The Likely Rise of an Extra

Small frame— a little lacking in the boob department.

Fiery red twin-tails.

Amber eyes that should've been burning with energy but looked… dimmer than expected.

Emi Starfell.

One of the main cast members.

And right now, she looked miserable.

"Hey, when you're done with that book, can I take a look at it?"

Kiel blinked, looking up from the page.

"Yeah sure..."

"Thanks."

Kiel scanned her face before speaking.

"…You okay?"

Emi groaned dramatically, slamming her book shut.

"Ugh. No."

"…That bad?"

"That bad," she muttered, slumping forward.

"I know I aced the physical test—obviously—but the written portion? Pfft. Disaster."

Kiel raised an eyebrow.

That's what she's worried about?

He already knew she'd pass.

In the novel her physical performance alone is what carried her into First Page.

But she didn't know that.

And, well… he could sympathize.

Because he definitely didn't know what the hell he wrote either.

"Oh, right. We don't actually know each other. My bad." She straightened up slightly.

"I'm Emi. First-year."

"Kiel, also a first year." Kiel responded.

"And…Yeah," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"Can't say I had a great time with the written test either."

Emi blinked at him. "Wait. You struggled too?"

Kiel smirked. "Oh, no. I didn't struggle. I completely failed."

Emi let out a small, surprised laugh.

"For real?"

"Absolutely... pretty sure half my answers were just me trying to sound smart. At one point, I wrote, 'The existence of mana is a gift from the heavens, probably.'"

Emi snorted.

"Oh, that's nothing. I forgot the name of the third minister of Orbis, so I just wrote, 'Mr Bebson.'"

Kiel chuckled. "Solid guess."

"I know, right? Maybe there was a Mr Bebson, and I just accidentally aced that question."

"I like your optimism."

They shared a grin, the tension in Emi's shoulders easing a little.

Then, a not-so-subtle whisper drifted from a nearby table.

"Isn't that Emi Starfell?"

"Yeah, heard she managed to graduate from the middle school division."

"Oh her. She barely made it past the finals back then."

"And she thinks she can make First Page? Please."

Kiel flicked his gaze to Emi, expecting her to snap back.

Instead, she just… kept quiet while staring at her book.

Kiel knew exactly who those girls were.

"Guess your fan club's here," Kiel muttered.

Emi sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Just ignore them."

Kiel arched an eyebrow. "Not on good terms with them I'm guessing?"

"I guess you could say that," she said dryly.

"They've been like that for years. Always have something to say."

"You get bullied a lot?" He said feigning ignorance.

"Not really bullied. Just… poked at a lot," she muttered.

"They love reminding me about every single thing I mess up on."

"Want me to flip their table?"

Emi choked on a laugh. "Okay, what?"

"Just saying. Accidents happen in libraries all the time."

Emi giggled, covering her mouth.

"You're a pretty awful guy."

"Thanks, I try."

She exhaled, shaking her head.

"It's fine. I don't care what they think. I just…"

She started tapping her fingers against the table.

"…I really wanna make First Page."

Kiel studied her. She wasn't just saying it for fun.

She meant it.

He knew that she had her own insecurities but seeing a little bit of it up close was actually something.

"…You'll be fine,"

Emi blinked. "You sound really confident about that."

"Call it a gut feeling."

She narrowed her eyes. "Gut feeling huh. You sure you're not... I don't know hiding something?"

"Nope absolutely not."

"You so are."

"Prove it."

She huffed. "Tch. Smug jerk."

"I've been called worse."

Before Emi could respond, the girls from the other table stood up, and walked over to the both of them while pretending to be casual.

They were lead by a girl with pink hair that tumbled in soft waves, which made her bright yellow eyes stand out even more—because, you know, she clearly wasn't already eye-catching enough.

Everything about her screamed gyaru, from the lazy tilt of her head to the smug little smirk that said she knew exactly how much attention she was getting.

She moved with that effortless confidence of a runway model.

And her name was Amelia von Crestfoud.

Emi's self proclaimed rival in both dealings of love and academics.

"Oh wow, Emi Starfell, actually studying? That's new."

Emi sighed audibly but kept her head down.

Amelia glanced at Kiel.

"And making new friends too? I guess after struggling in middle school, you're looking for a fresh start?"

Kiel slowly tapped his fingers against his book.

But before he could say anything, Emi suddenly sat up straight.

She stretched dramatically, and said with a very loud voice.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Were you talking to me, or just using my name to make yourself feel better?"

Amelia's face twitched.

Kiel smirked.

There it is.

The classic Emi and Amelia banter.

Emi turned to him, completely ignoring the girls.

"Anyway, Kiel, you were saying?"

Kiel chuckled.

"Nothing important. Just thinking about how confident you sound about making First Page."

Emi grinned. "Damn right."

And just like that, the girls should've walked away.

But they didn't.

Instead, Amelia let out a short, sharp laugh, her expression twisting into something smug.

"Oh, I get it now." She folded her arms.

"You're done clinging to Levi, so now you're after this guy? Hoping he'll carry you along like Levi used to?"

Her smirk was sharp, and her tone was dripping with mock sympathy.

Kiel's fingers twitched against his book.

He knew Levi and Emi were childhood friends.

That wasn't a secret.

But hearing the way these girls said it, like she was some leech clinging to his success—it almost made him want to say something.

Almost.

But he held back.

This wasn't his fight.

Emi, however, didn't hesitate.

She leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm, and gave them the most pitying look imaginable.

"Oh wow, you're right! I should totally take advice from you guys." She tilted her head.

"Since you clearly know so much about being close to Levi."

The girl's smirk wavered.

Emi's eyes gleamed.

"Oh wait. My bad. I forgot—he doesn't even know you exist."

Amelia had always been in love with Levi, but she never found the courage to confess.

She always blamed Emi for it, claiming she was the reason Levi never noticed her.

But Kiel knew the real truth.

The truth was, beneath all the confidence she tried to project, Amelia was actually incredibly shy when it came to men.

And it was something she'd never admit.

Amelia flinched, but one of her friends immediately stepped forward, looking furious.

"You little—"

A flicker of movement.

For a split second, Kiel thought she might actually swing at Emi.

His body tensed.

He wasn't about to throw hands with a bunch of angry rich girls, but if someone took a swing—

SLAM!

A loud thud echoed through the library.

The girls froze.

Kiel turned his head slightly.

The librarian, an older woman with sharp eyes and a no-nonsense expression, had just dropped a massive book onto their desk.

She slowly looked up, gaze sweeping over the scene.

"Do I need to remind you all," she said, voice calm but firm, "that this is a library?"

Silence.

Amelia's friends quickly pulled her back, muttering under their breaths.

Emi let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Oh darn. And here I thought we were about to have a bonding moment."

The girl shot her a murderous glare before storming off, her friends trailing behind her.

Kiel exhaled, shaking his head.

"You have a talent for making enemies."

Emi grinned. "Guess you can call it a gift?"

After apologizing to the librarian she then went back on her patrol?

And just like that, the tension was gone.

.

.

.

A few minutes passed before Emi made up her mind— she wasn't going to stay in the library any longer.

Not that Kiel could blame her, not after everything that had just happened with Amelia and her posse.

With a small wave, he watched Emi walk away before slumping back into his chair.

His thoughts drifted back to what she had said earlier.

First Page.

It was exactly what it sounded like— the first page of Ashfield Academy's student rankings.

When you opened the rankings, the first page held the top students of the year.

For example, if a first-year held First Page Rank 1, it meant they were the strongest, smartest, or most skilled among their peers.

The absolute best of their year.

And there were always nine students on the First Page.

Being on it came with a lot of perks—special privileges, better treatment, scouting opportunities for future jobs and most importantly, the attention of both students and teachers alike.

Everyone at Ashfield Academy wanted a spot on the First Page.

But only a few ever made it.

Everyone except Kiel.

He had no interest in standing out.

The last thing he wanted was to be one of those students constantly under a spotlight, watched by teachers and students alike.

He preferred to stay under the radar.

That didn't mean he wanted to be looked down on, though.

Being underestimated was just as annoying as being in the spotlight.

That's why his goal was simple— Fourth Page.

High enough to earn respect, but low enough to stay out of everyone's way.

"Yeah, my score on the physical test might bump me up a bit," Kiel muttered to himself.

[Talking to yourself again, huh?]

"No?," Kiel replied.

"You've been quiet for a while Hyphen, something wrong?"

Hyphen hasn't spoken a word since the tests ended.

Although Kiel found it weird be didn't want to press the issue.

[That's because someone's been tailing you ever since you got here.]

Here? Since he came to the Library?

"What?"

His mind flashed back to what happened at home—the strand of hair he found, the feeling that something wasn't quite right.

[I don't think they mean any harm, though. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.]

Kiel chuckled bitterly. "A system AI... paranoid?"

He shook his head, but the thought of someone watching him was unsettling.

He tried to shake it off, but the idea stuck with him.

Could he really have a stalker?