[Waaaaaaaaah!]
This is driving me insane.
The author’s crying showed no signs of stopping.
I had no choice.
I really, *really* didn’t want to do this.
I hesitated for a long time, wondering if I could even bring myself to say it.
Could I actually go through with it?
But wouldn’t this be better than letting them keep crying?
…Right?
"W-Well, one thing."
[Sniffle… Huh?]
"I’ll grant you one wish."
[…!]
The author’s sobs quieted down.
It worked.
…The problem was the aftermath. I had no idea what kind of demand they’d hit me with.
But I had no other options.
If things kept going like this, they’d just cry all day.
Even if I tried to comfort them, right now I was basically the villain in their eyes.
No matter what I did to soothe them, nothing would work.
In the end, the only way to calm the author down was to give them something…
Material things were out of the question.
And the situation wasn’t exactly right for emotional support either.
The only answer was a wish.
…That was the conclusion I’d reached when I blurted it out, but honestly, I was already starting to regret it.
I shouldn’t have said it.
Because now I was already terrified of whatever demand they’d make.
And sure enough, the request the author voiced left me stunned.
[T-Then… can I add one service scene?]
"Huh? We agreed not to do that!"
[But…! You said you’d grant me one wish!]
Ah.
…I *really* shouldn’t have said it.
"B-But I’m a guy?"
[You’re a girl right now! Plus, I already know everything! You can’t take back your word just because you’re a man, can you?! One wish! I’ve decided! Service scene!]
No, it wasn’t too late yet.
Even if it was a service scene, I didn’t *have* to participate in it.
Maybe I could just peek at a scene of Amelia and Yu Siwoo flirting…
[The Academy is a school, so it wouldn’t be weird to have swimming lessons, right? Hehe.]
I should’ve been more careful with my words.
That age-old advice—*always watch what you say*—hit me like a ton of bricks.
Through a disaster of my own making.
Truly, the mouth was the root of all evil.
"First order, Laira."
"…"
Gulp.
Laira’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Tense and rigid, she fretted over what kind of command was about to be thrown at her.
…Assassinate a VIP?
Or maybe terrorism?
Could it be a robbery?
Or—if not that—maybe she was just being treated as disposable…!
"For the Academy’s swimming lessons, what kind of swimsuit should one wear?"
"…Huh?"
Before she could stop herself, Laira repeated the question, then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth.
Who knew what that woman would do if she took it as defiance.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to mind.
"I mean, what do women usually wear for swimming…? I’m not sure."
"Uh, t-that… I don’t quite understand what you—"
Ignoring Laira’s flustered state, Arte just kept saying whatever she wanted.
At least, that was how Laira felt.
"Good. This is an order, Laira. Find me a swimsuit that fits. …The least revealing one you can."
"A-A swimsuit…?"
"We have swimming lessons soon, you see. Hehe, how embarrassing—I don’t even own one."
…Some kind of code?
No, this is the first order.
And with just the two of us, there’s no need for codes anyway.
Does she really just want me to buy a swimsuit?
"Ah, just buy it first and bring the receipt. I’ll reimburse you. Don’t worry about it."
"Y-Yes…"
"And get the one with the least exposure, please."
Arte’s cheerful smile left him feeling uneasy.
There had never been a swimming class before.
Nothing like that had ever been in the Academy’s curriculum.
There hadn’t even been any talk of adding one.
But Laira had nodded.
At this point, overthinking it was useless.
She must’ve gathered the info from somewhere else.
This was the same guy who had known about the Weaverfolk as if it were obvious.
He probably knew all the Academy’s classified information too.
"I-I understand…"
"Good. Do a good job, and I’ll give you a reward. You can look forward to it."
He brushed off Arte’s words.
A reward? Probably nothing special.
"Everyone, listen up. This is an official announcement."
After school, while the students chattered as they waited for Teacher Claire.
Her voice rang out, and all eyes turned to her.
"What’s going on?"
"Beats me. Did someone else transfer?"
Transfer.
A bitter smile tugged at Amelia’s lips.
That was how Laira had been handled. A transfer.
According to Yu Siwoo, Laira and Arte had been either enemies or part of the same organization but on terrible terms.
The confrontation between Arte and Laira had ended in Laira’s death.
Arte didn’t seem to have any intention of killing him.
…That’s what she’d said.
Even for the Academy, a string of incidents must’ve been too much to handle.
Hence the cover-up as a transfer.
Well, it wasn’t hard to understand.
A student turning traitor.
They’d barely managed to sweep the Beast incident under the rug, and now, not long after, an even bigger scandal had erupted.
They must’ve done their best to bury it.
"…You all enrolled in the Academy to become Heroes. And Heroes must be able to save citizens in times of crisis."
The students nodded along with Teacher Claire’s words.
A Hero’s ultimate goal was the safety of the people.
She wasn’t wrong.
"Tomorrow’s lesson will be a preliminary session for underwater disaster rescue training. …In other words, swimming."
"Whoooa!"
Swimming class?
Excited chatter erupted from every corner.
They were still students, after all. At that age, who didn’t love water play?
It made sense they’d be thrilled about swimming.
"Quiet! …Can a Hero afford to not know how to swim? If a flood hits and you’re the one who needs rescuing, can you still call yourself a Hero?!"
"No, ma’am!"
"Good. Bring your swimsuits by tomorrow. That’s all."
As soon as Teacher Claire disappeared,
the students’ voices, brimming with anticipation, filled the air.
"Swimming? I can’t wait!"
"Same. Wonder if the one I bought last time still fits?"
"You think it does? Didn’t you say you gained weight?"
"…You wanna die?"
Swimming.
Amelia tuned out the noisy chatter and absently patted her stomach.
…I haven’t gained that much, right?
"Amelia, can you swim?"
"Duh. It’s basic."
"Right? That’s a relief."
Amelia, who had snapped back at Yu Siwoo as he approached, suddenly froze.
Startled by her abrupt stillness, Siwoo panicked and called out to her.
"A-Amelia? …Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"
Yu Siwoo.
Swimming class.
Arte Isis.
And me, Amelia.
…That’s it!
Amelia’s mind raced as the pieces clicked into place.
This might be how we find proof of that ‘Author-nim’.
She was certain of it.
"Hey, Yu Siwoo."
"P-Thank goodness. I thought you were—"
"That’s not the point."
"…Huh?"
Did he really not catch on after hearing “swimming class”?
She decided to ask if anything came to mind for him.
"Swimming class. Swimming class. …Do you get what that means?"
"No, I don’t."
How could he not see it?
Frustration welled up inside her.
Well, fine. She’d have to explain her brilliant idea to him.
"If we want to talk to that ‘Author-nim,’ there has to be some kind of device involved, right? Like a micro-communicator."
"Yeah?"
"And in swimming class, you have to wear a swimsuit and get in the water, so you can’t carry any mechanical devices on your body."
"…Ah!"
Yes.
He finally got it.
Yu Siwoo, having reached the same conclusion, grinned and said,
"If we secretly check her clothes during swimming class…!"
"Exactly. We might find the evidence. Then we can work with the teacher."
"Th-That’s amazing. I never would’ve thought of that."
Yu Siwoo seemed genuinely impressed by her stroke of genius.
And why wouldn’t he be?
This was a flawless plan, after all.
"Then I’ll keep an eye on her, and you—"
"Huh? What do you mean? You’re the one checking her clothes."
"Wait, what?"
Why was he so flustered?
Had she said something wrong?
"You’re not the one doing it?"
"You’re not friends with Arte, are you? Can you even stay near her the whole time?"
"Th-That’s…"
Right.
Yu Siwoo and Arte weren’t friends.
Even if Arte was interested in him and secretly keeping tabs on him, they weren’t openly close.
They couldn’t just start acting chummy out of nowhere.
"I *am* friends with Arte. I can move around with her naturally and let you know where she is."
She occasionally spent time with Arte to maintain their friendship.
So it wouldn’t be strange for them to stick together during swimming class.
But if Yu Siwoo tried to monitor Arte the whole time, there were too many variables.
In other words, the one keeping watch should be her, not Yu Siwoo.
"So that leaves you with the only remaining role—checking her clothes. Got it?"
"…Do I *have* to?"
"Of course. This is our chance to uncover the truth about that ‘Author-nim’."
Yu Siwoo looked reluctant, but under her firm insistence, he eventually nodded.
Good.
"I’m looking forward to tomorrow. The chance to expose that ‘Author-nim’ for real."
"Y-Yeah, I guess so."
As expected of her.
It was a perfect plan.
A satisfied smile spread across Amelia’s face.