“Hey, Arte.”

“Yes?”

“Wanna hang out with me?”

…What is he talking about now?

He should be saying this to Amelia. Why is he telling me this?

Taken aback, a negative reaction slipped out of my mouth.

“Umm, we have final exams coming up soon.”

“I know. But you’ve been through a dangerous incident, right? I thought it might be nice for us to go out somewhere together…Amelia agreed to come along, too.”

“Ah, I see.”

[A thrilling harem event! This is great too!]

What, so that’s what it was. So the three of us going together?

They probably wanted to go on a date alone but were too shy, so they’re trying to bring me along.

No wonder Amelia has been hanging out more with Siwoo than I have lately. Looks like she’s solidifying her position as the heroine.

I half-listened to the Author’s absurd description of a “harem” and considered the novel’s development.

…It seems alright to take a short break.

The protagonist hasn’t had a chance to rest to his heart’s content so far, and resting occasionally may not be so bad.

[Amusement park! Aquarium! And, and…!]

The Author also started thinking of this and that on her own.

Ultimately, the Author will likely urge me to participate, and there’s no point in refusing here anyway.

“Sounds good.”

“…What?! Is that okay?”

“Inviting me and then being so surprised when I accept…Are you trying to hurt my feelings? Don’t tell me you thought it was only to be polite?”

“Oh n, no! I was just surprised…”

His reaction was unexpected, slightly irking me, so I teased Siwoo.

There’s no way the protagonist would behave like that, so it’s probably genuine goodwill.

I’m not sure if he’s considerate of me or if I’m just an extra to Amelia, but just inviting me shows his thoughtfulness.

…He didn’t just say it for that, right? Please tell me that’s the case.

“Where are we going?”

“The amusement park…How about it? This weekend.”

“Aha, that sounds fun. Great!”

Can superhumans even enjoy amusement parks?

That thought briefly crossed my mind, but I decided to put my worries aside.

Well, he must have a reason for suggesting we go out.

[Amusement park…! Sounds fun. I bet there will be lots of thrilling episodes.]

The Author seemed to think the amusement park itself wouldn’t be fun, but the episodes that would unfold there would be.

An amusement park, huh. I don’t think I’ve been to one apart from when I was little. It’ll be fun going after a long time.

“Then send me the details by message!”

“Sure.”

Siwoo, who had looked flustered, returned to his original seat as if he had finished his business.

Then he conversed with Amelia and soon got smacked on the back by her.

…?

“Oh, it’s nothing. Arte.”

“Okay…”

Amelia noticed me watching, waving her hand as if to say it was alright.

…Is it really nothing?

She seemed to hit him at full force…

Why is she suddenly doing that? There’s no reason for Siwoo to get hit by Amelia…

“Ah, that must be it.”

It seems Amelia had already made plans to hang out with Siwoo. Still, he unnecessarily dragged me into it, so she got mad.

It’s nice to hang out as friends, too, but it was probably a chance for them to get closer to each other.

…Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to go.

I should have just declined and secretly observed from the shadows. I’m starting to regret it a bit.

I looked at Siwoo with sympathy, who was soon put in an armlock by Amelia and suffering.

He lacks awareness, so he has it tough.

But it’s the protagonist’s fate.

***

“Ugh, seriously. I can’t take this.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“Why did you bring me up there! I told you two to go, just the two of you!”

“…”

Amelia dumped a bunch of complaints on Siwoo.

Well, yeah.

He indeed messed up. He unintentionally brought Amelia into it in his nervousness.

Originally, the plan was for just him and Arte to go, but he ended up unintentionally involving Amelia.

‘But still, she’s not in a position to complain.’

Siwoo couldn’t hold back the words spilling out of his mouth.

“…Seems like you have no conscience, Amelia.”

“Wha-What?! What did I do!”

“No, if you don’t know, then never mind.”

He said that, but Amelia seemed inwardly embarrassed too.

Her face turned bright red as she unnecessarily raised her voice.

‘That’s right, you should be embarrassed.’

Arte hasn’t even arrived yet, but who looked around excitedly with sparkling eyes, saying the amusement park is amazing?

She even bought a weird heart-shaped headband from somewhere, and it’s plain as day how excited she is.

“Th-That’s…! I-I’ve never been to a place like this! It can’t be helped!”

“Eh~, I see.”

“Ugh, so annoying…”

“…Oh dear, am I a little late?”

While seizing the rare opportunity to tease Amelia and vent his pent-up frustration,

The voice of the person they were waiting for was heard, and Amelia hurriedly turned her head in that direction.

“No, no! You’re not late! Come on…over. Oh my gosh. Arte, you’re so pretty.”

“…You think so? I’m not really sure. Someone I know picked it out for me.”

“It’s super pretty!… Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up and compliment her!”

Poke, poke.

Amelia whispered while subtly poking Siwoo’s back where Arte couldn’t see.

Only then did he come to his senses and open his mouth…But what should he say?

After hesitating, the line that came out was one that even he thought lacked sincerity.

“…You look pretty. Arte. I almost didn’t recognize–Ack.”

Amelia strongly jabbed his back.

He didn’t need to ask why this time.

It was a bit lacking to be called a compliment. Fortunately, Arte didn’t seem to mind.

“Thank you. It seems you two have been enjoying yourselves already, so what should we do first?”

“Hmm, how about that? They say it’s a ride made just for superhumans, and it’s so fast you have to wrap yourself in mana just to withstand it!”

“…Wow, is that thing really a ride?”

“Apparently, there are cases where ordinary people try to go on it to experience it, and accidents happen…Well, we’re superhumans, so it doesn’t matter to us! Let’s go!”

It’s Arte’s casual clothes. I was surprised.

She always wore a pure white hoodie over her school uniform.

I naturally assumed she would be wearing something like that today too.

She is wearing jeans that go down to her ankles and a black short-sleeved T-shirt. A leotard peeks out slightly at the neckline.

Except for wearing a leotard under her clothes, it’s ordinary clothing… They’re ordinary clothes, but maybe because of her usual image,

She looked vibrant,

Like a girl her age.

Not the villain, Arachne’s Arte Iris, whose thoughts are a mystery,

But the student, Arte Iris, who came to the amusement park to have fun with friends.

“What are you doing, Siwoo! Aren’t you coming?!”

“… Aren’t you just too excited?”

“Ugh…Yes, fine! I want to ride it! Hurry up and come!”

Geez.

Amelia seemed to have forgotten her original purpose after saying it herself.

Didn’t she want to back out when Arte wouldn’t notice

Where did that Amelia go? She’s the most excited one.

“I’m coming, I’m coming. Don’t be too excited, Amelia.”

“Wh-Who’s excited? I’m not!”

“Ahaha. It’s alright to take it slow. We have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves.”

He knew it.

It’s not the usual Arte.

The vibe was somehow different.

***

“… It’s less fun than I expected. It’s too slow, Siwoo. Don’t you think?”

“Th-This is slow…?”

“No, I mean, if I run at full speed, I can reach this level of speed.”

Siwoo and I were simultaneously shocked.

She could reach this speed on foot? Is she crazy?

Even Siwoo and I had a hard time staying conscious in the end.

If the Author hadn’t penalized Amelia’s abilities, she might have been the world’s strongest.

It seems like most enemies would be one-hit kills just from her lightly touching them in passing.

She mentioned before that her father, a current A-rank hero, couldn’t catch her, and I’m realizing to my bones that it was the truth.

How are you supposed to catch a kid like this?

“Hmmm…What should we ride next…”

While Amelia was lost in thought and Siwoo was grasping his dizzy mind, I casually straightened my clothes.

Hmm, is it because this is the first time I’ve changed into this body and worn casual clothes?

It feels so awkward. I’ve always only worn my school uniform.

“Ah, let’s try that next. It’s called a haunted house. They say there’s a course for ordinary people and one for superhumans.”

“A superhuman course?”

“Yeah. It’s written in the pamphlet. Apparently, there used to be a dungeon with undead-type monsters appearing hundreds of years ago, so they maintained that dungeon.”

“So it’s not a haunted house, but real ghosts are coming out…”

“The course for ordinary people isn’t like that, though? Since we’re superhumans, real ghosts will probably come out!”

It’s an ordinary short-sleeved tee and jeans I often wore, even as a guy.

The clothes Lyla and Spira recommended I wear.

They’re plain as can be, avoiding femininity as much as possible.

But why does it bother me so much…? I usually don’t think much about my clothes, even wearing a skirt.

It’s bothering me a bit today of all days.

“Arte, what do you think? Do you dislike ghosts?”

“…Ah. No, it’s fine. Ghosts and such don’t exist. Those things are just monsters.”

“Aha. So that’s the type you are?”

Well of course.

Ghosts don’t exist.

This world is the Author’s model garden. Her puppet show.

Ghosts form when people die. There’s no way there would be ghosts here.

I glanced at Amelia while absentmindedly fiddling with my clothes, which no longer bothered me.

“Hmm, but usually haunted houses are a place couples go to. Wouldn’t three people be a bit iffy?”

“…Ah.”

Amelia looked startled, as if she had completely forgotten.

What, she forgot…?

You were in the middle of a date with Siwoo.

How can you forget something like that?

I thought this might happen based on Amelia’s usual personality, but this is still unbelievable.

If you’re the heroine, pay attention to the protagonist. What are you doing?

______________________________________________________

Author’s Notes

I got a message from the PD!

Hmm, I need to submit the cover production proposal by August 3rd.

I think I’ll make Arte’s cover!

Many more people will want to see Arte rather than Siwoo or Amelia.

I’ll think carefully about what kind of Arte would be good.