[No Title Provided]

Kano Ameri's room—real name Seo Yujin—had one wall that looked practically like a war map. The most eye-catching part was the photos of characters. The crown prince, the saintess, the princess, the villainess lady, the Mage Tower Master. One step below in gray were the Northern Grand Duke, the Knight Commander, and a few others. And beneath them, a tangled web of solid lines and memos. If you peered closely at those notes, you'd see them densely packed with differences between reality and the original story, unresolved foreshadowing, and the like.

Anyone walking in would mistake this dorm room for a crime investigation headquarters instead of a girl's quarters, given the level of detail.

Seo Yujin sat cross-legged on her bed, chin propped in her hand, staring blankly up at the wall.

"Hmm—."

Her eyes darted busily behind her oversized glasses. Her vision wasn't bad at all; she wore them just to feel like a scheming strategist. Even though she'd become a fairly pretty girl with some standout curves, she couldn't shake the old habit.

"Handy having a stand like this at times."

Sucking noisily on the drink perched atop her chest, Seo Yujin mulled things over.

"The saintess and crown prince are still awkward around each other."

Tok. The pen moved on its own, jotting a small note over the line connecting Saintess Arina and Crown Prince Leonhardt.

Anyone versed in swordsmanship would have freaked out yelling "eh, sword aura!!" but to Kano, it was just a convenience feature. The floating pen drifted to the princess next.

"The princess side's still quiet too. All I need is for her to get taken as the Mage Tower Master's disciple... wonder if I appealed enough? Rumors went around up to four circles."

The introductory magic theory class split into two groups. Kano's group had the crown prince and saintess, so info on the princess was limited to rumors.

Of course.

The original breezed past with that explanation, so this seemed to track the story well enough?

"Well, I'll see within the week who becomes the Mage Tower Master's disciple."

The real issue was elsewhere. Kano's gaze shifted to the silver-haired saintess.

Arina Saint. That name had an unusually dense cluster of notes.

"What the heck is she doing?"

It really didn't make sense. Crunch crunch. Chewing the pen tip, Kano sank into thought.

Well, on the surface, it wasn't a huge change. But considering the saintess's personality... Normally, she'd be holed up in her room or hiding in some quiet spot, right? And now she was acting like a girl with a crush!

"...Nah, no way."

Kano shook her head. The saintess was scared of men.

"I'll watch a bit longer ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for now."

This was still just the prologue chapter. The real story kicked off after.

Kano scanned the wall again. The villainess lady and other leads weren't deviating much yet.

Except for one.

A name that kept nagging at her.

"Ian Ashy."

Kano drew another thick underline over the name, already double-lined below.

"Hmmm."

Seo Yujin's eyes narrowed to slits.

This guy didn't have any particular oddities. He had so little description in the original that it was hard to miss anything major.

"But."

As a reader who'd devoured countless romance fantasies, her instincts were screaming.

This guy's suspicious.

For starters, he was weirdly popping up everywhere. The Art Department where the saintess was wandering around. Tangled up with villainess Judith La Roche too.

...And most importantly.

She glanced at the name scribbled next to his.

Lena Youngston.

By rights, around now, Lena and Ian should be getting pretty close. That's how Ian Ashy's name got etched in readers' minds—thanks to Lena Youngston.

And why? Because chapter 1's main villain was Lena Youngston.

So if Ian Ashy was really some hidden black curtain...

The first thing to check was obvious.

Seo Yujin's gaze locked on the two names.

"If this guy's deliberately avoiding getting close to Lena Youngston......"

That wouldn't be some minor deviation.

It'd be the cause of this world subtly twisting off course.

Kano slowly raised her quill and drew a small star next to the line between the two names.

My back was burning.

It hurt. Really fucking hurt.

"Ian! You, you... are you actually insane?!"

And in front of me stood Lena, face flushed red all the way to her nape, clutching my manuscript bundle and huffing indignantly.

Her green eyes churned with rage, shame, and shock. The rational, iron-wall demeanor she usually showed me was nowhere to be seen.

"This thing's so embarrassing I can't even read it out loud...!"

Lena's hands trembled as she pointed to a section of the manuscript.

Then, in a voice dripping with disbelief and humiliation, she started reading my lines aloud.

"'Aahn, i-it's too big, it won't fit—!'"

Oh. She might actually have a talent for narration.

"......The emotional delivery's a bit off there. You gotta lift your tail a smidge on 'won't fit' and mix in some nasality to really hit those nerve endings. Anyway, suits you perfectly, like a proper model."

"That's what comes out of your mouth right now?! No."

Lena's eyes narrowed.

"M-model? D-don't tell me... this is me?!"

Lena scanned the manuscript again with a panicked look. Her face instantly turned beet red.

Smack! Fire erupted on my back once more.

"You really thought I'd do something like this? Huh?! You carried me all the way here just to fuel your filthy fantasies, you pathetic loser virgin?!"

But I just nodded solemnly, taking her fact-bombs full force with my whole body.

It might look like my social reputation was utterly shattered in this once-in-a-lifetime crisis, but actually, this was thoroughly calculated.

I'd deliberately let Lena catch me with this ero-manga script.

Why? Because I could trust Lena Youngston.

She might not look it, but she kept her mouth shut, thought deeply. And above all, she didn't see me as a romantic interest even 1%—which made her the perfect partner for sharing this business secret.

Someone who could respond to my passion and sincerity.

In other words, this childhood friend who'd just awakened water affinity today wasn't just a pal to me anymore. She was a precious collaborator for my ero-manga.

"Calm down. I'll explain."

"Explain?"

"Yeah."

"Fine. Go ahead. Why's there a girl who vaguely looks like me blushing at her childhood friend's, uh... th-that... down there?!"

...Ah. That one's a bit tricky to explain.

"I'll get to that later."

"...Huh?"

I shifted my posture and equipped a serious gaze.

"Lena."

"Wh-what...! Don't suddenly act all intense like that! I'm not falling for it!"

"Look me in the eyes."

I spoke in a low, steady voice. Huffing Lena flinched and met my gray eyes.

"Don't tell me you're gonna say something weird again? If it's a c-confession or whatever, don't even dream! You think any girl would be into a pervert like you? Idiot moron!"

Lena's words sped up. Her classic defense mechanism when hiding emotions.

I brushed off her words lightly and picked up the manuscript.

"Nothing like that. I'm dead serious about this manga. To save my family."

"Y-you're gonna save your family with this? What kind of idiot talk is that?!"

Jangle. In lieu of an answer, I pulled out a pouch of gold coins.

"Money left after paying off the urgent debts. Deducted costs for paper, ink, and book production."

Lena peeked inside the pouch, her eyes going wide.

"Y-you earned this? With that manga?"

"Yeah."

"F-for real?"

"Told ya."

Lena's gaze softened. She pressed a hand to her forehead like she needed to think, then spoke.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Your family's desperate for cash, so... I gotta say, good job on that."

"Right?"

"But this is way too lewd! Your reputation could tank!"

"Don't worry. You're the first I've shown it to like this."

Estelle caught me, so not entirely wrong.

"H-huh?"

As expected, the "first" line lifted the corner of Lena's mouth pleasantly. I drove the wedge in.

"Above all, it's what I love doing."

"Love?"

"Yeah. Not joking—I'm pouring my heart into it."

Lena bit her lip gently. Closing her eyes in deep thought, she cautiously opened her mouth.

"W-well, then... no helping it."

"You'll cheer me on?"

"Hah? Ch-cheer on something like this..."

"You can't support your friend's dream? I'm this serious about it? And my family's struggling?"

"O-okay! I'll cheer you on! Cheer!"

Face flaming red, Lena fanned herself with her palm and yelled.

Perfect. She's fully on board.

Now then—

"And I need your help to make the manga."

"......What?"

"I wanna print it, but need a water mage. A friend cheering on a friend's dream would..."

"O-okay! I'll do it, I'll do it!"

Nice. Childhood friend seduction complete.

I must've grinned without realizing, because ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lena smirked and prodded.

"That happy, huh?"

"Didn't expect this level of acceptance."

This part was sincere. Honestly, Lena had really touched me.

"I'll always cheer you on with my best."

"Hah? I don't need your cheers."

"You never know, Lena. Even if everyone's against you, I'll be on your side."

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean."

It was a line tied to later plot developments.

But something about it made Lena beam goofily. My mood lifted too.

Hm. Not bad at all?

Having a bestie-like childhood friend like this.

Oh, right. Lena asked something earlier.

Why the girl in my work was blushing.

"That line you just read. The heroine spots her suddenly grown-up childhood friend's massive cock by accident, gradually gets curious about the unknown, and falls as a female. Yeah, you're the model."

"...Eh?"

Silence hung for a moment.

It took exactly three seconds for Lena's brain to reboot.

"You crazy psycho bastard—!!"

At the same time, outside Ian Ashy's dorm room.

In the sunset-lit hallway, a blonde girl with her hair pinned up pressed her ear tight against the door, holding her breath.

The princess, Aefried. Her blue eyes shook with extreme confusion and curiosity.

This afternoon, in introductory magic theory class.

In the mana exhaustion test, right before she collapsed on her own, she'd seen it clearly.

A cadet enduring far longer in that thick darkness, not a drop of sweat, much deeper than her.

And even holding a conversation on equal footing with that arrogant, high-nosed Mage Tower Master!

'I have to be the Mage Tower Master's disciple.'

The princess bit her lip hard.

The only way to surpass her brother—the overwhelmingly talented and powerful Crown Prince Leonhardt—was to become the Mage Tower's heir and seize magical authority.

The moment she woke in the infirmary after passing out, she tracked the mystery male student.

Profiling his looks and clothes led her to 'Art Department Ian Ashy.'

Spotting him heading to his dorm carrying a fainted female student, the princess quietly tailed him.

'Didn't expect the transparency scroll I brought just in case to come in handy.'

Expensive, so only a few, but worth it.

I need to uncover that guy's secrets.

The source of that overwhelming mana that caught the Mage Tower Master's eye, or maybe some hidden training method I could eavesdrop on.

Steeling her resolve, the instant she pressed her ear to the door—

—Smack! Smack!

"......?!"

What came from inside wasn't magic training sounds.

It was the sticky friction of flesh slapping flesh roughly.

The princess's shoulders jerked violently.

Then came the female student's voice, soaked in shame.

"'Aahn, i-it's too big, it won't fit—!'"

"......Gasp."

The princess clamped both hands over her mouth to stifle a near-scream.

Her face flushed bright red.