After that, I didn’t see Yu Siwoo for a while.
The doctor, who had been performing emergency treatment with astonishing focus as if she didn’t care at all about what we were saying, was the reason.
The emergency bell she pressed summoned the medical staff waiting in the ward in an instant, and before I knew it, Yu Siwoo and I were separated.
To be honest, I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t stay with him longer…
But when they told me I had to rest immediately or I’d be bedridden for life, I meekly gave in.
It was obvious they were trying to keep us apart, but…
Yu Siwoo wouldn’t have missed that either. He said it was a calculated move.
Since it was for his sake, I didn’t bother resisting.
With the Author gone and Yu Siwoo absent now…
At first, I’d worried I might go stir-crazy from boredom.
…Should I call it lucky, or should I say I just ended up buried under a mountain of tasks?
Contrary to my expectations, I was so busy I didn’t have time to be bored.
“…Sorry.”
“It’s fine. We’ll figure it out step by step.”
Dorothy encouraged me as if it were no big deal.
Was she being considerate, or did she genuinely think it was okay?
I sighed and looked down at the paper that had just been graded.
A downpour of red ink covered it.
“But this… Hmm, it’s a little more shocking than I expected. I’ll need to adjust my plans.”
“…”
Dorothy’s voice wavered, as if she were at a loss.
But I couldn’t say a word. I just crouched there.
Even I thought it was a bit much.
“How have you even been living until now?”
Dorothy took the paper from my hand and waved it around. I instinctively reached for it.
What if someone saw this test?
But she nimbly dodged my hand and kept shaking the paper.
As if to say, *This is your reality.*
A wave of shame crashed over me, and I covered my face with my hands.
…I had to make some excuse. So I muttered weakly,
“B-but… The Author handled most things for me… He told me what I needed to know when I needed it…”
Yeah.
I was learning the common sense of this world, one piece at a time.
It had been just over a year since I’d fallen into this world.
Long, if you thought about it. Short, if you didn’t.
Honestly, so much had happened in the past year that time felt like it had flown by.
…Yeah. That had to be it.
“Ugh… That *Author* guy is…”
“…”
Dorothy had heard all about the Author and my story, but she took it surprisingly in stride.
Was it because I hadn’t experienced it myself, or had I just glossed over it without understanding?
I wasn’t sure.
But one thing was certain: Dorosi was far more interested in me now that the Author could no longer influence anything.
"If I go out into society like this… tsk."
I wasn’t an idiot either.
Just as I was about to snap at her—annoyed that I was in a position to be worried about like this—
I saw the bright red paper in her hand, the one with rain pouring down on it, and shut my mouth.
…Dorosi had been horrified to learn that I hadn’t even been in this world for a full year yet.
That was how this had started.
Common sense lessons.
"How did you even sit through Academy classes without knowing something this basic?"
"I slept through them."
"…"
Maybe it was because of her squinty eyes, but I could never tell if she was actually asleep or not.
"Huuu…"
Dorosi sighed as if the future looked bleak, and a wave of injustice washed over me.
This wasn’t fair.
I mean, it’s not like I came from a world where magic existed.
I’d been yanked into a world where mana—something I’d only ever imagined—actually existed, and people used it to wield supernatural powers.
Even if I could use it, there was no way I’d have ever heard of the theory behind it.
If elementary school kids learned it, then fine, but I didn’t know it. That was just how it was.
…But to Dorosi, that probably sounded absurd.
From her perspective, it was like hearing that a peer couldn’t even recite the multiplication table.
"Didn’t you ever answer correctly when the teacher asked?"
"…The Author told me."
"…"
Maybe she realized these questions were pointless.
Dorosi changed the subject.
"…Well, fine. Let’s say you didn’t know."
"Yeah."
"But not knowing *this* is a little much, don’t you think?!"
The new paper she pulled out was also drenched in bright red rain.
…After reading it, I instinctively turned my head away.
Even I had to admit, that one was a bit much.
"How do you *not* know about the menstrual cycle?!"
Dorosi’s voice rose, brimming with frustration.
Worried someone might overhear this embarrassing topic, I frantically looked around and tried to cover her mouth, but I couldn’t stop her.
"Th-that…"
The reason I didn’t know was simple.
I’d never had one.
Honestly, it had never even crossed my mind.
Before coming to this world, there’d been no need to think about it, and after arriving, I’d been too busy with one explosion of chaos after another to give it a second thought.
…Then again, since the Author had made this body, I wasn’t entirely sure *why* I didn’t have a period either.
Dorothy was so shocked that I didn’t know my own menstrual cycle that she dragged me to a doctor, but all we heard was that there was nothing wrong with me.
Eventually, she seemed to realize that telling me these things was pointless, and she let out a sigh.
"Haa… You don’t even know the most basic makeup techniques…"
"W-Why would I need that? I’m already pretty enough as I am."
"No?! You’ve got *plenty* of problems!"
Dorothy grabbed me and shouted, her reaction so intense that I froze in surprise. Then, before I could process it, she pinched my cheek and stretched it.
"Ueh, wh-what are you—"
"You *are* pretty enough as you are… but you’d be even prettier with makeup."
"I don’t need that stuff…"
"Yu Siwoo would like it, though."
"…"
*Twitch.*
Did I really need to learn something like makeup?
I was still pondering that when—
The moment Yu Siwoo’s name came up, my body reacted before I could stop it.
"You don’t have to do it all the time. But if you *occasionally* put in the effort, men go wild for it."
"…Really?"
"Arte’s already pretty without it, so you probably think it’s unnecessary. And honestly? You’re right."
Dorothy finally let go of my cheek as she said that.
"But when someone who *never* does it suddenly tries… it has a different effect."
I *think* I understood what she meant…
But honestly, I had no idea.
I’d never been in a relationship before. I had no way of knowing if Dorothy was telling the truth or not.
Makeup… makeup…
"Would Yu Siwoo *really* like it?"
"Of course. You’re already gorgeous, Arte. If you put in even a little effort, *anyone* would fall for you."
"…I don’t need that."
"Huh?"
My firm refusal made Dorothy’s voice fill with confusion.
"…As long as Yu Siwoo likes me, that’s enough. I don’t care how anyone else sees me."
"…"
Even *I* was embarrassed by how bold that sounded. My face burned instantly.
As long as Yu Siwoo likes me, that’s enough.
It had been an impulsive thing to say, but I didn’t regret it.
Because it wasn’t wrong.
"…Was today the day Arte was supposed to be discharged?"
"Hm? …Y-Yes, that’s right."
Why was she suddenly bringing up my discharge?
We’d been talking about it for days, so she shouldn’t have forgotten.
Dorothy rummaged through a bag that looked unusually heavy today before pulling something out.
"…Makeup?"
"Yes, makeup."
She’d been talking, then suddenly pulled out makeup out of nowhere.
If it had been Amelia, I wouldn’t have been surprised, but Dorothy’s sudden impulsive behavior left me momentarily stunned.
Then she made her proposal.
"So… are you interested in learning how to do it?"
"...Yeah."
If this had been me right after I first fell into this world, I would’ve furiously refused.
I probably would’ve thrown a fit about why I’d need makeup.
But I nodded.
After all, the me from back then and the me now were so different that we might as well have been different people.
"Then how about I do it for you once today? Just to see how it feels?"
After hesitating for a moment at Dorothy’s suggestion, I eventually nodded.
To be honest, I was a little curious.
It wasn’t like I needed to dress up to look good, but...
If Dorothy was this insistent, maybe there was something special about it.
That’s what I thought.
And a little while later—
After Dorothy had spent what felt like forever staring at my face and slathering things on it,
just as my patience was about to run out, she thrust a mirror in front of me.
"There, all done."
"...Wow."
Looking in the mirror, I finally understood why Dorothy had been so insistent about the makeup.
Hmm, I know this sounds like I’m bragging, but...
I really did look beautiful.
"Pretty, right?"
"Yeah. Really pretty..."
It was amazing.
She just smeared a bunch of stuff on my face, and now I looked completely different.
I was glad I’d let her do my makeup.
Maybe Yu Siwoo would like this look too.
"...Hmm, hmm."
"Ah, sorry."
Had I been staring at the mirror for too long?
Dorothy gave me a look. Did she want the mirror back?
Flustered, I quickly handed it over, but she waved her hands as if that wasn’t what she meant.
"Ah, no, that’s not it..."
"Huh?"
"I worked so hard on the makeup, it’d be a shame to wash it off right away... How about you keep it like this for the rest of the day?"
Keep it like this for the day?
...After a moment of thought, I nodded.
Well, Dorothy had put in a lot of effort.
For me, it was just something I’d gotten tired of, but for her, it was probably like a work of art.
"Okay."
"Then... it’s been a while. Why don’t you go handle the paperwork first? I need to clean this up."
"Got it. Hurry up."
As Arte changed clothes and left the hospital room, Dorothy wiped away her cold sweat and let out a sigh.
"Haa... She didn’t notice, right...?"
Dorothy quickly sent a text to Amelia.
"Arte’s on her way up now... Good."
Hopefully, all that effort to dress Arte up would pay off.
Dorothy hurriedly packed up the makeup, then rushed out the door, eager to see Yu Siwoo’s shocked face.
Today was a big day, after all.
She couldn’t miss the event of a lifetime.