After class ended, Kim Seo-a, who had been sitting blankly, turned around and looked at me with sparkling eyes.
"Shin of Seoul Hero Academy...!"
"...What?"
"Zhuge Liang of the Familia...!"
"Uh?"
Why is she suddenly acting like this?
"Zhuge Yujin...!"
"Stop it."
"...Yes."
She must have been bored.
I feel sorry for her.
Just then, I took out a medicinal herb for physical recovery, 'Britton White Deer Antler,' which I had brought to give to the kids, and handed it to Seo-a.
"Drink this when you get home."
"Eh? This, this! Isn't this? Moose antler! I heard it's incredibly expensive? How can I accept something like this?!"
Seo-a, startled by the antler in my hand, waved her hands in refusal.
"We have plenty at home, so just take it. Anyway, the same medicinal herb doesn't have much effect if you take too much of it."
"...Ah, if that's the case."
Our family is literally overflowing with such things.
Moreover, since we received so much at the last club leaders' celebration, it's better to share the things I don't need or find less effective with the kids.
Their growth will be a great help to our Familia.
"Hehe, I'll take good care of it."
Seo-a, looking very pleased, hugged the antler as if it were a precious baby.
Of course, you should be grateful... Space mages are very rare, and I'll have to take you under my wing for a long time.
At that moment, a message appeared in front of me through my [Smart Lens].
[Sender: Lee Haru]
"Huh?"
What's up with Lee Haru?
I checked the content of the message with that thought.
[Haru: There's a problem with the International Trade Club's activities.]
[Haru: I want to request a favor from 'Familia.' Is it okay after lunch today?]
"Ah."
Really perfect timing.
"Kim Seo-a."
"Yes?"
"We're having club activities today."
"Really?! Yay!"
After sending a reply to come to the club room during today's club activity time, I fell into thought for a moment.
Why would another force suddenly target the 'International Trade Club' like this?
Restraining them? No, if they really wanted to restrain us, they would have supported the investment club from behind long ago to block Haru.
This means that the 'International Trade Club' has only recently been targeted.
In other words, since our 'Familia' and the 'International Trade Club' formed an alliance, there is a force trying to interfere with it.
"It's because of us."
Hearing my mutter, Haru nodded.
"Indeed, that's the case."
"There's no other way to see it. The timing of interfering with the 'International Trade Club,' which has been doing well, coincides with our alliance, which is practically a declaration of restraint against us."
Actually, it was done with my allowance, but from the outside, it would look like 'Familia's' club room, which had nothing, suddenly became luxurious by receiving goods from the 'International Trade Club.' They would think that the 'International Trade Club' holds the economic power of 'Familia.'
Perhaps they even see us as a subordinate club...
In that case, we can just hide behind and attack the force that is targeting the 'International Trade Club' now.
"We'll move on our side too."
"...Right now? It will take considerable time to identify the culprit and find evidence."
Well, if it were an ordinary club or an academy student, that might be the case.
"Did you forget who I am? First, can you tell me where the blocked trading partners are?"
I smiled and asked, and Haru tilted her head in confusion.
"Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, and Nanjing."
"...Just wait a moment."
I immediately took out my phone and called Parnele.
[Yes, young master.]
"Parnele. The Triad that tried to illegally enter recently. Do I still have authority over them?"
[Yes, now that you've become a leader, it seems that the Chinese side will be entirely under your responsibility.]
"Thanks."
As soon as the conversation about the Triad and Parnele, illegal entry, and negotiation rights came up, Haru's expression began to show a bit of bewilderment.
"Young master, this seems to be on a completely different scale from what I imagined..."
"This is nothing to worry about."
Next, I called the Triad's contact person.
[Hello?]
"I'm Jin Han, a leader of Calliope. I'm calling because I have something to say."
As soon as I revealed my identity in Korean, murmurs came from the other end of the line, and soon a familiar Korean voice was heard.
[Ah, yes. Jin of Calliope. What brings you to call?]
"Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, Nanjing. There are merchants in these places who are refusing to trade with a company called 'International Trade Club.' Find out who paid them to do so within two days. Is that possible?"
And a brief silence.
[If it's those regions, it's possible today. I'll contact you as soon as I take action.]
"Good. If you handle it cleanly, I'll make sure you don't regret it. Contact me as soon as you're done."
[Yes, Mr. Jin. Thank you for the opportunity.]
After hanging up, I looked at Haru again.
"It will be resolved soon. Why don't you wait here and have some tea?"
Saying that, I poured the tea Seo-a had given me earlier into Haru's cup.
"...I had forgotten that you recently became a leader. I didn't even think it could be resolved with just one phone call."
"It was just good luck. I happened to have a connection with the people who are currently dominating China. By the way, how's the Gold Club upgrade going?"
Hearing my question, Haru sipped the tea and replied.
"It's practically just waiting for the review. The only thing that was holding us back was the recent inability to complete requests, but with your intervention, it shouldn't be a problem."
"That's good."
While we were chatting about other recent matters,
âââŦ âââŦ âââŦ
Suddenly, short alarms started ringing from Haru's inner pocket several times.
She glanced at me.
"You can check it freely."
"Thank you."
Haru took out her phone and checked the content, then smiled.
"The Chinese trading partners. They are sincerely apologizing for the recent incidents and have offered to waive fees for two months as a gesture."
It's already over.
And just then, I received a call too.
I answered with a pleased smile.
[Young master, it's resolved.]
"I just confirmed. Did you find out who was interfering with the trades?"
[We are still investigating, but they keep repeating that another 'Academy club' paid them a lot of money to do it. It will be resolved quickly if you give us a bit more time.]
"...You've worked hard. I'll provide an information fee when you bring additional information, so let me know as soon as you're done."
[Yes. If you need any further instructions, please contact me anytime.]
"Sure, I'll reward you appropriately then."
[Thank you.]
Indeed, the force that interfered with Haru's club this time was another club within the Academy.
In other words, a force targeting not just Haru but me as well has emerged.
It seemed necessary to find out their identity.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
After finishing the call and turning to her, I saw a slightly gloomy face.
"I feel guilty, thinking that you might have spent a lot of money because of this incident. I don't know how to apologize..."
That's a serious and thoughtful reaction from her, typical of someone involved in such transactions.
But.
"An apology? That's not necessary. Since this happened because of my involvement, it's my responsibility too."
"But..."
"Stop it."
Well, it's true that a considerable amount of money was spent to resolve this issue.
But it's just a small part of the money I earned from missions.
Moreover...
"Don't worry about it. After all, it's their money."
"Excuse me?"
"They made a mistake this time, so I received a substantial compensation. I just took a bit of it, so there's no need to feel guilty."
"How much money...?"
"Enough to survive even after showing your teeth to Calliope."