The Headmaster immediately mistook John’s silence for dissatisfaction.

He assumed John wanted the power and prestige of an academy-wide club immediately, perhaps out of the typical impatience of a talented youth. However, the Headmaster remained firm.

In his mind, even if these students were performing a grand service as Nikolas suggested, a few setbacks and bureaucratic hurdles would only serve to ground them.

He believed a bit of struggle might be beneficial to keep their egos in check before they were thrust onto a bigger stage.

In reality, John was thinking about something entirely different. He had initially thought that establishing even a local club within the Military Department would take them months of lobbying and proof-of-strength. He had estimated it would take at least a year or two to expand that influence across the entire academy.

Hearing the Headmaster’s promise meant he could shortcut their timeline by an immense margin. It was a strategic windfall. But it also meant he needed to take the upcoming competition far more seriously than he had originally intended.

It was no longer just a chance to scout gems; it was now the primary gateway to their base of operations. He needed to huddle with his friends and adjust their long-term plans to fit this new, accelerated chance.

"It’s good," John finally said, his voice level. "Let’s start with a club in the department first."

He turned to look at his friends, and Ricky, catching the signal, cleared his throat to step into the negotiation.

"I heard that any officially recognised club is assigned either a piece of land to build on or an existing building," Ricky said. "Can we opt for a piece of land instead of a pre-built facility?"

"You want to build it yourselves?" The Headmaster was genuinely surprised. "You do realise that the cost of construction and materials won’t fall on the department or the academy. You will be expected to shoulder the entire financial burden." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"We’ll manage," Ricky said with a calm, confident smile.

Between Ricky’s personal resources and Cissel’s considerable wealth, not to mention their connections to secret supporters, money was the least of their concerns.

They could fund a small force if they needed to. "And I heard we can buy more land from the department or the academy to expand the size of our club base, right?"

"You realise this will cost you a fortune? A real fortune?" The Headmaster leaned forward, trying to gauge if the boy was simply bragging.

Ricky’s expression didn’t flicker. Instead, his smile grew just a fraction wider. "We just need the permission and the allocated price for the piece of land we require."

"And since we aspire to expand our club to the entire academy later on," Cissel joined in, "it would be better to have this land located outside the walls of the Military Department.

That way, our future members from the different departments can join us freely without needing special security clearances to enter our department every time. It avoids the need to relocate the entire base later."

The more the Headmaster listened, the more certain he became. The way these students spoke, completing each other’s sentences, addressing logistics, and planning for a broader future, was undeniable evidence of a sophisticated, unified plan. His curiosity burned, but he maintained his composure.

"I’ll see what I can do regarding the land allocation," the Headmaster said after a pause. "But to establish an official club, you’ll need a supervising teacher. I believe Nikolas will do fine. He already seems to have a... Particular interest in your group."

John and the others nodded. Having Nikolas as their official supervisor was the perfect cover. It would give their mentor a legal excuse to visit their club base frequently and interact with them without raising any suspicions.

"We’ve talked about everything but one, little detail," the Headmaster finally said, standing up to signal the end of the meeting. "What will be the name of this club?"

"It’s the RBM club," Luke said, speaking up for the first time in the meeting. He glanced at Elena, who had been the one to come up with the branding. "It stands for the Red and Black Masks club."

"Don’t tell me you’re going to make all your members wear those masks," the Headmaster laughed. He couldn’t tell if the kids in front of him were pulling a prank or being serious.

Yet, when they didn’t join in the laughter and only offered small, enigmatic smiles, he realised they were dead serious.

"Fine. If that’s your wish. I will handle the initial paperwork today. Tomorrow, you will receive the details on the land location, the cost, and the official charter for your RBM Club."

The meeting was concluded. Once they exited the building, the group began to disperse with preset missions for everyone.

Luke headed straight for the infirmary to check on Ben’s recovery and begin the initial stages of recruitment. Elena went back toward the department, returning to the place where she’d acquired the masks to see how to secure more of them.

Ricky announced that he would handle finance. He needed to contact his private network using his secret communication methods to ensure the funds were ready for the land purchase.

That left Cissel and John standing alone in the quiet courtyard.

"Are we going to have some rest, or..." Cissel began, her voice trailing off. She wanted to remind him of the date he had promised her before all this madness started, but the words felt heavy in her throat. She could see the look in his eyes, the sharp, focused glint he got when he was in work mode.

Her hunch was right. John wasn’t thinking about dinner or rest.

"Let’s take a tour around the department," John decided, his gaze sweeping across the campus. "Let’s anchor our spot as the Backup Team in the minds of the other students. It’s better to be seen now while the shock is still fresh."

He was lying, of course. While projecting their presence was a secondary benefit, his primary goal was to use the crowded campus to his advantage. He wanted to scan as many students as possible using his Frame Recognition.

He needed to filter out the ones whose special codes were already heavily influenced by outside factions and focus his attention on the talented individuals with few or no special codes who could join their club.

Cissel could only heave a small, silent sigh. She adjusted her posture and followed him, wondering if he would ever be the one to make the first move and invite her out. For now, she would be his shadow.