM. The closing ceremony would begin soon.

“By the way, don’t you need to go back to your class, Junior?”

“No, fortunately, my classmates were considerate.”

Normally, I would be helping to wrap up our class event. However, in recognition of my efforts in making the event successful, I was excused from the clean-up on the last day.

‘Those guys, they do have some loyalty.’

I didn’t expect much, but it seems we grew closer while preparing together.

“It’s a relief the closing ceremony isn’t mandatory.”

Attendance at the closing ceremony is optional, but most students, including external visitors, participate.

“I’m looking forward to the fireworks.”

That’s because the fireworks display is the grand finale of the ceremony.

“You’ve worked hard, Senior.”

I heard it required approvals from several agencies, including the district office, to hold the fireworks display. Seo Geum-bi must have worked hard to make it happen.

“Yes, finally….”

Seo Geum-bi took a big bite of her ice cream, not noticing the smudge left on her lips. The way her eyes sparkled made her look like an innocent child.

“Honestly, this might sound silly, but…”

Seo Geum-bi blushed.

“I worked really hard just to see these fireworks.”

It’s something that was merely expressed in a few lines of text in the game. But spending time with Seo Geum-bi revealed the extent of her efforts to create an enjoyable festival for everyone.

“It will undoubtedly be the best fireworks display.”

Seo Geum-bi’s eyes were filled with anticipation for the fireworks.

‘It wasn’t bad.’

Have I ever genuinely enjoyed a festival in my life?

During my school years, I always felt like an outsider, questioning whether I could even fulfill my role in a community. That self-loathing and doubt naturally turned into a sense of distance.

But this time was different.

Before I realized it, I found myself actually enjoying the festival. I found myself looking forward to the fireworks.

However,

[A severe order violation has been detected.]

An unexpected system message appeared.

As far as I know, there shouldn’t be any significant disorderly conduct events scheduled for this time.

[Shriek!]

Almost simultaneously, Yomi, who had been dozing on my shoulder, bristled all over and woke up.

“Could it be…”

The festival had been going too smoothly.

I shot to my feet, bracing myself for whatever was coming.