Chapter 9. Borders and Barriers (1)

Chapter 9. Borders and Barriers

No, but thinking about it again, it’s absurd.

Or is it that I’ve lived in the church for too long and adapted to it that way?

…No, thinking about it again, it’s still strange. We’re nuns, aren’t we? If anything, shouldn’t we not be allowed to move around freely outside the church?

No matter how freely I moved compared to other nuns, this felt strange.

“Hey, Ria.”

As I followed Ria, who was walking ahead, I couldn’t stand the strangeness anymore and called out to her.

“Yeah?”

Ria turned her head towards me. Her red hair swayed slightly under the veil she had casually placed on her head, just like mine.

Indeed, Ria hadn’t adapted to the church from the beginning.

I, who shared a room with Ria, was a delinquent nun who wore a shortened nun’s habit, a belt below my chest, and even streaks in my hair.

It was an inevitable consequence of being influenced by me, but perhaps Ria had gone one step further.

In the original work, the Saint would often put the brakes on Ria whenever she did something she shouldn’t have done in the church.

“…”

“Why?”

When I didn’t say anything, Ria tilted her head as if in doubt.

And as I looked at Ria like that, I thought.

Am I supposed to be the brake? Really?

“Hey, Ria, let me ask you just one thing.”

Although people passing by on the street glanced at us, no one openly stared or watched.

My face is known to some extent, but I’m not like a celebrity. The people who were nearby when I emitted light were almost all in related professions.

However, there might be people overhearing our conversation. Rather than eavesdropping, it’s entirely possible they could hear it just by passing by. Just like how I unintentionally overhear conversations of people sitting next to me on the subway.

Even I had no intention of talking about nuns buying swimsuits in front of people.

I grabbed Ria’s wrist. Ria surprisingly let herself be pulled by me. Even though I couldn’t win if she resisted with force.

After moving a little away from the main street to a less crowded area, I said quietly to Ria.

“After all, even so, it’s a bit strange for a nun to buy a swimsuit, isn’t it? Going to the beach for fun.”

I stated what I thought was the logical argument.

Even though I was a rebellious nun, I still rebelled within the rules. I still wore my nun’s habit and carried a veil on my head.

The dyeing… well, the dyeing was also done with consideration.

“…”

However, Ria seemed more shocked by what I said than I expected.

“Why, don’t you want to go to the beach?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to go.”

I quickly replied, as if Ria seemed hurt by my words.

“Is there really a need to wear a swimsuit? If it’s not a swimming pool, can’t we just go in wearing our clothes?”

At my words, Ria’s expression became subtle.

“So… you want to go into the sea wearing your nun’s habit? Just to get wet?”

“Don’t people do that? Of course, some people go in wearing swimsuits, but I think there are many people who just go in wearing their clothes and play.”

I hadn’t been to the sea in this world, but I had seen such scenes on TV.

Ria stared at me blankly for a moment, then slowly raised her hand and covered her forehead.

“Hey, Anna, do you know what you’re saying right now?”

“…Why are you asking?”

“…Are you really unaware?”

As I asked back with a bewildered expression, Ria placed her hands on both my shoulders with a very serious expression.

“Anna. A nun’s habit, you see… it’s a ‘sought-after’ outfit for many people.”

“…Yes?”

“In other words, it’s like a fetish.”

I stared at Ria blankly for a moment, then slowly opened my mouth.

My face felt a little hot.

“W-What are you talking about?”

“As expected, you seem to be unaware.”

Ria sighed deeply, removed her hands from my shoulders, and wiped her face.

“No, it’s me who finds this absurd!?”

I shouted like that and then suddenly looked around. A few passersby glanced our way. It seemed our appearances were a bit conspicuous, so when I shouted like that, we caught people’s attention.

I quickly walked forward. Ria followed and stayed by my side.

“So, you’re saying that because my nun’s habit is wet, it’s a fetish?”

“Let me tell you one thing for sure, any uniform in the world can be a fetish object.”

“That’s too broad a scope.”

Ah, of course, I know that too. Outfits for specific professions can also be fetish objects.

In fact, any outfit that exists in the world can be a fetish. People’s sexual preferences are so diverse that it makes one wonder if there are any clothes that are not fetishes.

“The scope is wide, but the nun’s habit is quite high on the list. Did you know that? Sometimes, some idiots think nuns are easy women.”

“…That’s the first time I’ve heard that.”

“It’s simple. They’ve never dated men, so they think if you just talk to them, they’ll easily fall for you.”

“How do you know such details?”

“Anna. I’ve worked with hunters quite a lot, you know? And I have acquaintances in the church. I hear plenty of stories.”

“…”

In the world I lived in, the existence of a ‘beautiful nun’ was like a story from a fantasy. It was difficult to find young and beautiful nuns among those you could actually see. Most of the nuns walking around outside were middle-aged.

I don’t know how Catholic nuns join the order. In fact, it was inevitable that the outfits of characters wearing specific uniforms in manga and the like would become more revealing. ‘Reality’ is not that lenient. Nun’s habits, as well as nurse uniforms and police uniforms, are usually just practical outfits for activities.

On the other hand-

“Huh.”

“See. You also said things like stalker, didn’t you?”

Ria said, hearing the sound I made.

That’s right.

In the world I lived in, a nun might have just been a profession, but this world… it was the world of a web novel.

Even if it wasn’t explicitly a 19+ novel, there would definitely be 19+ chapters towards the end. Above all, there’s no reason to include a character called ‘Saint,’ have her take off her nun’s habit, and then have 19+ chapters.

Isn’t the reason why a Saint appears as a heroine too transparent?

“…”

It was incredibly frustrating, but unfortunately, the world-building of this world was too irrational and unscientific compared to my mental state.

“If we go to the beach and wear nun’s habits in the water, there will definitely be guys trying to hit on us.”

“…Is it okay if I wear a swimsuit?”

“It will be a little less troublesome. I’ll blend in naturally with the other people.”

It’s annoying that I can’t logically refute something that doesn’t quite make sense.

“And you know,”

Ria delivered the final blow to me.

“…Isn’t it a bit much to say that now, after wearing your clothes so tightly tailored?”

Since I was wearing a belt below my chest, I couldn’t refute that statement and could only tremble.

“Or, do you really not want to go to the beach with me?”

At those words, I looked at Ria.

I tried hard not to let my gaze drop to Ria’s chest. Even as a woman, I instinctively knew that such behavior might seem a little strange.

“…”

I opened and closed my mouth for a long time,

“No, it’s not like that.”

I replied in a voice that was barely a whisper.

Ria looked at me with a pleased expression, as if she thought I really wanted to go to the sea, which I had never experienced in my life.

After all, I’m a ‘nun.’ I lived my whole life in a convent, and the only times I went out were for volunteer work.

Okay.

I’ll take the real reason I can’t refuse to my grave.

*

The sight of two nuns entering a swimsuit store side-by-side was much more unusual than I expected.

No, more than that, I didn’t even know there were specialized swimsuit stores. When I bought clothes, I usually just went to brand stores and bought discounted items, and I didn’t pay much attention to dressing up.

Weren’t swimsuit stores usually just a part of such places? They appeared briefly during the summer and then disappeared.

However, the place we entered was undeniably a ‘swimsuit store.’

Ah, they did sell other things besides swimsuits. Mainly things like surfboards and fishing rods. But it was certain that swimsuits occupied most of the store.

“Welcome!”

The staff approached us with a bright smile.

“Ah, hello?”

I greeted them awkwardly.

Although it’s a swimsuit, thinking about it, the amount of fabric is not much different from underwear.

It was the same for the ones worn by the mannequins and the photos in the posters.

No matter how I think about it, this is not a place nuns would visit.

I’ve never even bought underwear in this world. I wore what the church gave me.

“Ah, right. I didn’t tell you, did I?”

Ria said, looking at me naturally, as if she were annoyed.

“You don’t have to worry about other people’s gazes. We’ve rented the entire place for a while.”

“…”

Ah, right, that’s how it was.

Ria is the daughter of a hero.

And that also means she’s rich.

And not just rich, but well-connected.

…This is a bit intimidating.