A New Discovery

We returned to the club room.

We figured out that the design of the door hidden behind the wall was the same as the one on the island, but we still didn’t know how to open it.

,Okay, let’s organize our thoughts. Anything is fine, so let’s each say one thing.”

As I dragged the portable whiteboard and looked at the club members sitting at their desks, I felt a strange feeling, like I had become a professor.

,Isn’t there a reason why the doors have the same design!!!”

Aria raised her hand enthusiastically and gave her opinion.

,Well, the doors couldn’t have the same design by chance. I’m sure there’s some connection.”

Kane nodded in agreement with Aria’s opinion.

,The same design as the door to the island…. Could there be a door on the island that leads out through that door?”

Lakar cautiously expressed his opinion, but Aria immediately shouted.

,You idiot! How long have we been playing on the island! If there was another door, we would have known by now!”

Seeing Lakar lower his hand with a dejected expression at Aria’s words, I sighed and looked at Aria.

,Aria, I told you to suggest ideas, not to get angry at others. Stand up and shut your mouth for one minute with both hands up. If you talk, I’ll add time.”

Aria, pouting, stood up from her seat and raised both hands high.

,Wouldn’t Principal Nelson-ssi know why the doors are the same…?”

Luna fidgeted with her fingers and said in an uncertain voice.

,Don’t tell me Principal Nelson-ssi has something to do with the secret room?!”

Aria, excited, shouted that and turned her gaze to Luna. Seeing Luna flinch with a frightened expression, I sighed and flicked Aria’s forehead.

,Can’t you even stand it for one minute? Three minutes added. Raise your hands higher.”

After scolding Aria, I organized the opinions the club members had given and wrote them on the whiteboard. Then, I stroked my chin and fell deep in thought.

,Principal Nelson-ssi, huh….”

As Luna said, there was a high possibility that Nelson knew something. Of course, given his playful personality, he probably wouldn’t just tell us the answer….

If Nelson was involved with the secret room, he must have left some hints or foreshadowing….

I tried to recall the conversations I had with Nelson about the club room in my head.

,How you decorate the club room is entirely up to you, as the club president.”

,You haven’t properly grasped the club room yet.”

,The gift isn’t that island, but the memories you’ll build with the club members.”

,Decorating the club room is my role….”

What did he mean by those words? Did he literally mean that he wouldn’t care, so I should clean and decorate it myself?

,Huh? What did you say, club president?”

Lakar asked back, having heard my muttering.

,No, Principal-nim said something about the club room before. He said he had no intention of entering the club room, so decorating the club room was entirely my role.”

,Decorating the club room…?”

Lakar looked around the club room and stroked his chin.

,Does that mean we can freely change the arrangement of the existing furniture?”

,Eh! I’m used to it, so I’m comfortable with it now!”

Aria, having finished her three minutes, lowered her arms and flopped backwards onto the bed, continuing her words.

,But it might be nice to change the wallpaper to a brighter color. It feels a bit old-fashioned~”

Just as I was about to sigh at Aria, who was shamelessly scratching her stomach, Luna’s cautious voice was heard.

,U-um….”

As Luna, who was playing an active role today, opened her mouth, even Aria, who was lying on the bed scratching her stomach, suddenly raised her upper body and looked at Luna with expectant eyes along with the other club members.

,E, eh…?”

Perhaps burdened by the club members’ expectant gazes, Luna was very flustered and pursed her lips, so I gestured for the club members to avert their eyes and asked Luna.

,It’s okay. Tell me.”

Actually, I was also a bit hopeful about what Luna would say. Today, Luna had more opinions and was more active than ever. Since the results were even good, it was best to focus on whatever Luna said for now.

,What if we moved the closet…?”

,Huh? The closet…?”

Startled by Luna’s sudden words, I asked back. Luna, thinking she had said something strange, blushed and answered in a small voice.

,If we’re going to decorate the club room… we have to change the location of the furniture too. So, we have to move the closet too…. So, I was wondering what would happen to the door to the island beyond the closet….”

We, who had been concentrating on Luna’s words, exchanged glances without saying anything.

Could this be it…? It wasn’t certain, but it seemed plausible when Luna said it. No, it seemed like there was a good chance.

,Let’s go.”

At my words, Kane nodded and nudged Lakar’s arm.

,The best way is to check with our bodies. Go, combat unit!”

,Alright, let’s do it.”

Together with Lakar, I slightly lifted the huge closet from both sides and moved it to the side.

,Is this enough?”

,I’ll try. Huh? The door won’t open!!!”

Aria tried to open the closet door, but it wouldn’t open as if it were locked from the inside.

,What, why won’t it open!!!”

Aria tried to open the closet door with a desperate expression, but it didn’t budge.

,Put it back, put it back the way it was!”

At Aria’s urgent cry, I put the closet back where it was with Lakar. As soon as we put the closet back in its original place, Aria opened the closet door.

Aria wore a relieved expression at the closet door, which opened easily as usual, as if nothing had happened.

,Phew, I was surprised, thinking we couldn’t go to the island anymore!”

Aria, who had entered the closet and opened the door to check the palm tree forest, let out a sigh of relief.

,Could it be that the closet has to be here no matter what? The door won’t open unless it’s in the exact spot.”

Kane made a plausible deduction. Just as I was thinking that we shouldn’t move the closet, Luna suddenly said.

,What if we move the closet to the opposite side…?

Luna’s finger, pointing to the opposite side, was trembling slightly, as if she hoped her words weren’t wrong.

I couldn’t just leave Luna alone when she was participating so enthusiastically in club activities.

,Alright, let’s try moving it to the opposite side like Luna said!”

Because of the size of the closet, this time even Aria and Kane stuck to the closet.

As soon as we placed the closet on the opposite side, Aria, with her impatient personality, tried to open the door.

,It won’t open!”

,No, club president, that side isn’t properly attached to the wall yet. Try attaching it by adjusting the angles on both sides.”

At Kane’s words, I slightly lifted the closet and attached it to the wall. A ttalgak- sound was heard.

Aria, as if she wasn’t the only one who heard the sound, swallowed hard and carefully opened the closet door.

,I-it opened…!”

Aria, nervous, licked her dry lips and muttered.

,Is this also a door to the island…?”

,We’ll know if we open it.”

Instead of Aria, who was a bit scared, I entered the closet and opened the door.

When I opened the closet door and came out, it was a snow country.

Covered in pure white snow, the trees and the place without a single footprint looked like a snowy mountain.

Aria, who was watching me from behind, saw the cool breeze and snow coming through the door and shouted loudly.

,S-snow mountain!!!”

Aria, who lived in the north, was happy to see the snow after a long time, and immediately came out of the door and started rolling in the snow.

The club members also made a podeudeuk- sound with curious eyes, leaving footprints on the pure white snowfield, and looked around.

,After the island, it’s a snowy mountain? Seriously, where can I buy this closet?”

I shook my head at Kane’s words.

I thought the important thing wasn’t the closet, but the club room.

,Let’s play later, and check other places too!”

I had to confirm if my thoughts were correct.

When the club members who heard my words were returning beyond the closet, Aria, who was secretly making a snowball by herself, was dragged away by Kane.

,Aang!!! Let’s just have one snowball fight~!!!”

,No time! Do it later!”

Kane forcibly dragged Aria out to the club room.

After confirming that everyone had left, I sighed at Aria, who was stuffing a snowball into Kane’s mouth, and said to Luna.

,It seems like the closet door opens when it’s in the exact location. I’ll move the closet against the wall little by little, so check if you hear a ttalgak- sound.”

Luna, who had difficulty with her hands, couldn’t lift the closet like the other club members. So, she decided to record the location of the closet and the place it connected to beyond the closet.

,Alright, Lakar, lift!”

As we slowly moved the closet, moving sideways like a crab.

Ttalgak-

,Again! It did it again!”

Aria made a fuss when she heard the sound of the closet door opening.

This time, not afraid, Aria opened the closet in one go and shouted as she crossed over the door.

,It’s the same place!!! The place we were trying to open the door!”

,That’s right, it’s the passage in the 5th floor warehouse of the main building.”

I nodded at Lakar’s words.

,It seems like if the closet is here, we can use the secret passage to the academy main building on the 5th floor, instead of the island or the snowy mountain.”

Luna, who was watching from behind, nodded and started writing diligently.

,Alright! Let’s check other places too!!!”

Like Aria, who was excited, we were also a bit excited about the new discovery and diligently moved the closet. After moving Kane’s personal alchemy table that was attached to the wall to the side, we moved the closet.

Ttalgak-

,What is it this time!!!”

As soon as she heard the sound, Aria entered the closet, opened the door, and came out of the closet, gagging.

,Uwek! It’s, it’s a sewer! It smells terrible.”

We hurriedly closed the door at the stench coming through the open door.

,So, is it a total of four places?”

There didn’t seem to be any more places around to move the closet.

,No! This wall is still left!”

Aria ran to the place where the bed was placed and shouted, knocking on the wall.

,Let’s move the bed!”

We, who were inspired by Aria’s passionate enthusiasm that we couldn’t usually see. We pushed the bed while sweating and all together lifted the closet and moved it to the wall.

Ttalgak-

,Here?”

Aria’s voice, which had entered the closet, echoed and was heard.

,It’s a cave!- A cave-ave~”

It was a deep cave so dark that the inside couldn’t be seen.

,Alright, Luna, did you write it down?”

,Yes!”

Luna nodded, smiling prettily, as if she was also enjoying it.

,Alright! Let’s go to the next one!”

Lakar and I lifted the closet again and slowly moved the closet to the end of the wall.

Ttalgak-

,This is the last one!”

Perhaps thinking that the last one would be the secret room, Aria entered the closet with eyes full of anticipation and opened the door.

,Q-quickly come in!!! We found it!!! It’s the secret room!!!”

At Aria’s fuss, the club members entered the closet. I politely let Luna enter the closet first, then followed.

,U-unbelievable…. I’ve never seen anything like this before….”

Listening to Aria’s excited voice, I came out of the door behind the closet.

Floating brooms and small hourglasses filled with sand instead of sand inside a giant hourglass.

A small tree growing in a fish tank-like place with lightning constantly striking it, and a snow globe with contents constantly moving as if it were a small world.

Even a bookshelf filled with countless books and small winged fairies hiding between them, watching me and chattering among themselves…?

Huh…? Fairies?

,W-we found the secret room left by Floyd!!!”

,Awesome! Let’s raid it right away! Let’s take everything!!! We’re going to be rich!!!”

Aria and Kane shouted excitedly.

Just as the two of them were about to touch the objects around them, I checked the surroundings and shouted urgently.

,Stop…!!! This is the principal’s office!!!”

Ignoring my words, Aria’s face, who had picked up a crystal ball on the desk, changed like Munch’s The Scream.