"Alright, line up in a single row. Before we begin the measurements..."
Teacher Claire's voice rang out across the room.
She started with precautions for the magic power measurement, then went over the rules of what not to do—covering all the basics.
Her droning, sleep-inducing tone scattered the students' attention in every direction.
"Hey, who do you think's gonna score the highest?"
"What kind of question is that? Obviously those guys."
"Oh, the ones who took down those monsters?"
"Yeah."
*Twitch.*
Yoo Siu's ears perked up.
And for good reason—it was about him.
An incredibly intriguing topic, too.
Who was stronger.
"I mean, two Grade 3 Monsters broke in, and they took them both down."
"Right? And get this—they each handled one on their own. Man, talent's a hell of a thing."
*Ahem...*
Yoo Siu ducked his head as low as he could and clamped a hand over his mouth.
The praise was embarrassing enough to make his spirits soar, but hearing it talked about in public like this filled him with shame.
The two feelings mixed into something he didn't want to hear... but still couldn't stop listening to anyway.
"Those two are strong, sure, but don't you think that girl might be even stronger?"
"Oh, the sketchy-looking one."
*Flinch.*
Yoo Siu's elation plummeted in an instant.
He had a pretty good idea who they meant.
The only girl who looked suspicious and seemed stronger than him.
Honestly, he couldn't imagine beating her.
That moment right before she'd abruptly forfeited.
That gleam in her eyes, like she'd found an amusing new toy.
The attack he'd dodged with everything he had? To her, it had probably just been a casual probe.
He could tell from how relaxed she was.
For a girl like that to take some inexplicable interest in him...
What the hell was he supposed to do?
The good mood vanished, leaving Yoo Siu sighing in gloom.
"You're Yoo Siu, right?"
"...Yeah? And?"
A high-pitched voice he'd never heard before called out to him. Yoo Siu turned.
"You're..."
"Amelia. Call me Amelia."
"Uh, sure. Nice to meet you."
One of his classmates.
A girl whose brutal speed in their sparring match had left an impression.
Why was she suddenly interested in him?
They'd never even talked before.
"Hey, um... you..."
Amelia hesitated, starting and stopping.
What was she trying to say?
Finally, she took a deep breath, steeling herself.
"What's your deal with Arte Isis?"
"...Arte? Why her?"
Pink-tinted fantasies flickered briefly in Yoo Siu's mind before crumbling away.
For a split second, he'd wondered if spring had finally come for him.
But no—it was still the dead of a biting winter.
"...I see. You really don't know. Good, you're not working with her. Though is that actually good?"
"W-What's going on?"
She asks about his connection to that suspicious girl, then seems relieved he's clueless.
He had no idea what she was talking about.
"She seems interested in you, so I'll let you know. There's a terrifying conspiracy lurking in this Academy...!"
"I'd appreciate the details."
Yoo Siu's expression turned deadly serious.
A conspiracy at the Academy?
He had no clue what she meant yet.
One thing was clear: it involved Arte somehow.
And Amelia had info on her—whatever it was.
A chance to learn about that inscrutable girl had walked right up to him.
"Next up, Yoo Siu! You're on!"
"...Can't talk more now. Lunchtime?"
"Perfect. I'll be waiting on the park bench."
As he stood and headed to the measurement device, Teacher Claire offered some encouragement.
"Yoo Siu, relax. You'll do great."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
She must've thought his stiff face meant he was nervous.
The moment he placed his hand on the device, gasps of admiration rippled through the crowd.
Incredible magic power! What talent!
But he couldn't revel in it like before.
Not with all his focus on Arte.
The others barely glanced his way...
Until she flashed him a beaming smile from the stage.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"That's all I heard."
"Wait, there's a secret room inside the Academy?"
"Shh! Keep it down!"
Oh no.
Yoo Siu snapped his mouth shut at Amelia's warning and glanced around quietly.
He'd gotten carried away and raised his voice.
...Luckily, no one's watching.
He and Amelia both let out sighs of relief.
"Whew, you scared me... I get you're excited, but quiet down. What if someone's spying?"
"Sorry. Just too shocked."
"Fair enough. If everything you said is true, I'd be shocked too. Suspected of being behind the monster incident..."
"It's not confirmed yet."
"But someone heard her muttering to herself about it before it even happened?"
True.
Still, Yoo Siu's heart felt heavy.
The Academy he respected so much—its security cracked like an eggshell.
"Hard to believe what you told me, honestly."
"Same here."
He could hardly believe her story, and she felt the same about his.
But neither argued.
Some inexplicable certainty told him it fit her to a tee.
They just cross-checked their testimonies.
"Alright, let's sum it up. She somehow triggered the monster incident and hacked the Academy's database in seconds. Right?"
"Yeah."
"She was staking out your house, too. Target's probably an artifact in that secret room inside the Academy... Something like that."
"And the teachers...?"
"You gonna tell them? She hacked the database in seconds. Think they'll buy it? Go ahead if you wanna get labeled crazy and shipped from Academy student to psych ward patient."
True.
No evidence meant no one would believe them.
Sure, she acted suspicious, but she was a student.
They could just as easily get accused of slandering her out of jealousy.
"Hmm..."
With the info swap done, they both sank into thought.
What could Academy students do against such a massive conspiracy?
That seemed to be her line of thinking, but not Yoo Siu's.
'Why me...?'
She'd stumbled onto Arte's shady behavior by chance.
But him?
Sure, his first suspicion had been accidental.
After that, though, Arte had approached him.
It felt so unfair.
Everyone else making friends, enjoying school life.
And here he was, dragged into monster plots and conspiracies in out-of-the-way spots right after enrolling.
"Alright, I've decided."
"On what?"
"I'm gonna befriend her."
"...What?"
Amelia's bold declaration caught him off guard.
Befriend her? Arte Isis?
"She's a student here on paper. She attends classes regularly and looks normal on the surface."
"Sure, but friends?"
"Not just any friends. The kind who're always together around the Academy. That's my goal."
Suddenly deciding to buddy up with Arte.
...No way.
"You just wanna live on your own...?"
"What? No, it's to keep tabs on her."
Oh.
He felt a flush of shame for the weird thought.
Right, of course.
She radiated a sense of justice. No way she'd go over just to freeload.
"That contact you mentioned. 'Writer-nim,' right?"
"Yeah. That's what she called her."
"I've heard about this 'Writer-nim' too... There has to be some way she's communicating. We steal it."
"How?"
"No idea yet. So I get close to her and figure it out. It'll be easier for me, same gender, than a guy like you."
So that's why friends.
If they were the inseparable type around the Academy, she'd have a hard time contacting Writer-nim.
He'd track her movements easily.
Catch her off guard and snag that communication method?
"Then we could go to the teachers."
"Exactly. With proof. Perfect timing too—club sign-ups start next period. I join hers and..."
"What are you two talking about?"
The head popping up between them froze Yoo Siu and Amelia solid.
Black hair.
A grinning face.
But crimson eyes that pierced right through them, belying the smile.
Arte. It was her.
"H-Haha... How much did you hear...?"
"? I just got here. Didn't hear a thing?"
"R-Right... We were just talking clubs. Teamed up with Amelia here... Right?"
"Huh?! Oh! Yeah! Got a little too fired up and forgot to check around. H-Haha..."
Did she really not hear?
W-We lived...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇⭐ Writer-nim[Hmm, why's she sweating like that? Hot in here?]Who knows.
I shared Writer-nim's exact same question, but I hadn't heard their conversation.
Couldn't give her an answer.
⭐ Writer-nim[Wow, the protagonist! Already alone with a heroine doing who knows what?! Squee!]Doing what?
Probably just chatting about clubs. That's what they said.
Writer-nim and her wild imagination.
They'd barely met—talk about romance already? Ridiculous.
I couldn't help but wonder what went on in Writer-nim's head.
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