How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

The argument between the two echoed loudly through the training hall, and it was escalating as much as the volume of their voices.

Or more accurately, only one side’s voice was getting louder.

“Ha! I bet you’re here to mock me again!”

“I’m here to train.”

“Train? You? Even a passing dog wouldn’t believe that!”

“I’ve been practicing my skills all day. Can’t you see? It’s booked.”

The Opportunist’s smirk was maddening. Even knowing he was provoking her on purpose, that smile was enough to make anyone furious.

This was the Opportunist’s “baiting strategy.”

He was deliberately trying to provoke Na Yuri, making it look like he was being attacked so that the righteous Stoic would notice and come to his rescue. It was a tactic to form a connection with Stoic.

I knew what he was up to, but I had no reason to play along.

“You’ve probably been slacking off! Get out! You don’t deserve to be here!”

Alright, now’s a good time.

I spread my arms and stepped between them, shielding the Opportunist.

“…I’ve been listening for a while, and don’t you think you’re being a bit too harsh?”

Na Yuri, the main heroine of the game, paused for a moment when I suddenly stepped in. Her tone softened a little as she spoke to me.

“And who are you? Do you not know how despicable and lowly that scum you’re defending truly is?”

Na Yuri was one of those typical high-and-mighty aristocrat-type characters you often see in male-oriented games and novels, always speaking in formal language—a bit cringy, honestly.

I stood my ground and replied.

“I’m Yuhan’s classmate. I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but Yuhan isn’t trash.”

Sure, he’s self-serving to an extreme degree, but he ends up investing in others too, so he’s not quite garbage.

…Probably?

“And every academy student has the right to freely use the training rooms.”

At that, Na Yuri raised her voice again, clearly agitated.

“They’re only free to use when you have a ‘legitimate purpose!’ The training rooms are meant for training!”

The Opportunist responded with a crooked grin, matching her rising tone.

“I trained. Really! Want to check if you don’t believe me?”

“Liar!”

The tension between them rose even higher.

For now, I had to side with the Opportunist.

“…Isn’t it too much to call everything Yuhan says a lie?”

“You really don’t know anything about this man, do you?”

“I know. He’s been friendly with the other government-supported Awakeners, he answers questions, and he encourages us to work hard together.”

“Who are you even talking about?”

“Yuhan.”

“Me.”

Na Yuri let out an exasperated laugh, followed by a look of realization. She then walked up to me and grabbed both of my hands.

Huh? Why does she look so… sympathetic?

“You poor thing… You’ve fallen prey to that man’s whims…”

“…Huh?”

“Isn’t there a chance I’ve really changed?” the Opportunist interjected.

“Shut up, trash.”

“….”

What the heck is this?

“Not only are you using the training room like a playground, but you’ve already found a girl to toy with again… How vile…!”

Na Yuri gently pushed me aside and stormed up to the Opportunist, grabbing him by the collar.

Uh… are sparks flying from her eyes, or am I imagining things?

Actually, there’s definitely fire sparking from her hands, right?

“Your mother pardoned all your sins and gave you a second chance by cutting you off from the family!”

Wait, no, this is real fire.

Flames, created by magic, flickered in Na Yuri’s hands.

“And yet you’ve not changed a bit!”

The fire in her hand grew more intense, about to strike the Opportunist’s face.

“Stop.”

A firm, unfamiliar voice interrupted, and the flames in Na Yuri’s hand fizzled out as a new figure grabbed her wrist.

Oh, this power… it’s Stoic.

The game’s protagonist.

His name is Park Siwoo.

A handsome young man with black hair, a worn sword strapped to his back, and calm blue eyes.

Na Yuri seemed to struggle to pull her hand free from Stoic’s grasp, but he didn’t let go easily. In fact, he grabbed her other hand as if to restrain her.

Seeing this, I quietly stepped back. I’d gotten enough screen time, and it was time to make my exit. There wasn’t much else I could do here anyway.

I watched the scene unfold like an audience member munching on popcorn as the story continued to progress.

“School Rule 1, Section 9. Unregistered dungeon discovery, use of the training room, and skill enhancement during class are the only exceptions. Outside of these, unauthorized use of attack skills is prohibited.”

Stoic sighed as he spoke in his usual quiet tone.

“It’s a school rule. You should follow it.”

Na Yuri, her eyes wide with surprise, glanced at Stoic. Meanwhile, the Opportunist grinned and waved at him with a mischievous smile.

“And besides, we didn’t awaken our powers to hurt others, did we?”

“Ugh…”

Oh, that’s pretty cool. Classic protagonist who quietly does his job.

Na Yuri, staring into Stoic’s calm blue eyes, soon lowered her head.

“I know the school rules!”

Had she realized she’d gone too far?

Her face flushed red as she yanked her hands out of Stoic’s grasp and stormed out of the training hall.

Stoic silently watched her leave until she disappeared.

The Opportunist, seeing this, gave him a sly smile and spoke.

“Thanks. You saved me.”

“Don’t mention it. I just didn’t want to get a warning for standing by without stopping it.”

Technically, using attack skills without permission is a rule that’s often ignored. And if you just report it to the disciplinary committee, you’re usually let off the hook.

Stoic didn’t have to step in, but he did, probably because he was genuinely concerned for both the Opportunist in danger and Na Yuri, who had lost her temper.

Let’s shower Stoic with compliments for being such a pure soul.

“Still, it was dangerous, and you stepped in to help. That’s impressive! So brave!”

Stoic’s ears turned a bit red at my praise.

“It’s nothing.”

He lowered his head slightly in embarrassment, making it even more tempting to shower him with… I mean, compliment him.

“A true hero of justice!”

“W-Wait.”

“A model academy student!”

“A future top-tier hunter!”

“You’re amazing!”

“Wow, Park Siwoo! You’re the top freshman! Truly incredible.”

The Opportunist joined in, piling on more compliments, riding on my wave.

“Enough…”

Our barrage of praise only stopped when Stoic, his face now as red as a tomato, clamped his hands over both our mouths.

Honestly, it was fun.

After teasing Stoic to our heart’s content, we naturally sat down on a bench to chat.

Thanks to the compliment parade, it felt like Stoic’s walls had come down a bit.

“So, how did you know to come out here? Aren’t the training rooms soundproof?”

“Oh, I sensed the flow of magic nearby.”

“Magic sensing? That’s something even seasoned hunters struggle with.”

“Really? That’s amazing!”

I enthusiastically responded, playing up my curiosity about Stoic while asking him all sorts of questions.

My strategy was to make it easier for readers to learn about Stoic through my questions while also securing more screen time for myself.

Gathering information about Stoic, the protagonist of the game, would be crucial, and this way, I wouldn’t lose relevance in the story.

And honestly, I was curious about Stoic, too.

“That trick you did earlier to extinguish the flames—was that a skill? A special one?”

“No, just a basic technique. You can do it once you get used to handling magic.”

At that, the Opportunist chuckled and chimed in.

“Don’t let him fool you. It’s actually pretty hard to pull off. Classic top student.”

“The hero of our time—”

“Stop.”

“Got it.”

My second round of compliments was shot down before it could take off. Oh well.

We continued chatting for a while longer, but my conclusion remained the same: Stoic was a natural-born genius who didn’t even realize it. Lucky guy.

Before we knew it, evening had turned into night. Having bonded a bit, we exchanged contact info and made plans to train together tomorrow afternoon.

Silently, I clenched my fist in victory.

Yes! I successfully secured one golden connection. Time to gradually get closer.

Feeling a bit giddy from the unexpected success, I canceled my training room reservation for the next day and started walking.

As we headed out, Stoic went his own way, leaving just the Opportunist and me to walk back to the dorms.

And walking alone with the Opportunist could only mean one thing…

It was time for me to crank up my “sunshine character” act again.

I wasn’t sure whether to be happy or frustrated about that, but I forced a bright smile and carried on.

Watch me, teacher, everyone. I’m paving a golden road in front of your eyes!

“So, Kang Nahyeon, why were you at the training hall?”

…Before that, though, there was one thing I had to deal with.

Playing the nice girl is exhausting, but talking with the Opportunist has its perks. I get valuable info about this world, plus more screen time.

I can do this!

I steeled my resolve and—

“Of course, I was there to train. What, did you think I’d slack off on the first day?”

—puffed up my cheeks as if I were sulking.