Chapter 4
[I’ve read that novel too, and it’s quite interesting. The story of an orphan girl adopted by nobles and becoming a saint… it’s thrilling… truly thrilling.]
‘……….’
Selina gave a wry expression, feeling the same awkwardness as when watching an overly enthusiastic friend fangirl.
[The story is fun, but honestly, it’s boring. Everyone likes the good protagonist, anyone who dislikes her is labeled a villain, and when a problem arises, it’s conveniently resolved by coincidence. Too cliché…]
For a moment, the god rambled, but then his eyes gleamed as he suddenly grabbed both of Selina’s hands.
[What if you became the protagonist of the novel?]
‘Huh?’
[If you interfere with the original story, the plot would change, right? Then it would definitely become an even more exciting tale! What do you say? I’ll help you—would you become the protagonist of the novel?]
‘N-no!’
Selina panicked and firmly rejected the god’s proposal that day.
When she woke up from that rejection, she no longer heard the god’s voice, which brought her relief. But a few days later, it returned.
[Why do you refuse? I told you I’ll help you become the protagonist.]
‘No! I’d only get caught up in bothersome troubles! Why would I do that?’
[Ha, but if you became the protagonist, you could live surrounded by handsome men, flaunting your life in style.]
Though the tempting offer made her briefly waver, Selina resolutely refused the persistent god.
Having read countless reincarnation and possession novels, she knew one unchanging truth: the moment the protagonist gets involved, life becomes extremely exhausting.
It was fascinating that this world was part of a novel, but that was all it was—nothing more.
She despised tedious, troublesome matters. Yet the god remained stubborn.
[Why do you hate this so much?]
[Do I need to be that obvious?]
[I said I’d make you the protagonist.]
‘Aaah! I said no!’
Every day, the god pestered her to the point of headache. Eventually, he even possessed a stray cat’s body to appear in front of Selina.
This relationship had continued from when she was five until she was now sixteen.
It had to be a fated nuisance. Even though she repeatedly said no, he insisted on making Selina the protagonist just because he wanted to see a new story unfold.
She tried to avoid being swept up in his schemes, but there had been a few times she was dragged into troublesome incidents.
Of course, there had also been benefits from dealing with the god.
Since she was constantly around him, she was naturally exposed to pure divine power, which awakened her spiritual sight.
She could see things others couldn’t.
It was hard to define precisely, but Selina called what she saw “Fate.”
Through her eyes, she could see the fates of people—past, present, and future. The “present fate” even revealed what someone was thinking at that very moment.
This meant she could read the minds of others.
Thanks to this ability, she became far more skilled at fortune-telling and prophecy than Stella.
Moreover, since the god could see the fates even more accurately than Selina, it was a perfect combination.
His help had been invaluable in running Secret Moonlight after Stella.
That was helpful, yes—but watching him try to entangle her in the original story again made her blood boil.
“How exactly did you trick Mom? Did you appear in her dreams and say, ‘Your daughter must go to the academy’?”
“No way. I didn’t do anything, meow.”
“You could at least have used some flattery.”
“I swear, meow! I did nothing to Stella!”
Luna blinked her large eyes indignantly.
To anyone else, it would have seemed like she was telling the truth—but Selina remained suspicious.
“When I was six…”
The small black body trembled slightly at Selina’s low voice. The yellow eyes that had shone brightly now lowered.
“You ran away and forced me to find you, right? Just so you could involve me with the protagonists.”
“Th-That… I was bored at home, meow.”
“Really? You went pretty far, didn’t you? You deliberately went to the street where nobles walk so I’d bump into some secondary male lead or something. You did that, didn’t you?”
“Coincidence, meow!”
“That ‘coincidence’ got Mom cursed at by the nobles! Just because some insignificant commoner blocked their carriage!”
Selina shouted, and Luna shrank, unable to lift her head. Yet she didn’t admit fault.
Selina crooked her lips at Luna’s refusal to explain.
“So that’s how it is? Then what about when I was twelve? How do you explain that incident?”
“Meow…”
Luna’s previously perky ears drooped.
“The crown prince of the empire came to Secret Moonlight, right? Pure coincidence. The prince went on a solo secret mission, got lost, and just happened to chase a cat—what are the odds? No wonder he hadn’t shown his face the day before.”
“I just needed some alone time, meow…”
“Do you think that excuse works? You hate going outside. Who refuses to go out just because it’s a bother?”
“The crown prince is also a protagonist… but I didn’t entangle him, meow.”
“Not just any protagonist—the male lead. And it’s different from back then. That time, you brought a male lead with you, right? Didn’t you leave him to me so I could manage the prince?”
“Th-That… meow? I don’t really remember since I was younger.”
“Not aging and already whining about memory?”
Selina sighed, scanning the flustered black cat up and down.
“You said I wouldn’t even appear as an extra in the novel. Why not just leave it to the protagonists instead of me?”
“That wouldn’t be fun, meow. I wanted to raise the protagonist with my own hands.”
“Not a Princess Maker game. What are you trying to make?”
“Princess Maker? What’s that, meow?”
“It’s a thing… sigh. No wonder you were quiet recently. Didn’t expect a backstab like this.”
“I told you, I didn’t do it, meow.”
Despite grumbling, Selina had lived with Luna for eleven years.
Though he caused headaches, she had grown attached to him.
“I don’t know if you really did nothing, but what’s done is done.”
“So, will you go to the academy, meow?”
“Can’t avoid it. Uncle even paid the tuition. I heard academy tuition isn’t cheap…”
She didn’t know the exact amount, but it was undoubtedly burdensome for ordinary commoners.
Many went into debt just to enroll.
“How do you know this?”
Her friend had coincidentally enrolled at Perion Academy this year, so she had found out. Luckily, her friend had a good sponsor, so they were attending the academy together.
“Ha… if Mie knew about this, it’d be troublesome.”
“Still, isn’t it good to enter with a close friend, meow?”
“True, but… Mie can be exhausting.”
Thinking of her energetic friend while she was different made her head throb.
“…But what about Secret Moonlight when I enter the academy? It says here that students stay in dormitories.”
The admission form noted that all students must stay in dorms, except in special cases.
It was a problem. Leaving the only family member behind meant she had to earn a living on her own, and she couldn’t leave the shop empty for long.
Sure, she and Stella had accumulated assets, but she needed to make money while things were running smoothly.
“How about asking Fryman? He might arrange a special exception, meow.”
“No. He’s already paid the expensive tuition.”
“But you didn’t want this, did you?”
“That’s true, but spilled milk can’t be put back. I can’t rely on him anymore—he’s helped me enough already…”
“So what will you do, meow?”
“…I’ll enroll first, then contact the academy. There must be a solution.”
“But it won’t matter if you can’t work, meow? You have a lot saved anyway.”
“Money isn’t the main issue. It’s about trust with my customers. I’ve built relationships with regulars for a long time; if I stop now, I’d be betraying their trust.”
“Surely they’d understand, meow?”
“How could I explain I’m a sixteen-year-old girl? I can’t just say, ‘I’ll be at the academy for a while and won’t come back.’”
“True, meow.”
“Anyway…”
Watching the cat sprawled lazily on the sofa, Selina shook her head and stood.
She placed her hands on her hips and scanned the admission form for required items and instructions.
“Textbooks can be purchased at the academy… I need to buy a uniform, bag, and shoes.”
So many preparations. And the academy specified stores for certain items rather than just common shops.
Though the instructions listed the stores, she had no idea where they were.
She rarely went outside, except for essentials, so it was expected.
“…Should I ask Mie?”
Mie would surely know where to shop.
Though she’d hoped to delay telling her, the preparations left no choice.
“Ha… March 2nd.”
Enrollment day. Today was February 15, so roughly two weeks remained.
She had to finish all preparations and enter the academy within that time.
“First, I should announce a temporary closure. Maybe close three days early, just in case.”
If she closed the shop during academy admission season, it might arouse suspicion. Closing earlier could avoid that.
