Episode 17: Genre Misunderstanding: An Extra's Survival Story

Episode 17: I’ve Got a Bad Feeling

“A club?”

During a short break after class, Caligo’s face twisted strangely upon hearing about clubs from Abel.

And for good reason—he had just heard a word he never expected from someone he never thought would say it.

“Abel… don’t tell me you are planning to join a club?”

“That’s right.”

“And not just any club, but the gardening club?”

“That’s also correct.”

Not even the slightest hint of hesitation in his answer.

Caligo was visibly shaken.

It wasn’t just any student—it was Abel, a born-and-bred ability user.

And he was joining a club not because someone forced him, not because it was prestigious,

But voluntarily—and of all things, the gardening club, something that didn’t match his image at all.

Caligo couldn’t accept this at face value. There were too many inconsistencies. So he said:

“Abel. If this is your idea of a joke, you’d best stop now.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Then why gardening, of all things? Do you even know what it is?”

“Isn’t it growing flowers, grass, and trees?”

So he did know.

He hadn’t misunderstood or been tricked.

Then why?

Why something so unrelated to him?

“…Well. It’s your life. You’re free to do as you like. Just… try to enjoy yourself.”

“And Caligo-nim? You don’t plan to join any clubs?”

“It’s not mandatory, is it? I don’t see the need to join.”

Even before enrolling, Caligo had already drawn a ton of attention.

To him, all that interest was like a noose tightening around his neck.

Keeping a low profile during the semester was the wise move—and that meant staying away from club activities.

“Which is exactly why the gardening club would be perfect for you.”

“You mean, joining would make it obvious that I want to keep to myself?”

“At the very least, people would understand that Caligo-nim is saying,

‘I want to be left alone, so don’t approach or bother me.’”

“….”

Now that he thought about it, Abel’s words weren’t entirely wrong.

Joining the gardening club meant focusing more on flowers and plants than socializing.

Of course, all clubs involved some interaction between upper and lowerclassmen,

But the very name “gardening club” gave off a quiet, unintrusive image.

And surprisingly… Abel seemed to have some social awareness after all.

Until now, he’d always come across as the classic, no-nonsense type who only cared about power.

“Wait a minute, Abel. Forget about me for a second—why are you joining the gardening club?”

“Seria asked me to join with her.”

“Oh.”

Ah, that explained it.

If Seria asked, of course Abel would say yes.

But Caligo couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Why didn’t she ask him too?

If she had, he would’ve said yes to the gardening club without a second’s hesitation.

“I had been thinking I was focusing too much on physical training lately, So I figured some spiritual growth by caring for flowers and plants wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

Abel added an extra reason, but it went in one ear and out the other for Caligo.

All that mattered now was this:

As soon as class ended, he needed to go sign up for the gardening club.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

The gardening club.

As much as it pained Caligo to admit it (and he felt a little bad for Seria), the club was… not popular at all.

It was unavoidable.

There were so many more exciting, more prestigious clubs out there.

Why would anyone choose gardening?

Even students who genuinely liked flowers and plants rarely joined.

From what Caligo had heard, it was more of a place for awkward nobles to hide out.

The kind of people who didn’t want to do nothing (because it would look bad),

But also didn’t want to stand out (because that also drew unwanted attention).

So they’d quietly slip into the gardening club just to blend in.

Apparently, there were currently five members—just enough to keep the club running,

Since five was the minimum required.

And two of those were fourth-years.

If they didn’t recruit at least three new members this time, the club might be shut down.

“Good thing Abel agreed. With him and Seria, that makes two. They just needed one more.”

Not bad.

This was a golden opportunity—he could spend more time with Seria.

Raising flowers, growing plants—whatever. That didn’t matter.

If he could get closer to her and spend more time with her, Caligo would endure anything.

“…What the hell is going on here?”

And that’s exactly why Caligo couldn’t make sense of the scene in front of him.

He had come to the gardening club’s room to sign up.

The location: a small greenhouse tucked away near the back of the academy gardens.

That glasshouse was the official clubroom.

He had heard Abel and Seria already finished applying.

So as far as Caligo knew, he should be the only freshman visiting the greenhouse today.

“Prince Caligo?”

“A prince of the Empire, huh.”

Then… why?

Why the hell were those two here?

Flam Phoenix and Portus Sparrow—

Freshmen who were possibly more famous than the imperial prince himself.

And in each of their hands was what appeared to be a club application form.

“Flam Phoenix, Portus Sparrow. What are you two doing here?”

“We heard this was the gardening club room, so we came!”

“Yeah, but why?”

“Why not? Obviously, we’re here to join the club.”

“….”

No, seriously—WHY would you pick this club, you damn lunatics?

Now this quiet little corner of the academy would never be peaceful again.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine how much attention this place would draw starting now.

The most baffling part—

Why were two of the most highly anticipated elemental ability users joining this club?

The gardening club wasn’t exactly helpful for improving one’s powers.

Nor was it a place to form useful connections with influential people.

“Hey, you damn water freak. Watch your mouth. You’re talking to a prince of the Empire.”

“And a fellow freshman, just like us. Did you forget that here, we’re all equals?Then again, you’re probably too busy burning and smashing things to remember.”

“…Wanna go another round?”

“You’re seriously thinking of using your powers inside a greenhouse? For me, it’s fine—I’d just be watering the plants.

But what about you? All you’d do is turn the beautiful flowers and grass here into a pile of ash.”

“You bastard…!”

For the first time, Caligo genuinely wanted to wield the authority of an imperial prince.

He wanted to shout, “Return those application forms and find another club!”

He wanted to bark, “If you wanna fight, take it to the training grounds—not here!”

“Flam Phoenix. Portus Sparrow. I wholeheartedly welcome both juniors to the gardening club.”

But it was too late.

The president of the gardening club had already welcomed them with open arms.

From the looks of it, he’d already heard everything.

All that was left was to process the forms.

It was way too late to stop them now.

“Ah. Your Highness—err, I mean, junior. You’re also here to apply for the club?”

“…Yes, senior. It’s come to that.”

“Please hand me your form. Of course, you’re accepted right away, But we still need it on record that you officially applied.”

The club president looked absolutely elated.

And who could blame him? He had just landed three huge names.

The gardening club had always tried to stay quiet,

Gathering members who preferred low-key activities.

But was that its original purpose?

No. It had likely been pushed aside by circumstance, not by choice.

Now, this once-quiet club was about to explode in popularity.

It might even become the most talked-about club this semester.

Oblivious to Caligo’s inner turmoil, the club president hummed happily and walked inside with the paperwork.

Sigh…

A headache was forming.

Caligo couldn’t shake the creeping feeling that he’d made a terrible mistake.

He had joined to keep a low profile.

But now? He was in the same club as the son of Lord Phoenix and the heir of Master Sparrow.

If word of this reached the imperial palace, how would they look at him?

Had the next person not arrived when they did,

Caligo might’ve turned around and walked out.

“Caligo-nim? What brings you here?”

“Oh—Lady Seria.”

The moment he heard her voice, all his negative thoughts melted away.

A smile spread across his stiff lips.

Suddenly, the greenhouse, which had left no impression earlier,

Looked more beautiful than any place he’d ever seen.

“I was thinking of joining the gardening club myself.”

“You, Caligo-nim? But I heard you weren’t interested in clubs…”

“Hahaha. People can change their minds at any moment, can’t they?”

Yes—hearts change between yesterday and today.

And sometimes, they never change—

Like his feelings for her.

Like the way I look at you…

He gazed at Seria with a soft expression,

But then those two butted in.

“Fancy seeing you here again.”

“Hi.”

“Ah…? You two? What are you doing here?”

Seria pointed at Flam and Portus, clearly flustered.

There was obviously some history between them.

Seeing that, Caligo’s wariness toward Flam and Portus only deepened.

“What else? We’re here to join the club.”

“Joining the club…?”

“Why would we be here otherwise? Just to admire the greenhouse?”

“Hey, water boy. Try to speak a little more politely, will you?”

Once again, the tension between the two escalated.

Caligo had nothing to lose, so he just folded his arms and watched.

Honestly, if they caused a scene and got kicked out of the club, that’d be even better.

“Excuse me.”

Once again, it was Seria who stepped between Flam and Portus.

“You two are clubmates now, aren’t you?”

“For now.”

“I guess so.”

“Then you should probably tone it down. If you’re going to make a scene, please do it elsewhere. And don’t trample the grass or damage the flowers, either.”

It was a side of Seria Caligo had never seen before.

And it surprised him—another new facet of her.

Flam and Portus exchanged strange looks as they glanced at Seria,

Suddenly uncertain themselves.

And then—

Wait a second…

Abel, who was just stepping into the greenhouse, paused and started to think deeply.

Something felt off.

Very off.

The current setup didn’t feel like a story about superpowered people.

One girl surrounded by three guys?

That ratio didn’t fit the genre at all.

Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

Or at least balanced?

…No way, right?

A creeping sense of unease.

The kind of existential panic that hits when a long-held belief starts to crack.

Abel stood frozen for a moment, then forcefully shook his head to dispel the thought.

Yeah. It could happen.

Some stories did have guy-heavy casts.

Maybe a mysterious enemy would suddenly appear.

Or maybe another male character would join the club to balance things out…

BOOM!

With a thunderous explosion,

A section of the Academy collapsed in flames.

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