"How should we deal with the villains?"
"Hmm."
"Any preferred location?"
"Not really."
"...Is there a villain you really want to catch? Or maybe an ability that seems tricky to handle?"
"Well, I’m not sure."
"Do you even want to do it?"
Arte narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
As expected, I still couldn’t get used to that look.
Her eyes were beautiful... but there was something unsettling about them.
What could I even say? They sent a chill down my spine.
Even I, who had seen them before, was startled at times—so it was no surprise others reacted the same.
Whenever Arte revealed those crimson eyes to other students, they’d all flinch.
In that sense, I guess I was lucky.
I was used to it, so I only jumped a little, whereas others couldn’t even bring themselves to look at her.
Maybe it was like a treasure buried in mud?
"...What is it this time? You’re just staring again."
"Ah, sorry."
Her eyes certainly weren’t bright or cheerful.
But that was precisely what made them so inexplicably captivating.
I ended up staring for too long without answering, and now she seemed a little annoyed.
I needed to come up with an excuse.
"Well, I just don’t think we need to pick something specific."
"...?"
"We can take it easy, right?"
Arte probably thought I didn’t know, but I was aware she was a member of Arachne’s organization.
Since we were on the same team, there was no need to overcomplicate things.
We could just take down a few visible targets and call it a day.
Considering she had already wiped out all the Weaver Men, it was only natural that I wasn’t particularly interested in the exam.
And, to be a little honest, I thought I was stronger than most other students.
Unless some massive Dark Horse showed up, that was.
Top ranks were practically guaranteed.
"...Well, I suppose that’s true."
"Right? We don’t need to overthink it."
After I said that, Arte seemed to accept it. The way she awkwardly smiled was kind of cute.
But why was she being so methodical about this?
She could probably just stroll into a back alley, grab a drink, and come back with a villain’s head without breaking a sweat.
Arachne was undeniably a powerful organization, no matter how I thought about it.
Academy infiltration, database hacking, beast attacks—
They were behind countless incidents.
I wasn’t sure about Arte’s exact rank, but she had to be high up.
Judging from the conversations she had with someone she called “Author-nim,” Arachne’s intelligence network was extensive.
Amelia and I were like field agents and desk workers, communicating through some method.
Arte, the field agent, and “Author-nim,” the desk worker.
Author-nim gathered information, and Arte carried out missions based on that intel.
That was why I was fine with following her lead.
...But why was she asking me?
On top of that, she seemed unusually motivated.
Couldn’t she just go about her usual routine and casually rack up points?
"Don’t you think you can catch a lot of villains even without trying that hard?"
"No."
"Huh?"
"That’s exactly why we should aim to be the overwhelming number one!"
Arte pounced on the words he’d let slip, as if she were desperate to hunt villains.
Wasn’t Arachne a group that hated villains?
They were known for brutally killing villains, earning the cheers of citizens who’d suffered at their hands, though their reputation among Heroes was more divided.
Some understood, while others thought it was too cruel.
Heroes had seen the atrocities villains committed, after all.
Everyone acknowledged there might be tragic reasons behind their actions.
But the way they killed to stop villains was what split opinions.
"···"
His chest tightened.
Arte was a member of Arachne.
Which meant she had her own reasons too.
What kind of past could make her harbor such hatred for villains?
The thought that his friend might have a dark history weighed on Siwoo.
And it strengthened his resolve.
He wanted to create a society where she didn’t have to hunt villains anymore.
His childhood dream of becoming a Hero—once just a vague, naive aspiration—now felt more concrete, more structured.
If even one fewer person got hurt by villains...
If no one else, like Arte, had to endure pain and walk down the wrong path...
"···I was thinking of doing it. Do you agree?"
"Uh, w-what?! Yeah. Sure."
"Great!"
Siwoo panicked.
What had Arte just said?
Lost in thought, he’d missed her words and absentmindedly agreed.
It shouldn’t have been a big deal...
···Fine. Even if Arte got a little mad, it couldn’t be helped.
It was his fault for not paying attention. He’d have to swallow his pride and ask what she’d been talking about...
"Then I’ll see you at your house tomorrow morning, Siwoo! Don’t worry about it!"
"···Huh?"
"Get some rest tonight!"
Arte stood up.
···Wait, no. Hold on.
Wait, wait—house? Whose? ...Mine?
Why?
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
She’d definitely said something to him. If she specifically wanted to meet at his place, there had to be a reason.
And since she’d said it outright, it probably wasn’t anything shady.
She was publicly just an ordinary student, so maybe he was overcomplicating it.
But why his house?
He knew Arte often lurked around his neighborhood.
Finding her hiding spots had practically become a daily game of spot-the-difference, so of course he’d noticed.
She’d gotten better at hiding, but ironically, that just made her easier to find.
His tracking Ability had improved too.
···No, that wasn’t the point!
What possible reason could Arte have for coming to his house?
Think, Siwoo. Think. Use your brain.
···I have no idea!
"Arte···?"
"Huh?"
Arte gave a slight, expectant smile, as if to say, *Go on.*
…She’s pretty.
"Guess you don’t have anything to say. Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning!"
"…Oh no!"
Damn it.
I got distracted.
That damn seductive smile made me blank out for a second, and by the time I came to my senses, Arte was already gone.
No way… Did Arte *plan* this too?
…Nah, that’s impossible. I’m just an idiot.
"Ugh…"
This is bad. *Really* bad.
As Yu Siwoo walked home, he muttered to himself.
…Why the hell is Arte coming to *my* house?
No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t think of a single reason.
Even after he got home, the answer still eluded him. So Siwoo made a decision.
He wouldn’t let a single flaw show.
He hadn’t thought his place was *that* messy before…
But as he absentmindedly scanned the room, the dust practically screamed at him.
If Arte came over like this…
*“Wow, it’s filthy… Oh, it’s nothing!”*
"No, no, no!"
His mind snapped back to reality.
This wouldn’t do.
He could figure out *why* Arte was coming later. That ship had already sailed—there was no fixing it now.
So first, he’d clean the house.
After flipping the place upside down and finally getting it to a state that even Siwoo could call "presentable," his expression darkened even further.
The cleaning was done, but it was because of something he’d found *while* cleaning.
"This is still here…"
In front of Siwoo, a black spool of thread radiated an undeniable presence.
The thread he’d somehow ended up with last time… Arte’s thread.
He’d meant to throw it away but had completely forgotten.
What would Arte say if she saw this?
Would she notice? And if she did… how would she react?
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine a good outcome.
And honestly, he couldn’t blame her.
A guy bringing home thread made from a girl’s *underwear*? Even *he* thought that was messed up.
The problem was that *he* was that guy.
"…"
Fine. He’d throw it away.
Arte wouldn’t like it if she saw it.
Siwoo reached for the spool, which had been hidden in a corner of the room.
"…So soft."
And then he proceeded to fondle it for a while.
It wasn’t until some time had passed, as he indulged in the texture, that he realized what he was doing.
This was undeniable pervert behavior.
If Arte had seen him, she’d have given him a look of pure contempt.
But… he couldn’t help it.
Ever since he’d passed out and woken up, his abilities had felt stronger. Maybe that was why.
Whether it was a side effect or a benefit, he wasn’t sure…
But his intuition had sharpened, and with it, all his other senses had become more sensitive.
His senses had always been keener than most, and now they were even more so.
That was the only reason—he’d just been absentmindedly enjoying the soft texture. There was no deeper meaning. *Really.*
Siwoo scratched his nose when it started to itch, then froze.
…It still smells good.