⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙Hmm, something feels lacking...
"What are you planning to do now?"
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙Wouldn't it be a shame to just pick a weapon and head home?
A shame, my foot.
"We have plenty of time anyway. The Academy still has three years left..."
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙No! Three years is just an illusion! It's basically a one-year Academy...!
"That's true, but... I don't think we need to rush that much. Materials don't pop up every day."
Writer-nim had a point.
The fate of Academy novels.
By the mid-to-late parts of the story, they leave the Academy...!
And usually, that happens right at the beginning of the second year, after exhausting all the Academy clichés.
As if I'd miss that.
Still, burning through two episodes in one day felt a bit too fast-paced?
...Something smelled off. Suspicious.
Her voice had trembled just a little.
"How many chapters did you write yesterday?"
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙Huh? ...W-Why do you ask that all of a sudden?
"You have stockpiled chapters, right?"
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙...
Bingo.
She must've gone on a reckless posting spree without thinking.
And now that she had, she was probably out of material for tomorrow.
Desperate for content right now, she was scrambling for a quick patch.
"That's pretty shameless... Hmm, what to do?"
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙P-Please, reader-nim. I'm in big trouble. I need material!
"Can't you just look at other people?"
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙Aaah, anything but watching through you, reader-nim! You know that! Please, I beg you!
Writer-nim's problem was always acting without thinking.
I didn't want to help out of spite, but I couldn't actually refuse.
She'd once mentioned that checking other people directly outside my view drained her stamina more than expected.
In the end, if she stopped writing altogether, I'd be the one suffering far more.
What would happen if Writer-nim, who toyed with this novel world at her whim, suddenly let go?
Would the world freeze? ...Ugh, I didn't even want to imagine it.
With a slight sigh, I accepted her request.
"Fine. Just this once."
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙Waaah! As expected of reader-nim! I love you!
"But if you go on another reckless spree next time, you're getting scolded."
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙Yes!
Come to think of it, that brought up a question about her posting sprees.
What did she do when no new material turned up?
Even milking a big incident for a few days wouldn't prevent gaps forever.
No matter how eventful the Academy was, incidents couldn't pop up every single day, right?
When I casually asked, I got a straightforward answer.
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙I go on hiatus?
"...Pardon?"
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙It's irregular posting anyway, so it's fine!
Fine, my ass.
A sudden wave of anxiety hit me.
Memories of amateur webnovels that sputtered out after a chapter or two under irregular posting flickered in my mind.
Oh, no!
"Alright, let's do it. Early Academy plotlines—what was there...?"
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙Sparring and dungeon raids, right?
"Sparring it is?"
Dungeon raids could be saved for later and reused plenty.
But they lost flavor if overused.
Sparring, on the other hand, could fit anywhere.
For a Writer-nim starving for daily material, sparring was perfect.
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙Great! Then let's tweak the schedule right away...
A short time later.
Claire returned to the classroom after ducking into the staff room with a "wait a moment."
"Sorry. I planned to let you out early today, but things have changed. Mind sparing a little time?"
"Huh? You said class was over here!"
"That was the plan, but for some reason, they want me to gauge the students' levels. They said to do some sparring to build camaraderie too."
The students groaned.
Of course they did.
She'd promised an early dismissal for the first class, and now extra time was tacked on.
Not complaining would be weirder.
Claire knew that too, which was why she just smiled wryly.
"Change into your gym uniforms and head to the training grounds. I'll make it quick, so bear with me."
"Yeees..."
The students seemed to realize there was no choice and gave up.
They all filed into the changing rooms to swap clothes.
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙Mm, this is how boobs should be...
"...What are you staring at?"
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙The boobs I made.
Aren't you being too brazen?
I was trying my best not to look at the girls changing around me.
But the attack came from an unexpected angle.
I hadn't even realized I was visible...
With no time to worry about others, I hurriedly changed into my gym uniform.
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙Aah. What a shame. I wanted to see more.
"..."
I had no idea what to say to that.
Maybe because I'd spent so long fumbling to avoid peeking at the girls.
By the time I left the now-empty changing room, everyone else was gone.
"Good, everyone's here. Total of twenty... Alright. Pair up in twos."
Huh?
I looked around in confusion.
Everyone was awkwardly pairing off.
For camaraderie... So that's what she meant.
But I didn't have anyone to pair with?
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙Hehe, there are lots of pairing scenes in Academy novels, so I wanted to try it too!
If Writer-nim were in front of me, I'd grab her head and shake it silly.
It was such a shame I could only hear her voice.
I hurriedly glanced toward Siu, only to see a blonde girl with a spear approaching him.
Oh, no...!
I subtly loosened the thread from my thigh-highs—just in case.
The moment I opened my mouth to say something and took a step forward... Trip her!
Now!
"Kyaa?!"
She tumbled with a loud crash.
As all eyes turned to her, I quickly walked over to him.
"Um, if you don't mind, could we pair up?"
"...Me?"
Please, please, please...!
Nothing's more awkward than pairing with a stranger.
Come to think of it, I'd heard guys melt for a girl's coy charm.
...Not that I'd ever tried, so who knows if it's true.
This wasn't my intention at all, but.
Aside from my suspicious slit eyes, I was a pretty girl too.
Dark black hair with a slight wave, falling to my chest.
Breasts leaning toward the busty side between huge and average.
Captivating red eyes and a charming smile.
If this guy was a guy, wouldn't he fall for a beauty like me closing her eyes tight and acting cute?
Getting close to Siu was inevitable anyway.
Grab Siu by any means vs. Awkward time with a stranger?
The former, hands down!
Alright, time to swallow my pride and give it a shot.
"Wouldn't you pair up with me?"
⚙ WRITER-NIM ⚙Whoa, she's hitting on him...
Shut up, Writer-nim.
I leaned in a bit and flashed an eye smile!
How's this...!
And for the finishing touch, a cute head tilt!
Irresistible! You want to spar with me, right?! Huh?!
...What? Why no reaction?
"That's weird..."
"I-I'll do it! Yes!"
Hmm...?
I thought maybe he was the type uninterested in girls and my attempt flopped.
But suddenly, he accepted in a panic.
What was that about.
Not that I minded—no awkwardness for me.
"Then, please take care of me."
One last service.
I gave him a bright smile.
Pretty, right?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Kyaa?!"
One of the students approaching me suddenly rolled across the ground.
The loud thud made me reflexively turn, and there she was—Arte Isis—standing before me.
"Um, if you don't mind, could we pair up?"
"...Me?"
I didn't think so, but I glanced behind me anyway.
Clinging to the hope it wasn't me.
"Yes. Hehe, it's embarrassing, but I don't have anyone I'm close to yet."
If you don't have friends, go make some!
I wanted to say that, but Siu lacked the guts.
Because the dagger in her hand was nagging at him.
Bored, he kept tossing it into the air and catching it...
But to Siu, who saw her as suspicious, it was chilling.
"Wouldn't you pair up with me?"
Should I accept?
Had Siu's brain ever worked this hard?
Countless simulations raced through his mind.
...Then, Arte brought her face closer.
Looking up with a head tilt.
To a stranger, it might look like cute aegyo from a pretty girl.
But I wouldn't fall for it.
She clearly had some agenda approaching me.
Proof? Look.
Through those eye-smiling slits, her piercing gaze peeked out.
Those eyes that seemed to see right through me.
Alright, reject her here...
"That's weird..."
The moment he decided to refuse.
The smile vanished from her face, and her dagger gleamed in the sunlight.
Seeing that expression wiped every simulation from Siu's mind.
"I-I'll do it! Yes!"
Before he knew it, Siu was blurting it out desperately.
As if refusing would mean he'd never wake up from a nap again.
"Then, please take care of me."
Her beaming smile looked like a demon's grin.
As if saying he couldn't escape.
Siu thought to himself.
Sleep was off the table for a while.