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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Protecting the Protagonist
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Numerous freshmen sat in the vast sports field.
Blended among them, I could easily pass the time.
"You! Get up now!"
"Argh!"
"I know the dean's speech is boring, but as an academy student, you should set an example."
"Yes, I'm sorry."
Everyone else had succumbed to the principal's wide-area sleep attack, a side effect of his address, but I was perfectly fine.
"..."
[Oh. A teacher's coming, Reader!]
"I'm not sleeping, sir."
"Ah, yes... My apologies..."
I noticed the teacher who had approached me tilting their head before turning away.
A confused expression, unsure if I was asleep or not.
At times like these, I really love this face.
My eyes are so narrow, it's impossible to tell if I'm sleeping or not.
Hehe.
[...You remember, right?]
"Of course, Author. I remember."
Naturally, I wasn't sleeping.
Just doing something else.
The question of what I was doing was simple.
I was looking for someone.
[Ugh, today's serialization was tough too... Reader, comfort me...!]
"You're the only one who could have created a world like this, Author. I think it's amazing."
Yeah, it's only you.
The one who forcibly shoved someone else into a novel.
With that kind of power, why are you just writing web novels?
If it were a completed novel or one on hiatus, I'd get it. There were plenty of novels with that kind of premise.
I could have forced myself to accept it.
But shoving me into a novel that hasn't even been written yet? What kind of situation is that?
And why did you put a man into a female character's body?
[Hehe, such praise...]
It's not praise.
I let out a small sigh and refocused my concentration, which had been scattered by blaming the Author in my mind.
Yes, what can I do? It's already happened.
The Author created this world and started serialization.
Ultimately, web novels revolve around the protagonist, so I have to stay near him.
To shape the story to the Author's preferences.
What if the Author gets tired of writing the novel and leaves, or if Yoo Si-woo suffers a major injury due to some incident, making story progression impossible?
...I don't even want to imagine it. Who knows what would happen?
In the end, there's only one way for me to survive.
Taking this web novel author, who's so fragile they're compared to an ocean sunfish, protecting the protagonist who hasn't even grown yet.
And defeating some unknown evil force, which probably hasn't even been set up yet.
The difficulty is ridiculously high.
"...Found him."
[Oh, really?! It's true. He's over there.]
As I scanned the backs of the academy students' heads for a long time, a familiar head came into view.
Yes. That hair.
There's no way I could be mistaken.
Why? Because even the back of his head looks handsome. Damn it.
Why is such a handsome guy the protagonist? ...Because he's handsome, I guess.
The world is unfair.
Oh, he's looking this way.
I naturally averted my gaze and looked at the principal.
The principal was as consistent as ever, droning on regardless of whether the freshmen were losing their minds.
Are principals like that in every world?
[Reader, I think you can look again. He's looking forward.]
"Thanks, Author."
I looked at Yoo Si-woo again.
Yes, that boy is the protagonist.
No matter what happens, he must not get hurt.
Even if he gets hurt, it has to be injuries that can be managed.
But if I approach him looking this suspicious, I'll just get rejected, of course.
[Hmm, what should I do...?]
From the start, I can't act like other web novel protagonists.
Steal all the fortuitous encounters and get stronger?
It's even questionable if there are any fortuitous encounters. There probably isn't even a setting for them, is there?
Major characters?
Ha, from what I've experienced of the Author's characteristics over the past few days, it seems they haven't even thought about such things.
A massive incident that pierces the story of this novel?
...There are no major characters, no fortuitous encounters, so what could there be?
It's literally a live serialization.
The Author said they're writing, using this world as their inspiration.
Whether the Author created this world or is simply observing an existing one.
I don't really know. And there's no point in finding out.
[This way, after all? Hmm, I like this one too...]
In the end, there's only one thing I have to do.
To steer this unpredictable world in the most normal direction possible.
Towards a happy ending, not a bad one.
To do that, I'll have to observe the protagonist first.
I grew envious of web novel protagonists.
Those guys remember all the novel's contents and steal most of the fortuitous encounters.
They even see through all the characters' secrets.
And by solving them, they quickly become close friends.
But me?
The result of falling into a novel is the same, so why is there such a difference?
And here I am, turned into a woman, stuck staring at the back of some guy's head.
[Ugh, decisions... Alright, I've decided!]
"What exactly have you decided?"
Annoyed, I retorted to the Author.
I tried to ignore her muttering to herself earlier, but she keeps doing it.
It's distracting.
[Well! What comes to mind for you, Reader, when you think of the early parts of an academy novel?]
"Early parts of an academy novel? Suddenly?"
[Yes!]
Early parts of an academy novel?
Was she thinking about the plot progression? Is she asking for help?
I picked out a few plot points that came to mind and spoke them.
"Hmm, choosing a weapon? Sparring?"
[Hehehe, those are good too! But it seems incidents often break out right from the entrance ceremony. I was thinking of trying that!]
"...What?"
Wait.
What is this person saying right now?
Perhaps not noticing my reaction, the Author continued, smiling brightly.
[You know, it seems there are two types of entrance ceremony attacks. Monster appearances and evil organization raids!]
"W-wait a minute, Author. Let's have a serious talk about this."
[Thinking about it, I felt it might be too early for an evil organization to appear in the first attack, so I decided to make a monster appear!]
Cold sweat trickled down.
I'm in big trouble.
"Um, by any chance, when will the monster appear...?"
[For impact, the ceiling is set to break once the principal's address ends and the applause dies down!]
Oh, seriously.
Can't things just go normally for once?
Our novel only started a day ago!
Unable to understand at all, I asked the Author as if challenging her.
"You're saying a monster can appear in the city? Be reasonable."
[Oh, right, it was a city. ...Hmm, then how about a monster that was illegally raised by a subcontractor organization of a subsidiary of an evil organization accidentally escaping!]
"..."
She's impossible to reason with.
What kind of evil organization is this, subcontracting like a major corporation?
A subcontract of a subcontract of a subcontract?
It seemed the Author was dead set on having an incident erupt at the entrance ceremony.
"The principal's address ends, the applause dies down, and a monster attacks from above the ceiling..."
[The protagonist will coolly defeat the monster that appeared with impact, revealing his presence! How's that?]
"I-it's fine, but... Are you really going to do it?"
Yes, it's fine.
For a novel's plot, it's perfect.
Because it's a device that can subtly reveal the protagonist's strength.
While other students scatter in a panic, the protagonist coolly deals with the threat.
That incident can naturally explain that the protagonist is stronger than his peers.
It's a perfect plot.
If only I wasn't dragged into it!
"You definitely said the protagonist isn't a regressor, a transmigator, or reincarnated, right?"
[Yes. There are so many of those lately, so I wanted to write a traditional protagonist!]
Why does this person have to be a hipster about things like this...!
Wouldn't it be better if they just went with a standard regression/transmigration/reincarnation setup and took the easy way out?
It's a really good setup where you can just say you kind of knew without even having to explain it!
What if the protagonist panics in a sudden situation and runs away?!
"...And with that, we conclude Principal's address. Everyone, a round of applause!"
It was already too late.
According to the Author, this place would soon become a pandemonium.
Even if I said a monster was coming right now, no one would believe me.
I'd be lucky if they didn't treat me like a crazy person.
Somehow, I have to subtly inform the protagonist of this...
[It's starting, it's starting! My heart is pounding!]
"Kyaaaaaaaah?!"
"M-monster! It's a Grade 3!"
"Why is a Grade 3 monster in the school...!"
"Everyone evacuate, quickly!"
"...Grade 3?"
[Oh, I just thought it could be foreshadowing... Later, I can explain, 'Wow, that guy was so strong!' you know.]
You're meticulous in the most unhelpful ways.
I suppressed the urge to be sarcastic.
A grade that clearly seemed like a hastily made setting. So I didn't know how strong a Grade 3 was.
It's probably some 'blah blah blah' assigned by people in the field.
Still, if it's a threat introduced to show the difference between an ordinary student and the protagonist, it definitely wouldn't be an easy enemy at this stage... Oops.
I sliced a chunk of concrete, sent flying by the rampaging monster, in half with a thread.
That startled me.
[Gasp, Reader! Are you okay?!]
"I'm fine. ...This glove is unusable now, too."
I tossed aside one of my half-gloves, already frayed and tattered from the loosened threads.
I'll have to get a new one later.
"More importantly, I need to find out where the protagonist is and what he's doing..."
Kwoooaaaaaah!
Startled by a roar like a movie monster's, I looked at the demon beast, and saw it writhing in pain.
What? When did the protagonist get over there?
I didn't even notice. He's incredibly fast.
Before I knew it, the monster, its mouth wounded, was bleeding and roaring.
[H-heehee... I was watching you, Reader, so I missed the protagonist's performance...]
The teachers who had been evacuating nearby students joined forces and defeated the monster.
I wondered what the teachers were doing. It seems they were evacuating the students.
Right, no matter what, a student who just entered shouldn't be stronger than a teacher.
Though in an academy novel, he'd probably surpass them all in a year.
By the way, when did he get all the way over there?
He was standing quite a distance from where he originally was.
As if he knew the monster would appear there.
...Is it some kind of protagonist's intuition?
Well, whatever works.
"Don't cry, Author. I saw it. I'll explain it in detail."
[...Really? As expected, there's no one like you, Reader!]
Haa.
It felt like I was babysitting.