How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

“No, it’s fine…”

As I was packing, my younger siblings kept bringing me all sorts of random things, trying to give them to me. Though it seemed like they were thinking of me, I gently refused their adorable gestures.

“I’ll make lots of money.”

I smiled as I ruffled Kang Hoon’s hair in front of the group of kids who had gathered to see me off.

“Just don’t overdo it.”

“Okay.”

Leaving behind my warm orphanage family’s farewells, I arrived at the entrance of Guardian Academy.

Guardian Academy, built like a massive island within the city, was surrounded by a moat around its large campus.

There were large drawbridges connecting the inside and outside from the east, west, south, and north, allowing people to come and go. Since it was the day of the entrance ceremony, there were tons of people moving around.

I followed the directions and went to the reception desk at the eastern gate entrance. There, I was handed a tablet-like device.

Soon after, a message appeared on the device.

[Kang Nahyeon: Class F]
With my stats, of course. Not surprising at all.

“The bus to the auditorium is departing!”

The academy’s campus was so vast that we had to travel by shuttle bus.

Various sights passed by the bus windows—training grounds, dormitories, walking paths, a bustling marketplace filled with shops, and more.

The academy was fully equipped with all sorts of convenient facilities, designed so that students wouldn’t need to leave the campus and could focus solely on improving their abilities.

The kids on the bus gasped in awe at every new sight or quietly watched with bright eyes.

I, feeling a sense of wonder at the scenery just as described in the novel, soon lowered my gaze to the device to check dorm information and other important details.

Nothing particularly stood out.

The only issue was that there was a curfew at 10 p.m., according to the rules.

…Didn’t the protagonist and his group roam around even at night in the original novel?

No, if I start nitpicking, I’ll lose. Better not to dwell on it.

The auditorium was crowded when we arrived.

I lined up under the sign for Class F, and just as I arrived, the entrance ceremony started right on time.

Being in Class F, I could feel people glancing at me and whispering.

Damn academy with its obsession with skills. Just wait, I’ll climb my way up.

The entrance ceremony was filled with the usual boring formalities. A parade of speeches from important figures, followed by a message from the principal.

The principal was a woman with long wavy hair and a mature air about her, though she looked no older than her early twenties at most.

Despite her youthful appearance, she was one of those “sexy older woman” characters with a secret older age. The type to say something like, “Interested? How about we spend the night together? Just kidding,” with a teasing smile.

I sighed, lamenting how even the principal was a heroine in this trashy novel, and half-listened to her speech.

Finally, the highlight of the ceremony arrived: the freshman oath.

Wasn’t the protagonist, Stoic, the one who gave the freshman oath?

“Freshman oath, Park Siwoo. As a student of this school…”

Now that I think about it, there was a scene where Opportunist watched Stoic giving the oath and thought to himself, “I’ll survive in this world!” or something cringey like that.

“I’ll survive, in this world…!”

Oh, that was it. That’s exactly the voice I imagined.

…Wait, what?

I turned to my side and saw a dark-haired, red-eyed, cat-like handsome boy clenching his fist with a serious expression.

Is this guy the Opportunist?

…The stares and whispers weren’t because I was in Class F, but because I was sitting next to this infamous protagonist. Right, the character who used to be a villain. His reputation is pretty bad.

Still… I can’t let this opportunity slip by. Time to execute Operation ‘Sunshine.’

I made eye contact with Opportunist. As he looked at me with a blank expression, I flashed him a bright smile.

“Hey, hi there!”

“Huh? Oh, hi.”

Alright.

The character I chose to play is a ‘sunshine character.’

Since this is a harem novel with all sorts of character tropes, this was pretty much my only option left. Damn it.

Opportunist looked a bit flustered by my big smile and greeted me awkwardly.

“What’s your name? I’m Kang Nahyeon!”

“You… don’t know who I am?”

“Huh? Who are you? Are you famous or something?”

Before Opportunist took over, ‘Na Yuhan’—the villainous extra in the game and the character he’s now possessing—was notorious in the Awakener society. A complete delinquent.

Drinking? Always. Violence? A given. Mischief? Constant.

In a way, he was a kind of celebrity.

He’d show up in the news all the time, though his real name was always censored as “someone from a certain family,” thanks to the Na family’s immense influence in the Awakener society.

Of course, anyone who checked the internet comments could easily find out his identity, but if you weren’t familiar with internet gossip, you wouldn’t know.

In other words, if you were a civilian with no interest in the Awakener world, it was possible not to know Na Yuhan!

“…It’s Na Yuhan.”

“Oh, Yuhan. Nice to meet you!”

In this plan, I’m playing the part of a clueless, innocent kid from the orphanage who knows nothing about Na Yuhan’s reputation. Even if I hear bad rumors, I’m the type to give people the benefit of the doubt—a perfect tool to be used.

I smiled cheerfully and shyly, as if I really didn’t know anything.

“You know, I’m a government-supported Awakener. So, I don’t know anyone here and feel a bit out of place.”

I casually dropped some information about my background, subtly implying that it’s possible I might not know who he is!

Opportunist seemed to understand and nodded.

In this world, there are two types of Awakeners.

There are those who, thanks to their genetic Awakening traits, come from entire families of Awakeners who wield great power—Awakener society elites.

Then, there are those whose latent potential is discovered during civilian screenings, Awakeners supported by the government.

“So, I’m a bit worried about whether I’ll be able to keep up with the academy’s curriculum. Do you know a lot of people here, Yuhan?”

“Since I’m from an Awakener family, yeah, kind of.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! Can you use your abilities well? I don’t know anything yet!”

“…Not really?”

Opportunist gave a sly smile.

Of course, he knows very well, you game-obsessed nerd.

This guy flaunted his knowledge of the original game so much in the novel that even someone like me, who skimmed through it, couldn’t forget it.

But now that knowledge is going to be of great use to me. The more he knows about the game—this world—the better for me.

“Come on, tell me!”

I clasped my hands together, putting on a cutesy (ugh) act, looking up at him pleadingly.

…I guess I’ll have to get used to this kind of stuff if I want to squeeze some benefits out of him. Tears are forming in my eyes.

I played the part of a clingy government-supported Awakener, someone desperate to rely on anyone they could.

Awakeners from elite families are generally better at controlling their abilities and using information compared to government-supported Awakeners, having grown up in that society.

In Guardian Academy, which operates on a meritocracy, government-supported Awakeners often end up falling behind.

It’s common for those Awakeners to latch onto someone from an elite family for support, and some elites exploit this vulnerability to create followers.

At worst, my behavior could be seen as typical clinginess, but no one would suspect that I’m intentionally approaching Opportunist with a plan in mind.

“Time to move.”

“Oh, let’s go!”

Just in time, the entrance ceremony ended, and it was time to head to our respective classes.

As I quickened my pace, my conversation with Na Yuhan naturally came to a halt.

He didn’t seem particularly interested in me right now. He was probably too busy strategizing on how to survive at the academy.

But that’s fine.

‘Unlike the prejudice-filled Awakener elites who despise Opportunist, the relatively neutral government-supported Awakeners still hold some value.’

Opportunist’s weakest phase is early on, and he’ll need the help of people like me to get started.

And I’m a long-range DPS type who can definitely pull my weight if I get a little investment.

Plus, Opportunist’s first mission to find a hidden piece would be much easier with my sniper skill.

Without me, Opportunist would struggle with his low stats alone. It’d be far better to recruit me and let me handle the shooting.

As long as I can make that appeal, I’ll be able to join the protagonist’s party early on.

Still, it’d be best to expand my network so I look even more useful to Opportunist. The more connections I make, the more valuable I’ll seem.

“I really want to make lots of friends~”

With a face full of excitement, I began approaching other government-supported Awakeners like me.

They were easy to spot. Most of the students in Class F were government-supported, and I could pick out those who looked nervous but hopeful about their new environment.

Just like how I used to talk with the kids at the orphanage, I matched their energy and responded warmly, quickly drawing them in.

The conversation started with something everyone could relate to—“The excitement of the first day of school”—and naturally led to a conclusion about working hard together.

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“Let’s do our best together!”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

“Escape from Class F!”

“Oh, by the way, I’ve heard some tips about school life, so I’ll share them with you guys.”

My group of new students quickly grew larger, as the friendly atmosphere attracted more kids.

It was the first day of school for these kids who had hit the Awakener lottery. They were full of dreams, and everyone chatted excitedly as I fanned their hopes.

Soon, we reached our classroom, and the students gathered into small groups with the people they had just gotten close to.

I naturally sat with the group I had just formed and invited Opportunist, who had been following behind.

“Yuhan! Come sit with us!”

At that, a few of the kids’ expressions stiffened slightly.