"Alright, I’ll explain the plan."
Amelia declared confidently.
Her self-assured demeanor was impressive, but at the same time, it filled me with unease.
…Was she cooking up another bizarre scheme?
Amelia’s plans were always unsettling.
"It’s not something weird, right?"
"What are you talking about! Just listen and try not to be shocked."
If she was this bold, it only made me even more anxious.
What on earth was she planning to do?
"A date!"
"Huh?"
"A date! You know, when a man and a woman go out together!"
I was surprised.
It was far more ordinary than I expected.
Well, maybe not *ordinary*—dates were still kind of intimidating.
"…Where? No, wait—how?"
There was one major obstacle to her plan.
We had no reason to go on a date.
If—
If, hypothetically, she *had* developed feelings for me.
If that was why Arte had been acting that way toward me.
Even if I conceded that much, there was still no way for us to meet.
She and I had no real connection. …At least, not on the surface.
We were just classmates, club members—nothing more.
We’d never even had a proper conversation.
If I suddenly asked her out, she’d just turn me down.
"Don’t worry. We have the club, don’t we?"
"…The club?"
"Remember what the president said last time? Since we got an award, we should go on an outdoor activity."
My head started to throb.
Outdoor activity?
Had the president really said that?
…I didn’t think so.
Something felt off.
The club only had four members, and it wasn’t exactly popular. I was sure I’d remember if something like that had come up.
But I didn’t recall hearing anything about it…?
"We’ll go on the outdoor activity and sneak in a little fun. That’s when we’ll pair you up with Arte!"
"…Amelia. Did the president actually say that?"
"You have a bad memory, don’t you? You were there too. We got a big reward for catching the Chameleon villain, remember?"
Was that true?
Well, lately, so much had happened.
Maybe I was just too exhausted to remember.
Yu Siwoo decided not to dwell on it.
"E, ehe. I’m so happy."
"That good, huh?"
"Of course! Look at this commendation!"
The president proudly held up the certificate.
It was an award from the Academy, recognizing the students for bravely repelling a villain who had infiltrated the Academy grounds.
A commendation for the Exploration Club.
"They even gave us a generous budget…! I’m so happy! You’re all the best!"
"We’re glad you think so."
Smile.
I flashed her a grin.
We *had* been expecting a reward, but the original payout was supposed to be much smaller than this.
The author increased the reward.
Why did they raise it?
Because I’m going to spend it all anyway.
"This is all thanks to you guys…! Thanks to you, we can go on external activities, and the club’s status has risen!"
"I’m glad you’re enjoying it. There’s only four of us, but should we go and have fun?"
"Yeah! That’s why you should pick good underclassmen!"
External activities, of course, had to align with the club’s purpose.
The Exploration Club was, as the name suggested, a club for exploration.
Even if they just went camping for fun, they could insist it was exploration.
So Yu Siwoo and Amelia were both excited.
"Ufufu, I’m looking forward to it."
"Right?! It’ll be fun!"
Yeah, it’ll be fun.
For the nameless readers of the author’s work, that is.
[Thump, thump…! A new event is starting!]
Right.
A new event was beginning.
An Academy novel going on an external trip?
In cases like that, it was usually one of two things.
Either they were chasing the enemy, or the enemy was chasing them.
Naturally, our protagonist and heroine duo had no idea who the enemy even was.
All they knew was that Laira belonged to an organization called the Weavermen, and the villain who had infiltrated the Academy was also a member.
So what would happen?
What else? An ambush.
"I’m looking forward to it. What kind of fun event awaits us."
"Hmm, summer’s almost here, so the beach might not be ideal. What about the mountains?"
"The mountains? That sounds fun!"
"Hmm, or maybe… a scenic wonder?"
"Hehe, that sounds fun too."
When the president asked where they wanted to go, they all said anywhere was fine.
After all, she couldn’t decide where to go.
The one who decides is the author.
Not some puppet like her.
"Hah, hehe. Heh~"
Watching the president hum to herself as she agonized over the destination, the author spoke up.
[Let’s save the beach for a summer event… Alright, decided! An unmanaged forest in the mountains!]
"Ueek, it’s expensive… L-let’s go here."
Everyone gathered around the president’s computer screen to check the location she’d pulled up.
It was a forest in the mountains.
"It’s a place untouched by human hands. Perfect for camping, right? They say there used to be a dungeon there?!"
See?
In the end, they couldn’t choose anything.
In this world, the only ones with free will are me and the author.
Everyone else is just a puppet, their strings pulled by fate.
When the author changes the strings, they just act according to their fate.
"It’ll be fun."
"T-the mountains… might be a little… What if there are bugs…?"
"But there’s nowhere else that fits for the four of us. This place is perfect. The entry fee for a scenic wonder is way too expensive. Wanna see?"
At Amelia’s hesitation about the mountains, the president showed her the entry fee for a scenic wonder.
It’s quite expensive.
The reward for catching the villain isn’t enough for four people to enter.
No matter how generous the reward is, we still have to pay the entry fee per person.
In truth, since the Author can adjust the reward amount, there’s no way we absolutely can’t enter.
But what the Author wanted was a mountain.
That’s probably why the entry fee for the Secret Realm is so high.
I don’t really know what a Secret Realm is. Maybe it’s one of the settings the Author inserted?
…Well, I can kind of guess just from the name.
"Ha, but if I chip in…!"
"It’s only natural that individuals shouldn’t have to cover the cost of external activities."
"Ugh!"
Is that really natural?
I glanced at them, but honestly, there was no way to confirm.
Well, maybe it’s not worth worrying about.
Even if it’s not natural, our Author can make it natural.
"So, the location for our external activity is right here! Got it?"
"Yeees."
"This’ll be fun. We should bring lots of meat and seafood!"
Hmm.
I doubt we’ll actually get to eat any.
It’s obvious this is going to be a mess.
[Heh… meat… seafood… want to eat…]
…If the Author wants vicarious satisfaction, then maybe we can.
"Ah, Lady Laira. You’re early."
"…Well, yeah."
My body tensed with anxiety.
Last time was a simple mission, but would this one be the same?
Maybe this time, I’ll actually die.
"I have another request for you this time."
"What is it…?"
"This mountain here."
I looked at the map Arte had given me and my body shuddered.
…This is where the Weaver Men’s hideout is.
I’d heard before that if trouble arises, we should flee here.
"We’re planning to have a pleasant time there with your former comrades."
"Oh…?"
"Yes. There might be a lot of people, so we’d like you to help with crowd control."
"C-Crowd control?"
Control?
…What the hell does that mean?
Fear gnawed at me, but curiosity surged, and before I knew it, I asked.
My ears and tail were stiff with tension—it was annoying how easily my emotions showed.
Damn it. I hate how expressive I am.
Fortunately, Arte didn’t seem to mind. She answered cheerfully.
Her words were so cheerful they sent a chill down my spine.
"Ah, well. If any civilians happen to come in, that’d be a problem, right?"
"…Why?"
"If they come in… Ufufu. I don’t think anything good would come of it."
Crazy bitch.
She’s out of her mind.
She trailed off, but I understood what she meant.
If anyone comes in and more corpses pile up, it’d be a hassle, so she wants me to handle crowd control in advance.
Damn it.
I resented my past self.
To let my inferiority complex drive me to provoke someone this dangerous.
I must have been out of my mind.
"...Ah. Right. I was supposed to give you a reward."
Twitch.
Laira’s ears perked up for a different reason than before.
...A reward?
Now that she mentioned it, she had said something like that.
She’d only said she’d give a reward for buying a swimsuit, and after that, there hadn’t been any follow-up, so I’d assumed it was just empty words and let it slide.
"Hmm, I didn’t particularly like the swimsuit I received... But it was my fault for not specifying, so I can’t complain."
She started muttering something into the air.
...There it is again. That “Author-nim.”
I have no idea who she’s talking about, but it’s probably better if I don’t find out.
I decided to play dumb.
The most precious thing is my life.
Strength, abilities—none of that matters. Surviving is what’s most important.
Laira only realized that truth after tasting the fear of death.
"Here, please take this."
"This is...?"
"It’s good for you."
What she handed me was something dark crimson in color.
The sinister hue made my skin crawl.
"...What is this?"
"Eat it. It’ll make you stronger."
Laira almost threw the thing away on the spot, but barely managed to stop herself through sheer willpower.
Another drug.
The cause of the purple wolf ears and tail.
...Does this woman know I’ve come to hate drugs?
No, that can’t be.
No way.
"...What if I don’t eat it?"
"It doesn’t matter to me if you don’t."
Arte smiled sweetly.
...It was chilling.
It reminded me of that smile she’d given me when she made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
"But if you end up dying because you didn’t take it, I won’t take responsibility."
"...I’ll just hold onto it for now."
"Okay. Do that. It’s fast-acting, so you’ll get stronger the moment you take it."
Bullshit.
Pills don’t work like that.
Once you take one, your body needs time to digest it.
Wasn’t that why the wolf ears and tail only appeared long after I’d taken the pill?
"Oh, and this probably won’t happen, but if anyone inside you tries to come out, don’t let them."
"...Got it."
"Good. I’m counting on you."
With those final words, Arte left.
It wasn’t until a long time had passed that I realized she was really gone, and only then did Laira let out a sigh.
"This is driving me crazy..."
Laira looked up at the sky.
The beautifully glowing crescent moon filled her vision.
Damn, it’s pretty.
I never understood why people craved cigarettes, but now I get it.
I wanted to light up a cigarette I’d never even unpacked.