Chapter 6. Friendship and Relationships (1)

Chapter 6. Friendship and Relationships

Fortunately, there was no major uproar in society.

I was already in the position of a Saint candidate, and all I had lost was the right to enjoy that position.

Most importantly, the incident itself didn’t happen on Earth, so very few people saw it directly. Even if it were recorded on video, holy power itself isn’t captured by cameras, so it couldn’t be evidence.

Thanks to that, my peaceful daily life hasn’t been completely shattered yet. I was, after all, only a ‘candidate’.

“Some places seem to consider me not just a Saint, but practically a goddess.”

“Let’s just leave them be, since there’s almost no possibility of them crossing over here.”

As I sat leisurely under the warm sunlight for the first time in a while, Ria said something unnecessary, so I replied like that.

About two weeks had passed since that incident.

During that time, I decided to change my approach.

Isn’t there an old saying, “If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it”? Since I couldn’t avoid this status anyway, I decided to enjoy it for now.

The main story begins after May. Fortunately, summer episodes already appeared in the early part of the novel. It’s only early April now, so I can consider that I still have about a month of grace period.

Moreover, the novel’s early to mid-story consists of episodes close to daily life, so there are no major problems. If anything, it’s a series of prologues to the heroines’ episodes.

The main heroines are the Saint ‘Anna’, my childhood friend Han Yu-ri, the elf princess and skilled mage Gloria, and the hero candidate Lee Chae-eun.

Incidentally, all four are people in positions that are difficult for them to handle, and it’s expected that each related episode will not be light at all.

Especially Anna, the Saint.

Holy power is the power that repels magic. To be more precise, they annihilate each other when they mix, like matter and antimatter meeting. The difference is that the immense energy generated when matter undergoes pair annihilation is not observed.

Those who consider the power of the Gate as ‘God’s power’- that is, those who are at the opposite pole from humans, probably considering magic as their chosen power- targeted Saint Anna.

They didn’t just see her as an opponent. In the main story, some followers even praised Saint Anna as a ‘Saint’.

The exact reason wasn’t revealed in the main story of the novel, but the comments from people guessing the future story were quite helpful.

‘Since it’s a power that completely repels, aren’t they thinking it’s the other half of God’s power?’

The number of recommendations was quite high, and I thought it was plausible. So, I wrote down that opinion in my notebook as well.

For the past two weeks, I’ve been diligently reading the diary I wrote to refresh the memories of the original work in my mind. I tried my best to accurately remember at least the flow of the story, and to remember the fortuitous encounters and important materials.

So, around the end of May, an incident will probably occur-

“The cherry blossoms will bloom soon.”

Ria said, as we sat side-by-side in the lounge chairs placed in the church’s backyard, looking up at the sky.

“They will.”

I replied blankly.

As I blinked my eyes in the subtly ambiguous weather, wondering if it was a bit hot or a bit chilly, Ria suddenly spoke again.

“Do you want to go see them together?”

“Huh?”

Without realizing it, I widened my eyes and looked at Ria.

Sitting in the lounge chair placed next to me, Ria was looking at me and smiling.

Ria rested her right elbow on the armrest, made a support with one hand, and rested her chin on it while looking at me.

Ah, damn it, she’s pretty.

It can’t be helped. As a rational and logical thinker, I can’t say something is ugly when I see something pretty.

In the novel, the descriptions were mostly about her being dignified rather than pretty, but then again, if you think about it, aren’t heroines usually pretty by default?

“How about it?”

And when that pretty face asked me that, I was a little flustered in a different sense.

What should I say?

Doesn’t she usually use the word “~nya?” Ah, of course, I don’t mean it like a cat’s speech, but as a rough ending in Korean.

Unfortunately, from my past life to the present, my mind had very little data on a situation where a woman I find pretty speaks to me first. Usually, the people who speak first are cafe baristas or people I met while volunteering.

Naturally, in both cases, they weren’t speaking to me because they had any significant relationship with me.

I had a social life, so I had a response manual for such situations, but…

“If you don’t like it, that’s fine.”

“Ah, no, it’s not like that.”

A friend.

If we consider our relationship, it would probably be that.

As of this year, both of us are legally adults. Although Ria’s birthday hasn’t passed yet, in this world, it’s usually based on the beginning of the year.

Even in one’s late twenties, one becomes jaded by society, and the unique affinity of teenagers somewhat fades, but at least Ria is at an age where that affinity is still almost intact.

Rather, it’s probably stranger that I’m the one who’s strangely bothered.

…….

It feels a bit frustrating.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

At my words, Ria nodded with satisfaction and leaned back in her chair.

Ah, but.

How are we going to go?

*

“There’s no need to think about it too complicatedly, right? We’re both adults anyway.”

“Ah…”

Outside, I had a slightly dazed expression.

Come to think of it, adult nuns also go around here and there. Of course, it’s not for leisure, but just when there’s something outside.

“But don’t we still not hear the word ‘adult’?”

Although I’m legally an adult, the perspective within the church is different.

As I mentioned before, the decision of whether to go out or not is until the end of May. It’s still early April, so there’s almost two months left.

And, in the cathedral, until then, nuns and monks are treated as ‘youths’. This means we can’t freely go outside.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

But Ria said it very simply.

“Aren’t you not just a nun, but a Saint candidate?”

Ah, is that so.

Am I… already completely considered a church person?

“Besides, she probably judged it was okay because I’m by your side.”

Ria said, confidently pointing to herself.

Well, what can I say.

If that’s the case, I have nothing to say either.

Even so, Saint candidates usually go around with a lot of people accompanying them, but if Ria and I really went out, perhaps I was thinking too cautiously. After all, even in this world, I lived entirely within the church.

“……Well, okay. Let’s leave that aside.”

I slightly furrowed my brow and looked at the scene before me.

“But didn’t we say we were going to see the cherry blossoms?”

At my question, Ria looked at me with an expression as if asking what I was talking about.

“Are you going to wear your nun’s habit to see the cherry blossoms?”

“…….”

I don’t know what to say.

“Taking off the nun’s habit doesn’t make you not a nun.”

“……It’s not wrong, but that nun’s habit is, first of all, a state of mind.”

Taking off a school uniform doesn’t make a student not a student, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear anything other than a school uniform at school.

Ah, of course, nuns have slightly stricter rules applied to them.

“…….”

“Even if you look at me like you’re saying ‘What are you saying?’, nothing changes. This is also a nun’s habit, right? I’m someone who at least keeps the basics.”

“Ha, well, I get it, I get it.”

Ria said, waving her hands at my words.

“Still, you can buy clothes, right?”

“Huh?”

“Just come in. Don’t worry too much.”

As Ria said that and pulled my wrist, I ended up going into the clothing store.

*

As a compromise between my opinion and Ria’s opinion, we ended up in attire that was neither a nun’s habit nor casual wear.

To be more precise, it was an outfit with an outer garment worn over a nun’s habit.

Well, I have experience shortening my nun’s habit, and I even wear a belt, so it seems like there wouldn’t be much of a problem wearing it like this.

The Nun Superior might say something if she saw it… But now I’m a real Saint candidate, aren’t I? Maybe she’ll just turn a blind eye.

Although the nun’s habit can be somewhat concealed by wearing an outer garment over it, the veil on my head is visible no matter how casually it’s worn.

Even so, taking it off completely felt like crossing a line, so we decided to leave it as it was for now.

In fact, there were glances from people around us.

My face is quite well-known, and we were both wearing conspicuous outfits.

However, unlike celebrities, people didn’t come to ask for autographs.

……Or maybe they just thought we were some strange nuns? Or cosplayers?

Well, I prefer that.

“How is it? Isn’t it nice to be out?”

At Ria’s words, I nodded.

It feels… free somehow.

It wasn’t an atmosphere that excessively oppressed nuns, as befits a church in a fantasy novel with a modern setting. Although there is religion, it’s not like we have to blindly fit into it and live.

However, even so, it was a place with very strong discipline if you think about it.

So, walking along the path lined with cherry blossoms like other people made me feel much freer than usual.

I felt a little relieved.