"Now, line up in a single row. Before we begin the measurements..."
Ms. Claire’s voice rang out.
She explained the precautions for mana measurement, the behaviors to avoid, and the general guidelines.
Her voice was so dull and monotonous that the students’ attention began to wander.
"Hey, who do you think will score the highest?"
"What kind of question is that? Obviously those guys."
"Ah, the ones who killed the magical beasts?"
"Yep."
Twitch.
Yu Siwoo’s ears perked up.
Of course they would—it was about him, after all.
And it was an incredibly interesting topic at that.
Who was the strongest.
"No way, two Level 3 magical beasts invaded, and they actually took them both down?"
"I know, right? And get this—they each took one down solo. Damn, that’s talent."
Ugh, hmm...
Yu Siwoo did his best to lower his head and cover his mouth.
He was torn between the thrill of the flattering praise and the embarrassment of hearing himself discussed in public.
It was a contradictory mix of not wanting to hear it, yet still wanting to listen.
"But even if those two are strong, don’t you think that girl is even stronger?"
"Oh, you mean that suspicious-looking one?"
Flinch.
Yu Siwoo’s high spirits instantly deflated.
He had a pretty good idea who they were talking about.
If it was a suspicious-looking girl who might be stronger than him, there was only one possibility.
Honestly, he didn’t think he could beat her.
Then—
That look she’d given him right before she forfeited out of nowhere.
The amused smile, like she’d found a fun new toy.
The attack he’d barely managed to dodge with all his strength? To her, it was probably just a casual feint.
He could see it in her relaxed demeanor.
And yet, that woman was showing him an inexplicable interest...
What the hell was he supposed to do about that?
Before he knew it, his good mood had vanished, and a gloomy Yu Siwoo let out a sigh.
"Aren’t you Yu Siwoo?"
"...Huh? Yeah, that’s me."
At the sound of an unfamiliar high-pitched voice calling his name, Yu Siwoo turned his head.
"You’re..."
"Amelia. Just call me Amelia."
"Oh, uh, nice to meet you."
So she was in the same class.
He remembered her well—the girl who had demolished her opponents with incredible speed during the sparring matches.
But why was she talking to him?
They’d never exchanged a single word before.
"So, uh... about you..."
Amelia kept hesitating, as if struggling to get the words out.
What on earth was she trying to say?
Yu Siwoo steeled himself to wait patiently. Finally, she took a deep breath and blurted out,
"Arte Isis—what’s your relationship with her?"
"...Arte? Why her?"
The fleeting pink fantasy in Yu Siwoo’s mind evaporated in an instant.
For a second—just a second—he’d wondered if spring had finally come for him too.
But no. It was still the dead of winter, with icy winds howling.
"...I see, so you don’t know. Good, at least you’re not working with her. Should I even be relieved about that?"
"W-What’s going on?"
First she asked about his connection to that suspicious woman, then acted relieved when he seemed clueless.
He had no idea what she was talking about.
"She seems interested in you, so I’ll tell you this: there’s a terrifying conspiracy lurking in this Academy...!"
"I’d like to hear the details."
Yu Siwoo’s expression turned serious in an instant.
An Academy conspiracy?
He hadn’t heard the full story yet, so he couldn’t make sense of it.
One thing was certain: this was another incident involving Arte.
And Amelia had information about her. He didn’t know exactly what, but—
An opportunity to learn about her, from someone whose thoughts he could never quite decipher, had come knocking at his door.
"Next, Yu Siwoo! Your turn!"
"…It’s hard to talk about this now. Let’s meet at lunchtime."
"Fine. I’ll be waiting at the park bench."
As he stood up and walked toward the measuring device, he received encouragement from Teacher Claire.
"Yu Siwoo. Relax. You’ll get great results."
"Yes. Thank you for your concern."
She must have mistaken his stiff expression for nerves.
When he placed his hand on the measuring device, gasps of admiration filled the air.
Incredible mana capacity, extraordinary talent, and so on.
But he couldn’t bring himself to feel happy like before.
His mind was entirely on Arte.
Everyone else had been watching with detached interest—until he stepped onto the platform. Then he saw her, smiling faintly at him.
"That’s all I’ve heard."
"W-What? There’s a secret room inside the Academy?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
Oops.
At Amelia’s warning, he quickly clamped his mouth shut and cautiously scanned their surroundings.
He must have raised his voice without realizing it.
…Fortunately, no one seemed to be watching.
He and Amelia both let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew, you scared me… I get how you feel, but you have to be quiet. What if someone’s listening?"
"Sorry. I was just shocked."
"Well, if everything you said is true, it *is* shocking. Suspected of being behind the Beast Incident…"
"It’s not confirmed yet."
"You heard her muttering to herself *before* the incident even happened, right?"
That was true.
Yu Siwoo’s heart grew heavy.
It felt like the Academy he respected had been breached with ease.
"Honestly, I find it hard to believe what you told me."
"Same here."
He struggled to believe Amelia, and Amelia struggled to believe him.
But neither of them denied it.
There was an inexplicable certainty—*of course she would do that*.
They simply cross-referenced each other’s accounts.
"Alright, let’s summarize. She somehow triggered the Beast Incident and hacked the Academy’s database in the blink of an eye. Right?"
"Yeah."
"And she was surveilling your house. The target is presumably an artifact in that secret room inside the Academy. …That’s about it."
"Should we tell a teacher…?"
"Do you think they’d believe you? You said she hacked the database *instantly*. Want to get labeled a lunatic and go from Academy student to psychiatric patient? Be my guest."
Fair point.
Without evidence, no teacher would take them seriously.
She might look suspicious, but she was still a student.
There was a real chance they’d be accused of slandering her out of jealousy and end up backfiring on themselves.
"Hmm…"
After exchanging information, they each fell into their own thoughts.
Amelia seemed to be wondering what they, as Academy students, could even do in the face of such a massive conspiracy.
But Yu Siwoo’s thoughts were different.
*Why only me…?*
She had coincidentally discovered Arte’s suspicious behavior, but me?
Of course, my first suspicion had been a coincidence too.
But after that, it was Arte who had approached *me*.
It was unfair.
Everyone else was making friends and enjoying their school life normally.
And yet, from the moment I entered the Academy, I’d been dragged into some grand conspiracy in places no one else ever went.
"Alright, I’ve decided."
"Decided what?"
"I’m going to become her friend."
"…What?"
Amelia’s bold declaration left me momentarily confused. Become friends? With Arte Isis?
"By status, she’s a student at the Academy. She attends classes regularly, and on the surface, she seems like an ordinary student."
"Yeah, but… *friends*?"
"Not just any friend. The kind of friend who’s always together at the Academy. That’s my goal."
Suddenly deciding to befriend Arte out of nowhere…
…Don’t tell me.
"You… want to live alone, so…?"
"What are you talking about? Obviously, it’s to keep an eye on her."
Ah.
For a second, I’d entertained a ridiculous thought, and now I was embarrassed by my own stupidity.
Right, of course.
She was the type who radiated a sense of justice. There was no way she’d defect just to live alone.
"That contact you mentioned. The one she called ‘Author-nim’?"
"Yeah. That’s what she called him."
"I’ve heard about that ‘Author-nim’ too. …There has to be some way she’s communicating with him. Let’s steal it."
"How?"
"I don’t know yet. That’s why I need to get as close to her as possible and find an opportunity. It’ll be easier for me, as a fellow woman, than it would be for you."
So that’s why she wanted to be friends.
If they became the kind of friends who were inseparable at the Academy, Arte would have a harder time contacting ‘Author-nim’.
We’d be able to track her movements more easily.
If we could create an opening and somehow seize that means of communication with ‘Author-nim’…
"We might be able to lure the teacher out."
"Exactly. And once we have evidence, it’ll be solid. Conveniently, the next period is club selection time, so if I sign up for the same club as her…"
"What are you two talking about?"
Amelia and I froze instantly at the voice that suddenly appeared, along with a head popping into view.
Black hair.
A smiling face.
But despite the expression, those crimson eyes seemed to pierce right through us.
Arte. It was her.
"Hah, haha… How much did you hear…?"
"Hmm? I just got here. I didn’t hear anything?"
"Ah, right. …We were just discussing which club to join. Amelia here and I happened to see eye to eye. …Right?"
"W-what?! Y-yeah! That’s right! We got a little too into it and lost track of our surroundings. Hah, haha…"
Did she really not hear anything?
Phew… We’re saved…
[Hmm, why are they sweating so much? Is it hot?]
Beats me.
I had the same question as Author-nim, but since I hadn’t heard their conversation, I couldn’t answer.
[Wow, as expected of the protagonist! Already alone with the heroine doing who-knows-what?! Kyaa!]
Yeah, whatever.
They were probably just talking about clubs. That’s what *they* said, anyway.
Honestly, some people’s imaginations run wild.
It hadn’t even been that long since we’d met, so how could we possibly be in a relationship? That didn’t make any sense.
I was starting to wonder what was going on inside Author-nim’s head.