“…I want to die.”

I’ve been saying this a lot these days.

It’s not a good thing to say out loud so often, and it’s not that I really want to die, but…

Even if it’s a bit of an exaggeration, I felt like I couldn’t endure if I didn’t say things like this.

Just what have I done?

My head started hurting at the sight before my eyes.

“It’s okay. It happens.”

“…Please, don’t raise your head.”

“Ah… Sorry.”

Siwoo, who had been looking down, raised his head to comfort me but quickly lowered it again at my request.

“…Ugh.”

My face, reddened with embarrassment, showed no signs of improving.

I just cursed inwardly, afraid that making another scene would only increase the work.

Because the result of rolling around while hugging the not yet fully dried blanket was right in front of my eyes.

The floor was slippery due to the moisture, and the white blanket that had been washed not long ago was once again dirty, covered in dust.

And finally, what should be called the most important reason my face is red.

…My clothes are damp from the water.

Just yesterday, I would have walked around confidently asking what the problem with this is.

But now, I was trying my best to somehow cover the exposed parts with both hands.

Did Siwoo see? …He probably did, right?

The shame of having shown an embarrassing sight triggered shame. How ironic.

If Siwoo just raised his head, he would be faced with my crop top, which was soaked through, revealing everything inside.

This is driving me crazy. My flushed face shows no sign of cooling down.

If someone looked at my face right now, wouldn’t it be the color of a bright red persimmon?

After calming down a bit, this atmosphere was hard to endure.

The silence that naturally followed felt like it was reprimanding me.

Just what should I say to escape this awkward atmosphere?

While I was pondering for a while, my cell phone started ringing.

The caller was… Ha-Yul.

I quickly answered the call.

“Hello.”

– Arte. It’s me. I have an urgent matter to discuss. Can I see you for a moment?

“…Yes. What a coincidence.”

Perfect timing, Ha-Yul.

I unconsciously smiled at his beautiful timing.

Good. I found a way to escape this awkward atmosphere.

“Um, ahem. I’m sorry, but something urgent came up. I’ll be back in a bi–”

“I’ll go too.”

“Huh, huh? No, it’s some–”

“That’s related to Arachne, right? It’s dangerous. I want to hear it too.”

“No, well…”

How did he hear? We are quite far apart.

That thought soon changed to the realization that I had made a mistake.

I don’t know why, but Siwoo’s senses are sharper than others.

It’s probably due to the influence of his Intuition.

Lost in the thought of escaping this situation, I unconsciously answered the call too close to him.

Without considering that Siwoo would be able to hear it from a distance.

And if Siwoo hears this news, there’s no way he’ll stay still.

Siwoo, it might sound a bit strange to say this, but…

He seems to cherish me a lot.

…I felt a bit embarrassed realizing I had such a conceited thought.

Anyway, this has nothing to do with Siwoo so I should refuse…

[I strongly object! A secret organization is a secret organization! The secret only we know, outsiders can’t…!]

“Alright. I don’t mind.”

[Reader-nim?!]

Ah, oops.

Hearing the voice, I unconsciously acted the opposite.

… It’ll be fine. Siwoo is showing his affection like that too.

[Reader-nim, are you upset…?]

As if I’d be upset.

I’m not the type to get upset, so there was no need to get angry over something like that.

Even if I heard that he deliberately didn’t talk to me so I wouldn’t get angry and waited until my anger subsided, I wasn’t upset at all.

[Reader-nim, please say something. I was wrong…]

So this isn’t being angry.

It’s just because it’s what Siwoo wants.

Since most of it has already been revealed anyway, I thought it wasn’t a big deal, even if a bit more gets revealed.

That’s why I thought it would be okay even if Siwoo heard.

Absolutely, definitely.

It’s not that I’m taking petty revenge to make you experience the feeling of anxiety I had when you didn’t talk to me.

No, it’s not.

“Thanks, Arte. For trusting me.”

“… It’s nothing much.”

See?

I even got Siwoo’s thanks and increased trust. How nice.

The Author is definitely a ditz. I don’t need to listen to what she says.

[Re, reader-nim…! I’m sorry!]

Lightly ignoring her words, I decided to go into the room Siwoo lent me to change clothes.

I can’t meet Ha-Yul looking like this, after all.

***

“…Teacher?”

“Hello, Siwoo. I’ll intrude for a bi…”

“Were you also part of Arachne?”

“Pardon?”

Ah.

Come to think of it, Siwoo would have thought Ha-Yul was just a former investigator who came as a teacher. I didn’t consider that.

Looking at me, Ha-Yul had a clearly flustered expression anyone could see.

He soon realized that was an answer and tried to calm down somehow…

But it was too late.

Realizing that fact, Ha-Yul sighed.

“…How did you know?”

“Arte said an Arachne member was coming.”

“…? Huh?”

“I thought it would be necessary.”

Arachne is a secret organization. Moreover, the matter we’re about to discuss is important.

You called it an urgent matter, but there’s an outsider present.

It wouldn’t be strange for Ha-Yul to object.

But I didn’t think he would object, and that expectation wasn’t wrong.

He sighed softly and handed me a paper with something written on it.

“…If it’s Arte’s judgment, it should be fine. Here, it’s an official document from the Association. This is why I came to see you today.”

An official document from the Association?

I looked at the paper upon hearing her words.

… It’s too bubbly to be an official document.

Aren’t these usually printed?

When I asked that question, a refreshing answer came back.

“I wrote it.”

“…Ah, yes.”

He has a cold impression, so I thought his handwriting would be stiff, too.

His handwriting is cuter than I expected.

Thinking that, I read through the document.

“…What is this.”

“What is it?”

“It would be faster if you read it yourself.”

Unable to explain it, I handed it to Siwoo, telling him to read it.

Did the Author do something again?

It had a strange story that didn’t align with the common sense I had learned after coming here.

“…A villain who can communicate with monsters annihilated a pioneer unit under the Association?”

Communicating with monsters.

There’s no way that’s possible. At least based on the common sense I learned here.

“Thank you, Ha-Yul. I want to think for a bit. Could you give us the room?”

“…Understood.”

After Ha-Yul nodded and left the room.

I immediately spoke to the air.

Ha-Yul aside, Siwoo already knows most of it anyway.

There was no reason to hide it from Siwoo, either.

“Did you do this, Author-nim?”

[Gasp, finally! Are you not upset anymore?!]

“Never mind that. Answer the question.”

The Author had roughly shoved in a setting before.

What was it? If you entered the academy, there should be a scene of taking a test in a dungeon.

With that kind of logic, she forcibly added a setting that mana actually appeared about 500 years ago.

Around 500 years ago, the world naturally changed from a world like a raid novel with hunters and dungeons rampant to the current world.

That’s why the world naturally changed too.

Humans and monsters can’t communicate with each other.

Monsters from dungeons.

They instinctively harbor hostility towards humans. So forget about conversation, there’s no way they can bond.

That’s the common sense here. That’s the setting of this world.

Or so it should be.

[No. I didn’t touch anything.]

“…No way.”

[It’s true… I haven’t even thought about the content for the final exam yet…]

However, the Author denied crafting it.

While she was a fool, she wasn’t a liar.

Then, could it be that the story progressed in a way even she didn’t expect?

[This looks interesting, so it might be fine too!]

“Hah…”

I was convinced by the Author’s innocent voice.

She really doesn’t know anything.

It seems something happened as the changed world flowed on its own.

She doesn’t handle every event in the world, so things like this happen too.

“That Author… did it?”

“No. It’s not her.”

“…”

I shook my head at Siwoo, who was looking at me seriously.

This isn’t an incident the Author created.

But she often acts on her own whims and has a childish side.

So, if it looks interesting, she’ll try to make it the main story.

[But it looks fun! A villain who communicates with monsters, a threatened world…!]

See?

I have a rough idea of how she’ll tell the story.

Well, how about living on the front lines for a few months instead of the final exam? She’ll say something like that.

[The front lines! It’s time to try something new, having fallen into filler these days! Leave the academy and throw yourself into the battlefield!]

… There’s nothing unexpected.

I held my forehead, feeling like I could see the hardships ahead.