"...Pregnant?"
Someone muttered.
When I turned my head toward the source of the voice, everyone else turned their heads away as if on cue.
They were all pretending not to have heard...
But there was no way the Chosen Ones hadn’t heard Amelia shouting.
They must have all heard it and were just forcing themselves to act oblivious.
No one in this room was unaware of that fact.
Of course, Yu Siwoo knew it too, so he couldn’t hide his flustered expression.
"Th-That, what do you—?!"
"It’s two lines! Two lines! That means she’s pregnant!"
"N-No, that’s not—!"
"What?"
"Why are you saying that here?!"
Yu Siwoo frantically looked around.
Everyone was pretending not to have heard, turning their heads away...
But they all knew it was only a matter of time.
"If rumors start spreading, what are we supposed to do...?"
"Enough."
Just as Yu Siwoo was about to argue with Amelia—
Ms. Claire intervened.
"T-Teacher..."
"It seems an unfortunate incident has occurred. I’ll take Arte to the hospital for a moment. The rest of you, study on your own until then."
"Y-Yes!"
"...And I hope this doesn’t spread outside. The truth hasn’t been confirmed yet."
"Understood!"
Ms. Claire scanned the students once before letting out a sigh.
She must have known it too.
No matter how much she told them not to spread it, there was no way gossip like this wouldn’t get out.
It was obvious that the moment she left, they wouldn’t study at all—they’d spend the whole time talking about what just happened.
And before long, the entire school would know.
That Arte Isis was pregnant with Yu Siwoo’s child.
"And, Yu Siwoo."
"Y-Yes..."
"You... no, never mind. Just wait here for now."
Ms. Claire’s voice was as stiff as ever.
If you only heard her voice, it might sound like she was reserving judgment until they heard the results from the hospital. But if you saw her face, no one would think that. I was certain of it.
Ms. Claire was staring at Yu Siwoo with the expression of someone who had just witnessed a disaster.
"Sorry... I shouldn’t have said that..."
"Y-You—!"
Amelia’s voice carried an apology, as if she hadn’t expected things to escalate like this.
But like Ms. Claire, Amelia’s face and voice weren’t in sync either.
The corners of her mouth kept twitching, as if she was struggling not to laugh.
"You did that on purpose, didn’t you?!"
"Oh my, what are you talking about... Stop joking. I was just really shocked, that’s all."
No one in this room believed Amelia.
She had definitely shouted it on purpose.
Did she think everyone would be convinced by that act?
Perhaps deciding that the act was no longer necessary, Amelia dropped her forced mask and let a smirk spread across her face.
"...Serves you right for rubbing your relationship in my face."
"Y-You—!"
"I got sick of hearing you two go on and on about your love life over the phone."
"That doesn’t justify this!"
"Well, whatever. It’s true I worked hard to bring you two together..."
Amelia grinned.
Like a villain straight out of a cartoon.
"But you two were overdoing it. Did you ever stop to think about how I felt, listening to you coo at each other every single day?"
"G-Grrrraaaah—!"
"Don’t worry. At least I won’t let you become a trash rapist. It’s just… we loved each other too much, that’s all."
"Now, Arte. First, come with me."
"A-Yes…"
I wanted to tell him not to bully Siwoo.
But in this situation, saying that would only backfire, so I was at a loss—then Teacher Claire led me out of the classroom.
…Hmm, if the author had still been alive, the final boss probably would’ve been Amelia.
That’s how shocking the scene was.
"You’re pregnant."
"T-That’s…"
"It’s not certain yet… but it seems to be a girl."
Teacher Claire clenched her eyes shut.
She must’ve suspected this, but she’d been clinging to a sliver of hope.
Yet even that faint hope had been crushed from her face.
"A girl…"
"It’s not definite. If you come back in a month, I can give you a clear answer."
At the doctor’s words, I instinctively rubbed my stomach.
Siwoo’s and my child was inside me.
It felt so surreal.
I’d never had a period, which was why I’d seduced him like that.
I never imagined I’d actually get pregnant.
It wasn’t that I’d never fantasized about having Siwoo’s child someday.
If anything, since I’d never had a period, I’d been more anxious about whether it was even possible.
…But to get pregnant this quickly?
I was stunned. The reality defied my assumption that not having a period meant I couldn’t conceive.
"Uh, Arte. This might not be my place to say, but…"
"I won’t abort."
I cut off Teacher Claire’s careful attempt to suggest something.
I already knew what she was going to say.
If I thought about the future, maybe I should consider terminating the pregnancy—that’s what she’d advise.
"…But, Arte. You need to think carefully. If that’s the case, we’ll have no choice but to recommend you withdraw."
"…"
"You’ve been attending school long enough to know—carrying a child would make it impossible to keep up."
I understood exactly what Teacher Claire was trying to say.
Just looking at the curriculum so far, anyone could see how difficult it would be for a pregnant student.
Even in first year, we’d already been doing dungeon exploration and sparring for practical experience.
…Though, to be fair, most of those settings were the author’s doing.
If anything, that made second year even harder.
Now that the author was gone, the story would progress logically unless the author intervened.
Naturally, this year’s curriculum was bound to be even more grueling than last year’s.
"And, as you know, the Academy is… sensitive to scandals right now."
"…I know."
"So, you’re still going to keep it?"
Teacher Claire squeezed her eyes shut again.
True to the cliché of an Academy novel’s homeroom teacher, she was rigid and principled.
But beneath that stern exterior, she genuinely cared for her students.
She must’ve hated forcing such a choice on a student who was already in turmoil.
Her concern made me smile despite myself.
"Ahaha…"
"…?"
At my sudden laughter, Teacher Claire looked at me with confusion.
I felt it again—the undeniable reality of this world.
People always had many sides to them.
Amelia, who always helped us as a close friend, sometimes played tricks on us too.
Claire, who was always so stern, would bow her head apologetically when bringing up difficult topics.
It was in noticing these small, overlooked details—things I wouldn’t have paid attention to when the Author was still around—that I truly realized this world was real.
"How do I go about the withdrawal procedures?"
"...So, you’ve made up your mind, huh."
"Of course. What else can I do? I can’t erase the proof of our love."
"Sigh... Then you should’ve at least used protection..."
"Ahaha..."
Where had her stiff tone gone? Claire complained to me.
But all I could do was laugh it off.
After all, I’d never used protection even once.
No, I just thought I couldn’t get pregnant since I never had a period...
"I never imagined I’d have to let a student go over something like this."
"S-Sorry..."
"What’s there to be sorry about? It’s all Yu Siwoo’s fault for seducing you."
That’s not it.
I was the one who seduced him, knowing I couldn’t get pregnant.
But the atmosphere wasn’t right for that kind of explanation, so I kept my mouth shut.
"Yu Siwoo... I’ll be keeping a close eye on you for the next two years..."
Ah.
Maybe I should’ve just said it.
It seemed like Siwoo had really gotten on Claire’s bad side.
...Eh, it’ll work out somehow.
Whisper, whisper.
Mutter, mutter.
"Sigh... As expected..."
Claire let out a sigh.
It was because the students kept exchanging whispers as they watched me moving around the Academy with her to handle the withdrawal procedures.
Perhaps inevitably, word of what happened between me and Siwoo had already spread throughout the Academy.
"Those bastards... I told them not to talk about it... Just you wait..."
...I only felt sorry for Claire.
After all, a major scandal had erupted on the first day of the new semester.
And there was going to be even more gossip soon.
"Ah, Arte?! Where are you—! Running is bad for you!"
I hurriedly rushed toward Siwoo’s and my classroom.
The students staring and whispering about me didn’t bother me.
After all, I wouldn’t be seeing them again anyway.
But Siwoo would.
Pushing past the crowd of students, I entered the packed classroom and shouted,
"Siwoo!"
"Ah, Arte?! The results are—"
"I’m pregnant!"
"Y-Yeah..."
Buzz, buzz.
The hallway erupted into chaos as the students all started talking at once.
If things went on like this, Siwoo would be labeled a shameless pervert.
So, I decided to declare it boldly.
"All of you, listen up."
"...?"
"Siwoo didn’t force himself on me! I’m the one who jumped him!"
...Huh, that somehow sounds even worse?
Did I just make it more awkward?
"Arte..."
"S-Sorry."
"Sigh... Well, this works out. Yu Siwoo, you come too."
"Ah, yes..."
And so, the Academy’s opening day ended up being my last day of school.