[…Is that so?]
[Puh, puhah… To be threatened by a mortal. How pathetic.]
Maybe they didn’t like how I’ve been on a roll lately.
I could hear their mocking voices.
They must be trying to mess with me, using this chance to get under my skin with their shallow provocations.
But I wouldn’t fall for such cheap tricks.
If it were anyone else, maybe I would’ve reacted differently…
But if it’s Yu Siwoo saying it. If it’s the protagonist of this world speaking, then I couldn’t be happier.
"So cool…"
[…She’s being threatened to watch her back, and she’s admiring him? Is she actually insane?]
"Why? I was planning to lose to him eventually anyway."
Other guys probably can’t even imagine losing to someone else because of their damn pride.
At a threat like that, they’d probably go crazy trying to descend right away.
But I threw away my pride a long time ago.
[You really are something else.]
[Well, maybe that’s why he set this up. It *is* pretty entertaining.]
"Right?! Right?!"
Hearing the sudden praise, I got so excited I sought their agreement.
It’s fun. It’s unique.
Every time I hear things like that, it feels like *I’m* the one being praised.
"I never expected the protagonist to care this much about the Reader!"
It seemed their relationship was even better than I’d thought.
I never would’ve guessed Yu Siwoo would suggest sharing a room.
Well, it’s a shame they’re not in the same bed… but time would take care of that, I was sure.
"Am I a genius or what?!"
[Here we go again.]
[You really shouldn’t compliment her.]
I ignored their noisy chatter.
They were just jealous.
They envied and resented the fact that I was the first.
There was no need to pay attention to the likes of them.
After all, I *am* a genius…!
"I was right not to let the Reader talk to him!"
[No, wasn’t it because you were scared she’d get scolded?]
[Yeah, that’s what I thought too. How long has it been since an immortal got bullied by a mortal…?]
They’re extra jealous and envious today.
But I can let my results speak for themselves.
I proudly showed them the scene I was watching.
"Can you still say I was wrong after seeing this?!"
[…]
Seeing Yu Siwoo and the Reader asleep in the same room, the guys fell silent like they’d been struck dumb. I swelled with pride.
Who was responsible for the Reader’s progress with him?
That’s right—me.
If I hadn’t spoken to her, the Reader would’ve been anxious.
That’s why she couldn’t take her eyes off the protagonist, why her obsession grew, right?
And who enjoyed watching that the most?
You guys, that’s who.
"If I’d left things alone, those two might’ve taken *ten years* to make any progress!"
[I wouldn’t go that far, but it definitely would’ve been slower than this.]
[Hmm, yeah… I guess so?]
Some of them were starting to see my point.
Well, of course they would.
When *are* those two actually going to get together?
At this rate, they might die without ever falling in love.
Things had progressed so slowly that those guys were even tossing around ideas like that.
One of them even suggested forcing a change to your reader’s setting—adding a detail where the protagonist gets turned on by his scent.
Tsk tsk. How could they possibly enjoy it that way?
They don’t even understand the story.
Every day, they twist the world to fit their own whims, and they think there’s nothing wrong with that.
"It has to happen naturally. Not by force—on its own. If you set the stage right, the story will flow by itself."
Those jealous, envious fools couldn’t grasp that simple truth.
They just assumed you could slap it together and call it done.
That was the majority opinion, at least—until I showed them otherwise!
Maybe it made sense that they’d never cared about romance before.
What fun is there in forced romance, anyway?
"Yep, I’m a genius!"
[Ugh, I want to kill him. Why does it have to be *that* guy…?]
I decided to ignore their jealousy and envy once again.
There was only one thing I was looking forward to now.
What would happen between you, the reader, and Yu Siwoo in the future.
That was the only thing on my mind.
We were lying in the classroom, leisurely resting.
Other students looked at us with envy, but whatever.
It wasn’t worth worrying about.
It’s not like we had a reputation for being troublemakers who got attacked all the time.
Unlike the old days, when the Academy’s exams involved hunting down villains because public safety was so unstable, things had improved a lot since then.
Now that Academy students were helping maintain order—something that used to be the sole responsibility of the Association’s superhumans—how much easier had life become?
According to our investigator, the Association was even considering officially introducing an internship system.
They must’ve been impressed with the students’ capabilities.
And that wasn’t all.
Arachne had started operating again.
"Those guys have been going out on a regular basis lately."
"Well, there aren’t enough villains left…"
With Arachne resuming their activities, the Academy students—inexperienced but still superhuman forces—and the Association, which had always worked to maintain order, all three organizations were now aggressively hunting down villains.
It was only natural that the number of villains had dwindled.
As a result, the students had given up on villain hunting long ago and turned their attention to community service instead.
The Academy was obviously aware of this, but…
They didn’t seem particularly inclined to change it.
After all, while villain eradication was important, the Academy’s true purpose was to restore its crumbling authority, even if only a little.
"I got some snacks on my way here today."
"I got chocolate. Lately, I keep feeling like I’m receiving things out of nowhere… Do you know why that is?"
"The public’s perception of Academy students has improved a lot recently."
"Huh?"
Up until now, Academy students hadn’t received much attention from citizens.
After all, the real heroes were the ones out there making a difference, while students were still in the learning phase.
People naturally paid less attention to those who weren’t in the spotlight.
But over the past month or so, interest in the students had surged.
There was only one reason for that: the students’ active involvement.
"We’ve been running around catching villains, helping rebuild shops after that incident, aiding in disaster recovery, and even demonstrating our abilities at local events. Positive exposure has skyrocketed all of a sudden."
"...Ah."
They hunted villains to collect points.
First, it improved the citizens’ perception of them, but that wasn’t the end of it.
Helping repair the damaged shops around the Academy also earned points.
For the students, it was just a way to get good grades, but it ended up winning the citizens’ favor.
"They thought it would be a one-time thing, but the response was so good that they’re planning to do it regularly now."
But did that mean the students gained nothing?
No, that wasn’t the case either.
They’d done it to earn their own points—selfish motives, sure—but in the end, they *had* helped.
Naturally, the students received gratitude from those they’d assisted, and that seemed to give them a sense of accomplishment.
Apparently, the students’ voluntary practice time had increased significantly lately.
Our investigator-nim had been smiling in satisfaction. Though, if I had to guess, she might’ve been a little annoyed too.
*Why didn’t we do this sooner?* That kind of thing.
"Seems like a positive feedback loop has formed."
Yu Siwoo smiled faintly, as if he found it pleasant as well.
It made sense that someone with his protagonist-like personality could relax like this in class.
Well, the students were working hard.
And no major incidents had broken out.
The students helped citizens to earn points.
The citizens thanked them, gave them little gifts, praised them.
Hearing gratitude and praise for the first time in their lives made the students feel good, so they worked even harder.
The Association figured that after such positive experiences, the likelihood of them becoming villains would decrease.
They’d seen the humiliation that came with being a villain. And they’d seen the adoration and rewards that came with being a hero.
They’d experienced both firsthand.
"Oh, yeah... that’s good."
"...What’s with that half-hearted tone?"
I’d answered their question, so why this reaction?
Amelia and Dorothy’s responses left me a little confused.
"No, it’s just... haven’t you two been sticking together a lot lately?"
"Yeah, like how Arte was about to answer, but then Yu Siwoo jumped in..."
Is there something going on?
Dorothy’s innocent question left me at a loss for words.
Because there *was* something going on.
"...Uh, it’s nothing! Haha, right?"
"Y-Yes, that’s right. It’s nothing."
Yu Siwoo and I forced awkward laughs, trying to change the subject.
But how were we supposed to explain that we were living together?
There was a reason, but we couldn’t exactly tell them.
If we did, they’d probably just find it even weirder.
"...Fine, whatever. Let’s just go with that."
"Go with what?"
"Nothing, Dorothy. Just leave them be. If they’re happy, what’s the problem?"
"..."
At Amelia’s amused expression, Yu Siwoo and I realized the truth.
We didn’t know how she’d figured it out, but she already knew.
That we were living together.
She’d probably just asked to confirm.
"...Are you two being careful with birth control?"
"We’re not doing that?!"
Was Amelia *serious* right now?!