"...So?"
"Huh?"
"I’m just curious—why exactly are you following me like this?"
I stopped walking and turned around.
A golden-haired heroine trailing behind me at a distance. Her name was... Amelia, maybe?
Maybe it was because she was a spear-user, but her long, slender legs stood out.
For some reason, a sense of defeat washed over me.
She seemed taller than I was back when I was a guy...
...No, it wasn’t that I was short—she was just tall!
"I want to be friends."
"...Friends? You and me, Amelia?"
"Y-Yes. Is that not okay?"
Friends. Friends.
It hadn’t been long since I’d enrolled here.
If a classmate I’d never even spoken to came up to me asking to be friends, what would I do?
"Of course!"
"R-Really?!"
What was there to even think about?
I had to accept, obviously!
[The reader has made a friend...! And not just any friend—a heroine candidate! Unbelievable.]
The author’s voice rang out, brimming with shock and admiration.
Be even more amazed!
This was a historic day—the day I made my first friend!
Ha, not that I was some friendless loser back in my old world, of course.
But here at the Academy, I’d been worried I might end up with no friends at all. And now, a heroine candidate herself had—
Personally!—come to me!
Asking to be friends. I was overjoyed.
"Yes, of course. I never turn away those who come to me."
"Then... can I speak more casually with you?"
"Of course. Ah, but I prefer this, so don’t worry about it."
"Uh, o-okay. Got it."
Beaming.
Grinning from ear to ear.
I bet those were the only words that could describe my face right now.
"Arte, have you thought about which club you want to join?"
"A club? You mean a school club?"
"Y-Yes. Since we’re... friends. I was just curious."
...Hmm. But Amelia’s movements seemed a little stiff.
Was she nervous? Why?
Wait... could it be...?
"Amelia, you don’t need to be so nervous."
"Eek?!"
"First conversations with a new friend are always a little nerve-wracking."
Right. Talking to a friend for the first time was always awkward.
But over time, that tension would fade away before you even realized it.
So I should help Amelia relax.
Now, where was it...
I’d read online that taking deep breaths could help with nerves.
"Alright, take a deep breath in..."
"Hah, hahhhh..."
"And out."
"Huuuuuu..."
...Was she about to hyperventilate?
She wasn’t relaxing at all!
As expected, the internet was full of garbage.
It had seemed like a good idea, but it was completely useless.
"Well, this isn’t working. You’re too tense, so let’s talk another time."
Had Amelia never made a friend before?
She did have a bit of a noble lady vibe...
I’d have to ask the author about it later.
"W-Wait, the club... which one are you..."
"Haha, you’re more stubborn than I thought."
Just as I was about to leave Amelia on the park bench and walk away, her words stopped me in my tracks.
Even in her nervous state, she was asking about my club choice.
Amelia really did want to get closer to me!
But what do I do.
I don’t have any club activities in mind…
There’s nothing I can do. I’ll just have to tell the truth here.
"It depends on which club Yu Siwoo joins."
"W-what?! Wait! Let me—"
"Then, make sure you’re not late for class!"
She was just nervous because she was with me. She’ll feel better soon.
Once I judged that enough distance had been put between us, I asked the Author something I was curious about.
"Author-nim."
[Yes?]
"Did Amelia not have any friends?"
[I don’t know. She hasn’t been observed yet.]
"…Huh?"
What is this supposed to mean?
If you don’t know, then who does…?
As I stood there dumbfounded by the absurd answer, the Author suddenly seemed to realize something and asked me a question.
[Ah, by any chance, do you think I created all the characters myself?]
"…No?"
[Not at all.]
I was getting more and more confused.
Up until now, based on the Author’s behavior, I had assumed they created all the characters themselves…
…But that’s not the case?
[Hmm, how do I explain this… Ah! Schrödinger’s… what was it? You know that one?]
"Schrödinger’s cat?"
[Yes, that one.]
The example the Author brought up to explain was a story everyone had probably heard at least once.
Schrödinger’s cat.
A thought experiment where a cat inside a box is in a superposition of being both dead and alive until someone opens the box and observes its state.
But why was that coming up now?
[Well, I’ll skip the details since you already know the gist… The most important part of that experiment is the observer.]
"The observer…"
[Without an observer, you can’t determine the state of the cat inside the box. The cat remains in a superposition forever.]
"How does that relate to you not knowing Amelia’s past?"
[I’m not as perfect as you think. If I were, I wouldn’t have sent you down here—I could’ve just written the novel from Yu Siwoo’s perspective.]
"…Ah."
Right. That was true.
The Author’s novel was told from Yu Siwoo’s perspective.
But the Author couldn’t even read Yu Siwoo’s mind, let alone predict his actions, which was why they’d ordered me to stalk him.
If they were an omnipotent god, they wouldn’t have needed to do that.
[Amelia’s past hasn’t been observed yet.]
"So… her past is just empty?"
[Exactly. I just fill in the blank box however I want.]
That’s total bullshit.
I was so flabbergasted I couldn’t even speak.
[Though I can’t change something once it’s been observed. That’s why I’m not all-powerful.]
"Ah, so the reason you won’t change my ability is…"
[Hehe, you figured it out… I already set it in stone.]
You should’ve just said from the start that you couldn’t change it.
So it wasn’t that you *wouldn’t* change it for me—it was that you *couldn’t*?
[Amelia’s past still hasn’t been observed. That’s why I don’t know it.]
"…Once something’s set, it can never be changed?"
[That’s right. I can tweak minor things, but the major plot points are… a bit tricky.]
Alright, I think I get it.
The author wasn’t a god of creation, but they possessed an ability so overpowered it might as well have been divine.
[Creating something from nothing is easy, but making something that exists disappear is hard. Think of it that way, and it’ll be easier to understand.]
"But then, who is the observer?"
[Naturally, that would be you, the reader. I told you, didn’t I? It’s hard unless you look at it from your perspective.]
"I… didn’t know that…?"
[Of course you didn’t. I never told you.]
Crazy bitch, how am I supposed to handle such a critical role with no warning?!
…I swallowed the words before they could escape my mouth.
[Then should we set Amelia’s backstory as being bullied?]
"No, she had plenty of acquaintances, but no one she truly considered a close friend. Let’s go with the setting that she hopes to make a real friend someday…"
[Got it~ I’ll make it so~]
Ah, wait a second.
Without realizing it, I’d blurted out my own desire to become Amelia’s close friend.
Sorry, Amelia…!
[Good, reader. Seems like you’ve got the gist, so let’s move on to clubs. …What kind of club would you like?]
The author’s question jolted me back to my senses.
Right, the author had said once something was set, it was hard to change.
All I had to do was become her true friend.
And for that, I needed to pick a club first.
"How about an exploration club?"
[Exploration?]
"Yes. Since the plot needs to involve finding a secret room… That seems like the most natural fit."
[Hmm, not bad. So, the Exploration Club?]
"It’d also make it easier to get permission to go outside. Doesn’t that sound good?"
[I like it!]
…But then, a sudden doubt struck me.
I understood the author’s ability now.
But that only made me more curious.
"Author-nim."
[Yes?]
"What happens if there’s a setting error?"
Right, setting errors.
No human was perfect—errors were inevitable.
Surely it wouldn’t be something insane, like the world ending if a setting error occurred…?
[Hmm. Probably nothing good. But don’t worry about it.]
"You mean you can finish the novel without any setting errors?"
[No? I said it was hard to twist existing settings, not impossible.]
"Ah."
[It’s… really, *really* hard, but… I can force it if I have to.]
I see.
For a second, I’d imagined the Earth getting destroyed in some terrifying scenario, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
Still, I’d kind of hoped the answer would be a simple “no.”
Setting errors shouldn’t even exist in the first place…
[And that’s why you’re here, reader. If an error does happen, you’ll have to fix it for me.]
"…Y-yes, I know that."
Three things I learned from my conversation with the author:
First, my ability—which could turn me into a slut at the slightest misstep—was unchangeable. It was already set in stone. Damn it.
Second, because of me, Amelia ended up with shallow, wide social circles but no true friends to confide in.
Third, if the author shits the bed, I’m the one who has to clean it up.
The first and third points left a bad taste in my mouth.