I Accepted Rita's Request
I accepted Rita's request. The reason? Well… it wasn't anything particularly profound. Part of it was that I held a personal fondness for her, and yes, a sliver of guilt lingered in my heart as well. After all, even if it hadn't been intentional, I had ultimately erased her possibility of ever becoming a Saintess. Still, the biggest reason by far was that I simply wanted to empty my mind.
I didn't want to dwell on the fact that Alice hated me. I needed to fill my head with something else—anything else—by throwing myself into another task. That was why I took on Rita's request. Just to clear my thoughts, even if only for a little while.
But… who could have guessed things would turn out like this?
“What exactly is going on here?”
Alice's voice cut through the air—icy and razor-sharp. Her piercing gaze landed directly on me. For a split second, I had to fight to keep my composure from showing. Honestly, I was just as confused as she was. What in the world was this situation?
There was only one person in this room who knew the answer.
Alice's eyes shifted, and so did mine—toward the one who held the key. Toward Rita, who stood there beaming at us with a bright, innocent smile.
“Rita. Explain.”
Neither her glare nor her tone was kind. Anyone could easily tell that Alice was in a foul mood. However—
“Yes? What about?”
Rita didn't shrink back in the slightest under Alice's frigid stare. If anything, she tilted her head with an even brighter smile and asked right back. Alice's brow twitched visibly.
Watching that, I felt a flicker of worry even amid my own confusion. I hoped Alice wouldn't explode.
But that didn't happen.
“…I'm asking what that is.”
Instead of unleashing her anger, Alice simply jerked her chin toward me in a relatively calm gesture. As I stared at the two of them in slight surprise, Rita glanced my way.
“Ah~.”
She let out a sound like she'd just realized something. Her expression and voice looked purely innocent, fitting for her age. Yet for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was all an act.
…Anyway.
Whether she'd truly just caught on or was only pretending to, Rita nodded after her little exclamation and finally spoke.
“I brought him here.”
At that cheerful answer—
“…….”
Alice's brow crumpled. The atmosphere around us grew heavy in an instant.
“Do I look like I don't know that? I'm asking why you brought him.”
At this point, even I was starting to feel nervous. The way Alice looked right now, she seemed to be doing everything she could to hold back her rage—like a volcano on the verge of erupting at the slightest trigger.
However.
“Ah~ So that's what you meant?”
Rita clapped her hands together as if the tense atmosphere and Alice's expression didn't bother her at all, then answered nonchalantly.
“I brought him because I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
Even though she'd finally gotten the answer she wanted, Alice's expression didn't brighten. The doubt still hadn't been fully resolved. Rita nodded again with that same sunny smile.
“Yes.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Oh, it's nothing special. We don't really know much about the Academy, right? So I wanted to ask him all sorts of questions and have him show us around a bit.”
“…What?”
Alice asked, sounding utterly dumbfounded.
“What are you talking about? Why would you ask him to show you around? No—why do you even need a guide in the first place?”
“Well, if we're going to be staying at the Academy, we'll need someone to show us the ropes, won't we?”
“…….”
Alice's frown deepened. She didn't say anything else, but it was obvious she was displeased with both the situation itself and the reason Rita had given.
Watching her, I mentally braced myself. I was sure Alice's outburst was about to come crashing down any second.
And sure enough, just as Alice's mouth began to open—
“Does he bother you that much?”
“…….”
Alice's lips froze mid-motion. Rita continued speaking to her without missing a beat.
“How unusual. I don't think I've ever seen the Saintess pay this much attention to anyone before.”
Alice shot Rita a sharp glare.
“Hah. Don't talk nonsense. I just don't like him, that's all.”
“Exactly. Up until now, you've never shown enough interest in anyone to even bother saying whether you liked them or not.”
“…….”
“You've never ordered anyone to be removed, either. Well, except if you were directly telling them to get lost.”
“That’s…”
Alice's words halted, as if she'd been rendered speechless. After a brief pause, she scrunched up her face in clear irritation.
“…Fine. Do whatever you want.”
With that, she spun on her heel and stormed off.
Watching her retreating back, I thought to myself, …Is this really okay?
No matter how I looked at it, this didn't seem okay at all. Just what was Rita thinking, creating a situation like this?
The moment that fierce question rose in my mind—
“Phew. Looks like it worked out well after all.”
Rita said something that completely shattered my expectations.
“…Excuse me?”
I couldn't help but ask reflexively. What on earth was she talking about?
“You call this… working out well?”
“Hm? Yes, of course.”
Rita nodded at my question. I could only stare at her with a blank face. It made no sense.
“It looks to me like the Saintess is just in a worse mood now…”
“Ah~.”
Rita let out another exclamation, as if she'd finally understood what I meant. …It seemed that particular sound was something of a habit for her.
“You're right about that.”
“…Pardon?”
I let out a dumbfounded noise without thinking. If she knew the Saintess was upset, why say it had worked out well? What exactly had gone well?
I stared straight into Rita's eyes, demanding an answer.
“Still, you didn't get kicked out, did you?”
“Ah.”
…I see. I found myself nodding before I could stop myself.
“I thought there was a high chance you'd be completely driven away. But since you weren't, I'd say it worked out nicely.”
Put that way, I suppose it could be considered a successful outcome. As I was nodding in understanding, a new question occurred to me.
“Just how high did you think the chances of me getting kicked out were?”
Rita thought for a moment before answering.
“Hmm… I'd say about ninety percent?”
“…….”
I stared at her with eyes full of pure disbelief.
…This is different from the game.
The Rita before me now was quite different from the one I'd seen countless times in the game. Her appearance was obviously different, but the biggest change was in her personality. In the game, Rita had been mature, noble—the very model of a Saintess. The Rita standing in front of me now felt miles away from that image.
Well… I suppose that's only natural…?
When I thought about it, it made perfect sense. Even at a glance, there were several years between the Rita from the game and the one before my eyes now. A few years might be too short to drastically change an adult's personality, but the current Rita was still just a child who hadn't even reached adulthood. At that age, a few years could easily bring about significant changes in character.
And above all, the circumstances were different. In the game, Rita first appeared after she had already been appointed as the Saintess—that is, in the latter half of the story. By then, the world was already steeped in chaos under the shadow of impending doom, and she was chosen as the sole Saintess in that desperate time. It was only natural that the hopes and expectations of countless people would pour onto her.
Bearing the hopes and expectations of an uncountable number of people on her shoulders alone—that was a weight no ordinary individual could easily endure. Certainly not a burden a girl who had only just become an adult should have to carry.
Even so, the Rita from the game had borne it all without showing any strain… but it couldn't have left her completely unaffected. That pressure must have played a huge part in why she had seemed so mature beyond her years.
Therefore, even if time continued to pass in this state, it was unlikely that Rita's personality would ever grow to resemble the one I knew from the game. After all, because of me, she would never become the Saintess.
This is better.
I had rather liked the Rita from the game, but I found myself thinking that this version—playful and fitting for her actual age—was even more likable.
…Anyway.
That was beside the point.
“Is guiding us around the Academy really your only goal?”
I asked, looking her straight in the eye. Honestly, I found it hard to fully believe her words.
“Pardon?”
Watching Rita tilt her head with a question mark practically floating above it, I continued.
“If that's the case, I don't see why it has to be me.”
It was possible she genuinely needed someone to show them around the Academy and answer questions about it. But there was no reason it had to be me. I had far too many disqualifying factors to serve as a proper guide. There were mountains of people better suited for the role. Even if we looked beyond the Academy itself, there were surely people within the Church who knew the Academy well.
Therefore, there was no need for me to be the one in that position. Especially not when it meant going against Alice's strong objections.
That was why I was suspicious. What was Rita's true intention?
After hearing me out, Rita answered in her usual clear voice.
“Of course, there is a reason I specifically asked for Sir Kyle.”
“And what is that reason?”
I naturally asked for it, but—
“Who knows?”
Rita simply gave me a mysterious smile.