Chapter 176
“We can substitute here. Now, who’s going to solve the next problem? It’s our number──”
──Chirp.
“Since he’s busy, why don’t you come out and finish this one?”
“Eh?”
“Untie it.”
[Trait: 【Human Totem】 is activated]
I just sat there with my arms crossed, but the instructors were avoiding me.
“Pass! Pass here, it’s empty!”
“Yay, yay, yay! There’s Eugene Han over there, he’s defending!”
“Ah! Turn it around! Turn the ball around!”
“Mr. Nice!”
Even the balls and people were dodging me in gym class.
“Boss, if you hadn’t blocked there, I would’ve been in trouble.”
Seriously. The feeling of being an important defender for the team when I was doing nothing was definitely a feeling that no one else had ever experienced.
“What the hell is this, and why are people doing this?”
It wasn’t just today, the human totem proved to be quite useful in a number of situations.
There was the incident at the Budokan not too long ago, and the fact that simply going for a nighttime stroll increased my influence within the organization.
Main Story (Gangs of Corleone)]
[You are the heir to Corleone and a Hitman. You have defeated countless enemies of the organization and have begun to write your own narrative. And what is the end of it? Death to your enemies and glory for your family]
[Achievement Conditions: Increased Influence within the Family]
[Target Influence: 2761 / 3000]
[*Achievement rewards may vary depending on the outcome]
I was able to increase my influence in one of the main stories, Gangs of Corleone, as a result, and it was definitely one of the best uses of the talent.
So I thought I’d do a little bit of research on this, and I did an experiment with Jin-woo.
“What do you think the boss is doing right now?”
“Uh, nothing. He’s just sitting there.”
“What do you mean, he’s sitting and thinking about the future of the club?”
I could tell there was a problem.
No matter what I did, people thought I was doing something.
Now that the odds are stacked in my favor, it’s going to be a little harder to bluff and catch them off guard.
“No, no, no, Mr. Lee, you need to take a break, here’s some coffee and take your time!”
Cielo Nocturno, a cafe where I took a break from my club activities.
I sighed at the reality that even here, my break was seen as work and picked up my coffee.
“Huh?”
I turn to find a vaguely familiar-looking woman sitting on the terrace.
She’s rummaging through her cup with a straw as if she has nothing on her mind.
It was Julie Rodman, the vice president of the student council at the Seoul Hero Academy, who had recently been working with me.
As if she sensed my gaze, she raised her head and looked over.
Then, as if realizing how helpless she looked earlier, she stood up and made a happy face.
“Hey, junior, what are you doing at this hour, managing the store?”
“……I just came to clear my head a bit, what about you, senior?”
“Oh, I’m just like you.”
She put the coffee she was carrying on the table and casually sat down across from me.
“Still, looking at something cute takes away some of the stress, doesn’t it?”
Leaning over slightly, she spots a hamster cleaning the floor and lifts her forefinger to gently stroke its head.
“I guess that’s definitely true.”
This is where I came out to get some air, after all.
“So what’s so stressful for you, student council vice-president?”
She smiles wryly at my question and shakes her head.
“Well, at least with school stuff I can handle it within my lines, but this is family stuff.”
“Oh.”
When she says family, she’s referring to the Rodmans in her home country of Romania.
Is there something going on with the Rodmans at this time?
To be honest, I wanted to ask what happened, but I couldn’t help but be cautious about asking because it’s not my business, it’s her family’s business.
I don’t think she’d tell me if I asked, because she drew a line in the sand by saying it was family business.
So I tried to give her some encouragement…….
“No. In this day and age, do you still nag your daughter for losing a bragging contest to a friend?”
Huh?
“Dad’s friend’s son did this, he did that, what are you doing, do you have a boyfriend, when are you coming home, it sucks. Really!”
Huh?
“And then they tell me to come home because you have an important appointment this weekend, and when you say you’re not going, they sell the family name, and if you don’t come, don’t even think about getting support from them.”
Ugh-
The ice in her mouth crushed in an instant.
“If you’re from a famous family, you’ll understand, right? The higher ups think that the greater the family, the more the bloodlines must work for the family.”
Agjak-
“I don’t like that too much.”
Her expression was fierce, unlike the first time, but her touch was gentle as she stroked the hamster’s head.
Of course.
-Slap……!
The hamster looked terrified.
“So you’re going home this weekend, then?”
“Yeah. I guess?”
“Well, that’s great, then, because you can bring that with you this time.”
“What? That?”
She asks, scratching her head as if she doesn’t know what I’m talking about.
Did she really forget this?
“The elixir you were supposed to give me. Did you really forget?”
She flinches as if she just remembered.
“Did I……?”
“You said you’d give it to me in a month, but do you even realize how much time has passed?”
Actually, I had forgotten because there are so many elixirs coming in these days.
There are several elixirs that I can’t eat because I haven’t met the conditions for consumption yet, and several that I can’t use because the time hasn’t come, so who has time to remember every little thing?
But while I’m at it, I’ll put as much pressure on myself as possible.
“You’re going to Europe to visit your family. I hope you have a good time, have a chat with your patriarch, and then take my elixirs and see you again safely, senior.”
“For some reason, it seems like you only put in the effort at the end?”
“Isn’t that a misunderstanding?”
I’ll only receive the elixir if you’re safe.
“Hah…… Don’t worry. Like you said, I’ll definitely bring the elixir when I return home this time.”
She leaned back in her chair and tilted her head as if she had given up.
“Ahhh, that’s so annoying.”
“……”
She was clearly trying to get me to listen.
* * *
On the evening of the Night of the Walpurgis.
” Brush.”
“Yes.”
“And a spray here to set it.”
“Okay.”
“I think the handkerchief is too much. Get me something a little simpler and more refined.”
Now I was surrounded by several maids and being groomed.
“Shave that back hair with a knife.”
“I’ll have to get your hair done, master.”
“Master certainly has good skin. There’s no need to cover it with concealer.”
“Ah, there. That’s just right. Fix it there.”
“Yeah.”
I wonder if this is how Hollywood actors felt when they were getting their makeup done in those old documentaries.
Closing my eyes, surrounded by a group of people, and being made up felt more like anxiety and humiliation than superiority.
And yet, I couldn’t help but wonder why…….
“I think your lips could use a little more color, maybe not a tint, but some lip gloss.”
This was because Alessia, as their representative, was taking the lead on my makeup.
“Mmm. That’s good, Master. Lips together, mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm. Can you do that?”
I do as she asks, curling my lips inward to allow for a more natural spread.
Is this flavor…… black cherry?
“Yes, it’s perfect. I’m sure anyone would be in awe and admiration.”
Alessia nods, finally satisfied, at the same time, the maids lined up behind her also nodded and gave a thumbs up.
“Perfect. Master!”
“Beautiful. Master!”
“No one there could have been better than you, Master!”
The words that sound like they’re meant to be encouraging……make me blush with embarrassment.
“Okay, stop…….”
“Master, you’re embarrassed!”
“Carrrr. He’s cute.”
“Well, we’re going to leave now.”
“Be careful, master!”
I couldn’t help but giggle as I watched them leave the room.
The atmosphere wasn’t all bad.
“Master, I’m here to serve you.”
As I stared at myself in the mirror, checking for anything out of place, I heard Parnello’s voice at the door.
The clock on the table read 21:00.
“Yes, I’m coming.”
I opened the door and saw Parnello standing outside, dressed a little differently than usual.
He was wearing a suit that felt familiar, unlike his usual suit.
I check the imprint on the button and see a very familiar symbol.
“Maestro’s?”
“Yes. I, too, am a member of Corleone, and if I’m going to make a statement with my attire, I should wear my best.”
He smiled as he spoke, and I smiled back and nodded.
“I suppose that’s true. And father?”
“He’s outside, waiting for the witches.”
“We should go there, too.”
“Yes. Master.”
I followed Parnello out into the garden and saw the back of my father, who had already gone out first and was looking at the sky.
“Don, I’ve come to see you.”
Parnello walks over to my father and greets him.
I followed his lead and bowed softly to my father.
“I’m here. Father.”
“Yes.”
At the sound of my voice, he slowly turns to face me.
“The maids must have given you a good workout today.”
With a toothy grin and a pat on my shoulder, father turns and points to the sky.
“There. Do you see it?”
“What?”
I lift my hand and follow his finger to the sky.
The ash-colored clouds floating in the night sky, with a brightly colored red moon shining through them as if to assert itself, was an uncanny phenomenon.
“The red moon on the night of the Walpurgis, it’s going to be an interesting night.”
A black spot begins to form in the center of the red glowing moon.
A dot? No, it was something other than a dot.
A dot is not the best way to describe something that grows larger and larger with each passing moment, giggling and humming its way toward you.
“Parnello.”
“Yes, Don.”
“Prepare to greet the witches.”
Tonight Corleone moves.
