Why Is Everyone in This Dating Sim Trying to Kill Me?!

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Sophia (3)

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After finishing her meal, Sophia took a bath and was now lying on a hammock, covered with a blanket.

'Is this heaven? Yes, it must be heaven. I've been good all this time, so I've come to heaven.'

With a weary expression, she indulged in her own silly thoughts.

Cool water to quench her thirst.

A refreshing bath.

A warm bed.

And a hearty… m-meal…?

Hmm, should I even call that cooking?

No, wouldn't "alchemy" be a more accurate term?

A moment of sacrilegious doubt arose in Sophia's mind as she recalled the recent meal, but she quickly shook her head.

At first, it was the kind of cooking that made her wonder if he was subtly expressing his displeasure at her sudden intrusion!

But even so!

After she put down her spoon, Jin Yuha had eaten all the leftovers.

So, it couldn't have been with ill intent.

And afterward, concerned about a potential stomachache from eating raw freshwater fish, Jin Yuha had even offered her deworming medicine with a gentle smile.

It was, well…

'Whoa, no one can be p-perfect!'

Right, that's a battle you lose if you focus on it.

Anyway.

They say you only truly appreciate the small things in life after you've suffered, and that perfectly described Sophia's current feelings.

A feeling of warmth melting and seeping into her entire body.

Honestly, just meeting Jin Yuha in person was a monumental event, enough to make her jump up and do a 360-degree flip right there.

And for him to show her such devoted consideration…

"Ugh…"

Sophia squirmed and kicked wildly on the hammock, nearly falling off.

Startled, she quickly adjusted her position and lay back down.

'The thrill wasn't just his face.'

Could his heart truly be this beautiful too?

A man of fatal charm, like an onion, revealing new layers the more you peel him.

Sophia's fan-girl heart, which had momentarily wavered because of the cooking, grew even stronger.

Sophia subtly glanced towards the tent next to her, where Jin Yuha had gone in.

'He even offered to let me sleep in the tent while he slept in the hammock.'

Of course, she vehemently refused.

To be honest.

Wasn't she an uninvited guest?

Of course, her situation of being kidnapped to the academy without knowing why might earn some sympathy.

But that didn't mean she deserved special treatment. After all, Jin Yuha and she were strangers who had just met.

The fact that this led to such consideration was proof of Jin Yuha's excellent character!

Sophia, who had been gushing internally and praising Jin Yuha.

Suddenly, her arm, which had been raised high, fell limply.

'I heard exams are really important at Velvet Academy…'

Even she, who didn't know much about the academy's circumstances, knew how important exams were at Velvet Academy.

And was Jin Yuha just any ordinary cadet?

Currently, countless people were watching Jin Yuha.

Of course, there were many who supported him from behind, like her.

But there were just as many people—as many as his fans—who questioned his abilities, envied him, and clung to the idea of a male quota, wishing only for Jin Yuha's downfall.

'But instead of being helpful to Yuha…'

A burdensome weight had been placed on his shoulders.

And that weight was none other than herself!

'Yuha, I'm sorry.'

Sophia, with a choked-up expression, silently reiterated her apologies and gratitude to her bias.

Even so, if she were told to leave tomorrow, she wouldn't have the confidence to do so.

'I have to do something… Even if I can't help, at least I shouldn't be a burden!'

In the deeply shadowed cave, Sophia's gaze also lowered.

* * *

The next morning.

Clank, clank—

'Huh?'

She opened her eyes to an unfamiliar sound coming from outside the tent, even before dawn.

'What is it?'

As she opened the tent and stepped out.

Sophia was holding a pot in one hand and bread in the other.

'Sophia was cooking?'

"What the f—"

When her eyes met mine, she widened them and gasped.

'What the f? Isn't that swearing?'

I frowned.

"Oh, no, no, I'm sorry! More importantly, you're, you're awake?"

"Uh, yeah. Were you cooking? You didn't have to. I would have cooked if you'd just left it—"

"No!"

Sophia's voice cut me off.

"I was already unilaterally indebted to you yesterday; I can't possibly do that!"

She spoke with an unprecedentedly firm tone.

Her resolve was so strong that I actually flinched back a little from her gaze.

"…I-is that so?"

"Yes! Please, let me prepare the meal! Go wash up first. It's almost ready. And I have something to tell you too."

Ugh, her gaze could cut. It really could.

"Ah, alright."

I reluctantly nodded, then roughly washed my face and hair at the spot where the water was collected.

As I came out, shaking my hair dry with a towel, Sophia clapped a hand over her mouth again.

"Gasp! Insane…!"

'…Why does she keep swearing whenever she sees me? Did I do something wrong yesterday?'

As I looked at her with a suspicious expression, Sophia quickly composed herself and spoke.

"Um, here, this… it's plain compared to the unique meal Master Jin Yuha prepared yesterday, but I tried my best to make it."

"Yeah, thanks."

I sat down in front of the meal Sophia had prepared.

'Hmm, definitely plain.'

A simple meal: soup made with bear meat and corn flour, fish seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled, and bread toasted with mustard sauce.

I poked a piece of meat with a wooden fork and brought it to my mouth.

Sophia stared intently at me.

"…H-how is it?"

"Yeah, it's good."

Honestly, by my standards, it lacked a certain color or uniqueness, but since Sophia seemed to be feeling some dissatisfaction, I nodded cheerfully.

At that, Sophia showed a visibly relieved expression.

"Hehe, that's a relief."

"Aren't you eating?"

"…Would I dare, s-share a table?"

"What 'share a table'? Let's eat together while we're at it. That way, there's less to wash. And you said you had something to tell me, right?"

"…Ah, alright."

Sophia sat demurely in front of me, bowed her head, and began to pick at her meal.

Silence ensued, broken only by the clinking of forks and spoons.

Clink, clink—

After eating for a moment, I was the first to speak.

"So, you said you had something to tell me. What is it?"

"…Ah, that."

Sophia held her spoon in her mouth, her expression asking, 'Can I really say this?'

"Just speak comfortably. Listening is free, after all."

I said with a playful tone to ease her tension.

"R-right…? Listening or speaking is free."

"Yep."

At that, Sophia adjusted her posture and knelt before me.

Her two clenched fists rested on her knees, her posture rigid as she met my gaze directly.

"Master Jin Yuha, actually, I'm an outsider who got caught up in the midterm evaluation."

"Oh, I see."

In truth, there was no real need to call her an outsider, but I nodded anyway.

"But I don't know what to do here. I have no way to call for rescue, nor any knowledge to get through this. So, to be direct, I want to ask for your help."

"Help? From me?"

"Yes! Though I may be lacking in many ways, I'm confident in my stamina! Just tell me what to do! Cooking, laundry, cleaning, any kind of chore—if you just tell me, I'll do it with all my enthusiasm!"

Sophia spoke like an eager new employee joining a large corporation.

'She's truly straightforward, as expected.'

I smiled as I looked at her.

Sophia's character traits were 'straightforward', 'lively', and 'confident'.

Even though she had nothing, she wasn't ashamed or tried to hide it.

It was just like her, strong-willed and unreserved in her actions.

'Hmm, this makes things a bit easier, doesn't it?'

I stroked my chin.

To be honest, I had been wondering how to bring it up.

Originally, Sophia was supposed to fight a wild bear here yesterday.

In that process, she would awaken her abilities.

And this episode would begin with her recovering her body after a fierce struggle, then driving a high heel into the forehead of the wild bear.

'But since I came first and dealt with the bear, that initial awakening scene never happened.'

This part had honestly been a long-standing concern, but there was nothing I could do about it.

'Because the scars she got at this time wouldn't disappear even by the later half of her personal story.'

Scars formed from pushing her magic to its limit, wounds that wouldn't fade with ordinary recovery.

Of course, if she had been treated quickly right after the injuries, there might not have been scars.

But she had already used up all her energy in the battle with the bear, so she had no strength left to remove the scars.

Because of those body scars, Sophia would lose her value as a model and begrudgingly attend the academy.

Due to the scars on her body, she always covered herself up after entering the academy, and each time, her depressed face, hidden behind her cheerful demeanor, would be revealed.

"—Everyone wears pretty clothes… If only I didn't have these scars…"

Of course, that gap created her character's unique color, but for me, who knew all the circumstances, I couldn't help but wonder if it was truly right to let it happen.

After much deliberation, I had ultimately chosen to deal with the bear first.

The problem with that was that I had effectively eliminated her motivation for entering the academy.

'So, I was wondering how to get her to attend the academy…'

But with her stepping forward like this, offering to repay the favor, didn't it make things incredibly easy?

"Do you really want to help me?"

"Yes! If I can be of any help to Master Jin Yuha, I can do anything!"

Sophia spoke with a disciplined posture.

"You just said 'anything' with your own mouth, clearly?"

"…Huh?"

At that, Sophia looked flustered, as if it wasn't what she expected.

Well.

You said it yourself, you'd do it?

Yep, once you've said it, there's no going back.

A woman can't speak with two mouths, can she? Right?

Ah, I really didn't want to go this far, you know.

I looked at Sophia's uneasy expression and curled the corners of my lips into a grin.