God, she talks too much.
I wasn't in the mood for this. I tried giving her half-hearted replies, hoping she'd take the hint and leave me alone. But no, she just kept going, like she wouldn't stop until she got whatever it was she wanted from me.
With a sigh, I finally turned to face her.
"Aria Collins, right?" I said, cutting her off. "Can you just tell me why you came to see me? Because, honestly, I'm not in the right mood for a chat."
Aria, who had been running her mouth at full speed, suddenly stopped and looked at me with curiosity.
Ah, damn it. I shouldn't have asked her that. Now she's going to ask something that'll put me in a bad spot.
"You're right. There is something I wanted to ask you. Can I?"
"No, you can't."
"I wanted to ask—Wait, what?" She blinked in confusion. "But you just said—"
Aria frowned, clearly thrown off by my abrupt refusal. She opened her mouth, then shut it again, like she was struggling to process what had just happened.
Good. Maybe she'd take the hint and leave.
I turned away, hoping that was the end of it. But, of course, I wasn't that lucky.
"Wait a minute!" she called out, stepping in front of me before I could escape. "You can't just shut me down like that! That's not how conversations work."
"That's exactly how conversations should work," I muttered.
She crossed her arms, tapping her foot like an impatient teacher waiting for an explanation. "Look, I just need to ask you one thing, and then I'll leave you alone. I promise."
I gave her a flat look. "I don't believe you."
Aria pouted. "Come on, Rin, am I really that bad?"
"Yes."
She gasped dramatically, clutching her chest like I'd just stabbed her. "Wow. Brutal. You just broke a girl's heart, you know?"
See? This was exactly what I was talking about.
Aria was supposed to die in the prologue along with me. But because of my interference, she was still here.
She was a character I knew nothing about.
And right now, answering her questions was the worst thing I could do.
My instincts—honed from over ten years of reading web novels—screamed at me. The first character to take an interest in a newly transmigrated protagonist? Always trouble.
And I had zero information on this girl. Engaging with her was like stepping into a pit trap blindfolded.
If I had to bet on how much trouble answering her would cause, I'd confidently wager Leo's hand.
What? He's talented enough to manage just fine with one.
"Excuse me."
"Not interested."
"Hey! Don't treat me like some kind of pest that needs to die! Is it really that hard to answer one question?!"
"Yes. Yes, it is."
What if my reputation—which, of course, I don't even have—ends up getting worse?
Eh, who cares?
As long as I can avoid situations like this, that's all that matters.
Maybe I should start wearing wireless earbuds. That way, whenever someone tries to talk to me, I can just go—
"Sorry, did you say something?"
Then I'd just walk away.
That'd be perfect.
Yeah, I should definitely use that strategy once classes start in April.
"It was you, wasn't it?!"
…Oh, shit.
I tried so hard not to hear it. Really, I did. But she just had to blurt it out.
My downfall?
Underestimating her.
She looked so quiet and unassuming that I didn't bother covering my ears in time.
And now I was screwed.
I couldn't exactly pretend to be deaf now, could I?
"I was right next to you," she continued, eyes narrowing. "I saw everything. Mr. Ryen suddenly got stronger the moment something flashed from your hand."
Deny. Deny. Deny.
It was the only logical course of action.
I forced my expression into one of utter confusion and tilted my head. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Aria's frown deepened. "Don't play dumb. I saw it. Right before Ryen turned the fight around, something in your hand flashed."
Damn it. She was sharper than I thought.
I shrugged, keeping my voice casual. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe your eyes were playing tricks on you. The lighting in the auditorium was pretty bad."
Aria crossed her arms, unimpressed. "You're a terrible liar, you know that?"
I sighed. "And you're a little too nosy for your own good."
She gasped. "Excuse me? Nosy? I just watched you—"
She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening as realization dawned.
"…Wait. Oh my god. You are hiding something, aren't you?"
Shit. I just walked right into that one.
I needed to get out of here. Fast.
Turning on my heel, I started walking away.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Aria called after me, hurrying to keep up.
"Somewhere you're not," I said without looking back.
"Unbelievable!" she huffed, still on my heels. "Do you even hear yourself? Do you know how suspicious you're acting right now?"
"Oh, trust me. I know."
"Then why—"
"Because I don't want to talk about it."
That made her pause.
For a second, I thought—hoped—she'd finally drop it.
But then—
"You know, I saw everything." Aria's voice was firm, leaving no room for denial. "You can't talk your way out of this. So just tell me—why did you do it?"
I tilted my head. "Did what?"
Her eyes narrowed in irritation.
"Still playing dumb, huh? Fine. I'll talk, and you just answer."
I'm the stubborn one here? Anyone with eyes could see who was refusing to let this go.
Aria took a deep breath before continuing.
"I know for a fact that your ability comes with a heavy price. It's clearly dangerous, and if you keep quiet about it, no one would ever know. Meanwhile, Ryen gets to be a hero, basking in the glory of his commendation—all because of you. Don't you think that's unfair? Some of the credit should belong to you, Rin."
Was I upset?
"No."
The thought hadn't even crossed my mind.
Sure, I regretted using my ability—it hurt like hell—but other than that? I didn't care about the aftermath.
Maybe it hadn't fully sunk in that I was inside a novel. Or maybe I just didn't give a damn about the protagonist's spotlight in this failed, mess of a story.
Aria studied me, as if trying to figure me out. "Why, then? Are you the type who prefers to work from the shadows? Do you have some kind of hidden agenda? Or are you just a naive idiot?"
This girl had a serious case of overthinking.
But telling a delusional person, "Wow, you're delusional! Haha, think whatever you want!" wasn't exactly a winning strategy.
Aria's gaze stayed locked onto me, unwavering, her curiosity burning like a torch in the dark.
She was relentless.
And it was really starting to wear me down.
I exhaled slowly. "Think whatever you want."
Her eyes narrowed. "You're not even going to deny it?"
"I already did," I said flatly. "But you clearly don't believe me, so why waste my breath?"
Aria crossed her arms. "That's because you're a terrible liar."
"And you're annoyingly persistent."
She ignored that and took a step closer. "Then tell me the truth. What did you do?"
I groaned, dragging a hand through my hair. "Look, Aria, if you think you saw something, good for you. But I don't know what you expect me to say. Do you want me to confirm some wild theory you've cooked up?"
She hesitated. "…No."
I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
Aria bit her lip, looking like she was debating something internally, before finally sighing. "I just— It doesn't make sense, okay? I know what I saw, and I know you're involved. But instead of bragging or explaining, you're acting like you'd rather drop dead than talk about it."
"Glad we're on the same page," I muttered.
She shot me a glare but kept going. "You could have taken some credit. But you didn't. Why?"
I frowned.
That was the second time she'd asked.
Why did she care so much?
Most people wouldn't think twice about this. They'd just accept the official story—that Ryen pulled off a miracle—and move on with their lives.
But Aria?
She wasn't letting it go.
I should have been annoyed.
I was annoyed.
And yet… a small part of me couldn't help but wonder—
Was she asking because she genuinely cared?
…No. That was wishful thinking.
I had no reason to trust her.
The best thing to do was shut this down before she backed me into a corner.
So I shrugged. "I just don't care about the spotlight."
Aria studied me, her gaze lingering. Then, to my surprise, she nodded.
"…Okay."
I blinked. "Okay?"
"Yeah." She sighed, rubbing her temple. "Fine. If you don't want to tell me, I won't force you."
Was it really that easy?
…No.
There was no way she was dropping this so quickly.
I narrowed my eyes. "You're lying."
She gasped, placing a hand over her chest in mock offense. "Wow. So now I'm the liar?"
"Yes."
She huffed. "I'm serious! I'll stop bothering you about it. For now."
There it was.
I scoffed. "Knew it."
Aria smirked. "Hey, I never said I'd give up completely. But I'll back off—for now."
I should have been relieved.
Instead, I had the sinking feeling this wasn't the end of it.
Not by a long shot.