I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga

Chapter 168: Countdown

Now, the season was autumn.

The season of high skies and plump horses.

And for Japanese high school students, it was also the most important time.

Because one of the best highlights of their school life, the school trip, awaited them.

“In that regard, the destination for this school trip has been decided as Kyoto.”

Eh~

As soon as the homeroom teacher, Matsuda, said that, boos erupted from students all around.

“Teacher! Why aren’t we going on an overseas trip this year!”

“We want to go to Hawaii too!”

“Busty foreign sisters! Bikini swimsuits! Love blossoming on the beach!”

“Ugh, guys are so low.”

“Why are they like that?”

“But still, Kyoto. If I go this time, it means I’ve been to Kyoto for all of elementary, middle, and high school.”

“You too?”

“At that level, aren’t you almost a native? You could tour the sites with your eyes closed.”

As complaints surged from all sides, Matsuda sighed deeply and spoke as if making an excuse.

“Do you think I want to go to Kyoto? Because of the incident last year where third-year students sneaked out of the hotel in Hawaii at night and were caught by local police, the principal has banned overseas trips for the time being.”

It was a very realistic reason, so it was understandable.

In fact, I had no complaints because I had never been to Kyoto.

Anyway, having confronted the students’ boos head-on, Matsuda continued with his duties.

“So, we need to form groups for sharing rooms during the school trip. Have you decided already?”

Yes~

“Good, that’s quick. Then, call them out in order. I’ll write it on the board.”

Then, one by one, students started to name their group members, starting from the front row.

“So, for boys’ group 3, it’s Momochi Satoru, Sakamoto Ryuji and Kim Yu-seong, right?”

“Yes.”

In my case, as previously negotiated, I ended up in the same group as the two.

‘That’s a relief.’

If I had shared a room with other guys, it would have probably been incredibly uncomfortable.

Just like that, as quickly as roasting beans over a flash of lightning, the school trip groups were decided, and Matsuda brought up another topic.

“So now, about the cultural festival, what will our class do?”

Then, one of the bald trio, who had previously mentioned swimsuits, openly expressed his desire.

“A maid café!”

Matsuda then looked at the bald guy with disdain and muttered,

“Ryohei, you really have no intention of hiding your perverted nature, do you?”

“What’s so bad about a guy being a pervert!”

“I don’t think that’s entirely wrong, but consider your reputation a bit.”

Matsuda said this, looking at the girls as if seeking agreement, but surprisingly, the reaction wasn’t bad.

“A maid café is not a bad idea.”

“It’s cute. I want to try wearing a maid outfit at least once~”

Matsuda momentarily looked stunned by the unexpected reaction.

Then, he quickly looked for support.

“Class President! What do you think?!”

The Class President, pushing up his round glasses—a symbol of intelligence—answered,

“Honestly, a maid café isn’t a bad idea. Other things don’t make money, but a maid café, if done averagely, can bring in a good amount.”

“Brutus, you too!”

The teacher spoke as if betrayed, but knowing the Class President’s profit-oriented nature, it seemed like a perfectly rational choice.

Maid cafés make money.

I had already vividly experienced this fact in Akihabara.

“Any other opinions?! Like a haunted house or a play?!”

But for adolescent boys, there were no other options other than a maid café.

“How about the guys wear butler outfits?!”

“That’s a great idea! How about making and selling cookies or cakes?!”

They became even more actively involved, trying to push the agenda through by any means.

And these efforts were also reflected in the voting results.

“Tch, the maid café is first with 20 votes.”

Matsuda said this with a frustrated expression and put down the chalk, but the atmosphere had been almost certain since the middle of the vote, so the boys were in a festive mood.

“So, Class President, if you have any other ideas or agendas, organize them well and let me know. I have another class, so I’ll leave now.”

Saying so, Matsuda left the classroom as if fleeing.

As always, the conclusion of the class meeting was left to the Class President, Ayase.

“So it was quite a commotion.”

Wednesday’s extracurricular activity.

As usual, I attended the Student Council room and chattered about what happened during the class meeting.

“Haha, it seems Yu-seong’s class is always full of commotion.”

The President gracefully sipped tea and responded, but there was a lack of energy in her smile compared to usual.

“President? Are you not feeling well?”

When I suddenly asked that, the President was startled, and her eyes widened.

“Eh? Me?”

“Yes. You seem less focused on the conversation than usual.”

“Ah… It’s just… I have a lot on my mind.”

The President said so and smiled bitterly.

The Vice President, watching this, pushed up his glasses with his middle finger and spoke.

“There’s no need for you, Yu-seong, to worry about the President’s health. The doctors at her home take care of her day and night.”

“If that’s the case, I’m relieved.”

I said so, scratching the back of my head, then looked for Minami, who was unusually absent today.

“By the way, where’s Minami?”

“Minami went to the train station to meet someone she knows who’s come to Tokyo. She should be back soon.”

“Ah…”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Speak of the tiger and it appears, as they say.

As soon as the President finished speaking, the busy footsteps of someone walking in the corridor outside could be heard.

“It seems she’s back.”

The President said so, putting down the teacup she was holding.

Soon after, the firmly closed door of the Student Council room opened.

“Miss, I’ve just returned.”

With a cold voice, the one who entered and spoke was Minami, the Student Council’s treasurer.

And behind her stood an unknown person.

“Hello, Miss Kumiko. It’s been a long time.”

The woman who entered with Minami, opening the door, appeared to be in her mid-30s.

She was likely the person Minami went to meet at the train station.

The woman had a beauty mark near her mouth and, due to her neatly tied-up hair, gave the impression of a young proprietor of a snack bar.

As soon as she greeted them, both the President and the Vice President stood up from their seats.

“Ms. Izumo.”

“Teacher!”

Both of them seemed to know her well.

I seemed to be the only one among the Student Council members who didn’t know her.

Feeling awkward being the only one still seated, I hesitantly stood up, and the woman called Izumo smiled mysteriously and said,

“Are you the famous Kim Yu-seong? You’re as sturdy-looking as I heard.”

“Eh? Oh, yes.”

She seemed to already know me.

Had I become famous without even realizing it?

Even with these doubts, I observed the others’ conversations.

“Why did you come all of a sudden? You didn’t even contact us.”

“Haha, I wanted to surprise you a bit.”

Contrary to his usual prickly demeanor with everyone, the Vice President was as meek as a lamb with this person named Izumo.

Given they called her ‘teacher,’ she must be in a profession similar to teaching, but their relationship seemed more than ordinary student-teacher.

And as if to confirm my speculation, Minami, standing in the back, explained about her.

“This is Koga Izumo, the 11th leader of the ninja coalition ‘Koga’ that unites 53 families. She’s the teacher of my brother and me. In the underworld, she’s known by the nickname ‘Heroine’.”

“Nice to meet you, Kim Yu-seong. I am Koga Izumo. Please, call me Izumo.”

She spoke amiably and extended her hand.

I shook her hand, still surprised that she was the teacher of the two.

‘Too many ninjas around here.’

Honestly, at this point, it was like a manga with ridiculously high stakes.

How lacking in material must the original author have been?

Though it was our first meeting, I asked her directly.

“How do you know about me?”

Izumo then smiled intriguingly and answered,

“It would be strange if I didn’t know. In the underworld, you’re known as the man who defeated one of the legendary Seven Powers. And recently, you’ve also been in contact with the Fuma Clan, right?”

“……”

Being a ninja by profession, she seemed to be well-informed about digging into others’ backgrounds.

The former being well-known was one thing, but her knowledge about my contact with Senior Fuma and the Fuma Clan was quite unexpected.

“Haha, no need to look so tense. Today, I came solely to meet the lady.”

Having said that and letting go of my hand, Izumo turned to the President and said,

“As previously communicated in writing, I came today to personally escort the lady. The President has high expectations for this arranged meeting.”

Arranged meeting? What does that mean?

“…I suppose so. Otherwise, you, as my grandfather’s secretary, wouldn’t have come personally.”

“Shall we go then? We might be late for the evening appointment if we don’t start preparing right now.”

“Understood.”

The President said so, briefly answered, and then looked at me.

“Yu-seong, I’ll be leaving first today. Unfortunately, I have plans this evening.”

I felt a strange sense of disappointment at the President’s uncharacteristically cold attitude.

But as someone with no particular relationship to them, I couldn’t object, and while I hesitated, the President, Vice President, and Minami followed Izumo out. So, I stayed in the now empty Student Council room until it was time to go home, then locked up and left.