Fantasy Libary 24

Title: The Protagonist’s Actions

“Ark-senpai?”

Kirin stared blankly at Ark, who had suddenly appeared in front of her.

“Is that you?”

Julis also looked at Ark and spoke in surprise.

The surrounding spectators initially exchanged glances, but soon a commotion broke out.

“That’s the Lightning Sword and the Wandering Star Warrior!”

“They’re here too?”

“Was that... an attack just now?”

The crowd buzzed with speculation.

“Are you all okay?”

Amagiri Ayato hurried over, his face filled with concern. To outsiders, it might have seemed like the two arrows earlier were his doing.

“Are you okay?”

Ark glanced at Ayato before turning to Kirin and asking her.

“I-I’m fine.” Kirin finally snapped out of her daze and bowed to Ark. “Thank you, Senpai, for saving me earlier.”

However, Ark didn’t seem interested in accepting her gratitude.

“Even without me, you probably could have reacted in time.” He said as he sheathed Ser-Veresta. “In that case, I might have overstepped.”

After all, it was just an arrow—how could it pose a threat to the top-ranked student at the academy?

Before he could finish his thought, Ark realized he had acted on instinct, a realization that left him feeling somewhat helpless as he shrugged.

“Not at all... Ah! That’s right!”

Kirin shook her head vigorously, then timidly turned to Julis.

“Senpai, are you okay too?”

This question finally reminded Julis of what had just happened.

“I’m fine.” Julis glanced at Kirin, then at Ark, and sighed before speaking seriously. “It seems I owe you both for saving me. Thank you.”

As she spoke, Julis gave a rare, formal nod to Ark and Kirin as a sign of gratitude.

“N-no need for that.”

Kirin waved her hands, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Kirin was the one who saved you. It has nothing to do with me.” Ark said bluntly. As Julis bowed, he sidestepped to avoid the gesture entirely.

Honestly, Ark hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

In the original story, none of this was supposed to happen. Kirin wasn’t supposed to be here, and he himself had no connection to this event. The one who saved Julis was supposed to be Ayato, who now stood nearby. Neither he nor Kirin were supposed to play any role here.

So when Kirin rushed to save Julis, Ark was genuinely surprised.

‘It seems the butterfly effect caused by an outsider—me—is starting to show,’ Ark mused silently.

While Ark was lost in thought and Kirin looked uneasy, Julis maintained her serious demeanor.

“Whatever the case, the fact that you saved me won’t change. I’ll remember this kindness.” She said, shifting her gaze to Ayato.

“And you—our duel isn’t over yet!”

Hearing this, Ayato’s face twisted into an expression of pain.

“Can’t we just call it quits after all this?”

He tried to negotiate, clearly reluctant to fight again.

He definitely didn’t want to face Julis again—it was like fighting a walking flamethrower. He had nearly been torn to pieces earlier, and if the fight continued, he would have no choice but to unseal his power to avoid being burned to a crisp.

“There’s no way you’re getting out of this!” Julis retorted with determination. “I already let you off easy by not turning you over to the disciplinary committee. If you don’t settle this duel, don’t blame me for what happens next!”

Her words made it clear: if Ayato refused the duel, she would report him to the authorities.

And if that happened, Ayato would earn the honorable title of “peeping tom who broke into the girls’ dorm” on his very first day—something even Ark wouldn’t want to deal with.

“That’s...”

Ayato opened his mouth to protest, but seeing Julis’s uncompromising stance, he gave up.

“Uh... can you two calm down?”

Seeing the tension rise, Kirin tried to mediate, though she looked utterly confused.

Given her personality, it was clear she wasn’t suited to resolving situations like this.

As for Ark... well, he was still enjoying the show.

Thankfully, at that moment, a savior arrived.

“How about we disperse for now?”

A soft laugh interrupted the tense atmosphere and broke the deadlock.

“You’re all top-ranked students at our academy. If you keep gathering here, the crowd will only grow.” said the intruder, none other than Claudia.

The beautiful student council president made a stunning appearance, greeted by gasps of admiration from the onlookers. Her presence immediately shifted the attention away from Ark and the others.

“Senpai!”

“P-President!”

Julis frowned, clearly displeased, while Kirin hurriedly bowed in greeting.

As Ark looked at Claudia, he quietly observed her expression.

At a glance, Claudia seemed as composed as ever, her face calm and adorned with a serene smile.

Unable to detect anything unusual, Ark muttered to himself, ‘It’s been a while since that night. I wonder how she’s doing now...’

Unfortunately, Claudia seemed too normal—there were no signs of change at all. Ark couldn’t help but suspect that Pandora might be opposing him in some way.

“Who are you?”

Ayato, the only one who didn’t know Claudia, was momentarily stunned by her striking beauty and composure. He asked the question cautiously.

“Hello, Amagiri Ayato.” Claudia greeted him with surprising familiarity, as if they had known each other for a long time. She smiled and said, “I’m Claudia Enfield, the student council president of this academy—or something like that.”

“Claudia.” Julis interjected, her tone filled with annoyance. “Why are you here? Are you planning to stop my duel?”

“According to the rules, duels between students are allowed as long as both parties agree.” Claudia replied with an unshakable smile. “But considering what just happened—with Kirin and Ark intervening—why don’t we call it quits for now?”

Julis furrowed her brows deeply but didn’t argue.

“President.” Ayato said hesitantly, sensing that Julis had let him off. He sighed in relief before continuing, “There was someone attacking from the shadows earlier. Is that acceptable?”

Thanks to Ayato’s question, the topic shifted smoothly.

“Of course, such behavior is strictly prohibited. I’ll have the disciplinary committee conduct a thorough investigation.” Claudia replied, turning her gaze to Ark and Kirin. “Ark-kun and Kirin were the first to notice the attack. Did either of you see who the attacker was?”

Ark was the first to answer.

“I didn’t see the attacker. I only noticed Kirin’s unusual reaction, which made me realize someone had fired an arrow nearby.”

His answer directed everyone’s attention to Kirin.

“I...”

With so many eyes—especially from the senior students—on her, Kirin seemed overwhelmed. She stammered nervously.

“I just saw someone near the window of that building over there. They were holding a bow-type Lux and aiming at Miss Riessfeld. The person was wearing a black cloak, so I couldn’t make out their appearance...”

The area Kirin pointed to was quite far away. Everyone followed her gaze but couldn’t see anything at the window from that distance.

“Kirin, your eyesight must be really good.” Claudia said, her tone a mix of surprise and admiration.

“I-I’ve always had sharp vision.” Kirin replied shyly. “My family often says I see strange things...”

Her bashful demeanor made her seem charming, naturally easing the tension among the group.

Ayato, in particular, seemed to relax. For a moment, he even raised his hand as if to pat Kirin’s head, but quickly lowered it when he realized what he was doing. Ark’s expression turned strange.

‘This guy... is he going to use the head-patting technique to flirt?’

Please stop this harem protagonist nonsense! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻