I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 69

After class ended, as I sat down, Kim Seah, who had been sitting blankly, turned her body and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

"The god of Seoul Hero Academy...!"

"......What?"

"The Zhuge Liang of Familia...!"

"Huh?"

Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?

"Zhuge Yoojin...!"

"Stop it."

"......Yes."

It seems she was just bored.

"By the way, are we having club activities today?"

"Since many of the kids are absent today, I doubt it. Isn't there no request coming in right now?"

"......I didn't want to attend the math class this afternoon. And if we don't have club activities, I'll be dragged to the mentor class after school again!"

"Is the mentor class that tough?"

In response to my question, Seah hugged her arms and shivered.

"Moving a two-ton rock, calculating coordinates while running around, real combat... Just thinking about it still makes me shiver."

......It seems they are also pushing themselves hard.

I feel sorry for them.

At such a moment, I took out the 'Briton White Deer Antler', a tonic I had brought to give to the kids, which is good for recovering physical strength, and handed it to Seah.

"When you get home, brew and drink this."

"Huh? This, this is! Isn't this that? The Moshinggi Antler! I heard it's super expensive, how can I accept something like this?!"

Seah, surprised at seeing the antler in my hand, waved her hands frantically.

"We have plenty at home, so just take it. Anyway, taking too much of the same tonic isn't that effective."

"......Well, if that's the case."

Our family literally has tonics overflowing.

Besides, since I received so many at the last executive celebration, it's better to distribute those that I don't need or aren't very effective to the kids.

Their growth will greatly benefit our Familia.

"Hehe. I'll enjoy it."

Seah, looking extremely happy, hugged the antler as if it were a precious baby.

Of course, she should be grateful... A spatial mage is very valuable, and we need to keep her with us until the end.

At that moment, a message popped up in front of my eyes through the [Smart Lens].

[Sender: Lee Haru]

"Huh?"

What could Lee Haru want?

With that thought, I checked the content of the message.

[Lee Haru: There has been an issue with the activities of the International Trade Club.]

[Lee Haru: I would like to request help from 'Familia'. Would after lunch today be okay for you?]

"Ha."

What a perfect timing.

"Kim Seah."

"Yes?"

"We're having club activities today."

"Really?! Yay!"

After sending a reply immediately to come to the club booth today during club activity time, I fell into thought for a moment.

The fact that Lee Haru sent me a message requesting direct help means the situation is difficult for her to handle alone.

"I wonder what it could be... This is interesting."

* * *

When Lee Haru arrived at the Familia booth, her expression was colder than usual.

"So, what do you want to request?"

At my question, Lee Haru slowly opened her mouth.

"Recently, it seems a force has emerged to hinder the activities of the International Trade Club."

"......What? There shouldn't be many clubs in the academy that can interfere with your activities."

'International Trade Club' is a club that is about to rise to the Gold Club status, and it is also the club that students must visit to purchase rare items at the academy.

In other words, most of the students attending the academy feel the need for the 'International Trade Club'.

But someone is hindering such a club, it didn't make sense.

"I also thought things would go smoothly, but for some reason, existing trading partners in the Asian region, especially in China, are starting to hesitate. I believe this is due to the interference of another club or a student."

"Someone is pulling strings behind the scenes?"

"That's what I believe."

Seoul Hero Academy, being an educational institution that trains the best prospective heroes in Korea, has students from various backgrounds and families.

And it's only natural that there are families of power holders among them.

"Didn't you try to find out through the Inomiya Group?"

But Lee Haru's family background is also nothing to scoff at.

With her family's power and influence, finding the mastermind shouldn't be too difficult.

"The International Trade Club was established against family opposition, so I wanted to resolve this issue with my own power and connections, without relying on my family's strength."

Is she planning to operate by paying the appropriate amount for the request to us?

It seems to be her stubbornness.

Well, connections are a form of power, so she's not wrong.

"So you're requesting 'Familia' on behalf of the 'International Trade Club'?"

"Yes."

I tap the desk with my fingers, sorting out my thoughts.

Why would another force suddenly target the 'International Trade Club'?

Is it to check us? No, if they wanted to check us, they would have supported the Fund Investment Club from behind to block Lee Haru earlier.

This means they started to hinder the 'International Trade Club' recently.

In other words, there is a force trying to hinder the alliance between our 'Familia' and the 'International Trade Club'.

"It's because of us."

Upon hearing my murmur, Lee Haru nods her head.

"So that was it."

"That's the only way to look at it. The timing of hindering the well-performing 'International Trade Club' coincides with our forming an alliance, which is practically a direct challenge to us."

In reality, it was my pocket money that facilitated this, but from the outside, it would seem that the Familia booth, which was nothing before, got luxurious items from the 'International Trade Club', making it seem like the 'International Trade Club' holds the economic power of 'Familia'.

They might even consider us a sub-club...

In that case, we can just attack from behind while they target the 'International Trade Club'.

"We'll also make a move."

"......Right now? It will take considerable time to identify the culprit and gather evidence."

That might be true if it were a normal club or an academy student.

"Have you forgotten who I am? First, can you tell me which trading partners are currently blocked?"

I smiled and asked, and Lee Haru tilted her head as she replied.

"For now, it's Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, and Nanjing."

"......Just wait a moment."

I immediately took out my phone and called Parnello.

[I've answered the call, Young Master.]

"Parnello. The Triad that attempted illegal entry recently. Do I still have authority over them?"

[Yes. Now that you've become an executive, the Chinese side will be entirely up to you from now on.]

"Thank you."

As the talk about the Triad, Parnello, and authority over illegal entry and negotiations came up, Lee Haru's expression began to show slight bewilderment.

"Young Master, it seems the scale is quite different from what I had imagined..."

"This is nothing to worry about."

Next, I immediately called the Triad's contact.

[Hello?]

"I'm Yoojin Han Calione, an executive of Calione. I have something to discuss."

After revealing my identity in Korean, I could hear a bustling sound from the other end of the phone, followed soon by familiar Korean.

[Ah, yes. Mr. Yoojin of Calione. What is the reason for your call?]

"Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, Nanjing. There are merchants here refusing to do business with a company called the 'International Trade Club'. Find out who's behind this within two days. Can you do it?"

And a brief silence.

[It can be done within today for those areas. I will contact you after taking action.]

"I like that. If you handle it cleanly, I'll make sure it's worth your while. Contact me once you're done."

[Yes, Mr. Yoojin. Thank you for the opportunity.]

After hanging up, I looked at Lee Haru again.

"They said it would be resolved quickly. Let's wait while having some tea."

As I said that, I poured the tea that Seah had given me earlier into Lee Haru's cup.

"......I had forgotten that you've become an executive, Young Master. I never thought it could be resolved with just one phone call."

"It was just luck. I happened to have connections with the guys who control China recently. By the way, how's the Gold Club promotion going?"

After hearing my story, Lee Haru took a sip of the tea and opened her mouth.

"We're practically just waiting for the evaluation. The only issue was that we couldn't handle recent requests, but with you taking care of it like this, it should be fine."

"That's a relief."

As we talked about other recent developments.

──♬ ──♬ ──♬

Suddenly, short alarms started ringing multiple times from Lee Haru's pocket.

She glanced at me cautiously.

"Feel free to check it."

"Thank you."

Lee Haru took out her phone and checked the message, then chuckled.

"It's from our Chinese partners. They sincerely apologize for the recent incident and, as a gesture, they won't charge fees for two months."

Is it already over?

And then, I received a call from my side as well.

I answered the call with a pleased smile.

[Young Master, it's been resolved.]

"I just confirmed it. Have you identified the force that was preventing the trade?"

[We're looking into it, but all they keep saying is that it was ordered by 'the Academy's Club' with a lot of money. Give me a little more time, and it will be resolved quickly.]

"......You've worked hard. When you bring additional information, I'll provide an information fee, so inform me right away."

[Yes. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further instructions.]

"Of course, I'll make sure you're properly compensated then."

[Thank you.]

As expected, the interference with Lee Haru's club this time was the work of another club at the Academy.

In other words, it means that a force has emerged targeting not just Lee Haru, but me as well.

It seems necessary to find out who they are.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

After finishing the call, I turned to look at her, and her face looked more downcast than usual.

"I feel guilty thinking that you had to spend a lot of money because of this incident. How should I apologize..."

It was a thought typical of her, serious about such transactions.

But.

"An apology? That's not necessary. Since it's an issue that arose because of me, it's my responsibility to handle it.

"But......."

"Enough."

Indeed, the amount of money spent to resolve this issue must have been significant.

But that's just a small fraction of the earnings from missions.

And...

"Don't worry about it. It's their money, after all."

"What?"

"They made a mistake this time and had to pay a hefty compensation. I just skimmed a bit off that, so there's no need to feel sorry."

"Just how much money are we talking about..."

"Enough to survive showing their teeth to Calione."

It seemed that Lee Haru finally understood the amount, her eyes widening in surprise.

It seems it's time to remind her once again.

How rich I am.