Forbidden Pages and Fleeting Shadows
Sitting on a quiet garden bench under the cover of night, my eyes glued to the pages, I turned them with tense breaths, careful not to make a sound.
"..."
The protagonist and heroine had just shared a kiss, confirming their love. Now came the most crucial scene in the book.
Gulp— My throat burned with every sentence, and my hand was already poised to flip to the next page without delay.
But then—
"Hoo~"
A sudden puff of air brushed my ear.
"Kyaaah!"
I jolted in shock, tumbling forward with a scream I couldn't hold back.
Turning cautiously, I saw...
"Hee hee hee hee..."
Vanessa sat there, gazing down at me with a face full of mischief and laughter.
"...S-Sister Vanessa?"
"Sorry, sorry~ You were so focused, I couldn't help but tease you a little."
It seemed the breeze in my ear had been her doing.
"So, how is it? More fun than you expected, right?"
"Fun...? What do you... Oh, ah!?"
I frantically searched for the book I'd been reading, but for some reason, it wasn't in my hands anymore. I must have dropped it when I fell.
"!?"
It lay midway between us—right in the middle of that pivotal scene I'd been devouring.
"Hee hee hee, I figured you'd appreciate its value."
"...Huh?"
Vanessa stood, picked up the fallen book, and approached me.
"You okay?"
"Y-Yeah..."
She helped me up from my tumble and held the book out to me.
"Want to borrow it?"
"...?! N-No, that's okay!"
I panicked for a moment but quickly waved my hands in refusal.
"Not interested? But you were reading it so eagerly just now."
"Uh, w-well... earlier wasn't really 'enjoying' it... more like I just got sucked in without realizing..."
But Vanessa kept the book extended toward me, looking down with a confident smile.
"So you don't want to read it?"
"!?"
"Not curious about what happens next?"
"Well..."
Honestly, I was curious. But still... was it really okay to read something like this? I had no idea. And this was a monastery, after all. Wasn't this kind of thing off-limits?
"No need to lie to yourself. People should be honest with their desires."
Suddenly, she reached toward my chest and slipped the book inside my habit.
"!?"
The move was so abrupt I had no time to resist. I'd never even known there was an inner pocket in the nun's habit... This was basically an act of God, right? Force majeure.
"Just finish it and give it back. There's a sequel, so bring that one when you return this."
"...Ugh..."
Was this really okay?
"So, why'd you come find me?"
She shifted seamlessly to another question, as if nothing had happened.
"Ah!"
I'd almost forgotten the real reason I'd sought her out.
"Sister, could you buff me up?"
I made my request boldly, without hesitation.
"A buff? Hmm..."
Vanessa closed her eyes briefly, seeming to ponder. I'd expected her to do it right away— this was unexpected.
Is something bothering her?
But today, I needed her buff.
"...Well, it's fine, but... there's a condition."
"A condition?"
Didn't we already agree she'd buff me whenever needed in exchange for keeping her secret last time?
Ah... no way!?
Suddenly, I felt the weight of the book she'd forced into my chest.
Ugh! So... now I'm an accomplice? Is that it?
It felt kinda unfair.
"...What do I have to do?"
I glared at her as I asked, and she flashed a meaningful smile.
"Simple..."
"..."
"...Just..."
"..."
She dragged it out, holding my gaze. I waited tensely for her words.
"...like last time, give me one more kiss on the cheek?"
"Pardon?"
I tilted my head, confirming her condition again.
"A kiss?"
"Yeah."
It was a surprisingly deflating demand.
Well... that's not so bad.
She'd helped me out plenty of times already... A little gesture of thanks like this? I could do it over and over, no problem. I wasn't sure why she'd pick such a harmless condition—maybe she never planned to ask for anything extreme to begin with.
Wasting no time, I stepped forward and planted a light peck on her cheek.
"There, done...!? Mmph!!"
As I pulled away, she suddenly hugged me tight.
This wasn't part of the deal!?
Looking up at her in confusion, she beamed down at me with utter delight.
"Teresa! You're perfect... Let's be mother and daughter!"
"Mmph..."
"...I'll raise you right!"
"Mmph..."
"I'm too old to get married now anyway! I just want a cute daughter like you to live happily ever after with!"
It felt like I'd stumbled onto a spinster's unwanted secret.
"Ugh..."
"I hate this monastery life now!"
Her voice grew teary as she clutched me tighter.
Sigh...
With no choice, I patted her back to soothe her.
"You'll meet someone nice someday, Sister..."
"Waaah...! I know that's never happening!"
"..."
"Especially stuck in this stuffy monastery—nothing like that'll ever happen!"
Why did someone like her become a nun...?
Oh right... she said she followed after Brother Carlos and ended up as one.
Vanessa clearly liked Carlos. Whether she still did... who knew.
"...Um, well... don't you have Brother Carlos, Sister?"
"That psycho would never marry me. Even if we had, he'd ditch me and the kids to chase Lady Restia and become a priest sooner or later."
"...Yeah, probably."
"Waaah... It's all his fault! If I'd known, I never would've fallen for him! I just wanted a normal life! He ruined everything!"
Unlike her usual self, she seemed like a completely different person today.
Come to think of it... she has looked kinda worn out lately.
Maybe it was partly my fault, which made me feel unnecessarily guilty.
In the end, I spent the rest of lunchtime consoling her before finally getting my buffs.
—ding... ding, ding... ding, ding...
['Restia's Blessing' status applied]
['Light's Guidance' status applied]
['Holy Power' status applied]
['Blessed Stamina' status applied]
['Secret Benediction' status applied]
Exhausting...
That evening, after practice, I met up with Marie again. We hid in the bushes near the monastery entrance, quietly watching for anyone sneaking out.
"...The 'secret meeting spot' from the letter... that means the place where the culprit's colluding with the demon cultists, right?"
"Exactly."
"But we don't know where that collusion spot is."
I gave her a faint smile in response to her doubt.
"The culprit can only collude with demon cultists outside the monastery. So we just wait at the entrance and check for anyone sneaking out. Plus, if the culprit shows up and we tail them, we'll find the spot. Two birds, one stone."
Marie nodded, seeming to get it. But moments later, she tilted her head, something still nagging at her.
"But... if they're sneaking out of the monastery, do they really need to use the entrance?"
"Huh?"
"They could just climb over the wall."
Only then did I realize the massive hole in my plan, and I couldn't help but panic inwardly.
What if the culprit hopped the wall instead? My mind raced for alternatives, plunging into chaos.
But right then—
"(Someone's coming out!)"
A suspicious figure in a hood emerged from the monastery building, face obscured. They paused at the entrance, scanning the surroundings warily.
In that instant, I caught a glimpse of her face: mid-30s, pale skin, long lashes, weary eyes, but striking features that stuck in the memory.
It was a face I'd never seen before, but Marie whispered beside me.
"(It's Sister Margaret.)"
Definitely the nun in charge of the monastery's supplies. Marie was the one who'd delivered the letter to her.
"(Let's follow!)"
As Marie started to rise, I grabbed her wrist quick.
"(No, I'll go alone from here.)"
"(Huh!? That doesn't make sense!)"
Marie nearly raised her voice in shock.
"(No need for both of us to be at risk.)"
"(But...!)"
I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to calm her and continued.
"(Marie.)"
"(Yeah...)"
"(You're the only one who can help me if things go south. But if you're in danger too, how can you?)"
Marie hesitated, then nodded, understanding.
"(I'll mark my path on the way. If I send a danger signal or don't return in 30 minutes... tell the sisters I've been kidnapped and get help.)"
"(Got it.)"
"(Thanks. My life might depend on you.)"
"(Leave it to me!)"
Hearing her resolute reply, I hurried off into the darkness, chasing the shadowy figure who'd just slipped out of the monastery.