"Huu, huu···."
Dorothy kept tensing up under the persistent stares.
What is this? Did I do something wrong? Did I do something to Arte?
It was different from when the lottery results were announced.
That terrifying expression was gone without a trace, and now she kept sending me these incomprehensible looks.
...So what’s the problem? Isn’t it better that she’s not glaring at me?
It’s scarier *because* she’s not making that terrifying face anymore.
Why? Why did she look like that before? Why is she just staring normally now?
What in the world is going on?
"...Dorothy. You’ve been unable to focus for a while now."
"A-Ah! I’m fine! I-I’m perfectly fine!"
"You don’t seem fine."
There it is again. That gaze.
The same one that had been lingering on me the whole time I was sparring with Yu Siwoo.
When I turned my head, sure enough, Arte was watching me.
By now, I’d more or less figured out the conditions for when she stared at me.
"D-Don’t come any closer!"
"...Uh, Dorothy. I’m sorry, but that’s not possible. The exam is a team battle. Even if you dislike me, there’s nothing we can do about it."
"No! It’s not that I dislike you!"
Oh no. This is bad.
No matter how I thought about it, Arte only sent me those looks when Yu Siwoo approached me or when the two of us were close.
So I’d had no choice but to keep my distance from him, which must have made him think I actually disliked him.
"I-I mean... it’s just..."
"...Sorry, Dorothy."
"Uh, uwaaaah···."
W-What do I do?!
This is terrible, terrible, *terrible*!
Yu Siwoo really thinks I dislike him!
O-Of course it’s my fault. I couldn’t handle Arte’s gaze, so I kept my distance from him.
It was to distract from Arte’s stare!
And sure enough, Arte wasn’t looking at me anymore now.
Hah... but is this really okay...?
But as Arte’s gaze faded, a sense of injustice started to creep in.
Wait, this doesn’t make sense.
What did I even do wrong to be shaking like this?
I didn’t do anything wrong. I just teamed up with Yu Siwoo like the teacher told me to. So why am I the one getting these looks?
The one in the wrong isn’t me—it’s Arte.
I need to toughen up.
If I let Arte’s glare stop me from practicing, I’ll fail the exam for real.
...Alright.
"...Dorothy?"
"Uh, y-yeah. It’s nothing."
Slowly, slowly.
As I cautiously approached Yu Siwoo’s side, Arte’s gaze naturally followed, just as I’d expected.
"Hiiik···."
"Dorothy. You don’t have to push yourself."
"Huh?!"
"I know too, so you don’t have to force it. Just now was a joke, so don’t worry too much. I know you don’t dislike me."
My brain short-circuited.
...He knew? That Arte was staring at me like that?
But then why is he so calm about it?
"Now what’s she staring at us for..."
"S-Siwoo. You knew?"
"Huh? ...Oh, you didn’t know. She does that a lot."
"A lot?!"
Yu Siwoo’s casual tone made his words even more unbelievable.
Jaju? Jajuu?!
No, fine. Even if I generously assume it’s just “often”… Ha. Often watching someone is basically stalking… Well, whatever.
Even if I accept that she knew he did it often, what’s with this calm attitude?
"I should ask Amelia about this later. Sorry, Dorothy. It’s because of me."
"Uh, y-yeah…?"
"He might look like that, but he’s just watching, so don’t worry and let’s practice."
My emotions are all over the place today.
Arte’s unreadable expression and heavy gaze filled me with fear, and Yu Siwoo’s absurd reaction left me bewildered.
At this point, I didn’t even care anymore, so I turned my gaze back to Arte.
She was still watching us with that same inscrutable smile.
And Yu Siwoo just… ignored it?
Neither of them are in their right minds. Dorothy started to resent her teacher.
Just let me switch partners already.
"Ah, that? It’s love."
"…Huh?"
"Love. You don’t know? When love runs too deep, sometimes you get jealous. That’s exactly what’s happening."
"Are you insane?"
After all classes had ended, during after-school hours.
Dorothy had just cursed at someone in front of her for the first time in her life.
"If that’s love, then a hero chasing a villain must be a pair of lovers who can’t live without each other!"
"No, that’s not it. Heroes chase villains because they have a purpose."
Arte’s partner, Amelia.
She’d heard Amelia was from a wealthy family, but she never expected her to be like this.
They say you can’t measure the depth of madness, right?
A faint glint of insanity lurked behind Amelia’s clear eyes, and Dorothy couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
An empty cart makes the most noise—were all the truly crazy people this normal on the outside?
"Arte just watches Yu Siwoo without any purpose. …If that’s not love, then what is?"
"…"
"See? Even you don’t have a comeback. Sorry. Arte’s just a little jealous. Please understand."
Dorothy didn’t respond because she was at a loss for words—it was because the whole thing was so absurd she couldn’t even bother arguing.
She wanted to say that, but in the end, she stayed silent.
Even if she said it wasn’t love, they wouldn’t listen.
A terrifying girl who stalked a boy for reasons no one understood.
A boy who took the stalking in stride as if it were perfectly normal.
And a girl who, knowing all this, still had the nerve to call it love.
When the teacher said they’d be taking the test in pairs, Dorothy had thought she might make a friend.
But instead, she’d ended up tangled with people she should never have gotten involved with.
A sudden monsoon raged in Dorothy’s heart.
They’re all crazy.
"You two seem closer than I expected?"
[I know, right? I thought she was timid… Well, it’s not a bad thing if they get along!]
So carefree.
A sigh escaped her lips at the author’s irresponsibility.
Still, as the author said, it probably wouldn’t cause any real problems.
In an Academy story, the two of them would naturally end up in a relationship that was more than friends but less than lovers, anyway.
Getting a little closer now wouldn’t make much of a difference.
"Ah, Author-nim."
[Yes?]
"By the way, have you decided who wins the heroine race?"
Now that a new heroine had appeared, Dorothy was curious—who would end up with Yu Siwoo?
Would it be a harem ending, as was typical for Academy stories?
Or maybe the currently unrivaled Amelia? Or the newly appeared Dorothy?
[It’s a secret!]
"…Huh? But you could at least tell me a little, right?"
[Because you’re a reader too! I don’t wanna give away too much!]
"Haa…"
In this state, the author won’t listen no matter how much I try to persuade her.
So even if I want to hear it, I won’t be able to.
Knowing who the main wife will be wouldn’t mean much anyway.
…Well, personally, I think it’ll be Amelia.
It’s been too long with only one heroine.
Now they’re even acting like childhood friends, playing around and everything.
"Well, fine. Just be careful not to burn down the place."
[Don’t worry!]
As if I *could* not worry.
She’s caused more than one or two incidents all by herself up to now.
I sighed as I watched the two heroines and the protagonist chattering away on the bench.
Tomorrow’s the start of finals, isn’t it?
I hope the protagonist gets good grades… I’m starting to worry.
"…What did you say?"
"I said drop the Arachne case, Investigator Ha-yul."
"Hah, but—! We have a strong suspect!"
Ha-yul panicked. *Drop the case?*
The Arachne investigation was being handled solely by the staff under her command.
If she backed off now, there would be no way to catch Arachne in the future.
And yet, she was being told to drop it?
"I understand your enthusiasm, but orders have come down from above. They want you to stop."
"What do you mean?! Arachne is a criminal!"
"Yes. A criminal… …one the citizens seem to *love*."
"Ugh…"
Her superior’s words made her recall the public’s reactions all too clearly.
The way citizens had cheered, saying things like “good riddance,” or “villains aren’t even human, so maybe murder charges don’t apply—would it just be illegal disposal?”
"They’re probably worried that if Arachne gets caught, approval ratings will drop."
"What?!"
"If a villain’s taking care of the troublemakers for us, why not just sit back and reap the benefits? …That’s how the higher-ups see it."
Arachne was treated differently from other villains, as if she were some kind of Robin Hood from centuries ago.
Her superior let out a bitter laugh after saying that.
"She’s been quiet lately, and even if something big happens, they’ve decided it’s not worth the trouble. So drop it."
"Hah, but—!"
"Ah, and they said they won’t tolerate any overreach. If you show even a hint of it, be prepared to be treated like a villain yourself. …That’s what they told me."
"…Ugh."
Damn it.
Was it because she’d pulled too many stunts in the past? Normally, she didn’t care about being seen as a nuisance, but today, she hated her past self.
I should’ve been more careful…!
"I get how you feel, but if that’s the call from above, there’s nothing we can do."
"…Yes. You’re right."
"Want a cigarette?"
"If you’re offering, I’ll take one."
She expressed her gratitude as her superior pulled out a cigarette and handed it to her, then lit one for herself.
"Don’t take it too hard… …Huh, already gone?"
Her superior chuckled dryly. By then, the room was already filled with thick smoke.
Only the long trail of smoke drifting out the window remained.