So, after Catherine introduced the club members,
The first boy was named Ethan. He was the son of a farmer. His body was strong—not like a professional fighter, but stronger than most people his age. His skin was tan from working under the sun.
As for the other three members:
The second was a girl named Emma Miller. She was just a normal teenager living a normal life—until yesterday, when she received an email saying she had been invited to study at the best school in the country, with a scholarship covering all her expenses. She didn't believe it at first, but now, standing in this huge mansion, she realized this was no ordinary scholarship.
The third was another boy who looked even smaller than the girl. He avoided eye contact and looked around shyly. His name was Lucas Carter. Like Emma, he had been an ordinary teenager until yesterday, when he received the strange invitation. He hadn't expected it to be real, but just by looking around the mansion, he could imagine how powerful the person behind all of this must be. His throat went dry at the thought.
The fourth and final boy was the youngest. A junior in high school, this was his first year, and he never expected to be accepted into the best high school in the country. He was certain there was more to it than he understood, which was why he came today. As expected, it seemed there was something happening behind the scenes, and he waited patiently to find out what it was.
All of them were called by the head maid.
When they arrived, the first thing they saw was a stunningly beautiful girl with white hair and dark eyes. Standing slightly behind her was a tall, handsome boy who looked strong.
From Ethan's perspective, the boy felt different. He looked truly powerful. Ethan had spent his whole life on a farm, dealing with strong and sometimes dangerous animals—and the boy gave him the same kind of fear, like facing something that could take his life.
The other three only felt nervous. They stood in place, staring at the floor.
Of course, the boy and girl Ethan noticed were Catherine and Alex, who were now standing in front of the four members, evaluating them.
After a moment, Catherine stepped forward and said,
"Welcome. I expect your full attention."
"You are now part of the Martial Arts Club."
"I am Catherine, your president—and from this moment, my word is final within this club."
"You have been chosen to join this club. You don't need to question why. What matters is this: this is a prestigious club, and everything you need will be provided. As long as you remain members, you will live here without cost. and study at the most prestigious school in the country for free."
"But being a member is not without responsibility. You will follow a strict daily schedule and obey my orders as president. Fail to do so, and you will be removed—without exception."
"And of course, we won't force anyone to join. The decision is yours."
(Of course, she was lying. If they refused, she would find a way to make them join.)
"But don't forget—this is a prestigious club, and the school itself is prestigious. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
The four members hesitated. Ethan was the first to speak.
"I accept."
Emma followed him. "I also accept."
In the end, all of them agreed.
Catherine called the maid, who brought a contract. Each member signed it.
Alex had been watching everything, confused.
"So these members are new… ? And why does it feel like she chose them randomly?"
But he didn't dwell on it. In the end, his job was to train them to become strong. That was all that mattered. What he needed to focus on now was improving his strength and awakening as quickly as possible.
After everyone signed the contract, Catherine introduced Alex.
"This is Alex. He is your senior and will be responsible for your training. You should treat him the same way you treat me. If I'm not around, he will be in charge of the club."
Only then did Lucas speak.
"Sorry, but can I ask something? You said this is a martial arts club—so we'll be training in martial arts. What if we don't have talent for it? Can a member be expelled if they don't meet certain requirements?"
Catherine replied,
"The only requirement is to work hard and follow the rules. If you do that, you will not be expelled."
Lucas hesitated, then tried again.
"But… for example, I don't have any talent in fighting. What if I don't improve even after all the training?"
He stopped when he saw Catherine looking at him seriously.
"As I said, I don't like repeating myself. If you follow the rules and work hard, you have nothing to fear. You will remain a member and benefit from all these advantages."
"For today, you may leave and rest. The maids will show you your rooms."
After a moment, all the members and maids left, leaving only Catherine and Alex behind.
Alex spoke first.
"I didn't know you could act like that."
She looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
"You were acting like a general."
She smiled. "I'm a princess, after all. I was trained from childhood to hold authority."
(Of course, she was lying. Training helped, but the real reason was her experience during the apocalypse—something she didn't mention.)
She looked at him, thinking.
Then she said, blushing slightly, "Since training doesn't start until tomorrow… do you want to do something?"
Inside, she was screaming.
"Of course," he replied. He himself was happy to go out with beautiful girl like Catherine "I'll go get ready. We can go to the same café as yesterday."
After he left, Catherine remained standing there.
"Did I just ask him out on a date?"
Even though Catherine had a lot of experience as an awakener during the apocalypse, she had no experience with love.
At first, she saw Alex as the strongest human in the apocalypse—someone she admired and wanted to become like. He always helped people and protected humanity. You could even say that because of him, humanity was able to survive.
She could never forget how many times he had saved her. To him, saving people was normal. He had saved millions. He didn't even save her directly—once he saved her group, and another time he saved the entire city she was in.
But for her, it was never something ordinary.
Perhaps that was why she had never been interested in romance—because her heart had already been taken by the strongest human, Alex.
Back then, that feeling was unrealistic. There was an enormous gap between them.
But now, after the regression, she thought those feelings had disappeared with her new beginning.
Yet… they hadn't.
Especially after seeing Alex again—he hadn't changed much. He was still kind, still helped others, and never held grudges. The same Alex who made humanity stronger.
At some point, she stopped seeing the "hero" and only saw Alex—the boy she liked.
She smiled, her face red.
"It looks like I'll have to adjust my future plans… to include marrying Alex."
Then she got dressed and headed outside, excited for her date with him.