*****
NOVELASIUS
- TL: the guild
- Discord: https://discord.gg/GBKEa55867
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/topasius
Thank you for your continued support of this series. As we’ve recently taken over the translation, there may be minor errors or inconsistencies in this chapter. We’re committed to delivering the best possible experience, so if you spot anything that doesn’t seem right, please let us know on our Discord server. Your feedback helps us improve and ensures the quality of future translations.
ENJOY~ PYUUN~
*****
Karma (2)
After regular classes and some after-school activities, students head back to their dormitories.
Although the dormitories are separated by faculty and gender, a special dormitory, built for only a few students, sits at the top of a hill.
The concept is that it receives the energy of the mountain, but being located so high up, it’s not exactly a preferred spot for most students due to the steep climb.
This special dormitory, distinct from the others, was initially established to isolate a dangerous individual, Hua Ran, who had caused trouble in the distant East. However, over time, more residents moved in, turning it into a two-story house.
Recently, after some garden maintenance and a thorough cleaning, three people—Marie, Hua Ran, and Ren—were quietly studying for the upcoming exams in the freshly tidied sunroom.
“…”
“…”
Scratch, scratch.
The only sound echoing through the sunroom was the graphite of their pencils scraping against the paper.
“…”
“…”
Scratch, scratch.
‘I-I’m suffocating…’
Ren, who had come to the sunroom to study for the exams, wanted to escape from this oppressive space but couldn’t find a reason to leave.
It all started with the decision to enter some contest called the “Lady of Autumn.”
Both Hua Ran and Marie had decided to participate, creating a strange atmosphere between them.
A subtle sense of competition over one man… this tension forced them into silence, neither speaking a word to each other.
If they didn’t want to talk, wouldn’t it be better for them to study in their own rooms?
But it seems that neither was willing to back down, thinking that retreating meant losing.
Ren had been there first, so why was she now studying in such a heavy atmosphere?
‘Ron… come quickly and get me out of here…!’
She desperately called for her twin brother, but he was lingering at the sunroom door, unable to take a single step inside.
‘Please get me out of here…!’
‘I-I think it’s better not to go in. My instincts are telling me to stay out…’
‘That…!’
Recently, he had become more assertive and stopped listening to her.
Did he forget how his sister used to fight with the restaurant owner over food waste and protect him from bullies?
Meanwhile, the sound of pencils drawing lines across textbooks continued. Ren felt like she was living with wild beasts, on edge, waiting for the inevitable explosion.
Tweet, tweet!
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of a cuckoo clock. As it struck noon and 7 PM, the cuckoo bird popped out of its nest to signal dinner time, much to Ren’s relief.
“…It seems like no one’s here.”
Ran, who had been reviewing instead of the slacking Hua Ran, spoke up.
Usually, by this time, someone from the dorm, like Dorm Head Josephine, would call them to the dining hall.
But it seemed that everyone was out tonight.
“Well, since I did the studying, you can cook today, Hua.”
Saying so, Ran stretched her body, stiff from sitting in a chair for so long. Her hair began to change color, and her red eyes sparkled.
“I’ll cook.”
“…You, Hua?”
Marie raised her head, somewhat surprised. She offered to help.
“I’ll help you.”
“No. I’m practicing. So I’ll do it alone.”
Hua didn’t wait for Marie’s response and left the sunroom. Marie gestured to stop her, but Hua was already heading toward the kitchen.
“Hmm…”
It was strange for her to deliberately walk all the way to the kitchen.
“Hua cooking…”
That aside, Ran cooking was one thing, but Hua’s cooking intrigued her.
“Ren, are you finished studying?”
“N-No…! I mean, no, not yet…”
“Alright… I’ll help you study until dinner is ready.”
“I-It’s fine…”
“Ron, you come in too.”
It seems Marie had noticed Ron’s presence for a while. With just a glance, the water-haired girl overpowered the two golden wolves and made them sit down.
“You know…”
“…Yes, Marie.”
Marie was usually gentle and soft-spoken. Ren didn’t dislike this about her, but time and place made a difference.
“Who do you think Korin will give the ribbon to?”
Ah… is this how it’s going to be?
“…I don’t know.”
“Hmm…”
Marie had been in a bad mood all day.
Estelle’s recent excessive physical affection, her blatant affection for Korin, and her bold demeanor unsettled Marie, who had always considered herself Korin’s only “older sister.”
And today, she even announced her intention to participate in the “Lady of Autumn” contest and shamelessly demanded a ribbon from Korin.
As Korin’s “senior and sister,” Marie boldly decided to confront this absurd tyranny.
…But she realized something was wrong when Hua Ran and Arisha joined the fray.
One opponent was tough enough, but now there were three.
There was no problem, right? Yes, there was no problem. Korin would choose her. Marie didn’t want to doubt.
Her devotion, love, and affection for him… surely they surpassed that of anyone else. But…
“It’ll be me, right? It has to be me, right?”
“Even if you ask me…”
She was anxious.
Wasn’t there a total of four? A 25% chance. What if she wasn’t the one chosen?
Surely.
She would be disappointed.
She might even cry.
She was aware she was forcing a difficult choice but still hoped he would choose her.
“Ugh…”
It’s also Korin’s fault.
Wherever he goes, women flock to him.
Marie could be tolerant of the women who accompanied Korin.
She herself had no ulterior motives. She really maintained pure, unselfish relationships with people.
But even so, there were girls who harbored feelings for Korin that matched her own.
Hua Ran… especially Ran, had been Marie’s longest-standing rival. Her love had persisted for over a year.
‘You don’t like me, do you, Marie?’
She remembered the bold and cheeky statement made by that brazen girl. Hua Ran was her biggest enemy, openly declaring Marie as her rival.
‘I won’t lose.’
Yes, she was Marie Dunareff.
She could have anything she wanted. Even if it was love.
There was no way she would let Korin be taken by an outsider from the East.
‘Get a grip, Marie Dunareff!’
As Marie rekindled her fighting spirit, Hua entered the sunroom, pushing a cart.
“It’s done.”
What she brought was…
“Huh?”
“Ugh…? Cough, cough!”
The wolf siblings recoiled at the mere smell, their reactions indescribable.
A dark, reddish-brown something that was still bubbling and boiling.
“What? This…”
Ran was generally a good cook.
She had been practicing steadily since moving into the dorm, and she cooked with love and care, so her food was always delicious.
But Hua?
She found such meticulous work tiresome.
So Marie had no expectations. She didn’t expect much… just hoped she wouldn’t waste the ingredients…
“What is this…?”
Even Marie, who was rarely at a loss for words, was speechless.
“Udon?”
She was using a question mark where it didn’t belong.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Hua swiftly placed the dish on the table.
Udon.
Yes, kimchi udon. It was a common dish in the cafeteria.
A spicy noodle dish combining kimchi and udon from the East. It was quite popular, and it was the kind of dish Hua might choose.
But something was decisively different.
Udon isn’t supposed to boil and bubble like an active volcano.
The broth shouldn’t stick to the ladle like sludge. It shouldn’t be bright red like molten lava.
Even the udon noodles looked less like noodles and more like something resembling tentacles writhing in magma.
“So… this is udon, right?”
“…Yes. Korin said he likes stir-fried noodles.”
It wasn’t ordinary udon, nor was it stir-fried noodles without broth.
It was something in between… something that insulted the category of udon.
“Eat.”
Was this an attempt to poison her competitors?
Marie nervously stabbed her fork into the surface of the dish that claimed to be stir-fried udon.
Sizzle!
“Eek…!”
No, this wasn’t right. The sound that came from udon should never be like this.
“Ugh…”
“It’s… it’s painful, Ren.”
The wolf siblings, sensitive to smells, could hardly breathe, overwhelmed by the scoville units rising from the dish.
“Korin likes it.”
“Korin?!”
Hua’s statement was no lie.
Korin genuinely liked this dish so much that he would eat every bite without leaving a single noodle.
But that wasn’t because of the taste; it was out of a sense of pride in upholding the “spirit of Korea.”
“Uh… really?”
If Korin liked it… Marie would jump into a fire for him.
Ah, love is such a brilliant thing.
Even though she furrowed her brows, she wanted to like the same dish as Korin, so she took a bite. And then—
—It’s so spicy!
A piercing scream echoed through the dorm.
“…Did I do something wrong?”
‘Hmm… that 10,000 SHU Korin oppa mentioned… can people really eat that?’
Hua, licking her burning lips, took a bite of her own dish.
That evening, I finished dinner with my friends at the school cafeteria.
“I’m screwed.”
“Yeah, you’re screwed.”
“I told you, you couldn’t handle it.”
The participants in the “Lady of Autumn” contest were Estelle, Marie, Arisha, and Hua Ran—four in total.
Four of them.
All four subtly pressured me to give them a ribbon.
The big problem here is that I’m only one person.
“What can you do? You’ll have to choose one of them.”
“That won’t do. The others will be disappointed…”
“If you can only save one, you have to choose one.”
“I won’t lose a single one of them!”
“Yeah, that’s impossible.”
Jaeger and Lark sneered, their cheeks twitching in amusement. These unhelpful guys!
“There has to be a way…”
It was then. I saw my teacher approaching with graceful steps from across the street.
“Korin~!”
My teacher greeted me warmly. She asked me how I was doing, her eyes sparkling as usual.
“Did you eat? How are you feeling? Isn’t it tough with exams coming up?”
“It’s not too bad.”
“Clara prepared some nutritious food; would you like to join me… Oh, Jaeger, Lark.”
She was so focused on me that she only just noticed them, and she patted their shoulders.
“You both got promoted before the summer break, right? Your accomplishments are impressive. Keep up the good work.”
“Y-yes… Thank you!”
“Gulp…! Thank you.”
Jaeger and Lark seemed flustered by her beauty. Then she turned back to me, and I noticed the gleaming golden chain around her neck.
“You’re wearing the necklace?”
“Huh? Oh… someone gave it to me, so I had to.”
“It’s beautiful. You should’ve been dressing up like this from the start.”
“Ugh… Really, my dear student…”
She smiled at me but then made a troubled face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh… well, I ran into a bit of a problem during the faculty meeting.”
“Huh? What kind of problem?”
Could it be a sign? I didn’t think it was possible yet, but given how different things are this time compared to the last, nothing would surprise me.
“Well…”
“Please tell me. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“Oh, um… It’s comforting to hear you say that. Actually… I’ve been chosen to participate in the Lady of Autumn contest.”
“…What?”
“It’s a tradition for a faculty member to participate every year. Since others either had experience or refused… Ahem! It’s a bit embarrassing at my age.”
She shook her head bashfully, and I felt my face turning pale.
“By the way, Korin, do you have any plans to enter any events? You’re such an outstanding student; I’m sure you’d excel anywhere. I’m just curious about who you’ll give your ribbon to.”
Uh…
“Oh! I’m not asking for it myself… Haha, I’m not so shameless as to think I could be the Lady of Autumn at my age. This teacher only needs a ribbon from one person.”
She didn’t notice my pale face and kept smiling warmly.
“Then…! Let’s have dinner together tonight! Keep up with your studies!”
As I watched her walk away, I started trembling. Seeing me like this, Jaeger and Lark shook their heads.
“It’s alright, man. Four or five, what’s the difference?”
“Yeah, this’ll be interesting. Who are you going to give it to?”
Marie, Arisha, Hua Ran, Estelle, and now my teacher, Erin…
I couldn’t choose just one. If I gave a ribbon to one of them… it would hurt the others.
“There’s no other way.”
Lark shook his head, setting the tone, and Jaeger followed up.
“Is there a way?”
“Suicide. That’s the only way out.”
“Oh. Highly recommended. Go for it.”
These unhelpful friends. But there is a way.
“In that case… I’ll give a ribbon to all five.”
“What?”
“Is that even possible?”
It’s possible.
In theory.
“I’ll just enter five different competitions at the Harvest Festival, win them all, and get five ribbons. Mwahaha… hahahahaha…!”
“Good luck.”
Their gaze was pitying.
Don’t look at me like that!
*****
NOVELASIUS
- TL: the guild
- Discord: https://discord.gg/GBKEa55867
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/topasius
*****
Comment