How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

Hugging the new gun, I returned to the classroom without hiding my excitement.

I didn’t say much, but the place I was going to after training today was probably the first Hidden Piece dungeon.

As he said, there was no real danger.

The strategy the con artist used to clear the first Hidden Piece dungeon was a sneaky tactic borrowed from the “hit and run” format.

While I was reviewing the knowledge in my head, one of my classmates spoke to me.

“Ah, Nahyun! Nayuri has been looking for you for a while now!”

“Huh? Why?”

“I don’t know? But she looked really eager!”

What’s going on?

Is she planning to tell me to stay away from the con artist? But is that why she’s searching for me so desperately?

Isn’t it just a simple matter of trying to keep the con artist in check while feeling sorry for me?

“I have no clue….”

“Really?”

Both the kid who passed the message and I were just puzzled.

Well, it’s good if she’s looking for me. Making any kind of connection with the main character is a good thing. I lightly brushed aside the question in my mind.

And I slightly regretted it.

Bang—!

“Is Kang Nahyun here?”

If I had known she would make such a flashy entrance right after the next class, I might have given it a little more thought.

By the way, Nayuri’s formal speech still doesn’t sit well with me; it feels like such an intense setting.

“I’m here, what’s up?”

“Right? It’s making me curious why she’s doing this.”

The grand entrance seemed to have caught the con artist’s attention, and he chimed in, sitting next to me.

“I have nothing to say to you.”

Nayuri shot a glance at the con artist and walked directly toward me.

“Kang Nahyun, can we talk for a moment?”

“I can, but….”

I glanced at the con artist. What should I do?

“Go ahead.”

The con artist waved his hand dismissively. I activated the entrance part.

085

With a loud noise, Nayuri approached Kang Nahyun and spoke.

The only topic Nayuri could possibly engage with a complete extra like Kang Nahyun would be Nayuhan. What could it be?

Hmm. First, I waved at Kang Nahyun, who was glancing at me.

“Go ahead.”

……Follow her.

I couldn’t afford to miss any information related to me.

I pulled out the A-rank presence-blocking device I had bought yesterday from under the desk. At Nayuri’s current level, she probably wouldn’t notice an A-rank device. That should be fine.

185

Okay. She will follow me on her own. I don’t need to worry.

“Okay.”

I hesitated for a moment, then stood up in front of Nayuri.

Nayuri, who had been biting her lip while looking at me, grabbed my arm and strode out of the classroom.

Soon, Nayuri’s steps led us to a walking path, then out to a secluded area where no one came.

Without saying a word, Nayuri, who had been leading the way, finally stopped and turned to look at me.

And finally, Nayuri spoke.

“If I say it like this, you’ll just think I’m a strange person, right?”

I paused. Nayuri’s expression was much darker than I had anticipated.

I know when people wear such expressions. Our orphanage teacher often wore that face.

“Still, for your sake, I want to say something.”

Nayuri seemed to have made a decision, took a breath, and spoke as if she were exhaling words.

“Nayuhan, that person is truly a trashy human, and I don’t believe he has changed.”

I shook off my distractions and acted as the character I created.

“But the Nayuhan I met wasn’t that trashy of a person. Even if he was someone like you described in the past, people can change, right?”

Nayuri looked at me with a determined expression.

“That’s not true.”

There was no trace of deceit in her eyes.

“I can’t trust the attitude Nayuhan shows for a moment. He has a history of pretending to be docile just to ruin someone’s life.”

…What does that even mean?

It seems like there’s content I haven’t read yet.

“Pretending?”

“Yes. Those who don’t know him well might think he became famous just by being a typical punk, but that’s not the case.”

I recalled the rumors about ‘Nayuhan’ floating around on the internet. Drinking, violence, scandals.

“He did much worse things.”

…Worse than that?

“That guy took pleasure in manipulating people like they were toys.”

Something huge was coming out here.

“Many people were hurt directly or indirectly because of that guy playing with people’s hearts.”

No wonder people usually express hatred toward a reckless type like ‘Nayuhan’ rather than just dislike; the awakened society seemed to show emotions closer to hatred.

If he toyed with the delicate emotions of teenagers at their peak, it wouldn’t be surprising to understand those deep resentments. At that sensitive age, emotions feel larger and are easier to hurt.

If someone you know was crying because of that jerk, it’s understandable.

“Usually, he would use people he bribed to do such things, but there was one exception.”

Nayuri continued in a calm voice, suppressing her emotions.

“Just like you did, he approached someone directly and put in the effort. Just like now.”

Her face, twisted as if she were suppressing her pain, was beautifully etched with sorrow.

“And he gradually made them dependent on him. Your words are all wrong. My words are right. So you must follow my words, like this.”

That jerk, indeed. What a thorough jerk.

I couldn’t help but admire that.

In some sense, it might even be a blessing that the con artist took over that body.

“I suppose it would have been easy to corner her. She was an innocent, ordinary girl with no backing.”

Nayuri’s body trembled lightly, unable to contain her sadness. Her brilliant blonde hair shook in tandem with her tremors.

Blood dripped from Nayuri’s tightly clenched fists—one drop, two drops. I looked at her hand with concern.

“You’re… your hand…”

“I!”

She shouted.

Nayuri’s face, twisted in a way that seemed unable to hold back tears, still managed to suppress her sobs.

“I lost my friend like that… My friend died like that.”

Finally, as if the blood was dropping from her fists, tears began to pour from her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I hate to intrude, but I investigated Kang Nahyun’s surroundings.”

Nayuri roughly wiped away her tears.

“I’ve confirmed that even though Nayuhan is already estranged from my family, he could easily manipulate the environment you’re in.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

If someone shook our orphanage, I would have to shake along with it.

“I really hope that Nayuhan’s change is true.”

Her voice, choked with emotion, was filled with sorrow as she spat it out.

“If it’s not true, I don’t want to see anyone die because of Nayuhan anymore…!”

That was a cry filled with desperation.

A desperate plea that was heartfelt enough to shake me.

I now understood why Nayuri had been furious every time she saw the con artist with other girls.

It reached its peak when an extra character who was supposed to be expelled transformed into a named character and became the heroine.

Readers reacted with confusion, irritation, and even jealousy, but I never expected there was such a background.

…What should I do?

I quietly activated the entrance part. Hey, con artist, think of something.

085

Could it be that Nayuri’s desperation to drive Nayuhan away, even if it meant forcing herself, stemmed from this?

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

…What should I do?

185

Ugh, seriously, you’re no help at all!

I racked my brain.

Let’s sort out the situation.

First: Nayuri’s trauma was ignited when she saw the female student protecting Nayuhan at the training center.

Second: Unfortunately, from Nayuri’s perspective, my gloomy assumptions about the new female student around Nayuhan seem to have come true. Why? Because all the conditions fit perfectly!

Third: Therefore, Nayuri pleaded with “me” to prevent further harm.

Especially since it seemed she had heard that I was acting affectionate with the con artist after the weapon aptitude test earlier in the morning, warning lights must have gone off in her head.

The common point between her poor upbringing and her pure following of Nayuhan likely overlapped with her old friend.

The problem is, the character I’m playing, “Sunshine Girl Kang Nahyun,” is the type of character who might waver at this plea.

She’s someone who is weak to heartfelt appeals, naive, and trusts people easily!

However, unfortunately, I’m currently in a situation where I can’t part ways with the con artist. My future is tied to him!

Stay calm.

Stay calm…

Let’s speak.

I have to convince Nayuri that I will not break away from the con artist while maintaining the character of “me.”

Since the con artist is also at a loss, there’s no one I can trust but myself in this situation.

Get a grip!

“Nayuri.”

“…Yes.”