How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

No, even though Kang-yu loved being next to me, I never expected him to make such a sudden move!

Na-yu-han seemed momentarily taken aback by Kang-yu’s unexpected proposal and fell silent. I could clearly see his pupils trembling.

In the brief silence, their eyes met.

“No—”

The moment Na-yu-han’s lips parted, Iggdrasil peeked in from the side.

“Hmm! Thinking about it, that would be good! Na-hyun is close to Kang-yu, so it would be nice for him to help Kang-yu adjust to the academy!”

“Right?”

With Iggdrasil’s support, Kang-yu’s expression turned triumphant, like a cat that had won a battle.

At the same time, Na-yu-han’s anxious gaze turned towards me.

Even with such desperate eyes, I couldn’t do anything about it.

Is moving seats really that unpleasant?

I rolled my head around and eventually found a compromise.

I couldn’t let the readers see Na-yu-han being chased out of his seat. My presence would be diminished a bit, but it was worth it.

“But this is originally Yu-han’s seat, right? I’ll sit by the empty seat near the door with Kang-yu.”

“Okay!”

Kang-yu’s face instantly lit up upon hearing my suggestion.

Meanwhile, Na-yu-han’s face darkened in an instant. What’s going on?

Anyway, like that, I moved my seat closer to the classroom door.

…I could feel burning gazes from all around.

I’m sorry, I’ll explain everything later…

“Wow, I get to sit next to you, noona!”

“Yeah. It seems so.”

In the meantime, Kang-yu was grinning as if he owned the world.

Even though there was chaos just a moment ago, seeing Kang-yu happy made me feel good too. My little brother is so cute.

I held Kang-yu’s hand tightly and focused my gaze forward.

It was the first day of the second semester, and today we were only having theory classes with no practicals.

“I prepared for class!”

“Good job, our Kang-yu.”

I praised the diligent Kang-yu as we attended the class and took notes together.

Surprisingly, Kang-yu was excelling in theoretical studies. He had always been smart since he was little, but I was still worried since a middle schooler coming to high school was no small feat.

Sometimes, when I sensed others looking at us, I would catch eyes with Park Si-woo.

Na-yu-han kept glancing our way, eventually getting scolded by the teacher.

No matter how much he’s a character that hasn’t appeared in the game, doesn’t he worry too much?

I’ll have to explain everything right after class. He’s my little brother, after all.

Thinking that, I enjoyed the class with Kang-yu, and the break time quickly approached.

“Who is it?”

“Is that your little brother?”

As soon as the class ended, Na-yu-han and Park Si-woo rushed over, alternating questions.

Behind them, Choi Soo-jung was laughing, seemingly intrigued.

“Hello!”

Kang-yu greeted the group with a bright smile. I held Kang-yu’s hand tightly and said,

“Yeah. He’s my little brother.”

“Wait, you’re a half-mermaid?”

Shin Ba-ran asked, surprised.

I paused for a moment before confidently smiling and answering. Since Kang-yu and I had decided not to hide it, it was fine. No matter what anyone says, Kang-yu is my proud little brother.

“No, it’s not like that. I live in an orphanage now, and Kang-yu is my little brother that I met there.”

At my words, Na-yu-han inhaled sharply and then made a strangely contorted expression.

Noticing Na-yu-han, Na-yu-ri furrowed her brows and approached me as if trying to block his view.

I pretended not to notice Na-yu-han’s gloom and slowly answered the questions from the other kids who were asking about Kang-yu and me.

“Wow, I didn’t know!”

“Really.”

Choi Soo-jung and Lee Ha-na chatted away without paying any attention to the fact that we were from an orphanage. The same went for the other kids.

Instead,

“Nice to meet you, Na-hyun’s little brother!”

“Hello, Na-hyun’s little brother…? I’m Min Jae-yoon.”

“Yeah!”

I greeted them as casually as Na-yu-ri and Min Jae-yoon did, putting a lot of warmth into my voice, as if to declare that even though we weren’t blood-related, he was still my little brother.

I suddenly thought back to the past, to the countless scrutinizing glances I had received when it was revealed that I was from an orphanage.

They are indeed good people.

But I also know that you’re not a bad person either.

For some reason, I found myself gazing at Na-yu-han, who looked gloomy and overwhelmed with dark feelings.

“Yu-han.”

“…Huh? Oh, okay.”

Na-yu-han seemed startled, as if he hadn’t expected me to call him.

I turned my attention away from the other people focused on Kang-yu and spoke to Na-yu-han.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

Na-yu-han nodded silently.

I led him to a secluded corner of the school, away from others.

“What’s going on?”

Na-yu-han asked me with a still somber expression.

…You don’t have to look that obviously sorry. Silly.

I hurriedly spoke to prevent him from making any more mistakes.

“You know what we talked about before, the key.”

At those words, Na-yu-han’s eyes widened.

Yes. The reason I called Na-yu-han separately was for one thing.

To tie up loose ends regarding the key.

To firmly establish that it wouldn’t be taken away!

I had to stay calm despite my anxiety!

I pulled the 7th key from my inventory and smiled benevolently.

“The reason you want to take this key is that you’re worried it might put me in danger, right?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what kind of variables could come up—”

“But if this key is really a dangerous item, then not only I but also Yu-han could be in danger while carrying it. I don’t want that.”

This statement carried a degree of sincerity.

Even though the intricate details of the original novel had long since diverged, I still felt that if I knew enough about the general direction, this guy might also be safe.

Above all, I had come to care for Na-yu-han to some extent.

I met his perplexed gaze with a serious expression.

“That….”

“Yu-han, I want to share your burden. So please trust me.”

And then I smiled.

“If it really becomes dangerous, then we can think about it together. That’s what friends are for!”

At my words, Na-yu-han’s eyes widened as if he had realized something, and he soon smiled gently.

“…Okay. I’ll trust you.”

Great, that’s a successful strategy.

I almost clenched my fists in triumph but held back.

“But if anything unusual happens, you have to tell everyone right away. It’s a promise.”

“Of course!”

Because my life is precious!

That said, I’m not planning to let go of those twenty million points either!

Just as Na-yu-han and I reached a kind of compromise and smiled warmly at each other, the ground shook.

Boom—!!!

The floor trembled, causing Na-yu-han, unable to maintain his balance, to sway significantly. I quickly supported him before he fell.

“…Thanks.”

He mumbled, his face turning red. He probably felt embarrassed about his frail body.

“Not at all! But what could be going on? An attack?”

“I don’t know…”

***

At that moment, Park Yul-ah’s voice echoed through all the speakers in the school.

Dudududud—

Simultaneously, the ground trembled again.

Startled, I hugged Na-yu-han tightly and looked towards the source of the vibrations.

Na-yu-han squirmed as if trying to escape my embrace, but this wasn’t the time for that.

“What is that?! A monster!?”

Because a giant robot had emerged from the underground!!!

A massive robot, as big as the school building, posed dramatically towards the children hanging from the windows.

The building we were in was quickly overshadowed by the robot, plunging us into darkness.

“What the….”

“…Considering what was said on the broadcast, could it be the work of Park Yul-ah? But did Kim Gang-ha and Park Yul-ah meet already…?”

Oh, that might be because of me.

I recalled the incident during the vacation when I had made them meet. I felt a cold sweat running down my back.

I never thought that just them meeting would trigger such a major incident!

I tried to chuckle awkwardly and say something, but just then, I heard the sound of people running towards us.

“Unnie!”

It was Kang-yu and his friends. How did they get here…?

Oh, come to think of it, the brooch that Park Si-woo had given me had a tracking feature. Given the dangerous situation, they must have used that function.

I hadn’t worn it visibly over my clothes to avoid showing it to Na-yu-han, so I had kept it in my pocket. Guess it came in handy.

As Kang-yu rushed towards us, I noticed his eyes seemed to lose their sparkle, and his face hardened as he got closer.

Gradually slowing his pace, Kang-yu stood in front of us and asked in a low voice,

“What are you doing, hyung?”

His voice was chilling, like a cold wind. His gaze was also cold and fixed on Na-yu-han, who was nestled in my arms.

Na-yu-han trembled at the eye contact.

Fearing he might misunderstand, I quickly let go of Na-yu-han, and Kang-yu’s expression brightened again.

Kang-yu worries too much about me.

“Unnie!”

I patted Kang-yu, who hugged me tightly.

In the warm atmosphere between us, Park Si-woo spoke calmly.

“By the way, I heard your name mentioned in the broadcast earlier, Na-hyun. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“…I don’t know. It seemed like she just wanted to show off?”

“Nyahaha! Something fun happened right from the first day~!”

At that moment, the ground shook again with a loud bang!

Simultaneously, Park Yul-ah’s voice rang out from the school’s speakers once more.

What’s going on?

We rushed to the window to look at the robot.

Teachers had gathered near the robot, shouting through megaphones.

If you don’t comply with our orders, we will dismantle you by force!

“…Are they trying to fight? With the teachers?”

Shin Ba-ran muttered in disbelief.

Lee Ha-na tilted her head, seeming to not understand Park Yul-ah’s confident attitude.

The teachers at this academy are quite strong.

Most of the teachers here have grown up in the awakened society, following an elite course and achieving notable accomplishments in their respective fields as professionals and veterans.

There was that time during the midterms when they were collectively cursed, but that was due to a powerful curse that even the rare trinket item given to Lee Ha-na couldn’t dispel; it doesn’t mean the teachers are weak.

Ordinary hunters wouldn’t even stand a chance against them, so what do they believe in to act so confidently?

Combat preparation!

Let’s attack!

“At least we have the chance to see the teachers’ skills firsthand.”

“True.”

Na-yu-ri agreed readily with Lee Ha-na’s words.

That’s not bad. I’ll take a look at how much I need to aim for.

I looked toward the teachers preparing for battle with that thought in mind.

“…I wonder about that.”

Na-yu-han muttered something ambiguous, but I decided to ignore it.

Soon, the teacher standing at the front of the group drew a large sword and charged at the robot.

***

A little later.

“No way….”

“Amazing, Yul-ah….”

“This is more than just amazing; it’s hard to describe…”

Shin Ba-ran, Min Jae-yoon, and Na-yu-ri gasped in astonishment.

“It’s like a tier boss.”

“Right? What on earth happened?”

Na-yu-han frowned and agreed with Park Si-woo’s comment.

I felt a cold sweat run down my back without realizing it.

Because although the teachers unleashed fierce attacks, the monstrous robot—or rather, the shield created by the robot—remained unscathed!

“Nyahaha, incredible!”

“Yeah.”

Quickly call for Lord Yggdrasil!

What on earth did those two create?!

It’s not falling apart!!!

While we stood aghast, staring at the colossal robot’s incredible performance, a familiar voice came from behind.

“Hmm, those guys really created something amazing! How interesting!”

“Yggdrasil…”