"...I want to die."
I’ve been saying that a lot lately.
It wasn’t like I actually wanted to end my life, and it wasn’t exactly a *good* thing to keep saying out loud... but if I didn’t exaggerate like this, I didn’t think I could keep going.
What the hell did I even do?
The sight before me made my head throb.
"It’s fine. It happens."
"...Please, just don’t look up."
"Ah. Sorry."
Yu Siwoo, who had been looking down, lifted his head to comfort me—only to quickly lower it again at my request.
"...Ugh."
My flushed face showed no signs of cooling down.
I knew that if I made another scene, things would only get worse, so I swallowed my frustration in silence.
After all, this was the result of me yanking down the still-damp blanket, hugging it to myself, and rolling around on the floor.
The floor was slick with moisture, and the once-pristine white blanket, freshly washed, was now caked in dust and filthy again.
And then there was the *main* reason my face was burning.
...My clothes were soaked through.
Just yesterday, I’d been walking around like it was no big deal. But now? I was desperately trying to cover myself with both hands, as if that would hide anything.
Did Yu Siwoo see? ...He must have.
The shame of being seen in such a state only made me feel even more ashamed.
If he so much as lifted his head, he’d get a full view of my wet, see-through crop top.
This is unbearable. My face was still burning, with no sign of calming down.
If someone looked at me right now, my face would probably be as red as a persimmon.
Once I finally managed to compose myself, the silence that followed became unbearable.
It felt like the quiet itself was scolding me.
What could I even say to break this awkward tension?
Just as I was lost in thought, my phone started ringing.
The caller was... Lee Hayul.
I answered immediately.
"Hello?"
- Arte-nim. It’s me. Something urgent came up. Could I meet you for a moment?
"...Yes. Actually, this is perfect timing."
Hayul, your timing was *impeccable*.
I couldn’t help but smile at her perfect sense of timing.
Great. Now I had a way out of this suffocating atmosphere.
"Uh, ahem. Sorry, but something just came up. I need to step out for a—"
"I’m coming too."
"Y-Yes? No, wait—"
"This is about Arachne, right? It’s dangerous. I want to hear about it too."
"No, it’s not—"
How did he even hear that? We were pretty far apart.
But that thought didn’t last long before I realized my mistake.
I didn’t know why, but Yu Siwoo’s senses were sharper than most people’s.
Probably because of his intuition Trait.
In my eagerness to escape the situation, I’d answered the phone without thinking—way too close to him.
I hadn’t considered that he’d be able to hear everything.
And now that he *had* heard... there was no way he’d just sit back and do nothing.
Yu Siwoo... well, this was a little embarrassing to admit, but...
He seemed to care about me. A lot.
...The fact that I’d even thought that made me a little self-conscious.
Either way, this had nothing to do with him, so I should refuse—
[Absolutely not! A secret organization is a secret organization! Our secrets are ours alone, and outsiders must never know...!]
"It's fine. I don't mind."
[Reader-nim?!]
Ah, my mistake.
I ended up doing the opposite without realizing it because of the voice I heard.
...It should be fine. Siwoo likes me this much, after all.
[Reader-nim... Are you upset?]
Why would I be upset?
I’m not the kind of person who gets upset over something so trivial. There was no need to be angry.
Right, even if I heard that he deliberately avoided talking to me and waited for my anger to cool down, I wasn’t the least bit upset.
[Reader-nim, please say something. I was wrong, so...]
So this isn’t anger.
It’s just... because it’s what Siwoo wants.
Since most of it has already been exposed, I figured it wouldn’t matter if a little more got out.
So I just thought it wouldn’t be a problem if Siwoo heard it.
Absolutely, positively not.
It’s definitely not some petty revenge to make you experience the same anxiety I felt when the Author-nim stopped talking to me.
No, it’s not.
"Thanks, Arte. For trusting me."
"...It’s nothing."
See?
I got a thank you from Siwoo, and my trust level went up. How great is that?
As I thought, the Author-nim is just a klutz. I don’t need to listen to what they say.
[W-Wait, Reader-nim...! I’m sorry!]
Lightly ignoring the Author-nim’s words, I entered the room Siwoo had said I could use to change clothes.
I couldn’t meet Haeul like this, after all.
"...Teacher?"
"Hello, Siwoo. May I have a moment—"
"Are you an Arachne too, Teacher?"
"Huh?"
Ah.
Right, Siwoo probably just thought Haeul was a former investigator who came as a teacher. I hadn’t considered that.
Haeul, staring at me, looked undeniably flustered.
She quickly realized that her reaction was answer enough and tried to calm herself, but...
It was already too late.
Realizing this, Haeul let out a sigh.
"...How did you know?"
"I was told an Arachne would be coming."
"...What?"
"I thought it might be necessary."
The Arachne was a secret organization. And the matter we were about to discuss was important.
If I’d called her for something urgent, only to have an outsider present, it would’ve been understandable for her to object.
But I had a feeling she wouldn’t, and my prediction was right.
After a small sigh, she handed me a piece of paper with something written on it.
"...If it’s Arte-nim’s judgment, then it must be fine. Here, this is an official document from the Association. That’s why I came today."
An official document from the Association?
I looked down at the paper she’d given me.
...It was written in surprisingly round, cute handwriting for an official document.
Don’t these usually get printed?
When I asked, I got a straightforward answer.
"I wrote it myself."
"...Ah, I see."
Given her cold demeanor, I’d assumed her handwriting would be stiff and rigid.
But it was actually kind of adorable.
Thinking that, I read through the document.
"...What the hell is this?"
"What is it?"
"You should take a look for yourself."
I had no confidence to explain it, so I handed the official document to Siwoo and told him to read it for himself.
Had the Author done something again?
The contents were bizarre—nothing like the common sense I’d learned since coming here.
“…A villain who can communicate with monsters, and an entire pioneer squad under the Association wiped out?”
Communicating with monsters?
That was impossible. At least, according to everything I’d learned in this world.
“Thanks, Hayul. I need to think for a moment. Could you give me some space?”
“…Understood.”
After Hayul nodded and left,
I immediately spoke into the empty air.
Hayul might not know, but Siwoo already knew most of it.
There was no reason to hide it from him.
“Did the Author do this?”
[Gasp! Finally! Are you not mad anymore?!]
“Forget that. Just answer my question.”
The Author had once shoved in a half-baked setting.
What was it again? If you enroll in the Academy, there should be a test in a dungeon.
With that kind of logic, they’d crammed in a setting where magic had appeared around 500 years ago.
And so, the world had naturally changed.
Humans and monsters couldn’t communicate.
Monsters from dungeons.
They instinctively harbored hostility toward humans. So much so that communication, let alone empathy, was impossible.
That was the common sense here. That was this world’s setting.
And yet…
[No. I didn’t touch anything.]
“…That can’t be.”
[I’m serious… I haven’t even thought about the final exam content yet…]
But the Author denied having meddled.
Stupid Author. They weren’t lying, at least.
So then… had the story progressed in a way even the Author hadn’t anticipated?
[This looks fun! Maybe it’s fine if it becomes part of the story!]
“Haa…”
I accepted the Author’s innocent tone.
They really didn’t know anything.
It seemed the altered world was moving on its own, and something had happened as a result.
Not every event in the world was controlled by the Author, so things like this could happen.
“This… ‘Author’ person made a deal?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“…”
I shook my head at Siwoo, who was looking at me with a serious expression.
This wasn’t the Author’s doing.
The Author had never lied to me, so it was probably the truth.
But the Author often acted on impulse and had a childish side.
If it looked fun, they’d probably try to turn it into the main story.
[It’d be so exciting! A villain who communicates with monsters, a world under threat…!]
See?
I could already tell what kind of story they were going for.
Instead of finals, how about spending a few months on the front lines? That’s the kind of thing they’d suggest.
[The front lines! These days, stuck in a rut, it’s the perfect time for a new challenge! Escape the Academy and throw yourself into the battlefield!]
…Not a single thing deviated from my expectations.
I pressed my forehead, already seeing the hardships ahead.