“What are you doing here?”
“Well… I’m just a passerby. You know that’s a crime, right?”

Siwoo’s nonsensical words echoed through the alley.
Stunned by the sudden turn of events, I stared blankly at Siwoo, forgetting to subdue the two thugs.
What is he doing here?
What’s going on?

[As expected of the protagonist…! That spirit of not tolerating injustice! So cool!]

No, that’s not what’s important right now, Author.
Why is he here when he should be at school by now?
It would take several hours just to get here.
Moreover, this is a place where it’s easy to get lost if you aren’t a local.
I knew that well, as I had gotten disoriented after walking absentmindedly for a while.

“I know, so get lost. We’re busy right now.”
“Hmm… What should I do…? Oh, what should I do for you to let that person go? Holding a knife like this is dangerous, you know.”
“Do you want to die?! Get lost right now!”
“Whoa, don’t swing that around. I told you, it’s dangerous.”
“If it’s not dangerous, there’s no reason to swing it, you stupid bastard! If you don’t want to die, get lost!”

Siwoo tried to persuade the thugs somehow, but the thugs got angry at his tone several times.
Siwoo shook his head as if he had given up.

“… Didn’t I say something just now? I warned you. I told you it’s dangerous.”
“Stop talking nonsense and get lost right now! If you don’t want to see this woman die…!”
“The one who’s dying is you, you worthless piece of trash.”
“Wh-What?! When did you…?!”
Clang.

The handle and blade of the dagger that had cut my neck were separated.
I smiled at the thug, who was staring blankly at the now useless piece of trash in his hand.

“What should I do with you?”
“Hii-Hiik…?! R-Run…!”
“Oh my. Stay right there. If you don’t want to see this guy die.”

He tried to take me as hostage earlier.
I’ll show him what a real hostage situation is like.
When I showed him his colleague, who was tied up tightly with thread and was floating next to me, the guy immediately reacted.
…He started running away without even looking back.
What’s with that guy?

“Mmph, mmph! Mmmmph!”
“Haaaa… They really don’t have the slightest bit of camaraderie.”

This isn’t a hostage situation if he runs away.
I shook my head at the fleeing thug.
It’s meaningless to go there anyway.

“AAAARGH! My-My shoulder…! My shoulder…!!!”
“Oh dear, you were lucky. If you had taken one more step, you wouldn’t have been able to use your arm.”
“Sp-Spare… Spare me…!”
“Yes, I’ll spare you.”

I tied up the thug who tried to run away. Unlike his colleague, he could move and speak.
However, I meticulously tied some thread around his fingers and toes.
Hmm, how can I convey my thoughts properly?
…Ah. This will do.

CRACK!

I pulled out a thread from my stocking and instantly shattered a stone lying on the road.
Only then, as if he understood the situation, the thug, who had only been thinking of running away, turned pale.

“Now, the thread tied around your body is the same thread. What do you think will happen to your body if it tightens like that shattered rock?”
“Hii-Hiii…”
“Speak, speak! You piece of trash…”
“Spa-Spare me…”
“I said I won’t kill you, didn’t I? I have no reason to kill you. …But you better give me a reason why you should return with your limbs intact, friend.”
“Th-That, well…”
“If you can’t give a reason, you’ll unfortunately have to bid farewell to a part of you forever.”

I smiled at the thug, who finally started cooperating.
This is a REAL hostage situation.
Yes, if you don’t want to say goodbye to that body, you’ll have to spit out any decent information you’ve got.

After talking to the thugs for a while, I eventually let them go with all their limbs intact.

“Hey, Arte…?”
“…Oh.”

I was in big trouble.
I felt like my mind was going completely blank.
No matter how careless I was, I was angry that I had been slightly scratched by these guys, so I did it without thinking.
That shouldn’t have happened.
I committed it even though I knew Siwoo was around.
Wh-What should I do? Should I try smiling for now?
I spoke to him with a slight smile. It was an awkward smile.

“You saw something unsightly, Siwoo.”
“Mm-hmm. Yeah. That’s why I told you.”
“…?”
“I told you it’s dangerous, but you didn’t listen when I said it…”

What?
He wasn’t concerned for my safety but for theirs?

I was a little touched for a moment.

“What do you mean? Are you saying it’s dangerous for me?”
“…No, that’s not it. You’re a good person.”

When I complained weakly in a playful tone, expecting him to overlook what he had just seen, a reaction contrary to my expectations popped out.
I thought he would be slightly surprised, but his reaction completely differed from what I had anticipated.
…A good person? Me?

“HAHAHA, you’re quite the joker. Didn’t you see what just happened? I’m a pretty bad person, you know?”
“You weren’t the one who attacked first.”
“…What? Well, that’s true, but.”
“You’re not a bad person.”

I let out a small laugh at Siwoo’s words.
He doesn’t know that I’ve killed many villains.
That’s why he can react like that to me.

“That’s interesting. I wonder how many people could say that after seeing what happened.”
“That person attacked you first. You’re not someone who would harm others without reason.”
“…”

It was absurd.
Even after seeing that…
Even after seeing me threaten someone, he still believes in me.
His reaction remained the same even when I tried to gloss over what just happened.
He trusted me. He believed that I wasn’t that kind of person.

“You know, Siwoo. I’m not as kind as you think I am. You may not know, but I’ve done all sorts of bad things.”
“I know.”
“…What?”
“I know that you’ve been involved in various incidents.”
“Wha-What?”
“I also know that you’re part of Arachne.”
“Wait a minute. Wh-What did you just say…?”
[…Huh? What did I just hear? Huh?]

I was confused.
Huh? What? How?
I wasn’t the only one who was confused.
The Author also blurted out a dumbfounded voice, utterly perplexed.
Both of us were stunned by Siwoo’s words.
…This is bad. This is really bad.
Wh-What should I do?
Kill Siwoo? No, I can’t do that. He’s the protagonist. Moreover, he’s the only person. It’s impossible to kill him.
Knock him out? …No, that won’t work either. How? Siwoo’s ability is intuition. A surprise attack won’t work.
Didn’t I see with my own eyes that he dodged my attack even when I blocked several of his senses?

[Re-Reader-nim… This is really bad, isn’t it…?]
“H-How. How…?”

Siwoo didn’t answer my question.
He just looked at me and said what he wanted to say.

“I know you killed villains.”
“U-Uh… Well, that’s…”
“I also know that you hacked the academy’s database.”
“Wh-What?”
“I know you were involved in the monster incident at the entrance ceremony.”
[This is bad. Hmm, what should we do? Replace the protagonist? No, those guys will definitely make a fuss. But to replace Reader-nim is a bit…]

I could hear the Author muttering, but I couldn’t understand what she was saying.
My mind was solely focused on what Siwoo had said.
Everything has been exposed. How was it exposed?
No, that doesn’t matter anymore at this point.
I plopped down on the ground.

“A-Arte…?”
“What should I do, what should I do, what should I do, what should I do, what should I do…?”

Siwoo had noticed that I was acting strange.
Maybe he had noticed it for a while.
…But how should I handle this situation?
The Author said she can’t make changes to the protagonist.
Moreover, he IS the protagonist. I can’t kill him either.
…Then, what happens if the protagonist discovers that there is an observer?
It’s a rule that the protagonist can’t be changed.
…Then who gets changed?
As my thoughts reached that point, I couldn’t maintain my sanity.

“Au-Author-nim. I’m sorry.”
“Arte?”
“I’ll do better. Okay? I’ve been doing well so far, haven’t I?”

I don’t want to die.
In this unknown place.
Even in a situation where my name was forcibly ripped away and my appearance transformed, I’ve been trying my best.
I-I’ve even killed people.
Not just one or two.
All those countless villains that the Author created unnecessarily… I handled all of them.

I KILLED THEM ALL!!!

“No, please, no, no, no, no, not like this… This can’t be happening…”
“Arte.”
“I-I worked hard. I worked hard. But why, why? From where…!”
“Arte!”
“Hi-Hiii?!”

Swoosh.

Siwoo hugged me.
It took a while for me to notice that fact.

“…Arte. It’s okay.”
“Wh-What…? Wh-What the hell…?”
“Don’t worry, Arte. Everything will be fine. You won’t die. Don’t worry.”

I felt a warm hand stroking my head.

“Don’t worry, Arte. It’s okay. It’s okay…”
“B-bu-b-bu-but…!”

Siwoo doesn’t know anything.
He doesn’t know the truth of this world, nor the fact that he’s the protagonist.
He doesn’t know that the world changes its appearance back and forth according to the hand of god.
He doesn’t know that this world is like a castle made of clay.

That’s why his consolation doesn’t help at all.
He shouldn’t know all that. That’s how it should be. That’s how it should be, but,

…Why do I feel so at ease?

“It’s okay, Arte. You’ll be fine.”
“B-But how…?”
“I’ll help you, Arte.”

Siwoo made a vow to me.
It’s just like a knight making a vow to a princess.

“I’ll help you so you won’t commit any more bad deeds. I’ll help you so that you won’t be in danger.”
“…”
“So, don’t cry, Arte.”

I had no choice but to stay in his arms for a long time.
Because I couldn’t muster the courage to break free from his embrace.
Because it felt like the moment I left his arms, my existence would be erased from the world.

“Hic, hic… Hey, Siwoo! Where did you go?! Where did you go, leaving me behind?!”
“…Ah. Amelia. I forgot.”

I came to my senses when Amelia’s annoyed voice echoed through the alley.

Author’s Notes

I can’t take it anymore.
I need to progress my love life.