The sound of fabric brushing against fabric seeped into his ears.
It should have been drowned out by the music playing in the department store, by Amelia and Dorothy’s chatter.
…And yet, thanks to his uselessly sharp hearing and his Ability, it kept reaching him.
It wasn’t a strange sound.
Just the sound of fabric rubbing against fabric. That was all.
But because of that sound, his imagination was running wild.
"What kind of swimsuit is it…?"
"If I told you ahead of time, your reaction would be awkward, so I’m not saying."
"But you *do* know you have to compliment me, right?"
He’d hoped for at least a hint, but no such luck.
Since the two of them wanted his raw, unfiltered reaction, his curiosity only grew stronger.
At this point, running away without checking wasn’t an option anymore.
…Maybe it’s a one-piece? Arte usually wears leotards, after all. Since she uses leotards as underwear, that’d be the most comfortable for her.
No, wait—maybe she’s going for the contrast and picked a bikini.
But Arte was the one who picked it out herself. Amelia or Dorothy might, but Arte doesn’t seem like the type to deliberately aim for that kind of gap.
He settled on it probably being a one-piece, similar to her usual style, but his imagination was already spinning out of control.
Even though he couldn’t see inside that fitting room, the image of Arte changing clothes kept forming in his mind.
He wanted to stop thinking about it, but his brain refused to cooperate.
That soft touch he’d felt before, her scent… *Uaaaaah!*
"What are you doing?"
"…Leave me alone."
Overcome with self-loathing, he banged his head against the wall.
How could he be having these perverted thoughts about someone he knew?
Okay, calm down. Yu Siwoo.
People usually pick clothes they’re comfortable wearing.
He’d seen her in leotards plenty of times, so the damage should be minimal.
So there’s no problem…
"How do I look?"
"Wow, you’re so pretty!"
By the time he’d cooled his head against the wall, Arte must have come out of the fitting room.
Amelia and Dorothy were gushing, telling her how pretty she looked.
"A-ahaha… I-I *am* pretty, but not *that* much…"
"No, seriously, you look amazing. It’s a different vibe from usual, and it’s great."
"R-really…?"
"Mhm, my eye for style was right after all. Just changing up the image a little makes such a big difference, doesn’t it?"
…Her image was different?
That was when it hit him. Arte wasn’t wearing her usual leotard-like outfit.
"Yu Siwoo? Say something too. I know it’s embarrassing, but…"
"Y-yeah, yeah…"
Urged on by Amelia, he reluctantly turned his head.
…Then immediately turned it back.
"…?"
"H-hey, hey?!"
His head burned. It was *nothing* like what he’d imagined.
He’d assumed it would be modest like a leotard, that he’d built up enough resistance from seeing her in similar outfits before to handle it.
···But for some reason, Arte was wearing a bikini.
With a pareo wrapped around her and a white crop top on.
It was clothing that covered her body, but paradoxically, it made her look even more alluring.
Because the black bikini that should have been hidden wasn’t hidden at all.
A guilty thrill, like peeking at something I shouldn’t, made it impossible to keep looking.
"Th-That… You look nice, Arte…"
"Thank you."
The compliment that slipped out of my mouth was, even to me, pathetically weak.
If I’d heard someone else say that to me, I’d have assumed it was just empty flattery.
But this was the best I could do.
The result of restraining myself as much as possible, afraid I’d blurt out nonsense if I kept staring.
I couldn’t bring myself to look directly at her, but I could somehow sense that Arte was smiling.
"Well, see you on Monday!"
"See you next time!"
Amelia and Dorothy waved from inside the car, so I waved back.
As the car gradually disappeared from view, and then vanished entirely, I lowered my hand and let out a sigh.
"Haa…"
A sigh came from beside me at the same time.
Yu Siwoo—he was standing next to me.
"Was it so boring that you had to sigh?"
"No, it’s not that… I’ve never gone shopping for this long before. It was a little exhausting."
I smiled faintly at his words.
For the same reason as me.
"Me too. This is the first time I’ve spent so long going around just to buy things."
"…Really?"
"Yep."
Maybe that was why it felt like Amelia and Dorothy were practically dragging me along.
Siwoo felt the same way.
That must’ve been why he sighed just like I did.
"…Still, wasn’t it a good experience?"
"Huh?"
"I asked you before, remember? About swimsuits—didn’t you want to see them? How was it? Were they pretty?"
We didn’t just buy swimsuits, but if there was one place that stood out in my memory, it was definitely there.
Amelia and Dorothy had been so excited, trying on one swimsuit after another, like it was a fashion show.
Thanks to them, I got quite the eyeful. As expected of heroines—they could’ve been models.
"…Yeah, they were pretty."
"I’m glad!"
Me? I didn’t try anything on. I hadn’t even wanted to join in.
At first, the two of them had eagerly urged me to, but once they realized I wasn’t interested, they’d given up with a helpless look.
Ever since I’d unknowingly put on that *weird* thing the first time, the idea of wearing anything else just didn’t appeal to me.
Well, the goal was the heroines’ swimsuit fashion show anyway, right? Mission accomplished.
There was no need for me to wear one.
Maybe it was because he was the protagonist? He’d complimented all of them without hesitation.
Even though his attention had been on Amelia and Dorothy, he’d still given me a compliment too.
It was considerate of him to spare me from harm. That was very protagonist-like.
He really is kind. Is it because he’s the protagonist? Or just because he’s a good person?
I’m not sure. But regardless of the reason, I had to protect him.
So for now, we’d have to part ways.
"Ah, I should probably... take my leave here."
"...Huh? The fork in the road is still a ways off, though?"
"Well, it’s not that, but I just remembered I have something to take care of!"
"Got it. See you later."
I lied to Yu Siwoo about having business to attend to, then turned back down the path I’d come from and stopped.
Originally, I’d planned to stick close to him all the way home, keeping him under surveillance. But an unexpected variable had popped up.
As I waited in the alley for a moment, I spotted a woman hurrying toward me.
Her steps were frantic, as if she were chasing after something.
...She’s careless.
I used a pair of Half-Gloves to restrain her entire body.
Like a spider wrapping its prey in silk, I bound her completely, leaving no room to escape.
"Kyaaak?!"
"Talk. Who are you? Where did you come from? What’s your purpose?"
She’d been on my mind for a while now.
This woman had been following us ever since the department store.
I’d let it slide inside the store, but when she even got into a taxi to tail us, I was certain.
This woman was up to something.
But why? Who was she following? Me? Or Yu Siwoo?
It couldn’t have been me.
If it were, would she have walked right past me without a second glance? No way.
Her target was Yu Siwoo. That much was clear.
But why?
Could it be that some villain organization the author hadn’t set up was after Yu Siwoo?
To eliminate him? Or to recruit him?
Either way, I couldn’t allow it.
Never. Even if it cost me my life.
"S-save me! P-please! I’m a villain! A villain!"
"Shut up, doll. There’s no one here to save you. Scream one more time, and I’ll cut your throat."
"Hii, hiik..."
To be honest, I didn’t know for sure if anyone was actually around.
But that didn’t matter.
The only thing I needed to find out right now was why this woman had been tailing Yu Siwoo. That was all.
Everything else was irrelevant.
I tightened the threads slightly, drawing a little blood, and she seemed to realize I was serious.
She became more cooperative.
"Why were you following him?"
"Th-that...!"
"..."
"Kyaak! I’ll talk! I’ll talk! B-because he’s handsome! That’s why I did it...!"
Handsome?
I had no idea what she was talking about.
Was it some kind of code used by villain organizations?
To get her to explain further, I tightened the threads binding her even more.
"Ugh, nngh...! A-at the department store...! I-I fell for that man at first sight...! I’m sorry! I won’t bother him again, I swear!"
"Love at first sight?"
"Y-Yes! Yes! That’s the only reason, I swear!"
…Hmm.
She didn’t seem to be lying.
The look of terror on her face, the thread that pierced through her far more easily than it ever could a superhuman.
She wasn’t a superhuman.
So… did this woman really fall for Yu Siwoo at first sight and follow him all the way here?
…So she was stalking him. That’s what this was?
"Unforgivable."
"H-Hiiik…!"
"How dare a worthless doll like you even think of touching him with your feet!"
She wasn’t even an extra.
Just background noise, nothing more—yet she dared to set her sights on one of the only two in the world.
Impossible.
It should never be allowed.
"A bitch like you has no right to even look at him!"
"Y-Yes! I’ll never go near him again! P-Please, just spare me!"
"How dare you, how dare you, how dare you, how dare you, how dare you…! A nobody, not even a heroine, just an extra!"
A doll.
An extra.
How dare she overstep her place. It was unacceptable.
Dorothy and Amelia were tolerable. Even a new heroine added later would be fine.
But this trash daring to approach Yu Siwoo? That was beyond unforgivable.
What to do? How to handle this?
…Ah, right. There was a perfect solution.
Cut the thread.
"Let’s stop here, Arte-nim."
"…Ah, Inspector-nim."
"I know she’s a criminal, but this place is dangerous."
Just as I was about to make sure she could never move again, Haeul stopped me.
…Ah.
Right. This place was dangerous.
I didn’t know the area well—only that it was near Yu Siwoo’s house. I hadn’t even checked where the CCTVs were.
I could ask the Author to clean it up somehow, but that would be a hassle.
It was a fun vacation. If a murder happened near Yu Siwoo’s house, it would definitely ruin his mood.
"This is your one and only warning, doll. Consider yourself lucky."
"S-Spare… spare me…"
"…If you ever try to get near him again, next time, come prepared to die."
Drowned in tears and snot, the stalker who had been chasing Yu Siwoo nodded violently.
…It didn’t sit right with me.
That a worthless creature who dared to overstep could walk away unharmed.
"Thank you, Inspector-nim."
"Don’t mention it."
The moment I released the thread, the doll scrambled to her feet, tripped over her own legs, then got up and bolted.
As she disappeared from sight, I stared in the direction she’d fled and thought:
You have no right to even look at him.