The Academy Life of a Sick Mafia

Chapter 06

“Apple, may I ask where we’re staying tonight?”

“Oh, that? Well… Probably any empty building will do.”

Apple, looking around, pointed to an abandoned building.

“How about that butcher shop? It looks empty.”

I, Sigrin, adjusting my violin case, rolled my eyes toward the butcher shop.

An abandoned town. Students in tough situations flocking here. Empty buildings.

“How long has Lemaos town been neglected?”

“Probably a few years.”

“Enough time for factions to form and stabilize. Even if it looks empty, most buildings probably have unspoken owners.”

“Come on, it looks totally deserted. Let’s just use it. We can’t sleep on the street.”

Those who can’t protect themselves naturally gather around the strong and loud, forming factions. That leads to resource conflicts.

With rain and snow coming seasonally, people here would want a roof over their heads.

Abandoned buildings were resources here.

“Don’t act rashly. Let’s wait a bit. I’ll get some info from the locals.”

“Who’re you gonna ask?”

“Just wait. They’ll come to us.”

I walked to the open central plaza and sat on the fountain’s edge.

A chubby male student wandered between alleys, looking around.

Spotting me at the fountain across the street, his expression hardened.

Then he waddled toward me.

Huff, huff.

He panted heavily.

“Found you! Hey, you! What’d you do with my wallet!”

“What did you do with mine?”

“I didn’t steal it! Someone else must’ve. Just give me my wallet!”

It was the pickpocket from earlier who’d lost his wallet to me. As the agitated pickpocket lunged for my collar, Apple hurriedly stepped in front.

“Hey, let’s talk this out…”

“Get out of the way! I need to talk to her!”

I flashed a calm smile.

I was a bit nervous, but showing fear in a place like this would make me an easy target.

He was just a pickpocket.

Not bold or skilled enough to openly fight and rob, a sort of pacifist.

Clink!

The pickpocket pulled a pocketknife from his tattered uniform jacket and aimed it at me.

“You’d better tell me where my wallet is! I’m a core user, I can handle ki! You don’t wanna get hurt, do you?”

See? He’s holding a weapon but backing away. Total pacifist.

A faint shimmer flickered near the pocketknife, and Apple, startled, retreated behind me.

It’s fine.

Crude threats work on spineless kids, and my violin case is packed with menacing weapons from my rich father.

‘The case manual said to picture the weapon you want, and it’ll summon it instantly, right?’

Recalling the case’s instructions, I mentally pictured a threatening weapon.

With so many weapons inside, I hoped to get a good one.

Click, whirr!

I didn’t know what weapon it was, but luckily, one came up.

“…”

“…”

“…”

An auto-aiming cannon appeared.

✦ ✦ ✦

Somehow, I got permission for a town tour!

The pickpocket’s name was Chelisky.

A high school sophomore from Midriba town, permanently expelled from Midriba after clashing with Imperial nobles.

“So, from the street with the laundry to the one with the ice cream shop, those are Kelnor gang’s buildings, Lady Sigrin. From the street with the butcher shop you eyed to the magic supply street, that’s all Kiriki gang. The rest is Chichi gang.”

Unlike before, he explained Lemaos’s abandoned buildings and factions with excessive politeness.

“Not rushing into the butcher shop was a brilliant choice, Master. It’s a warehouse for the Kiriki gang, with tons of traps around it.”

I was glad I acted cautiously. I could’ve been seriously hurt.

“Interesting. Which gang are you with, Senior Chelisky?”

“S-Senior…?”

The formal, respectful title sounded awkward.

Usually called Chel-pig, idiot pig, or pig moron, the term felt especially embarrassing.

Being treated as a senior for once made his shoulders puff up.

“I’m with Kelnor. Most dantian core kids end up there. Not to brag, but most organized pickpockets in the academy are from our crew.”

Not exactly something to brag about.

“What’s that building on the hill?”

He’d explained most of Lemaos’s buildings but skipped one. A mansion-like red-brick building stood on the hill.

Several glowing orbs floated in the air around it.

“That’s the Lemaos Library. Sadly, no faction has claimed it.”

“Is it empty then?”

“No way. Luca Drümuel lives there.”

Oh, damn.

So that’s where he was, not joining any town.

“It’s actually the best place to live. We used it before Luca took it.”

“Couldn’t you all gang up and beat him?”

“…Not all of us, for pride’s sake. Tch, yeah.”

He seemed stronger than I expected.

“But I think we can retake the library this time. Our boss trained us hard, beating us to dust.”

Chelisky, explaining eagerly, cleared his throat a few times, his voice hoarse.

He seemed to have shared all he could.

“Alright, tour’s over. Enjoy it? Now tell me where my lowly wallet is. You have it, Master?”

“No. I left it on the ground under the streetlamp by the plaza.”

“Damn! You just tossed it on the street… I mean, I’ll pick it up. Thanks for sharing the location, Master.”

Seeing the bazooka I held, he instinctively used honorifics.

Chelisky bowed his thick waist and quickly left.

✦ ✦ ✦

I failed to secure a building to live in. But that’s okay.

Was I the only student without a gang or a building?

“As expected, there’s a tent village by the park.”

Finding the tent village, I immediately negotiated with a student living there.

“Where can I get a camping tent?”

“You can get one from Chichi gang folks.”

“Get me two of the best ones. I’ll give one to you. Your tent looks pretty worn out.”

Securing a massive barracks tent, I found a drum and lit a fire with firewood inside.

Meanwhile, Apple, finishing the tent setup, frowned at the bugs crawling on the bare ground.

“Ugh… What do we do? Sleep on the floor? We don’t have sleeping bags.”

No choice.

Sighing, Apple began layering newspapers on the ground.

Pop! Pop!

Instead of helping, I kicked away her newspaper tiles. Total thug move.

“My lady…! S-Stop…! I’ll make a separate newspaper pile for you to play with!”

“Huh?”

I opened my violin case and pulled out a huge bed, blankets, and pillows.

I was glad I’d stored the bed my father sent.

“…W-What’s this…?”

“Oh, I’m frail, so I can’t sleep on the floor. Good thing I brought a bed.”

“…”

It was like I’d anticipated this and packed a bed.

Someone used to threats and hardships could stay calm in situations like this.

Apple couldn’t help but let out an exclamation of awe.

✦ ✦ ✦

“Apple, why are you sleeping there? You were laying out newspapers so eagerly… Do you like the floor that much?”

“Yeah! Sleeping on hard ground is good for training!”

“…Is it?”

Too shy to ask to share the bed, Apple answered brightly.

The space between the bed and the floor was wide, so she spread newspapers and crawled underneath.

I learned a lot watching Sigrin today.

‘She’s more reliable than I thought…’

Without her, I’d have been robbed clean and crushed by building traps by now.

She looked like a noble lady but had a rugged side. Was it because she was mafia?

‘She’s super strong too. Lifting that heavy cannon like it was nothing. I thought she was a mage type.’

Unaware that all my weapons had lightweight magic, Apple kept exclaiming in awe.

It was a day of realizing I’d be safe as long as I stayed on Sigrin’s good side.

Come to think of it, mafia were fiercely loyal and affectionate to their family.

“Lady Sigrin.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve made up my mind for sure.”

Whirrr. Whirrr.

Under my bed, Apple spun her fidget spinner.

Obsessed with swinging a sword day and night, she’d never made a friend.

Her timid nature kept her from approaching cliquey kids.

She’d vowed to make friends in high school…

It didn’t matter if it wasn’t a friend, as long as she wasn’t lonely.

“I’ll keep being your lackey forever.”

Not a great path, she knew. In the distant future, she might be guiltlessly killing people and dealing illegal drugs under this mafia’s orders.

Her future self would surely regret this choice, but right now, she needed this devil.

“What? L-Lackey??”