The Saint's Overreaction
What are you doing!?
Adele was scrunching her face with all the intensity she could muster. In her mind, she was furious, but to me she simply looked adorable.
Alright, time to play it cool. I raised a hand in a calming gesture and said, “I just wanted to brush off the tissue that was stuck there.”
“C-couldn’t you have just said something!?”
“I only did it because I wanted to take care of you… I’m sorry.”
“Take care of me!? I’m not a child! Th-that’s it, I’m taking back what I said yesterday! I knew it—you really do see me as a little kid!”
“That’s a misunderstanding. I’m just the type who likes looking after people.”
I poured on the sincerity, making it clear there was nothing more to it. Adele pressed her lips into a thin line. I waited quietly, wearing my most innocent expression, giving her room to speak.
After a few rough breaths, she glanced at my calm face and her gaze softened just a little.
“I’m a grown lady. You can’t just grab my hand like that. It won’t do. Please be more careful from now on.”
A grown lady? More like a clumsy little rascal. Still, I nodded obediently at her earnest scolding. “I apologize for what just happened. I’m sorry.”
Then I continued right away. “But there’s something I don’t understand. When I patted your shoulder the other day, you didn’t say a word. Why are you angry now?”
“Sh-shoulders and hands are completely different!”
“Hands? At the amusement park, when we went to see the flume ride, I held your wrist and kept the water off you. Don’t you remember?”
“……”
“And while we were eating tteokbokki, you were the one who tapped the back of my hand while telling me a Bible story. You don’t remember that either? It was today…”
“Hwaaah…”
Adele’s eyes looked like they were spinning. Her reactions were so honest and vivid that teasing her was irresistible.
“You didn’t mind when I touched your hair or patted your back, so why today…? Don’t tell me you were thinking something strange?”
“S-something strange!? What do you mean by that!?”
“Haah… Never mind.”
I sighed and shook my head. Adele rummaged through her tiny backpack and pulled out a mint candy. The sight made me burst out laughing—she looked like she was treating it as some kind of universal cure-all.
Adele puffed out her cheeks and snapped, “What’s so funny!?”
“Nothing… It’s just that you eat candy like it’s medicine… Especially after you were demanding I take responsibility for lying.”
Her face flushed bright red as she stammered, “I-I just eat it because it tastes good!?”
“Is that so? Then give me one too.”
“No! This is mine, so buy your own!”
“I’m the one who gave it to you.”
“You gave it to me, so now it’s mine! Class is over for today! Take me home and then go back! I’ll decide when the next lesson is, so you stay home and… reflect!”
I clapped a hand over my mouth. “Pfft—”
Ordering me to take her home in that tone… Usually when someone’s mad they say they’ll go alone, right? I couldn’t hold it in. My reaction only made Adele plant both hands on her hips.
“Are you making fun of me right now!?”
“No… I’m not… heh…”
“You…! Hurry up and pack the Bible and push your chair in! We’re leaving!”
Even while angry, Adele still pointed out exactly what I needed to do. I couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into full-blown laughter. She glared at me, huffing and puffing as the room echoed with my roaring laughter, but the threat was so ineffective it only made me laugh harder.
“I’m going down first!”
Looking thoroughly offended, Adele stomped out of the room, deliberately making as much noise as possible. Tears of laughter still in my eyes, I wiped them away and kept chuckling while I tidied up.
**
In the car on the way back to the annex, Adele sat completely sulking, staring out the window. The memory of what happened at the study café kept replaying in my head, and every time I glanced at her I had to stifle another laugh. Each time I did, she hugged her backpack tighter and made her displeasure obvious. She couldn’t bring herself to speak, yet she couldn’t stay silent either, so she settled for this childish display of annoyance.
“Ahem.” Clearing my throat, I offered a sincere apology. “I really am sorry about today. My apologies.”
Perhaps the serious tone helped. Adele turned to look at me. From the rearview mirror I caught a glimpse of her expression—it had softened a little. Gazing at my profile, she spoke.
“I’m the one who should apologize… I got too worked up. But there’s something I need to say. I’m a Saint holding the rank of Bishop. I’m also your teacher as a prospective believer, so I’d like you to show me some respect.”
“I’ve always respected you, Adele.”
“And yet that same person laughed at me?”
“I wasn’t laughing at you. Seeing you made my heart feel lighter, so the laughter just slipped out.”
“My getting angry made your heart feel lighter?”
“Not just the anger. Everything you do seems to radiate a pure energy. It has a very positive influence on me.”
“……”
Adele fell silent, a faint smile playing on her lips. She was pleased by the compliment. I continued.
“Thanks to you, I feel stronger. I’m truly grateful.”
Just as I finished, we arrived at the annex. I parked at the entrance and looked at her with a gentle smile.
“You worked hard today.”
Adele hesitated, then pulled out a candy and held it out to me. “You did well in class today, so… here.”
“It’s all right.”
“You said you wanted one. I’ll just leave it here, so eat it!”
She placed the candy in the cup holder, stepped out of the car, and bowed her head politely.
“I’ll contact you! Drive safely.”
“Go on inside.”
“Okay!”
Adele’s energy returned in full as she dashed toward the front door. When she turned to wave one last time before going in, I waved back and pressed the accelerator. Today had been genuinely fun—enough to bring a satisfied smile to my face.
@@
The moment Adele stepped into the living room, she sniffed the air. The savory scent of bacon, one of her favorites, filled the space.
“You’re home? Wash your hands. It’s been a while since we had carbonara. I’ll make it nicely for you.”
Silvia spoke while stirring the pan. Adele answered brightly, “Yes, unnie!”
She hurried into her room, dropped her bag, and ran to the bathroom. As she lathered soap on her hands, she suddenly froze. Staring at her right wrist for a long moment, she let out a sigh.
“Haa…”
When Jihyeok had held her hand, she’d been genuinely startled. Normally she would have brushed it off without a second thought, but after he mentioned liking petite women, it had suddenly felt different… so she’d lashed out. Honestly, such an overreaction hadn’t been necessary. He’d said he liked petite women, not that he liked her. Maybe she’d misunderstood on her own…
If that was the case, then today’s incident was her fault. Adele rinsed off the soap suds and lightly bonked herself on the head.
“Ow…”
She’d hit herself too hard; a sharp pain shot through her temple. But it faded quickly. As expected, her body was sturdy. Blessed by Lady Rosario, it would one day stand against the monsters and bring peace to Earth!
Clenching both fists, Adele cheered herself on internally, then paused just as she was about to leave the bathroom. The memory of Jihyeok surfaced again. Fidgeting, she wiped her hands on a towel instead. When she stepped out, Silvia, who was setting the table, looked at her and said, “You didn’t wash your hands ag—huh? You did? That’s new.”
Adele rolled her eyes, avoiding Silvia’s gaze. “I’m going to start washing them from now on…”
Silvia sat down, fork in hand, and studied Adele with a meaningful look. Under that stare, Adele flinched.
“Wh-what…?”
“Adele. You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”
“……”
“We promised to always be honest with each other, even before we arrived on Earth. Did you forget? I’m actually going to get hurt.”
Silvia drooped her shoulders and poked listlessly at her carbonara. Seeing that, Adele quickly stretched out both arms.
“U-unnie! I was going to tell you!”
“Yeah? Then tell me.”
Silvia’s face lit up with a bright smile in an instant. Adele let out a small huff and began to speak.
“So, what happened was…”
Adele recounted everything—from Jihyeok saying he liked petite women to what had happened today—without leaving anything out. After listening to the whole story, Silvia asked playfully, “So that’s what happened… Want me to scold Jihyeok for you? Break his arm?”
Adele gasped at the terrifying suggestion. “Aaaah… Don’t do that!”
Silvia burst into laughter, slapping the table a few times, then suddenly turned serious.
“I’m joking. I heard you out, and as your friend, I’d like to give you some advice…”
Adele felt a rush of warmth at being called “friend.” Even though Silvia was four years older, she always tried to treat her as an equal. Of course she played rough sometimes, but that too was because they were friends. Since the advice came from the person she trusted most on Earth, she had to listen carefully. Adele perked up her ears.
“What is it?”
“First, about Jihyeok saying he likes petite women… that might not have been aimed at you specifically. He could’ve just been describing his ideal type.”
“I thought that too.”
“But he might also have been pointing at you on purpose, hoping you’d notice how he feels. And personally, I’m leaning toward the latter.”
“The latter…? Then Jihyeok really…”
“Yeah. It looks pretty certain that he’s interested in you. Otherwise, there’s no way he’d initiate that much physical contact.”
Adele tilted her head. “But he said he’s the type who takes care of people around him? And the excessive contact was because I asked him to…”
“I’m talking about yesterday and today. What he said yesterday, and removing the tissue from your hand today… both of those read as him showing interest.”
“You think so…?”
“It’s just my personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. I don’t know much about relationships between men and women. I’ve never even experienced anything sweet, let alone dated.”
“Same here.”
Silvia nodded slowly, then grinned. “But it bothered you enough to get angry?”
“B-back then it was just really embarrassing…”
“You still look that way now. Shall we eat? The spaghetti’s getting cold.”
“Wait! Don’t you have any more advice? Like how I should act around Jihyeok from now on…”
“That’s for you to decide. What if you follow my advice and end up with a result you don’t want? You have to think and judge for yourself. You’re an adult, after all.”
“R-right… I am an adult…”
Adele stabbed her fork straight into the center of the carbonara. Twirling the noodles wildly, she opened her mouth wide and shoved them in. The salty, savory flavor spreading across her tongue filled her with immense happiness.
“It’s so delicious…!”
“Glad to hear it. Also, you’ve got cream on your mouth.”
“I’ll wipe it after I finish eating. I’m going to get more on it anyway.”
“Suit yourself.”
Silvia shrugged and started eating her own carbonara. Adele chatted with her about everyday things while finishing every last bite. After carefully wiping her mouth, she went into the bedroom and flopped onto the bed.
She patted her slightly rounded stomach, then reached for her phone to play a game—only to pause. Jihyeok’s flustered face from earlier kept coming to mind.
Silvia had said Jihyeok was showing interest in her, but she’d also warned not to take it at face value since she had zero dating experience. She’d told Adele to think and judge for herself. But Adele was scared. Making her own judgment might lead to something huge.
What should I do…
After staring at the ceiling for a long time in deep contemplation, Adele finally decided she needed to meet Jihyeok and talk to him directly. Confirming things clearly came first. She immediately sent a message.
[Jihyeok! Let’s have class tomorrow! ๑•‿•๑]