Chapter 92
Chapter 92
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Sophomore Jinx (11)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Karin and Ermina headed back in the evening. Ermina looked a bit forlorn, while Karin—completely missing the mood—said she'd be right back soon. It was quite the sight.
It was unfortunate, but they'd failed to achieve anything meaningful in the second dungeon they'd descended into. If this were a game event, maybe the trigger conditions just hadn't been met.
I didn't know the details, but it was possible that the power of the demon god in Karin's bracelet hadn't filled up enough yet.
Needless to say, neither Karin nor I wanted to recklessly charge up the demon god's power just to unlock the next event. So, we naturally decided to talk about the bracelet later.
I wasn't sure if it was because she'd been worn down by tough experiences or if her true nature was just coming out as we grew closer, but Karin was getting bolder by the day.
I didn't think it was a bad change. This world was pretty messed up to begin with, so brushing off a lot of problems with shamelessness was the way to go.
After seeing them off, I grumbled a bit to Big Sister Reimi when she reappeared.
“Sis. Even so, isn't it a bit much that you slept over together again?”
“...Truth is, I was hoping to crash here this time around.”
“Ugh.”
It was hard to keep scolding her when she was grinning sheepishly like that, so I reluctantly just served her some coffee.
Maybe because Mina wasn't around lately, Big Sister Reimi's advances had been ramping up. It wasn't that I disliked it, but it still felt a little overwhelming.
Just like I'd told Ermina, there were still too many things for me to think about.
Anyway, it was dinnertime, so I prepared a meal. Since we knew everything about each other anyway, I didn't go all out—just something simple and casual like usual: a rice-based dish with curry-like spices.
As I finished cooking, Big Sister Reimi sipped her coffee across from me, and we were about to start eating when she picked up her spoon first and asked something.
“I know it's kinda rude to ask, but... what happened last night?”
“Ah. It'd take a while to explain.”
“If it's something you can talk about, take your time.”
“...Have you heard of the sophomore jinx?”
“It happens in the Magic Tower sometimes. Plenty of people charge ahead blindly and end up regretting it.”
“It's common in equestrian tournaments or genre novels too. Rookies cause a stir in their debut but get completely analyzed the next year and their performance tanks. Or a sequel novel just drops off in quality.”
“So what's that got to do with anything?”
“Human relationships are the same way.”
Sis tilted her head, not getting it, and shoveled a spoonful of rice into her mouth.
Of course it was hard to understand. Human relationships and ways of living that you'd think you'd mastered after one lifetime didn't go as planned the second time around.
I'd lived the model noble life as a kid, but once I entered the academy, I'd failed a lot.
Was it the limits of my abilities? Or did I get complacent whenever things went a little well? My second attempts all felt like failures.
Maybe my self-esteem had tanked fundamentally.
No, my first life hadn't been that great either, so calling it a sophomore jinx was a stretch.
“Forget it. Let's just eat.”
“Hmm. If you say it's nothing, I'll believe you.”
“Yeah. It's not like I have nothing to think about, but it's not serious enough to obsess over and give up on everything.”
“So it is a problem.”
“Nah, it's not a big deal.”
Sis poked at the meat in my rice with her fork, shot me a side-eye, then snatched it up and ate it before saying,
“Yeah, well. Ermina's not a bad person, and people make mistakes and miss connections in life. Hope it works out for you.”
She paused mid-sentence like something felt off, swallowed her bite, set down her fork and spoon with a clack, and continued firmly.
“But that doesn't mean I hope it works out romantically with her.”
“Ah, got it.”
“Your reaction's kinda lukewarm.”
“Well, acting like everything's set in stone feels weird, doesn't it?”
“True. It is true, but with me sitting right here, that attitude kinda pisses me off.”
“If you made me pick right now between Ermina and you, it'd be you, Sis.”
“Hmph.”
She looked displeased, but backing off at mere words was one of Sis's good points. She probably knew pushing on things I hadn't sorted out myself wouldn't get anywhere.
In the end, we finished our slightly awkward meal, and then Karin burst through the door, instantly shattering the stuffy atmosphere.
“Open it gently.”
“No, but even though it's not on purpose, coming back out here is kinda thrilling.”
“Thrilling doesn't mean you kick the door open.”
“Yep. Sorry.”
She really had gotten bolder.
Right, speaking of the sophomore jinx, I wondered how people had rated Karin's sequel story.
I was curious what readers or players who saw the sequel I never got to would think and evaluate.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“The first semester of third year is almost over.”
Since she'd confirmed Karin wouldn't have to repeat any classes due to attendance, it hit Ermina even harder.
It had been eventful, but reuniting with Julius, seeing Justine and Rias each trying to change something—it felt like so much had shifted.
First year had brought new encounters that were truly the best, introducing her to first love. Second year had been the backlash, a painful one. Now in third year, things felt like they were resolving bit by bit.
Even if those resolutions weren't always heading the way Ermina wanted.
Suddenly, she recalled Julius's expression from that dawn—the raw, genuine one. Not Julius Lebedev, not the kind big brother visiting the orphanage, not the polite junior in front of Namei-senpai and others. Just Julius, as a person.
That expression, which had made her fiddle with her sparkling reflection in the mirror for no reason, was also a poison she shouldn't drink.
She wanted to know more.
She wanted to get closer.
Maybe what she'd loved was the fantasy Julius in her head. Now, she felt drawn to his unpretentious, human side—free of power or duty.
And if things stayed this way, that love would just end.
“Greedy.”
Even after committing a grave mistake, regretting it for over a year, knowing she had no right to step forward—she couldn't let go of that last slender thread. A greedy fool.
People who thought well of her said she resembled the sun, but these feelings were more like sticky, filthy mud beneath the earth.
“If that dream is fate.”
If it was the goddess's arrangement, that she and Julius were meant to be no matter what, would that be happiness?
No. Julius, unable to be honest with his feelings and life, couldn't be happy with her.
Then.
What should she do?
For Julius to connect with Ermina of his own full will, he had to want her.
Yes. The simple answer she didn't need to agonize over: make Julius fall for Ermina the person, make him utterly enamored.
She hadn't known. Hadn't even thought of it.
In her first love, she'd been swept away by it. After he left, she'd drowned in regret and guilt. She hadn't realized something so straightforward.
Change.
Become a woman he couldn't help but love, one he adored beyond measure.
Not the heroine waiting at the end with a bouquet, but someone who could run beside him, roll in the dirt together.
Looking in the mirror again, she saw a fool—timid, lacking ability, obsessed only with attachment and greed.
“This won't do.”
She'd hone and refine herself. Nothing could be neglected.
Strength, wisdom, looks, courage—all were necessary virtues.
If she could get help, she'd take it all to stand by his side.
So, the people she could contact via magic tools who knew light magic well, or noble etiquette and behavior...
She started diligently searching for them.
First year: clumsily laughing and crying in love.
Second year: lost in regret and self-loathing, a petty life.
Then, from today, make third year one of daily growth, claiming love in the end.
Not waiting, but seizing it.
“Julius. Julius. Julius.”
A lovable name without honorifics.
She whispered it, vowing to become close enough that no honorifics were needed, picturing the day it came true.
Love doesn't end.
At least, not until you sit back and give up.