Chapter 4
[I’ve read that novel too, and it was quite fascinating. A story about an orphan girl adopted by a noble who becomes a saint—ah, thrilling, isn’t it?]
“……”
Selina looked at the god with a sour expression, feeling as if she were watching an overly enthusiastic friend fangirl over a favorite story.
[The story is entertaining, but it’s so boringly predictable. Everyone loves the kind heroine, anyone who dislikes her is branded a villain, and every time trouble occurs, coincidences save her. So cliché…]
The god rambled on for a while, then suddenly his eyes sparkled as he grabbed Selina’s hands tightly.
[How about becoming the heroine of a novel yourself?]
“Huh?”
[If you step into the story, wouldn’t the plot change? Then, without fail, an even more interesting tale will be born! What do you say? I’ll help you become the protagonist!]
“N–no way!”
Selina had flatly refused the god’s proposal that day, completely horrified.
When she woke up right after rejecting him, she was relieved not to hear the god’s voice anymore.
But a few days later, the voice returned.
[Why did you refuse? I’m offering to make you the heroine!]
“I said no! I know I’ll just get dragged into annoying trouble—why would I do that?”
[But if you become the heroine, you’ll have handsome men by your side and live like royalty.]
The tempting offer nearly swayed her, but Selina stubbornly resisted the persistent god.
After reading countless reincarnation and transmigration novels, she knew one unshakable rule:
Once you get involved with the protagonists, your life becomes exhausting.
Sure, it was fascinating that this world was like a novel, but that was it.
She hated tiring, bothersome things.
But just as she was stubborn, the god was relentless.
[Why do you hate the idea so much?]
[Knock knock, anyone home?]
[I said I’ll make you the main character!]
“Argh! I said no!”
The god pestered her every single day until her head throbbed.
Eventually, he even possessed the body of a stray cat and appeared right before her eyes.
That’s how their relationship—an unlucky one—began when she was five, and it had lasted until now, when she was sixteen.
No matter how many times Selina told him she wasn’t interested, he kept trying to make her the protagonist just because he “wanted a new story.”
Despite her efforts to avoid his schemes, a few times she still got swept into troublesome incidents.
Still, not everything about him was bad.
Because she had been with a god for so long, she was constantly exposed to divine energy—and that caused her to awaken her sight.
She could see what others couldn’t.
It was hard to define what exactly it was, but Selina called what she saw “fate.”
She could see the fates of people—their past, present, and future.
And the “present fate” even reflected what that person was thinking at that very moment.
In other words, she could read minds.
Thanks to this ability, she became a far better fortune-teller and prophet than her mother, Stella.
And since the god could see others’ fates even more accurately than she could, he was a great help.
With his aid, she successfully took over her mother’s business, “Secret Moonlight.”
Selina was grateful for that—but when she realized he was now trying to tie her into the original novel again, she could feel her blood boiling.
“I don’t even know how you managed to persuade my mom. What did you do, appear in her dream and tell her, ‘Your daughter must attend the Academy’?”
“No way, I didn’t do anything, meow.”
“Uh-huh. Care to repeat that with a straight face?”
“It’s true, meow! I didn’t do anything to Stella!”
Luna, the black cat, looked up at her with huge, shiny eyes full of innocence.
Anyone else would have believed him—but Selina wasn’t fooled.
“When I was six…”
At her low voice, the small black body flinched.
Those bright yellow eyes darted downward guiltily.
“You suddenly ran away from home and made me go find you, remember? Just so I’d get involved with the protagonists.”
“T–that was… because I felt trapped at home, meow.”
“Really? Funny, because you went really far. You even wandered into the noble district and made sure I ran into some ‘sub male lead’ guy. You planned it.”
“It was just a coincidence, meow!”
“That ‘coincidence’ made my mom get cursed out by nobles! Just because a lowly commoner girl dared to block a noble’s carriage!”
Selina shouted, and Luna flinched, lowering his head even further.
But he still didn’t admit fault.
Seeing his silence, Selina’s lips curved into a dry smile.
“So that’s how it’s going to be? Then how about when I was twelve—how do you explain that?”
“…Meow.”
His ears drooped.
“The Crown Prince himself came to Secret Moonlight, remember? All by coincidence. I mean, what are the odds that the prince, on a secret outing, would lose his way and follow a cat right to me? Funny how you’d gone missing since the day before.”
“I just needed some alone time, meow…”
“Do you expect me to believe that? You hate going outside. You’re the laziest cat I know.”
“The Crown Prince may be one of the main characters, but… I didn’t lure him, meow.”
“Not just a main character—a male lead. And didn’t you dump him on me, saying, ‘Since you brought him, you deal with him’?”
“D–did I say that? I must be getting old, my memory’s fuzzy, meow.”
“You don’t even age, so cut the act.”
Selina sighed and looked him up and down.
“You said I wasn’t even an extra in the original story. Why not just go bother the real heroine instead of me?”
“That’d be boring, meow. I wanted to raise my own heroine!”
“What is this, Princess Maker? You think you can just create one?”
“Princess Maker? What’s that, meow?”
“Never mind… I should’ve known something was up since you’d been quiet lately. You always hit me from behind.”
“I told you, it wasn’t me, meow!”
Despite all the complaints, they had lived together for eleven years.
Even if his antics were a headache, Selina couldn’t help but feel attached to him now.
“I don’t know if you’re telling the truth this time, but… what’s done is done.”
“So, are you going to the Academy, meow?”
“I guess I have to. Mr. Prymon already paid my tuition. And I heard the fees aren’t cheap…”
She didn’t know the exact amount, but for an ordinary commoner, it was a heavy burden.
Many people even went into debt just to attend the Academy.
How did she know?
Well, her close friend was also entering Perion Academy, and she’d learned about it through her.
Thanks to a generous sponsor, her friend had gotten in—and now Selina would be attending alongside her.
“Haa… It’s going to be a pain when Mia finds out.”
“But isn’t it nice that you’ll be going with your close friend, meow?”
“I suppose… but Mia’s a bit too energetic. She wears me out.”
Just thinking about her lively friend gave Selina a headache.
“…But what about Secret Moonlight once I enter the Academy? It says here it’s a dormitory system.”
According to the admission guide, all students had to live in the dorms unless granted special permission.
That was a problem.
With her mother gone, Selina was now the sole breadwinner—she couldn’t just abandon the shop for months.
Sure, she had some savings, but business was booming right now—she couldn’t afford to pause.
“Why not ask Prymon, meow? Maybe he can make an exception?”
“No. He already paid my tuition, and it’s expensive enough.”
“But it’s not like you even wanted to go, meow.”
“That’s true, but what’s done is done. And I can’t keep asking him for favors after everything he’s already done.”
“Then what will you do, meow?”
“…I’ll enroll first, then ask the Academy if there’s any alternative arrangement. There must be a way.”
“Even if you can’t work, it should be fine, meow. You’ve saved plenty.”
“It’s not just about money—it’s about trust. I’ve built strong bonds with my regular customers. If I just vanish, it’ll feel like betrayal.”
“I’m sure they’ll understand, meow.”
“They don’t even know I’m a sixteen-year-old girl! What am I supposed to say—‘Sorry, I can’t see you because I’m at school’?”
“…That’s true, meow.”
“Honestly…”
As Luna lazily sprawled on the sofa, Selina sighed, got up, and put her hands on her hips.
She began reviewing the list of required items for the Academy.
“Textbooks can be bought there… I’ll need a uniform, bag, and shoes.”
There was so much to prepare—and all the required supplies could only be bought from specific stores, not the usual shops.
Though the guide kindly listed where to get them, Selina had no idea where those places were.
She rarely went outside except to run errands or buy necessities, so of course she was clueless.
“…Should I ask Mia for help?”
Mia would definitely know where to shop.
Selina had planned to tell her about the admission as late as possible, but she had no choice now.
“Haa… March 2nd.”
That was the entrance ceremony date.
It was now February 15th—about two weeks left.
She had to wrap everything up before then.
“I guess I should post a notice first. Maybe I’ll close the shop three days early, just in case.”
If she suddenly announced a closure exactly during the Academy admission season, it might raise suspicions—
so she thought it might be better to shut down the shop a little earlier
