"You're up."
"Y-Yes... I'm sorry..."
"No, it's fine. Let's get you checked in first."
Arte, her face flushed red, pretended she hadn’t heard a thing and got up primly.
But such an act wouldn’t fool Yu Siwoo.
Arte seemed to have forgotten, but my Ability is intuition.
...Whether it’s *real* intuition or not is debatable, but whatever.
I already knew she’d been awake.
That’s why I didn’t stop Amelia and Dorothy from talking to her.
*We can help you. We’re your friends.*
As if Arte would ever accept that.
I figured it was a natural chance for them to share their thoughts with her, so I didn’t mention she was awake.
...Though it didn’t exactly go as planned.
Her face was red with embarrassment, but she didn’t seem to trust us any more than before.
She just treated Amelia and Dorothy the same as always.
Well, it’s fine. I didn’t expect it to work in one try.
The fact that Arte hadn’t been erased by that author meant he still needed her.
There was still time.
Arte only considered me and herself as human.
I didn’t know why, but it was clear I was special to her.
So maybe there was still a chance.
I decided to help her accept the others as human too.
...But first, one thing.
I’d been trying to ignore it, but I couldn’t anymore.
This was something I had to bring up.
"Arte. Could you step back a little?"
"...Why?"
"Why? Well..."
Because you’re pressed right up against me, and it’s hot.
No, it wasn’t just the heat.
She was clinging so close it was like a child hiding behind their parents, and all the students were staring.
"Were those two always like that?"
"They’ve been sticking together lately... so I guess it was inevitable."
Fine, let’s ignore the stares for now.
I’d gotten used to Amelia and Dorothy’s antics, so a little attention didn’t bother me.
But there were some things you just couldn’t get used to, no matter how often they happened.
"I *am* a guy, you know..."
"? Yes, I know you’re a man."
"No, you clearly don’t."
If she *did* know I was a man, would she really be this close?
Arte’s suffocating proximity had me sweating bullets—not from the heat.
It *was* still warm out, but that wasn’t the reason.
Her soft skin.
The scent of her body.
The way she fidgeted restlessly, as if afraid I’d pull away.
It was all too much for me.
"Hey, Arte. Poor Yu Siwoo can’t take this, so let’s put some distance between you two. Okay?"
"Yes, exactly. People are watching. Right?"
"...Fine."
Whether Amelia pitied me or just cared about appearances, she separated us.
Arte didn’t look happy about it.
She kept fidgeting with her fingers, like something was bothering her.
No matter how I thought about it, this wasn’t like her. Arte was acting completely out of character.
Suddenly staying up all night, clinging to me like this...
She looked like a dog suffering from separation anxiety.
...Don’t tell me.
"Arte. I need to use the bathroom for a—"
"···"
"Arte?"
"G-Go ahead. I’ll wait here..."
"···Alright. I’ll be right back."
I left Arte standing frozen in front of the women’s restroom and entered the men’s.
I half-expected her to chase me in here, but she didn’t.
Guess she had some restraint.
"Huuu..."
Annoyance surged, so I splashed my face with cold water from the sink.
Arte had been acting strange all day, but now I realized it might be worse than I thought.
"...Anxiety. Is she anxious when I’m out of her sight?"
I don’t know much about human psychology. I never studied it formally.
But I could tell Arte was uneasy.
Why? What’s the reason?
I’m not sure. Maybe it’s related to that author.
That was the only thing that had changed in her life overnight.
I lifted my head and looked in the mirror.
A man’s face, scowling as if irritation was boiling over, stared back at me.
...This won’t do.
I promised to help Arte.
If I’m wearing a worried expression, she’ll only feel worse.
"...Alright."
Arte’s emotionally struggling.
Then as her friend, I need to support her.
Yu Siwoo resolved himself once more.
He would make sure Arte could smile happily again.
"···"
Arte tapped her foot impatiently, wondering when Siwoo would come out.
When is he coming out? Now? It’s about time, right? Why isn’t he out yet?
"Arte, what’s wrong all of a sudden? Just wait a little longer. It hasn’t even been that long."
"I know."
"···Hmm."
I know.
Right now, I’m not in a normal state. I’m the one who knows that best.
No matter how I look at it, this isn’t normal.
Anyone would struggle to call me fine right now.
Yeah, I know that.
"When is he coming out... When is he coming out..."
But knowing didn’t solve anything.
I’m anxious. So anxious. So, so anxious.
Why isn’t he coming out?
Why is it taking so long?
Terrible possibilities swirled in my mind.
Did a new villain appear?
Or did his ability suddenly break, leaving him panicked?
Or... is the inside of the bathroom a portal to another world?
I know it’s ridiculous.
Probably, even if I don’t do anything, he’ll walk out perfectly fine if I just wait a little longer.
But I can’t stand the anxiety.
No matter how I think about it, I can’t shake the feeling that something’s happened.
The author hasn’t spoken to me. Not yesterday, not today.
Why?
...Don’t tell me they’re looking for someone to replace me?
Is that why I’m still alive right now?
Just kept around until they find a substitute?
...No. Don’t think like that.
Focus on the protagonist.
Why isn’t he coming out? Why is there no sign of him?
"Ah, there he is."
"···!"
At Amelia’s words, I hastily lifted my head and looked ahead.
Yu Siwoo was approaching us, looking a bit more presentable than before.
"Sorry. Am I late?"
"It’s fine. Let’s go. You said it was a burglar caught in the act?"
"Yeah. Since it’s a first-time offender, the points probably won’t be that high… but it’s better than nothing."
Ah.
I could finally realize it for sure.
My current state wasn’t normal.
The unease I’d felt when Yu Siwoo was out of sight vanished the moment I saw him.
As long as I’m in front of him, I won’t be replaced.
As long as he’s in front of me, he won’t be killed by that mysterious assassin.
We’re just keeping an eye on each other.
"Arte? You okay?"
"…Yes, I’m fine."
I smiled brightly at him as he asked about me.
Yeah, I’m fine.
As long as you’re in front of me.
As long as I’m in front of you.
No matter how reckless the Author is, they can’t change the protagonist.
What if I suddenly disappear from the protagonist’s sight?
Then he’d come looking for me. He’s a good person who values his friends, after all.
If that happens, the Author would be in trouble. The plot would be set in stone.
So I could relax a little.
On the other hand, I had to keep watching the protagonist too.
That way, I could protect him from this world.
The only human besides me. The protagonist of this world. If he died, it’d be a disaster.
If the Author got disappointed and wrecked the world before leaving, that’d be even worse.
"Well, shall we go?"
"Yeah."
Amelia, Dorothy, me, Yu Siwoo.
The four of us had already established ourselves as key figures in the Author’s story.
But Amelia and Dorothy might betray us at any moment.
The only one I could trust was Siwoo. Just him.
"Hey, Yu Siwoo."
"Hm?"
"Uh… how do I put this…"
I saw Amelia calling out to Yu Siwoo, starting a conversation with him.
It bothered me.
Normally, I shouldn’t have felt anything at all.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with me. But I still couldn’t hide my discomfort.
I quickly wedged myself between the two of them and urgently grabbed Yu Siwoo’s sleeve.
"…Arte?"
"Let’s go quickly."
"Huh? Wait, just—"
"Quickly."
Why was I acting like this?
If I kept doing strange things like this, they’d look at me like I was crazy.
Sure enough, all three of them stared at me with bewildered expressions.
But I didn’t regret it.
I could feel my heart settling, little by little.
No matter how I thought about it, it was infuriating.
There are only two humans in this world—you and me.
How can you be so carefree?
Is it because you’re the protagonist?
I grumbled silently in my mind, unable to voice my complaints.
Yu Siwoo’s nonchalant attitude annoyed me.
…Should I kidnap him?
Lock him up in a basement, have Laila and Spira bring him food, order Haryul to guard him 24/7…
The thought suddenly crossed my mind, but I quickly shook my head.
No. Yu Siwoo has to save the world.
Kidnapping him wouldn’t work.
It was a little disappointing.