"All of you, be careful. There’s talk that someone broke into a dorm room last night."
"Eek, that’s creepy."
"Ah, that’s you. You must’ve been startled when you saw your own face. Go apologize."
"I was startled when I saw *your* face, not mine."
The students’ laughter and chatter filled the air, but Yu Siwoo and Amelia heard none of it.
Because they’d just heard something impossible.
They stared at each other, both wearing expressions of disbelief.
…What?
There was an intruder?
"From the method used, it’s suspected to be the same criminal we talked about yesterday. Everyone, stay alert. They’ll be caught within a few days."
"Yes~"
Yu Siwoo’s expression grew complicated.
When he turned his gaze toward Arte, as always, she was looking at him with a soft smile.
He’d have to hear about this “plan” of hers after class.
Things were unfolding in a direction he hadn’t anticipated.
"Wow, a second incident already! I should investigate this thoroughly with my detective’s eye!"
"Detective!"
Amelia’s eyes sparkled at the word.
Why did she like that so much?
Didn’t you say the Arte in front of you was the enemy?
"What’s this ‘plan’ you’re talking about?"
"It’s nothing too difficult. You haven’t forgotten which club we joined, have you?"
"Ah. The Exploration Club."
Arte nodded at Amelia’s words.
With a soft smile, she then revealed a fact neither of them had considered.
"Yes, exploration. There are people who can go where others can’t, and see what others can’t, right?"
"…The club president."
"You’re quick."
This was strange.
Yu Siwoo and Amelia had assumed Arte was the one who reported the incident.
But maybe she wasn’t?
Why would she help them this much?
Doubt crept in.
…Should he test her a little?
Even if it failed, he wouldn’t die.
Based on Arte’s behavior so far, she wouldn’t kill him.
I won’t die… I won’t die…
…Right?
Okay, take a deep breath.
Alright.
"Hey, Arte."
"Yes?"
"Actually… I’m the culprit."
"?!"
Ignoring Amelia’s horrified expression—*what the hell are you doing?*—he kept his eyes fixed on Arte.
Now, what kind of reaction would she show?
His heart began to race.
Ever since enrolling in the Academy, his heart had been through too much.
Should he start taking heart medication?
Arte’s reaction to his sudden confession was more intense than he expected.
"Pfft."
As if she’d heard some hilarious joke, she burst into laughter.
"Ahaha. S-Siwoo is the culprit? Pfft. That was a funny joke!"
…It worked.
He’d thought it was a 50-50 gamble, but it paid off.
Arte really didn’t know anything.
Realizing this, Amelia’s face lit up with relief.
"Uh, hey, Arte."
"Yes?"
"Have you heard the victim’s name by any chance?"
"Hmm, I’m not sure. Probably one of the girls. I don’t know."
She genuinely didn’t know.
After confirming this, Yu Siwoo and Amelia let out a sigh of relief.
"…Anyway, we’re meeting in the clubroom after school, right? Got it?"
"Mhm. Got it."
"Then I’ll head to class first. Take your time."
Only after Arte’s figure disappeared into the distance did Yu Siwoo and Amelia finally allow themselves to bask in their relief.
"We didn’t get caught! We’re safe!"
"Y-Yeah…! We’re alive!"
Maybe it was because they realized the victim had no idea she’d even been wronged—despite the very real possibility of prison time.
Amelia, thoroughly worked up, declared,
"If we do get caught later, we’ll just pin it all on that guy!"
"…Yeah! Let’s do that!"
"When we grab him, we have to shut him up fast—if he tries to argue, we’re screwed. So aim for his mouth, got it?!"
Normally, Siwoo would’ve marveled at how Amelia had clearly lost her mind.
But this time, he didn’t object.
…For once, he genuinely agreed with her.
Rummaging through Arte’s underwear?
That was downright evil!
He’d make sure that bastard ended up in prison.
Siwoo swore it to himself.
"Huh? You want to know where the intruder’s hiding?"
"Yes. Since you’re the president of the Exploration Club, I thought you might know something."
"W-What? W-Well, of course I do! I *am* pretty amazing!"
Hehehe, the president let out a giddy laugh.
…He kind of reminded Siwoo of the Author.
That childlike way he perked up at the slightest praise.
"But won’t the teachers be looking for him too? Why are *you* getting involved in something so dangerous?"
"For the club’s growth, of course. If we find and capture a villain no one else could… isn’t that the perfect achievement for the Exploration Club?"
"…!"
Instantly, the president’s motivation skyrocketed.
Too easy.
[Hmm, a chameleon beastkin… Where should I place him for maximum story impact…? Ugh.]
The Author, who would’ve normally been noisy by now, had gone quiet.
Still stuck in thought, huh?
What in the world was so difficult?
He’d said, *I don’t know where to have the chameleon beastkin appear~* and then spiraled into his own head.
…Hmm, but there were people around. Siwoo couldn’t just voice his thoughts.
Ah.
A good idea struck him.
"Hmm, I can’t help but think a villain who breaks in *and* goes through a girl’s underwear has… impure intentions."
"I think so too! He’s definitely a pervert…!"
[Impure intentions? A pervert…?]
Nice, he took the bait.
If Siwoo couldn’t talk to the Author directly, he could just drop hints disguised as deductions. That should work.
The Author’s attention was now fixed on their conversation.
Maybe he should sprinkle in a few more clues…!
"And since no one can see him even in a crowd, he must have some kind of invisibility ability, right?"
"Y-Yeah, that makes sense!"
"If a pervert with invisibility is running around…"
"Ah! Then he’s probably in the women’s bathroom or the changing rooms!"
[…! T-This is it!]
Well, honestly, Siwoo didn’t care if the villain was actually a pervert or not.
He could just be a regular Weaver Mensch with an invisibility Trait.
But what if the Author changed the setting on the spot?
"I thought of that too, but the problem is figuring out how to expose his invisibility. Any ideas?"
"Uh, ummm…"
[This is great! A pervert chameleon beastkin lurking to ogle the heroines, the enraged protagonist cuts him down—*whoa*, that guy’s so cool! …This works!]
Perfect.
He’d hooked the Author’s interest!
A betrayal from a trusted comrade.
An attack on the Academy by some monster on the very first day.
Siwoo had already been through so much since enrolling that he was starting to worry about his own mental state.
You know those protagonists, right?
The ones who kill a single person and then shake like a leaf afterward.
The protagonist’s mental state shatters from the accumulation of trivial matters.
That’s normal. If someone kills and stays fine, what else would they be but a psychopath?
But these days, webnovels say that if the story goes that way, the author gets roasted for it.
I’m dropping this. Author-nim, you handle the uploads and downloads.
…What if our author-nim heard that kind of talk?
Terrifying. I don’t even want to think about it.
Who knows what kind of rampage they’d go on.
So Yu Siwoo’s mind absolutely must not break.
Our author-nim has wrapped up plot developments like this more than once or twice.
Once a mind shatters, it’s hard to piece back together. Better to handle it gently from the start so it never breaks.
"Ah, I’ve got one."
"What is it?"
"This is a mana detector. It picks up surrounding mana. The seniors made it a while back to find hidden passages and stuff."
[Hah, hahaha. I’ve grown…! Creating a setting like this is a piece of cake…!]
I marveled at author-nim’s incredible speed.
They’re so quick to act.
They came up with that setting in the blink of an eye?
It hadn’t even been a minute, and they’d already inserted a detector as a way to expose the hidden culprit.
I was so moved by author-nim’s growth that I nearly cried.
Of course they can do it!
Our author really delivers when they put their mind to it.
"Then if we use that to approach where the culprit is…!"
"Yeah, we can find them easily!"
Amelia and Yu Siwoo were practically vibrating with excitement.
Right, you two are thrilled at the idea of catching the villain with your own hands, huh?
As expected of the protagonist and heroine.
"Hmm, but how do we find them?"
"Easy! After swim class, we just catch the thief when they come to steal!"
"But if we bring weapons to swim class, everyone will find it suspicious."
"…Ugh!"
I could just use my Thread Extraction Ability to catch them, but I didn’t say that.
I needed to pull the protagonist into this.
"Then Yu Siwoo has to be the one to handle it!"
"M-Me?!"
"Yes. Yu Siwoo will ambush the culprit we find with the detector and cut them down in one stroke! …Doesn’t that sound cool?"
"B-But I…"
Huh.
Yu Siwoo, who had been about to object, suddenly clamped his mouth shut.
…What? Was he going to say something like, “As a guy, I can’t go into the girls’ changing room”?
Well, whatever.
If he wasn’t going to argue, that was fine by me.
No need to convince him—this was easier.
"Then let’s do that! President, can I borrow this detector for a bit?"
"Of course! Take it! This is the Exploration Club’s special detector! …Made by the Exploration Club!"
"Yes, yes, I know."
I half-listened as the president kept emphasizing that the club had made it, clearly trying to boost the club’s reputation.
Good, this should be enough.
If I let Amelia show off a service scene, maybe that’ll help stabilize his mental state.
Boys that age tend to forget their troubles when they see a pretty girl’s bare body.
I know from experience.
I’m not sure if it’ll dull the shock of his first kill, but it’s better than nothing.
Besides, Amelia is the heroine.
She’ll comfort him, right?
If he buries his face in her soft heroine chest, he’ll feel a little better.
He needs to stay sane even after killing someone.
Please, let him be the kind of person who doesn’t sweat the small stuff.