Just Because I Have Narrow Eyes Doesn’t Make Me a Villain! - Chapter 52

“…Sigh.”

“Is there a problem? We keep winning! You’re much stronger than I expected!”

Dorothy’s excited voice rang out.

The gloomy attitude from earlier, saying they were doomed, was nowhere to be seen. After a few battles, her mood seemed to have improved.

“I wondered why you were so confident, but there was a reason for it all!”

“…”

“…What is it? You’ve had that look for a while. We’re winning, but it makes me anxious. Is something wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Sorry.”

He only thought about how he must look after Dorothy’s words.

Their team is advancing and winning, but he’s sighing. Of course she’d be worried. He didn’t think about that.

“…It doesn’t seem like nothing. Tell me quickly.”

“W-well, that’s…”

‘Can I say it?’

Siwoo pondered for a moment.

And concluded that he mustn’t say it.

He realized what Arte’s ability that he’s most wary of is! Her ability is turning her clothes into thread.

So, to definitely beat her, he had to drag it into a drawn-out battle!

But he’s agonizing over whether he should really do it!

… It’s easy to imagine what would happen if he told Dorothy.

He’d be treated like a madman and looked at with eyes of contempt.

Anything but that. He couldn’t handle that.

He’d die socially. His heart couldn’t take it.

“…Sorry. I can’t say.”

“Okay. If you don’t want to say, it can’t be helped. Tell me later if you feel like it.”

“Yeah. Got it.”

He said that, but he had no intention of ever telling her.

If it was Amelia, he could have said it comfortably.

‘She definitely wouldn’t look at me like trash!’

No. Maybe she’d get more excited and say let’s drag it out as long as possible to strip Arte naked.

But Amelia is with her right now.

His partner now is Dorothy. Would a fellow girl agree to strip another to win?

Siwoo thought there was no way.

If he were with Amelia, he wouldn’t even have to worry about this.

…And suddenly, Siwoo realized he was becoming more like Amelia.

Before hanging out with her, there’s no way he would have agonized over such thoughts.

He would have tried to fight fair and square in a short, decisive match.

I guess it’s true that if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.*

At some point, Siwoo’s thinking started to resemble Amelia’s.

“…Why are you suddenly grabbing your head?”

“No, well… I realized you should choose your friends well.”

“You’re a strange one. Why are you saying something so obvious now?”

Yeah, it’s obvious.

You should choose your friends well. Something he always heard.

Siwoo was confident he wouldn’t be influenced even if they did bad things.

If they go down a bad path, he can be a good friend and influence them instead, right? That’s what he thought.

But ink spreads slowly.

He only realized that after being colored by his ‘friend.’

There’s not much left until the fight with Arte.

He had to think about what to do.

***

“Amelia.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know Dorothy’s ability?”

“Nope.”

“…What?”

I asked, thinking she’d definitely know.

…What the?

“You fought her once before, didn’t you?”

“That’s true, but she didn’t use her ability then. I don’t really know.”

“…Hmm.”

It was meaningless to ask the Author, too.

She prioritizes the novel’s entertainment, so if I prepare, she thinks it’ll be less fun and refuses to tell me.

Well, I could roughly guess her intent.

An academy where the protagonist has to shine. Moreover, in a tournament, isn’t it only normal he wins?

I didn’t bother arguing with her since it seemed unnecessary.

I agree with her opinion, too.

Should I fight moderately and then lose to him?

[I’m excited! What kind of battles await? It’s been a while since you directly fought the protagonist!]

The Author spoke in an excited voice.

Meeting Siwoo didn’t take as long as I thought.

I thought we’d only meet in the finals.

I didn’t expect to face him in the round of 32. Either Siwoo or I had to fight in the loser’s bracket during class tomorrow.

“Our match will be starting soon. Shall we go?”

“Yeah. Since it turned out this way, let’s try to win. I’ll put him in his place.”

The problem was this. I wanted to lose moderately, but Amelia was too fired up.

How can I lose in a way that doesn’t make her suspicious?

“Arte Iris, Yu Siwoo, Dorothy Gale, Amelia Lindberg! Come up! It’s your turn!”

“Ah, it’s starting.”

“Let’s go, Arte! Our goal is 1st place!”

…Hmm, I don’t know.

Is there a way to lose this?

Maybe Siwoo will suddenly awaken.

I hope so.

***

“…Ready, begin!”

Bang!

Teacher Claire fired a gun to signal the start of the fight.

“Amelia, you’re not moving?”

“No need to move. It’s more convenient for you to make them come to us.”

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

Siwoo let out a small sigh.

He waited, thinking it would become clear if he saw directly, but he forgot they knew his ability, too.

Seems they’re reluctant to engage first since it’s an ability that excels at counterattacks.

‘…Alright, then, there’s no choice. I’ll have to check myself.’

He peeked at Arte.

Two gloves, a school uniform, a slightly visible leotard, stockings, and a pure white jacket.

The same outfit she usually wears.

“Dorothy, grant me your ‘wisdom.'”

“Okay… Be careful not to vomit again?”

“I won’t. I’m used to it now.”

“It surprised me. Saying you’re dizzy or something. Some people get hurt from it, but it was the first time someone vomited.”

He wondered what would happen.

Siwoo hoped his thoughts were wrong.

“The scarecrow said: I want a brain. The Wizard agreed to grant the wish.**”

When Dorothy’s words ended, I felt an intense headache and a stomach ache that felt like my insides were twisting together.

A sensation as if the world was distorting.

A feeling so surreal it was enough to think this world doesn’t actually exist.

Dorothy’s ability, Wizard…An ability that strengthens others.

His eyes and ears hurt from the ability that forcibly maximizes them.

Practice with Dorothy was always like this. His is also Intuition maximized to the point other senses become dull, making it hard to move.

An ability that strengthens only the designated aspect, not the body together with the ability.

It was not something one could get used to quickly.

He heard she can strengthen other aspects, but this is all he got used to in a week.

If a user had fire-breathing ability, their firepower would be maximized to the point that they would be burned by their own flames.

In Siwoo’s case, it’s sensory maximization.

Intuition became sickeningly strong.

“…Te-, …ck? Th-…, we…fi-…o…”

I close my eyes and ears.

Normal people can’t fight in that state. They wouldn’t be able to see or hear anything.

But not Siwoo.

He closed his ears but could still hear the sound of Amelia clicking her tongue in dismay.

He closed his eyes but could still see Arte watching him with interest.

He couldn’t help but sense…The wind of Amelia’s spear thrusting at him.

“?!”

“…Caught you.”

He had no sensation in his hands, but he could feel it.

He caught Amelia’s spear.

He heard thin threads crawling across the floor. He swung his sword and cut them.

And the moment he tried to rip the spear from Amelia’s hands, he felt something.

…What is it?

There was something beside Arte.

It’s not Amelia. She was in front of me.

It wasn’t Teacher Claire, either. He can feel her watching from far away.

…Then, what is this strange presence he feels next to Arte?

While he was flustered by the bizarre presence felt by his maximized Intuition, the world returned to normal.

“Oo-ugh…! Bleh…! Ack…!”

“A-are you okay?! You’re not vomiting, right?!”

“I, I said it was only on the first day…! Do you want me to do it…?!”

“S-sorry. It was just so memorable.”

Huff, whew…

He clutched his throbbing head.

‘M-my head hurts…’

No matter how he thought about it, Dorothy’s ability didn’t suit him.

Strengthening others is good, but his ability is close to being always active, so it’s like he’s constantly using the strengthened ability.

It may be fine for others, but it’s too much of a burden for him.

‘Ugh, it hurts…’

He tried to take out Amelia quickly, but his momentary hesitation from the strange presence beside Arte allowed her to escape.

“Yo-you surprised me…! Wh-what are you!? You caught my spear with your eyes closed!? E-even dad couldn’t catch me!”

“That line is so cliche, Amelia… Are you from the past or something…?”

“Oh, i-is that so? It shows up in classic movies sometimes. I wanted to try saying it once. Hehe~”

While matching Amelia’s silly remarks, Siwoo glanced around Arte for a bit.

… There’s nothing there?

Then what was that presence he felt?

Was it my imagination?

“I let my guard down just now, but not anymore! I’ll deal with you properly!”

“Ack, no! Don’t come after me!”

“You come here! You did that, didn’t you?!”

He had no time to think more about the strange presence he felt.

Because Amelia, who thought Dorothy was the reason Siwoo caught her spear for some reason, was chasing her.

It’ll be disadvantageous if it becomes 2 vs 1.

He had to save Dorothy.

___________________________

Author’s Notes

I don’t have much to say today.

Ruminas, I hope you have a good evening!

Ugh, I’m sleepy

_________________________

Translator’s Corner

*Basically, it means the company around you influences you. If you stay with bad people, you’ll pick their bad habits and actions.

**Reference to the Wizard of Oz. There were three: Giving the scarecrow a brain, the scarecrow receiving the Wizard’s ‘wisdom,’ and most obviously, Wizard.

I wanted to give a quick shoutout to god (kami). How is my discord ping instantly getting a reaction? I was about to get water when I saw someone already putting them.

I already have Author-nim watching me; now I have god. The life of a translator sure is busy.

Also, if the pronouns in this chapter are difficult to understand, put them in the comments. It’s pretty hard to make pronouns clear for four separate people.