The Extra is a Hero?-Chapter 87: BLACKMAIL (4)

Chapter 86: Blackmail (4)

The pink-haired girl looked out of place among the crowd, her expression as blank as ever. But her words were clear.

"I’m joining the Cooking Club." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

...Silence.

Even Leon stopped chewing.

"...What?" I asked flatly.

Nora didn’t blink. "Cooking is calming."

That was it. That was her explanation.

I stared at her, waiting for more. None came.

Chris arched a brow. "That’s new."

"Calming..." Leon repeated, scratching his head. "Didn’t you break three training dummies last week because they ’looked at you wrong’?"

"They did," Nora said simply.

"...Right."

Maria clapped her hands together like Christmas had come early. "That’s great, Nora! We can join together!"

I massaged my temples. This was spiraling. "Hold on. You’re really joining the Cooking Club?"

"Yes."

"...To cook?"

"Yes."

"...Sweet things?"

She nodded. "Cakes. Pies. Tarts. Candy."

Chris actually chuckled, low and warm. "She does have a sweet tooth."

The image of Nora , a girl who could decapitate someone with a spoon calmly frosting a cake nearly broke my brain.

Maria beamed at me. "See? Even Nora wants to join. You won’t let me be left alone, right?"

Her eyes shimmered with that dangerous blend of hope and challenge.

I could feel Aurelia’s smirk drilling into me from the side. Leon leaned in like he was about to place bets. Chris folded his arms, quietly amused but watchful.

I sighed. "...You’re all conspiring against me."

"No," Maria said, her voice soft but firm. "I just want to share this with you."

...Damn it.

We ended up sitting at one of the Cooking Club’s demo tables, plates of sample food in front of us.

Leon was on his fourth skewer, mumbling something about "meat being the foundation of life."

Aurelia nibbled on a pastry, smirking at me over the rim.

Nora stared at her slice of cake like it was a mortal enemy she planned to conquer with every bite.

Chris sat beside me, posture straight, expression calm—but I could tell he was analyzing every word, every move.

And Maria... Maria leaned forward eagerly, watching me like my answer decided the fate of nations.

"So?" she asked. "Will you join?"

I poked at my curry bread with my fork. "...Maria, you’re asking me to juggle four clubs. Four. Do you know how insane that is?"

She tilted her head. "You’re already insane. One more won’t hurt."

Leon slammed his hand on the table. "Exactly! Join them all, Michael! Be the man who conquers every field!"

"Conquer your face," I muttered.

Chris finally spoke. "Michael, you don’t have to decide right now. But..." His gaze flicked to Maria, then back to me. "If you keep stalling, you’ll regret it."

I glared at him. "Why are you always on her side?"

"I’m not." His tone was calm, even. "I’m on the side that prevents you from being stupid."

Ouch.

Maria leaned closer, her voice softer now, almost vulnerable. "I just... thought it’d be nice. Doing something together outside of fighting, I mean."

My chest tightened.

This wasn’t about clubs anymore. This was about... us.

Damn it.

I ran a hand through my hair. "...Fine. I’ll sign up. But ghost member only. I’m not chopping onions every Tuesday."

Maria’s face lit up like the sun. "Really?!"

"...Really."

She clapped her hands together, her smile so bright it almost hurt to look at.

Aurelia’s smirk turned into a knowing grin. Leon whooped like we’d just won a war. Chris gave the faintest nod of approval.

Nora... took another bite of cake without saying a word.

And me?

I stared at my curry bread, feeling like I’d just signed away a piece of my soul.

After that we exist the cooking club, I take turn them I hear Leon Calling me.

Michael!" Leon’s booming voice echoed across the square like a war horn. He stood proudly in front of a wooden board where he’d scribbled in big, bold letters:

"Join the Hunting Club – Where Men Become Legends!"

He slapped the board with a dramatic flourish, sending a puff of chalk into the air. "Think about it! Real beasts! Real battles! None of this ’slicing onions’ nonsense. The Cooking Club makes you fat. Hunting makes you strong!"

Gasps and chuckles rippled through the crowd. Students actually stopped to watch.

Maria stomped her foot, cheeks puffed in outrage. "H-Hey! Don’t insult the Cooking Club! Good food is essential for hunters too, you know! Who’s going to give you energy for your so-called ’legendary battles’? Certainly not raw monster meat!"

The crowd "oooh’d" at her comeback.

Leon grinned like he’d been waiting for this. "Exactly why you should join my club, Maria. Imagine it—your food feeding hunters after glorious victories. Together, we’d be unstoppable!"

Maria’s face turned red. "S-stop trying to steal me for your silly club! Michael’s already agreed to Cooking!"

"Ghost member," I muttered. Nobody heard me.

The argument was snowballing, drawing a circle of students closer. Some whispered excitedly. Others started cheering like it was a match.

And then, as if fate wanted me to suffer more, Ryen’s lazy voice cut in.

"Pfft. Both of you are thinking too small." He leaned against a stall, arms crossed, wearing that smug grin of his. "Michael doesn’t need Cooking or Hunting. He needs Gaming. Come on, man, think about it: stress relief, tournaments, esports glory. You’ll dominate the VR ladder just like the dungeon. Gaming Club is the future."

Half the crowd burst into laughter. The other half actually nodded like he had a point.

My eye twitched. What future?

Maria’s glare snapped toward him. "Gaming? That’s not even productive!"

"Says the girl baking cookies while the rest of us are sharpening blades."

Maria puffed her cheeks. "Cooking takes skill! Timing! Precision! It’s practically combat training!"

Leon’s laughter boomed over both of them. "In that case, why not bake cookies in the forest while the monsters are charging? We’ll see how far that gets you!"

The crowd erupted into cheers and teasing whistles.

And me? I wanted to dig a hole and vanish.

Because this—this chaotic circus—wasn’t supposed to happen.

Not in the story I remembered.

In the original flow, I wasn’t supposed to be the centerpiece of club recruitment season. Rank 1 in the VR Dungeon test had painted a giant glowing bullseye on my back. Clubs wanted my name on their roster like it was a golden ticket.

And now, because Leon, Maria, and Chris couldn’t keep their mouths shut, every other booth had noticed.

"Hey, Rank 1!" someone shouted from across the courtyard. "Swordsmanship Club wants you! We’ll polish your blade every day!"

Another voice cut in: "Forget that! The Travel Club will give you free passes for off-campus expeditions!"

"Alchemy Club is offering unlimited potions if you join!"

"Drama Club needs strong men for stage combat!"

"Animal Care Club wants you too! We’ll let you pet the griffons!"

The crowd surged closer, hands reaching, flyers waving, voices shouting over each other.

"Michael! Michael! Join us!"

I was suffocating in paper. Pamphlets slapped against my face like desperate butterflies.

Inside, panic clawed at me. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t part of the script. Why is everything diverging again?

I could feel sweat prickling at my neck. My carefully memorized timeline was already useless. One deviation had snowballed into dozens, and now I was the center of a hurricane I had no way to escape.

This is bad. If I get dragged into too many side commitments, I’ll lose track of the bigger picture. Of the real threats coming.

My pulse quickened. The voices grew louder. The circle tightened.

And in the middle of it all, Maria, Leon, and Chris were still yelling at each other.

This wasn’t recruitment.

This was a battlefield.

To earn more members for there club.

"ENOUGH!"

My voice cracked like a whip, sharper than I intended.

The courtyard fell silent.

Dozens of students froze, flyers mid-wave, voices caught in their throats. Maria’s mouth snapped shut. Leon blinked. Aurelia raised an eyebrow. Even Chris who is quiet and unreadable as always finally shifted his gaze toward me.

I raised my hand slowly, forcing my voice into steadiness.

"I’ll make this clear. I’m not joining every single club you people throw at me. I don’t have the time or energy to waste."

The words cut through the silence, hard and heavy.

Some students shuffled uncomfortably. Others whispered. But nobody dared interrupt.

"My path," I continued, "is combat and exploration. That’s it. Swordsmanship. Hunting. Travel. Those are the clubs that fit my growth. Everything else is Cooking, Gaming, whatever is a distraction."

I clenched my fists under the table, nails digging into my palms.

It hurt to say it.

Because when I glanced at Maria, I saw her flinch. Just a tiny motion, but enough to stab at my chest. Her hands tightened in her lap, her smile faltering.

...She looked hurt.

For a heartbeat, guilt crushed me.

Damn it.

Before I could backtrack, a soft laugh drifted past my ear.

Aurelia, sitting beside Maria, leaned closer and whispered just loud enough for us to hear.

"Don’t worry, Maria. He already eats your cooking, isn’t that enough?"

Maria’s face flared red instantly.

"I-it’s not like that!" she stammered, hiding her face behind her hands. But her shoulders trembled is not with sadness this time, but something else.

(To be Continue)