Chapter 56: The Tabletop Gaming Club
After leaving the Occult Research Club, Ronan headed to the Judo Club.
The club president was someone Ronan had known for years. Upon hearing that Ronan intended to cut their budget, he immediately put on a pleading expression—"Come on, we go way back! Can't you spare us? Our club expenses are huge!"
Then Ronan made a counteroffer: "How about a match? If you win, I'll increase your funding."
The Judo Club president, demonstrating great integrity, responded with—"Can you at least cut a little less?"
In the end, the Judo Club's budget was reduced by 5%.
Initially, Ronan had followed Shirogane's directive: "The economy is bad, donations are down—cut costs wherever possible." However, after slashing budgets left and right, he realized there might actually be a significant surplus in the end.
Next, Ronan visited the Soccer Club and Baseball Club, two of Shuchiin's most romantically active clubs. By all logic, he should have stripped them of every last yen. However, since any extra funds wouldn't end up in his own pocket anyway, he decided to leave their budgets untouched.
As for the Rugby Club…
Ronan arrived at their clubroom and pulled out his ledger, facing several hulking athletes.
"Alright, let's hear it. Why hasn't Shuchiin's Rugby Club made it to the national tournament in years? Who's been slacking off?"
"Uh… Ronan, you seriously don't know?"
"Know what?"
The rugby players exchanged awkward glances before the club president finally spoke up.
"For the past few years, we've been getting eliminated in the national qualifiers."
"By who?"
"A school in Tokyo—Jindai High School from Chofu City."
"Jindai High?"
Ronan fell into thought.
He had heard of that school before. Aunt Kaname and Uncle Sagara were both alumni… and if he remembered correctly, his own father had also attended.
"I mean, come on. Shuchiin Academy is a prestigious school with a century of history. Don't you guys have any pride? You've been getting crushed by the same high school for years?"
"You don't get it… That school's rugby team is inhuman!"
The Rugby Club captain—a towering man—had a trace of fear in his eyes.
"During the last Tokyo qualifiers, we faced them. Those guys… their eyes were filled with nothing but bloodlust. On the field, every single one of them played like their lives depended on it. And when they tackled, they went all out, like wild beasts… After that match, a few of our members quit the club because they just couldn't handle it."
"That bad?"
Ronan paused for a moment, processing what he just heard. Then, without hesitation, he wrote down the Rugby Club's budget in his ledger.
"Look, results speak for themselves. You guys haven't accomplished anything in years. Even the other clubs, at the very least, have made it to nationals recently. Meanwhile, you've been dragging us down. Cutting your budget by 10%—no complaints, right?"
"…None."
"Good. Then train harder. Once you make it to nationals, I'll bump up your funding."
…
After stepping out of the Rugby Club, Ronan glanced at the figures on his ledger.
Most of the clubs had already received their budget allocations. Now, only a few scattered ones remained.
The only remaining sports club was the Kyudo Club, while the cultural clubs still left for evaluation included the Journalism Club, the Drama Club, and the one Ronan was heading to next…
The Tabletop Gaming Club.
This particular club was notorious. Rumor had it that neither the president nor its members were normal, and they constantly skirted the edge of school regulations. Among the students, it was infamously known as the "Den of Demons."
Standing at the clubroom door, Ronan hesitated for a moment before finally knocking.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Coming~!"
A lively voice rang out from inside. When the door swung open, Ronan was met with a familiar sight—long pink hair and a signature black ribbon.
"Ah~ It's Ronan!"
"Fujiwara… I had a feeling you'd be here."
Facing the ever-cheerful Chika Fujiwara, Ronan had a sudden and overwhelming urge to turn around and leave.
"So, what brings you to the Tabletop Gaming Club, Ronan?"
"The student council president sent me. This quarter's budget has been finalized, and as the treasurer, it's my job to assess each club before allocating and adjusting funds."
"Oh! Then come right in~!"
Without hesitation, Chika grabbed Ronan's hand and pulled him into the clubroom.
As he stepped inside, he took a quick look around. Several tables were pushed together, covered with board games that were clearly mid-play. The trash bin overflowed with empty snack wrappers.
"Hmm? Who's here?"
A girl sitting near the front of the room glanced up and asked.
She had shoulder-length hair and, like Ronan, was a first-year student.
Kozue Makihara, known as Maki-senpai, was a permanent club president—a legendary title in itself. Despite being a first-year, she already held the honorific senpai, which spoke volumes about her reputation.
"Yo, Kozue Makihara."
"Oh~ It's Ronan." She grinned. "Are you here to join our club, perhaps?"
"No, I'm already a member of the Astronomy Club."
Ronan casually pulled up a chair and took out his ledger.
"I'm just here to assess the Tabletop Gaming Club and allocate this quarter's budget."
"Ah, I see."
Kozue nodded before subtly exchanging glances with Chika Fujiwara, who stood behind Ronan.
"Got it~"
Chika playfully saluted before skipping away. A moment later, she bounced back in front of Ronan, holding a can of cola in her hands.
"Ronan, have some cola!"
"…Thanks."
Expressionless, Ronan cracked open the can and took a sip.
"Fujiwara, you're not trying to bribe me with this, are you?"
"How could I~?"
Chika whistled innocently, though no actual sound came out.
Ronan swept his gaze across the Tabletop Gaming Club. Including Chika and Kozue Makihara, there were four people in total—all girls.
"I took a quick look around your clubroom. You have a lot of board games, including quite a few newly released ones."
"Yup! Those cost a lot of money…"
"But even with all those games, the total expense doesn't even account for half of your budget." Ronan's voice suddenly sharpened. "Your club already receives twice the funding of an average cultural club."
"Well… there's a reason for that…" Kozue's eyes darted aside.
"I checked your trash bin. It's stuffed with empty snack wrappers. And when Fujiwara grabbed that cola, I saw a drawer filled with even more snacks." Ronan furrowed his brows. "In other words, most of your budget goes into buying snacks instead of board games."
"We had no choice!"
Chika yelled from the side.
"You need snacks when playing board games! They're essential!"
"Okay, fine. Let's say they're essential. Has your club achieved anything notable lately? Have you won any unofficial competitions? Promoted board games as a cultural activity? Enhanced Shuchiin's reputation in any way?"
"Gosh, Ronan, you're so obsessed with results," Chika pouted.
"Of course I am. The budget isn't just free money for you to hang out—it's meant to support legitimate club activities. If you can't account for your spending, you don't deserve the funding."
Ronan was honestly surprised the Tabletop Gaming Club hadn't been shut down yet. He suspected part of the reason was Chika's position as Student Council Secretary, while the other part had to do with Kozue Makihara, a first-year with an unusual amount of influence.
Kozue folded her arms. "So, how much funding do we get this time?"
"Considering your club size, the number of games you actually need, and potential costs for organizing school events… let me think." Ronan tapped his pen against his ledger. "I'll be cutting 50% from last quarter's budget."
"EH?!?!"
Everyone in the room gawked at him in utter disbelief.
"Don't give me that look. Right now, I'm a merciless budget-cutting machine," Ronan said flatly. "If you have any objections, you can submit a detailed activity plan and bring it to the Student Council office—"
SLAM!
Before Ronan could finish, Kozue slammed her hands on the table.
"If that's how it is, Ronan… why don't we settle this with a match?"
"Oh?"
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