SH – Chapter 14 – A Man Who Wants Permission from Irina

The problem that plagues Maria is an extremely personal issue. 

Yes, those who are taking advantage of her kindness are at fault, but the fact that she doesn’t refuse them and accepts being used is also a problem.

That’s why solving her problem is a bit difficult.

It is possible to resolve conflicts with her father and tell those who try to take advantage of her to stop. However, the underlying issue of her own state of mind is also incredibly important to address.

Forcing someone to understand that self-sacrifice is bad is unlikely to work, and trying to hammer it into their heads may only make things worse.

Well, to begin with, I don’t deny the concept of self-sacrifice in general.

For example, doing something for others and receiving recognition can be a form of fair exchange.

Generally, as long as ‘What I did for others = What I received from others’, there shouldn’t be any harm in it.

However, in Maria’s case, there is an abnormally low return for what she does for others, and the amount of stuff she does for others is ludicrous.

Since this balance is disrupted in favor of the requester, the result is that there are a lot of people approaching her for help. The key problem here is to help her distinguish between ‘tasks that should be done’ and ‘tasks that should not be done’, and to have the courage to say no.

To be able to make that distinction, it’s important to take on more tasks where you receive appropriate compensation, whether it’s in the form of money or friendship.

By doing so, you will naturally come to understand that certain tasks will only be detrimental to you, and you will become more confident at refusing them.

—That was the proposed solution based on my knowledge of the game.

So, in essence, what I need to do is keep offering Maria high-quality tasks and mediate them to ensure that she gets to experience fair returns.¹

“—So, um, Irina-san, is that okay with you?” (Louis)

After giving Irina a detailed explanation of my plans, I asked her.

In response, she let out a sigh and brushed her bangs with a troubled look on her face.

“*Sigh*…We’ve only just started dating, and you’re already so preoccupied with other girls.” (Irina)

“I-I’m sorry…” (Louis)

“Well, it’s fine. In order words, Saint-sama is suffering, and Louis wants to save her, right?” (Irina)

I nodded in response to Irina’s question.

“That’s right. I can’t just leave a girl (heroine) who is suffering alone.” (Louis)

“…I also feel that it’s wrong to neglect a girl who is suffering and only have you pay attention to me. Louis, you should do what you want. Of course, even if that leads Saint-sama falling for you and you start dating her, I won’t stop you.” (Irina)

I froze in response to Irina’s sudden bombshell statement.

“N-No… I don’t think she would fall for me…” (Louis)

“She will definitely fall in love with you. I guarantee it. After all, I fell in love with you in the same way.” (Irina)

I see… Well, for now, I shouldn’t dwell on that.

Yeah, I’ll put the complicated stuff on hold for now.

“Are you really okay with that?” (Louis)

“In this country, polygamy is allowed. Some countries restrict it, but this country is pretty lenient in that regard.” (Irina)

Certainly, in the game, you could marry multiple people. It’s the same convenient polygamy system often found in harem-themed games. And since this world is based on that game, it makes sense for it to be that way.

“W-Well, let’s think about it when the time comes…” (Louis)

“That time might come sooner than you think. After all, you’re a wonderful person, Louis.” (Irina)

Irina said it with a confident look on her face. 

At that moment, I had no idea that her prediction would actually come true.

＋＋＋

Having received Irina’s official approval, I decided to contact Maria again.

Our class was 1-C, and if I remember correctly, Maria’s class was 1-A.

By the way, in this fantasy school setting, there is no hierarchy between classes that you would often find in such stories. Instead, the top-performing students were evenly distributed among the classes.

And so, right after the classes ended, I anxiously waited outside the classroom of Class A.

As the students from Class A began to leave, they looked at me and whispered to each other, then walked away.

“(What’s with that guy? Why is he in front of Class A?)” (Student)

“(He probably found another person to make fun of, as usual.)” (Student)

“(…Ah, I see. Maybe it’s Maria-sama this time?)” (Student)

“(That’s possible. She’ll do anything if you ask, and she’s a convenient person.)” (Student)

I could faintly hear their conversation.

It was one thing for them to talk about me, but hearing them describe Maria as a “convenient person” annoyed me.

However, if I were to respond here, it would only make things worse.

I gritted my teeth and patiently waited for Maria to come out.

After a while, Maria finally came out, and I called out to her.

“Hey, mind hanging out with me for a bit?” (Louis)

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TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

MC has read enough novels and mangas to know that telling others to not overdo something doesn’t usually work. The classic trope of telling someone to not push themselves too hard only for them to push themself too hard.

Harem is officially confirmed, but is now a good time to ask who is the yandere? Irina doesn’t really look like one, so maybe it’s Maria? There is a yandere tag on Kakuyomu, which is why I put one on NU.

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Footnote:

1. I may have translated this line incorrectly, cause I don’t really understand it. For anyone who knows jap, raw is “まあ要するに、俺がやることは、マリアに質のいい相談や手伝いなどの案件を斡旋し続けて、成功体験を積んでもらうということになるな”