Chapter 2322 – 2322. Savior Of The Academy
“That’s the culprit.”
The target of my finger was the head of the special tool crafting club. He was flustered, then immediately burst out,
“What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?! I’m the victim here! And you, aren’t you a first-year?! Don’t you have any respect for your seniors?!”
“Don’t raise your voice too much, it just makes you look more flustered because you’ve been hit right on the mark.”
“Is this guy crazy?! Head of the Disciplinary Committee! You don’t believe this nonsense, do you?!”
Nam Gung Hwa-yeon also had a troubled expression. Honestly, if Nam Gung Hwa-yeon wasn’t there, I would have beaten that guy to a pulp. I was holding back my temper because Nam Gung Hwa-yeon was watching.
『Nam Gung Hwa-yeon’s Favorability: 25』
Regardless of my consideration, the favorability was plummeting.
“Sung Yu-jin. Even so, isn’t that too impulsive? It might be a joke to you… but to the person involved, it could feel like an insult.”
“Senior. Don’t you believe me?”
“Your claim has no basis. It’s just difficult to suddenly declare someone a culprit. Besides, you don’t even know what this incident is about. The person you’ve pointed out as the culprit is a victim. He lost a special tool that was being made in the club. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I heard it’s something that cost more than half of this year’s club budget.”
Ah, right. This wasn’t a game. I couldn’t just skip the middle part and get the culprit right.
“I know.”
“Hmm?”
“Senior. The premise itself is wrong. This guy isn’t a victim, he’s the culprit who staged the whole thing.”
“What…?”
Detective Sung Yu-jin’s deduction couldn’t be wrong. That’s because I already knew all the information about the incident.
Nam Gung Hwa-yeon, a playable character in the original story, gets caught up in all sorts of incidents within the academy due to her position as the head of the Disciplinary Committee. It’s to the point where side quests come to her even if she just stays still. Most of the rewards are trash, so it doesn’t matter if you ignore them, but the saying ‘many a little makes a mickle’ isn’t for nothing, and it’s good for collecting karma.
“D-don’t be ridiculous! What are you babbling about?!”
The ignorant fool, who had no idea about my circumstances, shouted as if having a fit. I clicked my tongue and said,
“There’s a frog doll you threw away in the south fountain of the academy. It’s a weather manipulation magic tool that makes it rain and snow in a tiny space. Shall we go check it out together now?”
“……!!”
His eyes widened as if they were about to tear. He couldn’t refute my words and took a step back. It was the reaction of a culprit.
Nam Gung Hwa-yeon and the victim next to her were also surprised and looked back and forth between me and him.
“N-no way. Why would I throw away the Froggy Three?! Stop making baseless accusations!”
“Because the Froggy Three was broken by your mistake. It’s not only something that cost more than half of your club’s budget, but also something you’ve been working on for over half a year. You staged this whole thing because you were afraid of the criticism from your club members. When you checked the CCTV to confirm the crime, there was someone who was perfect to frame as the culprit. If you put forward a fake culprit, you would be off the suspect list. And then you were going to retrieve the Froggy Three later and completely get rid of it.”
Thud!
The culprit fell to his knees on the floor. He sighed with a face that looked 10 years older.
“…The moment the club members found out that I broke the Froggy Three, I would have been kicked out of my position as the head. I wasn’t in my right mind. When I came to my senses, I was already reporting it to the head of the Disciplinary Committee. Sob. I didn’t mean for this to happen….”
I wasn’t interested in the culprit’s useless excuses. I looked at Nam Gung Hwa-yeon and said firmly,
“Senior. This is a scammer who tried to make an innocent person a criminal. Please give him a suitable punishment. I think about 15 years in prison would be enough.”
“Does the head of the Disciplinary Committee have that kind of authority…? And this incident has become too big. Not only is it wrong to frame an innocent student as a thief… but throwing away the club’s property is also a crime. This has become too big. It’s a problem for the teachers to solve, not me. There will probably be a disciplinary committee formed and a punishment will be given.”
“No detention?”
“No. It’s not a case that’s been reported to the police. If he’s lucky, it’ll be a suspension. If not, it’ll be expulsion. Head of the special tool crafting club. I’ll assign a Disciplinary Committee member, so don’t even think about running away. If you apologize to the club members and write a letter of reflection, you might get leniency. Of course, you have to apologize to the victim first.”
The guy knelt down and apologized to the victim.
“I-I’m sorry. I couldn’t see anything at the time…. I really didn’t mean to frame you as the culprit. I expected the case to be investigated moderately and then closed since there was no evidence. I’ll compensate you, so please forgive me….”
“Ha. You’ve always had a habit of suddenly getting worked up over strange things. I can’t just forgive you, so buy me a meal.”
“Sob, Jae-joon! Thank you!”
What is this ridiculous farce? It was like this in the original story, but it was even more ridiculous seeing it in real life. Especially that culprit’s eyes, weren’t they too affectionate?
‘I kind of want to swing the Gay Slayer once.’
A Disciplinary Committee member brought the Froggy Three that had been thrown into the south fountain. With the evidence secured, my deduction was perfect. I proved that my mom wasn’t a whore. And I protected my mom’s honor as a bonus.
『Nam Gung Hwa-yeon’s Favorability: 34』
Nam Gung Hwa-yeon’s favorability also increased significantly.
After they left with the Disciplinary Committee members, only she and I remained in the Disciplinary Committee office.
“I was surprised. How did you know he staged it?”
“Ah…. I heard some things about the special tool crafting club while passing by.”
“I see. Thanks to you, the incident was resolved… and I have a little free time now. Shall we go spar?”
“Did you prepare a change of clothes?”
“…Of course. I prepared it just in case… but I won’t be flustered this time.”
She couldn’t keep her word. It was fortunate that her face was less red than before.
It didn’t seem like Nam Gung Hwa-yeon would be able to overcome her fear.
• • •
Recently, after school, I went to the Disciplinary Committee and helped Nam Gung Hwa-yeon. I also solved the unsolved cases that had piled up in the Disciplinary Committee.
At first, it was to spend time with Nam Gung Hwa-yeon, but the rewards for solving cases were surprisingly sweet.
“It’s a case of embezzlement that happened a year ago. The instructor who was about to retire at the time took a big chunk of money and left. He’s probably living it up in Okinawa, Japan. Since he’s not an ordinary person, I’ll report it to both the Hero Association and the police.”
“Oh, wow. That’s amazing. I never thought you’d solve it just by looking at the case report.”
Nam Gung Hwa-yeon was constantly amazed next to me. The other Disciplinary Committee members also looked at me with awe.
『Karma: Goodness increases by 1.』
The moment Nam Gung Hwa-yeon finished writing the report, my karma increased. It wasn’t usually like this. Karma didn’t increase for just any case.
‘It’s increasing because it’s an original playable quest. The rewards for side quests are originally karma.’
My reputation within the academy increased. And as a bonus, so did Nam Gung Hwa-yeon’s favorability.
『Nam Gung Hwa-yeon’s Favorability: 51』
It was worth the effort of going to the Disciplinary Committee for a few days. I finally exceeded 50 favorability. A favorability of 50 or more is the stage where you feel romantic feelings.
‘It’s not like we can start dating right away. It’s not just about favorability, but also the situation you’re in. And 51 is too ambiguous. Favorability can go down at any time.’
Still, the way Nam Gung Hwa-yeon looked at me was warm.
“Yu-jin. There’s a missing person case that was received a month ago. Can you help?”
“A missing person case? Isn’t that too big for the Disciplinary Committee to handle?”
“It’s a case of missing stray cats.”
“Ah. I’ll solve it for you this time as well, for my mom’s honor. That orange cat is hiding behind the magic and old school building. Because of her kittens.”
“A-as expected of Detective Sung Yu-jin! You find the answer right away, sitting down, for a case that no one else could solve.”
“It’s nothing. It was just information I happened to know.”
Honestly, Nam Gung Hwa-yeon seemed too incompetent. She was the top student in her grade with good grades, but there were many cases she hadn’t solved. Thanks to that, I was able to get plenty of karma, which was good….
‘Well, the game and reality are different. In the game, when you receive a quest, the system gives you hints and naturally leads you.’
There are also some side quests that are frustrating because there are no hints. At that time, you can solve them with the saved walkthrough.
“I’m glad the cat is safe. I’ll have to go check it out at the magic and old school building. She’ll like it if I bring cat tuna cans, right?”
『Nam Gung Hwa-yeon’s Favorability: 52』
Nam Gung Hwa-yeon’s favorability increased. I was lucky.
• • •
In a dark and gloomy place with a decadent atmosphere, there were three men and one woman. Dressed in expensive suits and wearing luxury watches, they sat on plush sofas, tilting their glasses filled with alcohol.
They were freelance villains. From theft to contract killing, they did anything for money.
“I’ve located the whereabouts of the Ghost Spirit Ring Blade.”
“The item that the Ghost Music Valley in China is offering $100 million for. The fact that they called us means… they’re planning to share the money.”
“The money will be divided equally, 25% each.”
“That’s generous? It must not be an easy job?”
“The current owner of the Ghost Spirit Ring Blade is a student at the academy. Her name is Nam Gung Hwa-yeon. She’s the top student in the second grade. Her family is the granddaughter of the A-class hero, Ogre Slayer.”
Silence fell in the room.
