In most stories, the protagonist's reckless resolve to never give up—shouting things like "Don't give in!"—leads to triumph over adversity and praise.
But setting aside whether that's realistic, the actual success rate of such actions is troubling.
We're not talking about "end-of-the-world" stakes here. Just normal challenges.
If the protagonist has even a 20–30% chance of success, others might follow them.
But most protagonists charge in with zero plan and almost zero chance of success—under 10%, maybe even under 1%.
So what if they fail?
If they had just given up, the worst case might've been some emotional wounds, or everyone going home.
But if they push and fail, the consequences can be devastating—injury, ruin, death.
And when that happens, can the protagonist take responsibility?
No. Most of the time they can't.
They die, get crippled, or their teammates die—and they're powerless to fix anything.
So unless the author cheats with a miracle win, most protagonists in these scenarios just drag everyone down with them.
And those so-called "old stubborn fools" who resist the protagonist? They're usually the ones who actually consider everyone's safety and are capable of taking responsibility.
As a calm and thoughtful otaku, Utaha could see the truth behind the protagonist's glory.
She had her doubts. But back then, her resentment was too strong.
Even knowing the risks, and the burden it would bring to Eriri's family, she still agreed to go along with the "protagonist's" plan.
And she paid for it.
If not for her desire to repay the trouble she caused Eriri's family, she might never have realized the true value of those three talismans—and wouldn't have ended up sacrificing herself.
She wouldn't make that mistake again.
Now that the "protagonist" wasn't here, and seeing the sincerity in her friends' concern, Utaha gave a gentle, relieved smile.
"I'm repaying a debt. Only by returning the help I received can I truly draw the line and move on without guilt, right?"
Eriri immediately understood. Utaha had once stubbornly insisted on compensating her family.
That same pride in repaying debts applied here too.
Of course, her relationship with Tomoya was totally different from hers with Eriri. After repaying her debt to Eriri, their bond had grown stronger.
"A debt, huh..."
Eriri lowered her head, thinking about how she had once "betrayed" Tomoya to fit in with the group.
Megumi tilted her head slightly, deep in thought.
After a brief silence, Megumi suddenly asked:
"Senpai, Eriri, don't you think... Aki Tomoya has become really strange? Like he's possessed or something."
Calling someone by their full name in Japanese culture is usually considered rude—especially during a conversation. It can even feel insulting.
Megumi's way of addressing him had changed over time.
She used to call him "Tomoya," then "Aki-kun," and now she was using his full name.
"Possessed?!" Eriri shuddered, already spooked by the word.
"But don't you think Tomoya was really scary today? Like a totally different person?" Megumi continued.
Eriri did feel that way. If she didn't know better, she'd think someone was impersonating him today.
Thinking back further, she said:
"It wasn't just today. At the party at my house, he was weird too. He threatened to tell Utaha's parents. That was then."
But Megumi disagreed.
"That was different. He was emotional and overreacting—probably out of frustration or some twisted emotion.
But today, he seemed like someone else, totally lost it. Almost like he was going to hit Senpai."
True. There's a big difference between being emotional and being completely unhinged.
Eriri frowned, unable to shake the uneasy feeling. It really did seem like possession. She shivered again and asked Utaha:
"Hey, Utaha, what do you think?"
At that moment, Utaha was touching the talisman in her pocket.
Had it reacted?
She had been too overwhelmed with rage to notice fear, let alone anything else. But thinking back, maybe she had felt a bit of heat.
Still, she couldn't be sure.
She remembered Akira's warning: those three talismans might bring her minor trouble—but that trouble could be the source of greater danger to come.
If that earlier "trouble" was triggered by dropping the talisman while fleeing Tomoya, leading to a worse confrontation… then maybe Tomoya really was the true source of the coming disaster.
But she couldn't tell Eriri or Megumi about the talismans.
Akira had warned her that increased awareness led to a higher chance of encountering the supernatural.
So Utaha just shook her head and said:
"Anyway, stay away from Tomoya for now. He's not normal—especially don't talk to him about me or Ogiwara-san. That seems to set him off."
"Who would want to go near him after that?!" Eriri grumbled.
"If Megumi hadn't reacted so fast today, who knows what would've happened."
Megumi hefted her bag and added:
"I suggest you and Senpai also keep a dictionary in your bags. It's great for defense—and study!"
Eriri was tempted.
It was just a dictionary—not too heavy. And the impact Megumi's had made—visually, audibly, and physically—was truly impressive.
"Wait a bit longer," Megumi said as she walked to the door.
"I'll go ask the teacher if Tomoya has left. If he's still at school, it's best not to move around."
"Thanks," Utaha said sincerely.
"No need. As a girl, I'm just really disgusted by all this."
Saying that, Megumi stepped out and closed the door behind her.
The classroom fell silent again.
It didn't last long. Eriri had been holding in a question for a while. When the mood seemed right, she asked:
"Utaha… are you really willing to give it up?"
Not giving up, but willing to give up. The former is a decision; the latter is acceptance.
Utaha gave a small smile and said:
"Yes. Starting today, I plan to study properly. With my grades, if I work harder, maybe I can get into the University of Tokyo.
If I choose a good major and graduate smoothly, with my abilities, I should be able to find a decent job. It won't pay as much as royalties, but it'll be stable…"
"Shut up! You liar! You're hurting so much you can't even take it anymore!"
Eriri's eyes turned red, teeth clenched tightly, and she exploded. She grabbed Utaha's hand, saw the bruises on her palm, then seized her collar and almost screamed:
"You're hurting so much, Utaha! Why are you pretending like everything's fine?! If it were me, I'd be crying already! How can you still smile?!"
Utaha looked at the flustered Eriri and chuckled softly.
"What else can I do if I don't accept it? Besides, I'm the one who should be crying, right? Why are you crying?"
"Stop smiling, Utaha, please… It hurts to see you like this. I'm begging you, stop smiling…"
Her smile gradually faded into helplessness.
Seeing Eriri with her head bowed, Utaha gently pulled her into a hug, listening to her sob softly, then louder and louder.
"That's why I said—I should be the one crying, not you."
"But can't I be heartbroken too? I've thought so much about what it feels like to not be able to pick up a pen… can't I be heartbroken too?"
So Utaha lowered her head, resting her cheek against Eriri's golden hair. Her nose was tickled and stung a little by her ponytail.
After a long while, a choked, almost gasping laugh escaped her lips.
"Eriri… I want to write novels again…"
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