Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation III

Episode 5

Whether he meant to or not, Rudeus has really forced this whole polycule situation upon Roxy and Sylphie—and you've got to feel for the half-elf girl especially. I mean, think of it from her point of view. The boy she longed for since childhood fell in love with her, married her, got her pregnant, and then left her home alone for half a year. Then, while away, he cheated on her with Roxy and brought the wizard girl back with him in the hopes of integrating her into the greater family.

What was Sylphie supposed to do at this point? She was living in the house Rudy bought and caring for his sisters in his absence? Was she supposed to leave with their child—rely on the princess to support her brokenhearted self?

Or perhaps she was supposed to fight for Rudeus—kick out the homewrecker and ban him from ever seeing her again. But Sylphie's insecurities killed this idea on the spot. In her mind, Roxy saved Rudeus from his mental struggles the same way Rudeus saved Sylphie from her own. Assuming her love for Rudeus is akin to Rudeus' love for Roxy, Sylphie truly believes that Rudeus would ultimately choose Roxy over her—regardless of him already being her husband.

When you look at it that way, there is only one choice Sylphie can make if she wants even a sliver of the happiness she's longed for: to allow Roxy into the family as Rudeus' second wife. In her mind, having him part of the time is better than having none of him at all. There is nothing to do but make the best of a terrible situation.

Luckily, despite the abysmal start, the polycule seems to be moving in the right direction. The only reason this is possible is due to the simple fact that all three of them want to make this work. The big issue facing them currently is that, while Sylphie is already ingrained in the family, Roxy is often left as the odd woman out. While Rudeus pays attention to her, Roxy has no previously established relationship with Sylphie or Rudeus' sisters beyond their shared love for Rudeus. This episode, they work to change that.

Rudeus takes Roxy and Sylphie out on a shared date—both to feel out how group dates will work and try to figure out what they're going to do about physical intimacy. Does he need to alternate beds, or are they okay with having sex all together in a group? Luckily, both Sylphie and Roxy are alright with the threesome idea. After all, in both of their cases, the issue isn't a hate for the other woman, it's the fear of being left out. As long as love is equal in the bedroom, they are willing to (at the very least) tolerate each other.

And it makes sense that as Sylphie and Roxy share this fear of being left out, Sylphie is the one to take the initiative on helping alleviate these fears in Roxy. She and Rudeus both work together to allow Roxy and Norn to start building a relationship—and even more importantly, Sylphie presents Roxy with a “welcome to the family” gift, further solidifying that she holds no ill will toward the other woman.

In the end, while Rudeus is the direct cause of all the problems in his current household and love life, there is no doubt that he is actively trying to make everyone happy. He worries about making sure both of his wives are feeling loved and is doing all he can to build a relationship between them and the greater family. It's unlikely that things will always be smooth sailing, but at least the trio are working together instead of against each other.

Rating:

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation III is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.