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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Investigation Begins
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"H-haha. Well, I'm not sure about that."
"Really?"
"Yes. I've never been inside that place."
I vaguely brushed off the protagonist's question.
He gave me a suspicious look.
Is he doubting me? Well, it would make sense if he did.
Me, suddenly disappearing. And a spider drawn in blood at the scene of the massacre.
My ability is to control threads, so it would be strange if he *didn't* suspect me.
Just then.
When we left that hideout, the Author had acted strangely.
I'd rushed her along, just in case she'd start crying again if she saw the protagonist's exploits midway through.
...No way. I can't believe she pulled something like that in the meantime.
What? "Arachne was here"? How am I supposed to fix this...?
Just as I was racking my brain, the protagonist spoke to me.
"Really? Well, I guess it can't be helped then. Do you like cake?"
"Huh? ...Yes, well. I do like it."
"Then let's just get some cake. It's a bit cheap for saving a life, but I'm still a student. Please just accept this for now."
"Y-yes...?"
Huh?
...Why isn't he pressing me? That's strange.
Even if he didn't think I was the culprit, wouldn't he usually assume there was a connection and ask more questions?
While I was still flustered, the cake we ordered arrived.
A fancy slice of cake, piled high with white whipped cream and chocolate.
U-um. It looks delicious, but can I really eat it?
"Here, dig in. You said you liked it, right?"
"Oh, yes... Thank you for the meal...?"
What on earth is going on?
Is Yoo Si-woo really the protagonist, just acting like this is trivial and not caring?
Well, if it's good, it's good.
The protagonist being less sharp than I expected was a minus, but for now, it was actually a good thing. I couldn't think of anything to say anyway.
...Mmm, this is delicious.
As I cut a piece of cake and put it in my mouth, a sweet flavor spread.
Mmm, this place is a hidden gem. I should remember it.
The best thing about being transmigrated here is exactly this: eating all the desserts I want without worrying about what others think.
When I was a guy, I was always too self-conscious about it.
For some reason, I don't gain weight either. It's such a relief to be able to eat as much as I want without any problems.
"Ah, can I order a little more?"
"U-um...? Y-yes. Order as much as you want."
And that day, Yoo Si-woo's wallet was left in tatters.
It was because I had ordered a mountain of cake slices and sweet drinks.
It was a little pitiful to see his eyes tremble as he opened his wallet, but since he brought up the "price of a life" thing, it was clearly payback for that time.
It's okay to eat a little lot, right? Isn't it cheap for the price of a life?
And that night.
In an empty room, I unleashed a torrent of scolding on the Author.
"Why on earth did you do something like that without telling me?"
[Th-that's because. I thought there wouldn't be enough time...]
"Time?! Time?! Are you kidding me right now?"
[But...! It-it was cool! If I just plant a foreshadowing now, I can add a setting later and resolve it! Someone operating in the shadows...! Isn't that cool?!]
"Then you should have at least told me later! What if Yoo Si-woo misunderstands because of this...! What on earth were you thinking when you did something like that?!"
[Th-that's...! I was scared of getting scolded... *Sniffle*...]
Ugh, my head.
She's not a child, yet she hides things because she's scared of being scolded?
My chest started to feel tight.
"Just so you know, you're not sleeping tonight."
[H-heek. Please be gentle...]
"What did you just say?"
[N-nothing at all!]
Haa.
As expected, the Author can't do anything without me.
***
"...Really? It was a success then!"
"S-success...?"
Si-woo couldn't understand Amelia's words at all.
A success? That? Why?
"We talked, we ate delicious food together. If that's not a date, then what is?"
"...I truly don't understand what you're saying."
"If you don't understand, just do as I say!"
Is this right?
No, to begin with, I don't understand the word "successful" itself.
Does it mean she successfully emptied my wallet?
Talking and eating dessert is a date?
Really?
"That's how people get close, naturally. They build affection for each other. ...Though Arte seems to have plenty of affection already."
Amelia had been telling me continuously.
That Arte seemed to love me.
At first, I was completely swayed by Amelia's words, but thinking about it again, there were no signs of it at all.
Could Amelia have been mistaken?
When I brought that up, Amelia sighed.
"What is this naive guy going on about now?" ...That was the kind of look he gave me.
"Listen. Arte has no reason to be interested in you. I told you this last time, right?"
"...Yeah."
The blunt truth struck again.
He's nothing special... though he's been caught up in a lot of recent incidents, there was nothing like that when Arte first became interested in me.
He was just a student with slightly good grades.
He only started getting involved in incidents *after* Arte became interested in him.
"To specifically save you from the Übermensch attack, and comfort you. ...There's really no other way to think about it besides love, you know?"
"B-but... What if it's really not?"
"So what if it's not? Then we'll just find another way. We already have other plans besides that, don't we?"
I had so many things I wanted to refute.
But her confident voice and eloquence left me speechless.
Damn it.
"Oh, and it was good that you let that matter go."
"...You think so too?"
"Yeah. If you dug too deep, it could be dangerous."
Seeing Arte's reaction, I was certain.
That "Arachne" meant Arte.
"'I've never been inside that place'? That's a lie. It must have been something she blurted out in a panic."
"Someone who truly knows nothing wouldn't even bring up such a thing. It would be normal for them not to understand what you're talking about, but saying she's 'never been inside' it? That choice of words itself revealed that she knew exactly what 'that place' was."
She seemed too flustered to notice, though.
"But it's a little strange. If she was going to panic like that, why did she carve something like that?"
"...Hmm. Maybe she didn't draw it herself?"
"...You mean it could be the 'Author's' doing?"
"Just a guess."
"Haa. So we still don't know anything. ...One plan won't be enough anymore. We need to start moving too."
She proudly pulled something out of her patient gown.
Something that looked luxurious. ...What is that?
"I begged Dad for this. It was really hard to make up excuses when he asked what I'd use it for."
"So, what is it?"
"A magic detector. The quality is completely different from the one I got from that senior. This is one Dad used himself, you know."
"…!"
A magic detector, that's it.
The item we used to find the Chameleon Beastman.
It had many flaws and could only be used to find the culprit, but with this...!
"There's no guarantee we'll find it, but we can try."
"The secret room."
"Right. Well, it'll take some time. So we'll be running two projects simultaneously."
She held up two fingers.
"Seduce Arte, and find the secret room before Arte does. Ultimately, the final goal is to stop Arte. Success in either one is enough."
"...Okay."
Our idea that Arte was behind all the incidents.
Whether it was nonsensical babble or a shocking truth.
Time would tell.
***
"Results?"
"There are no villains matching the conditions. Nothing was detected in the blood either."
"Haa..."
Inside the quiet mountain lodge.
In a place where several burly men were bustling about, a beautiful woman with long blue hair was receiving a report.
"What do you think?"
"Well. It's a headache. Is it an Übermensch traitor?"
"That's a possibility, and it could also be the work of another criminal organization. Nothing is confirmed yet."
She sighed and cursed, then pulled a cigarette from her pocket and lit it.
As if understanding her feelings, her subordinate smiled bitterly and continued.
"Among the types of criminals who flaunt their crimes like this, there's no villain in our data capable of something like this. Perhaps it's a new one."
"Why would someone this strong do villainous things? They could just hunt magical beasts and be praised and live comfortably for life."
"Indeed. The mindset of villains is hard to understand."
Her face crumpled as she recalled the villain's lair, which still seemed to reek of blood.
I shouldn't have remembered that. It just ruins my mood.
"A villain who shows no mercy, who flaunts their crimes..."
"They even easily dealt with nearly 200 villains."
"Evidence?"
"A pile of threads whose purpose was unknown. Nothing else. It seems extremely reinforced threads sliced the people."
"Will you talk like that?"
"Ah, my apologies. I spoke without thinking."
I was trying to forget that unpleasant feeling, but now it's vivid again.
I didn't want to recall that scene again.
Among the subordinates who went with me, those with weak stomachs vomited, and those with weak mental fortitude still had haggard faces and couldn't sleep properly.
I was no different. I was dazed for a while.
I had seen countless crimes until now, but that was the first time I'd seen something so brutal.
"Threads, so a spider. Ha."
"Given the playful handwriting, it didn't seem like they felt much guilt about killing people."
"You saw it too, so you know. Do you think someone who did something like that would feel guilty?"
"..."
The subordinate's expression rapidly soured, as if he too had inadvertently recalled the scene he'd witnessed.
Serves you right. Making me remember that.
"Report to headquarters. Tell them to register a new villain."
"Understood. What are the details?"
"Villain name: Arachne. Estimated ability: thread manipulation. Details unknown. Probably female."
"...Female?"
"Arachne is a woman. Don't you know your mythology?"
Villains who flaunt themselves tend to leave evidence in small details like this.
If they didn't leave anything, the investigation would obviously stall, but they're the kind who make mistakes because they want to show off.
With those types, you have to focus on the evidence they leave behind.
"Danger level... A-rank should be fine. Oh, and tell the association to increase security personnel at the academy."
"The academy?"
"A lot of incidents have been breaking out there lately. Something feels off."
I think the ones who reported this incident were academy students too.
Her gut feeling, honed by years of handling villain cases, screamed.
There's something at the academy.