“…So?”

“Yes?”

“I’m curious why you’re following me like this.”

I stopped walking and turned around.

The blonde heroine was following at a distance. Her name was probably…Amelia?

Her slender figure stood out, elongated like that of a fencer.

For some reason, I felt a sense of defeat.

It seemed like she was even taller than I was when I was a guy.

…No, it’s not that I was short.

She’s just tall!

“Because I want to be friends.”

“…Friends? You and me?”

“Yes, yes. Is that not possible?”

Friends, huh?

It hasn’t been long since I enrolled here.

 If a classmate I haven’t even spoken to tries to become friends, what should I do?

“Okay!”

“Really?”

What do I do?

Why am I even asking? I should accept!

[Reader, you’re making friends…! And even a heroine candidate! Unbelievable.]

The Author’s astonished voice could be heard.

Be even more amazed!

This is a monumental day for me to make a friend!

Ha, of course, I wasn’t a complete loner with no friends back where I used to live.

But I was worried about having no friends at this academy.

Then, a heroine candidate directly asked me to be friends!

I’m delighted.

“Yes, of course. I don’t reject those who approach me.”

“Then, can I…speak casually?”

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

“Oh, okay.”

Beaming.

Glowing.

Those may be the only words to describe the look on my face right now.

“Arte, have you considered any clubs you want to join?”

“Clubs, you mean?”

“Yeah. Since we’re, y’know, friends. I’m a bit curious.”

…Hmm. Amelia seems a bit stiff.

Is she tense? Why?

Could it be…?

“Amelia, you don’t need to be tense.”

“Huh?!”

“It’s only natural to be tense when first talking to a friend.”

That’s right, it’s always tense when you first talk to a friend.

But over time, it’ll dissipate as if it never happened.

So, I should help Amelia relax and loosen up.

What was the tip I read before…?

I think I saw online that taking deep breaths can help relieve tension.

“Now, breathe in…”

“Hah, haaah…”

“And out.”

“H, huuuuu~”

…It looks more like she’s hyperventilating than relaxing!

She doesn’t seem less tense at all!

I guess the internet really is garbage.

I thought it sounded plausible, but it’s completely unhelpful.

“I can’t help it. Since you seem too tense, let’s continue this conversation another time.”

Has Amelia never made friends before?

Her looks do have a bit of a refined lady vibe to them…

I should ask the Author about it later.

“W-what club will you join…”

“Haha, you’re more stubborn than I thought.”

Just as I was about to leave Amelia on a park bench, her words stopped me in my tracks.

Even when she’s in that state, she’s asking about what club I want to join.

It really seems like Amelia wants to become friends with me!

But what should I say?

I haven’t actually thought about joining any clubs.

I have no choice but to tell the truth here.

“It’ll depend on what club Yu Siwoo decides to join.”

“What, what?! Wait, tell me more…”

“Then be sure not to be late for class!”

Since she was tense from being around me, she’ll probably feel better soon enough.

After judging that enough distance had opened up between us, I asked the Author something I was curious about.

“Author.”

[Yes?]

“Did Amelia not have any friends?”

[I don’t know. Her backstory hasn’t been settled yet.]

“…Huh?”

What are they talking about?

 If they don’t know, then who does…?

Baffled by her nonsensical answer, as I was expressing my bewilderment, the Author seemed to realize something and asked me a question.

[Ah, could it be that you thought I created all the characters myself?]

“… Did you not?”

[Not at all, actually?]

I was starting to become confused.

From the Author’s behavior until now, I assumed they had created all the characters herself.

…But that’s not the case?

[Hmm, how do I explain this? …Ah! Do you know Schrodinger’s…what was it again?]

“Schrodinger’s cat, you mean?”

[Yes, that.]

The example the Author brought up was a story almost everyone has heard at least once.

Schrodinger’s cat.

In the thought experiment, a cat in a box is both alive and dead until someone opens it and observes its state.

But what does that have to do with this situation?

[Hmm, I assume you know the basic premise, so I’ll skip that part…The most important part of that thought experiment is the observer.]

“The observer…”

[Without an observer, the cat’s state inside the box cannot be determined. It will remain in superposition indefinitely.]

“And how is that related to you not knowing Amelia’s past?”

[I’m not as all-knowing as you might think.  If I was perfect, I wouldn’t need to send you in–I could just write the novel from Yu Siwoo’s perspective, you see?]

“…Ah.”

That’s right.

The Author’s novel progresses from Yu Siwoo’s perspective.

But the Author can’t even read his mind, let alone know what actions he’ll take, which is why they instructed me to stalk him.

 If they were an omniscient god, they would know his thoughts without needing to do that.

[Amelia’s past is currently unobserved.]

“So her past is basically blank…”

[Exactly. I’m just putting an empty box I can fill however I want.]

Ridiculous.

I was so dumbfounded I was at a loss for words.

[However, I can’t change what’s already been observed. That’s why I’m not all-powerful.]

“Ah, that’s why you can’t change my abilities…”

[Hehe, you got me… It’s because I already set them that way.]

So from the start, it wasn’t that they wouldn’t change them, but that they couldn’t?

Was all that petulant refusal just because it was already determined?

Damn.

[Amelia’s past hasn’t been observed yet. That’s why I don’t know.]

“…And once it’s set, it can never be changed?”

[Right. I can change small details, but the major plot threads are…difficult.]

I see, I understand the gist now.

The Author may not be a creator god, but they have abilities almost on that level of incredulity.

[It’s easy to create something new but hard to erase what already exists. Understanding it that way might be easier.]

“But then, who is the observer?”

[Why, you are! I told you, it’s hard for me without viewing things from your perspective.]

“But…I didn’t know that?”

[Because I didn’t tell you, obviously.]

‘You crazy Author, how can you assign such an important role without any explanation?!’

…Is what I wanted to shout, but I forcefully held it in.

[So, should we say Amelia was a social outcast?]

“No, let’s say she had several friends but never any she was truly close with and wanted to make a real friend someday.”

[Got it, understood~]

Ah, wait a minute.

Without realizing it, I ended up expressing my desire to become close friends with Amelia.

Sorry, Amelia…!

[Okay, Reader. Since you seem to get the gist, let’s move on to clubs…What kind of club would be good?]

The Author’s question snapped me back to my senses.

That’s right, they just said it’s hard to change things once they’re set.

All I need to do is be a true friend to her.

To do that, I had to decide on a club first.

“How about an exploration club or something?”

[Exploration?]

“Yes. Since the plot will progress towards finding a secret room, an exploration-type club would tie into that easily, don’t you think?”

[Hmm, not a bad idea. An exploration club, then?]

“It would probably be easy to get permission to go outside, too. Doesn’t that sound good?”

[Okay!]

…Come to think of it, a sudden question occurred to me.

I sort of understand the Author’s abilities now.

But that’s exactly why I became curious.

“Author.”

[Yes?]

“What happens if there’s a setting inconsistency?”

That’s right, a setting inconsistency.

As a human, setting inconsistencies are inevitable.

Surely if an inconsistency happens, it doesn’t mean the world will be destroyed or anything…right?

[Well, I don’t think anything good would happen. But don’t worry about it.]

“Can you complete the novel without any setting inconsistencies?”

[No? I just said it’s hard to go against established settings, but it’s not impossible.]

“Ah.”

[It would be quite difficult, but… I could force things if I had to.]

I see.

I imagined some catastrophic world-ending scenario for a moment, but thankfully, that’s not the case.

With that last question, I was hoping for a more reassuring answer that setting inconsistencies wouldn’t happen…

[And that’s why you’re here.  If an inconsistency arises, you’ll need to resolve it for me, okay?]

“…Yes, I understand.”

Three things I realized from this conversation with the Author:

First, my ability and me randomly turning into a girl. It’s already been set that way. Dammit.

Second, because of me, Amelia will have many shallow friendships but no truly close friends she can open up to.

Third, I’ll have to clean up the Author’s shit.

The first and third points were a bit unsettling.

Translator’s Corner

Just in case the third point was unclear, it means she’ll have to fix the problems made by the Author. However, it also referred to treating the author like a baby in a previous chapter, so I worded it like that.

For the fencer part, ideally, you want to be tall and fit—tall for longer arm reach and slender for a smaller profile. However, both of these are not huge factors, as technique is the most important, and there have been successful fencers of all ages, sizes, genders, some other varying factors, and whatnot.

-Ruminas