Chapter 6. Friendship and Relationships (2)

Come to think of it, the clothes both of us are wearing are the same.

Of course, I’m not talking about the nun’s habit, but the clothes worn over it.

While I was stammering, Ria just paid with her own money and then draped it over my shoulders. I did put my arm back in and wear it, though.

Both the clothes I and Ria were wearing were jumpers that college students might wear as team jackets, but they didn’t feel too thick. They were suitable for spring wear.

Since the nun’s habit is a dark color, she seemed to have chosen a dark color to match it- but the design is exactly the same.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

As I walked without saying anything, Ria asked me that.

“Ah, no, I didn’t think anything strange.”

“…Is there a need to specifically inform you that you didn’t think anything strange?”

At my answer, Ria said that as if she found it absurd, which made me even more embarrassed.

Actually, there was something I was a little worried about.

Ria often pulled my wrist. It wasn’t that she forced me to do something, and she did control her strength when she grabbed it, so I never felt pain, but sometimes I felt a bit embarrassed when I thought about it later.

Within the convent, physical contact is generally avoided, even between people of the same gender. Even without that, children live together from a young age, and when they reach the age where they become aware of their sexuality, some children deviate in other directions.

I’ve heard various rumors as I grew up. I don’t know if they were real events or just baseless rumors spread by children excited by fever.

Hmm, yes. It’s definitely effective.

If I stayed within the church, I would have only kept thinking about the original novel-

“Hey.”

“–!?”

Ria suddenly tapped my arm, startling me, who was already feeling strangely self-conscious. However, perhaps due to adapting over time, I managed to suppress a scream.

“Uh…”

Seeing my reaction, Ria hesitated for a moment.

“S-sorry?”

“Ah, no.”

I quickly shook my head.

“I was just thinking about something else for a moment.”

It was just that I was startled when she suddenly spoke to me while I was spacing out.

“But, why?”

“No, I see that bubble tea shop over there.”

Where Ria pointed, there was a cafe.

“Have you ever tried it?”

Not in this world.

Actually, I didn’t eat it very often in my previous life either. It’s not that I disliked it, but I also didn’t particularly love it, so I only bought it a few times.

When I shook my head, Ria’s expression immediately became a little boastful.

“Then, let’s go eat.”

Ria said that and gently pulled my wrist again.

“Ah.”

I followed her again, unable to refuse.

Or, perhaps, I didn’t want to refuse.

After all, this is the first time I’ve come out to play so freely in this world.

There’s no one in the church I can call a close friend. While the Nun Superior and the Priest listen to me, I can’t go around with them like this.

Although I was a little flustered by the gazes from people around me- in the end, I entered the cafe with Ria and chose a drink.

Ria bought it again this time. I was so flustered that I couldn’t even say I would pay first.

Looking at Ria smiling as she handed me the drink, I felt like she would have bought it even if I had taken out my wallet.

*

Both of us probably bought drinks based on black tea, but we bought different ones.

What I held was a purple bubble tea with a strong sweet potato flavor, and what Ria held was a very, very sweet brown sugar bubble tea.

As we walked side-by-side, holding our drinks and sipping through the straws, I wondered what my worries meant.

Well, this is more of a Buddhist temple thought than a church, but oh well.

The sky was blue, and cherry blossom petals, a mix of white and pink, fluttered gently. Some landed on my head.

Ria, with a nonchalant expression, gently picked a cherry blossom petal from my head and let it fall.

Why is she acting like this today?

No, the phrase “today” might be a bit inaccurate.

Throughout the time she’s been with me, Ria’s attitude has softened little by little. Of course, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t tease me anymore, and we do bicker sometimes…

Perhaps, Ria thinks I’m a bit of a pitiful person?

I’ve lived my whole life in the church, I haven’t experienced the things peers do, and I don’t even have a separate family.

On top of that, I’m strangely isolated due to my position.

Perhaps, she might have felt a little pity for me.

“…….”

If it were only about a month ago, I might have argued with Ria about her actions. The character Lee Chae-eun, whom I only read about in books, seemed like a very strong-willed character.

She even fought fiercely with the Saint who liked the same man.

If I hadn’t known anything, I would have thought she was teasing me in a new way.

However, no matter how I think about it, Ria, who always brings me something to eat whenever I use my powers and collapses, doesn’t seem like she brought me here just to tease me.

So, I feel even more embarrassed. I don’t know what to say to Ria.

If anything, I should say ‘thank you’. But those words don’t come out easily.

Even though I know that rationally and logically, there aren’t many other expressions needed to maintain a relationship.

Thump.

This time, I wasn’t surprised.

When I turned my gaze, Ria was holding out her drink cup towards me. It was about half full.

“You drank about half too, so let’s switch.”

“…….”

At those words, I unconsciously switched cups.

And as I naturally went to put my lips to the straw-

No, wait a minute, this.

The word “indirect” came to mind, so I turned around, and Ria was already drinking the drink I handed her. She put her lips to the straw.

Uh…

Is this normal between women? I don’t really know. This is my first time living as a woman, and besides, I never had such close friends.

No, moreover, even if I had friends, I wouldn’t have been in a position to go out and hang out like this.

“Why? Don’t you like it?”

“Ah, no, it’s not like that.”

Ria asked, tilting her head, so I looked at the cup in my hand again.

…….

Well, it doesn’t matter, right? After all, she didn’t seem bothered at all.

As I was about to move, thinking I was being too childish-

“Huh?”

Hearing Ria’s exclamation, I quickly raised my head.

But I had no need to make any excuses or anything.

Ria wasn’t looking at the drink cup I was holding, but far away.

Not on the sidewalk we were walking on, but across the street, far away.

There was Lee Si-yoon.

He wasn’t alone; he had a woman with him.

Fortunately, that woman wasn’t Gloria. It was Han Yu-ri, blushing with a very modest outfit.

I instinctively grabbed Ria’s wrist.

“Uh, hey.”

If I had made up my mind, I could have resisted with force, but Ria didn’t resist when I pulled her. I pulled Ria along and quickly went to the most crowded area to hide behind it.

Although there were people looking at us strangely as we suddenly approached, they didn’t react much when we just walked.

……Although they did glance at us, probably because of our conspicuous outfits.

“…….”

Ria looked at me with a slightly bewildered expression, but I kept holding Ria’s wrist until Lee Si-yoon and Han Yu-ri disappeared out of sight.

Han Yu-ri looked very happy. Lee Si-yoon also looked happy, but Han Yu-ri’s expression, that of a girl in love, was particularly so.

I see. Since the cherry blossoms have bloomed, of course, there should be events like this. Even though the main story hasn’t started yet.

……Once again, my mind was made up.

It doesn’t make sense to try to break apart a relationship that already has such a connection even before the main story begins.

They weren’t holding hands yet, but Han Yu-ri, with her hands modestly clasped in front of her, looking up at Lee Si-yoon, and Lee Si-yoon, blushing and looking around, slightly flustered by the subtle femininity of his childhood friend.

Anyone could see that it was a scene of pure love.

Yes. The first heroine to appear is naturally the main heroine, and the main heroine should be the true heroine.

Otherwise, it would just be BSS or NTR, wouldn’t it?

After the two of them completely passed by us, I felt strangely at ease, took a deep breath, and put my lips to the straw of the drink in my hand.

It was only after sipping twice that I remembered that Ria had been holding this straw until just a moment ago, so I quickly took my mouth away.

And I also remembered that I was still tightly holding Ria’s wrist.

Ria looked at me with wide eyes, as if slightly surprised.

“…….”

I gently let go of her hand and turned my gaze away.

Hmm.

It’s a bit embarrassing.

The slightly excessive sweetness characteristic of brown sugar lingered in my mouth for a long time.