Chapter 2. Encounters and Opportunities (3)

I woke again in the middle of the night.

Growl—my stomach rumbled right on cue.

If I was going to pass out anyway, it would have been nice to stay unconscious all the way until the next day. Then I could have just eaten breakfast and been done with it.

On top of that, maybe because I'd used Holy Power again after completely draining myself, my head was ringing.

I seriously considered whether to endure the hunger and go back to bed, or fill my stomach again.

The decision was easy. I couldn't sleep properly when I was hungry.

In my past life, I hadn't been this fussy about being hungry. Well, there's a huge difference between the metabolism of someone in their thirties and someone in their twenties.

Even if it wasn't quite the growth-spurt teenage years, wasn't this still an age that burns through energy hard?

Besides, I was twenty in Korean age, but I was still only nineteen internationally. I was still at the tail end of my teens, so it was an age for shoving whatever I could get my hands on into my mouth.

Clutching my empty stomach, I headed for the Interview Room.

There should be ramen there that I'd bought and hidden last time. Ria had insisted strongly, so I'd even stashed a few cans of tuna—there shouldn't be any shortage—

"——Hk."

But, unfortunately.

The Interview Room light was on bright. Light was blatantly leaking through the gap under the door—a glaring sign that someone was inside.

......No matter how much this was a convent in modern society that guaranteed at least minimal personal freedom, the rules were far stricter than in the secular world. Wandering around at night was, for one thing, prohibited.

Probably because of people going into other rooms and noisily carrying on. And also in case things got even slightly disorderly.

Though for all that, there wasn't exactly anyone patrolling at night. Anyway.

What to do.

If someone was in the Interview Room at this hour, then naturally that person was most likely the Mother Superior. Either someone besides me had been caught secretly using the Interview Room late at night, or there was a guest important enough to visit at this hour.

Either way, this wasn't a situation where I could knock on the door, go in, and ask, "I'm really hungry, so could I boil and eat the ramen I hid and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠then leave?"

At the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thought that I wouldn't be able to resolve my hunger, the tip of my nose stung.

With tears welling at the corners of my eyes, just as I was about to turn around—

Bang.

"Eek!?"

The door flew open so suddenly that I let out half a scream.

Having let out a shriek like a hamster being picked up by a human palm for the first time in my life, I quickly turned my head to make some excuse—

And nearly lost consciousness from the smell wafting out through that open door.

A slightly spicy, stimulating soup smell that was absolutely not made from natural ingredients. The delicious sound of something bubbling away.

This smell—I hadn't smelled it in a long time, but it was absolutely unforgettable.

"......Packet instant noodles."

That's right. A rich smell that could never come from simply pouring boiling water into cup noodles. The sound of noodles actually bubbling as they cooked, something you could never get by just adding hot water like you were steeping tea. And faintly mixed in, the smell of cooked egg.

For me, already ravenously hungry, that smell was utterly impossible to resist. I couldn't help but fix my gaze toward the open door.

"Oh, I was just about to come get you."

Beyond the open door, Ria was already standing there.

Actually, seeing that sight brought several things to mind that I wanted to say.

At this hour, setting a portable burner on the table and boiling ramen in an aluminum pot—wasn't that far too likely to get us caught?

No, more than that, where had the portable burner and aluminum pot even come from? Surely she hadn't stolen them from the kitchen?

But I was too hungry to spit out all those questions.

Growl.

Having already half-lost my grip on reason the moment I smelled that delicious aroma, I walked into the Interview Room before I could say anything.

"H-how on earth did you prepare all this?"

Only after going in did I ask, as if I'd just remembered.

"Ah, that."

Well, I was already sitting down before I even heard the answer.

Actually, I sat down and then stood back up. Because from a seated position, it was awkward to check inside the pot.

The egg yolks were sitting inside, perfectly round and completely unbroken. Two of them, even. They weren't fully cooked but properly soft-boiled, so they didn't look like they'd be dry at all.

Somewhat moved, I picked up a ladle—shaped like a claw at one end, and I had no idea when she'd gotten it—and scooped up a generous portion of the pot's contents. I arranged it nicely in the bowl in front of me, and the steam rising up hit me full in the face.

It looked blatantly like it would make me gain weight, but I was satisfied with it. Actually, the fact that I didn't scoop up both eggs was the result of what little reason I had left still functioning.

"Thank you for the food."

I said that and picked up my chopsticks. By the time Ria sat down, I had already broken the yolk, gently coated the noodles with it, picked up a big chopstick-full, and was slurping it into my mouth.

"Hoo, haa."

I rolled the hot noodles around in my mouth, breathing in and out to cool them. The thick, soft texture of the slightly undercooked yolk hit first, releasing a smooth, rich egg flavor. Then the noodles, soaked in the sharp artificial spice of the seasoning packet, struck my tongue together with an almost unbearable heat.

......Delicious.

Sniffling, I chewed and swallowed the ramen, then moved my chopsticks again to take the next bite.

"Hey, hey, you're going to peel the roof of your mouth off. Eat slowly."

"Huh-hut hif hwe hee haught, hwee haff hoo heave hit."

If we get caught while eating, we'd have to leave it, wouldn't we?

That was my intention, but my mouth was so full of hot noodles that the words didn't come out properly. The last four syllables at least came out clearly, since I'd swallowed by then.

"Don't worry, that won't happen."

I had no idea how she understood me, but Ria sat comfortably in her chair and said that.

Seeing me freeze with the next chopstick-full halfway to my mouth, Ria ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠laughed as if in disbelief.

"You've been doing this all along, haven't you? Passing out cold every time you save someone, then waking up in the middle of the night to secretly eat something. Why on earth have you been living like that for years?"

Frowning, I slurped the ramen in my chopsticks into my mouth.

Since Ria said it was fine, this time I chewed and swallowed the ramen a bit more leisurely. Still, after about three chopstick-fulls, my stomach felt a little better. It was still a bit hot, but not unbearable.

"What do you mean by that? I just followed the rules."

"No, I mean, in the world there are unavoidable exceptions, you know. No matter how strict the Mother Superior is, if a kid who saved someone's life and passed out without eating says she's hungry, wouldn't she have a meal prepared for her?"

"......."

Oh, really?

The Mother Superior sleeps at night too, so I'd just been trying not to wake her.

Actually, how should I put it—if the two of us were eating together—no, the Mother Superior would obviously just sit there staring at me without eating. And once I had some breathing room, she'd obviously nag me about something.

"......It's just more comfortable eating alone."

So I answered, a bit defensively.

As I sat there with a prim expression, picking up a few strands of ramen and putting them in my mouth, Ria laughed again as if in disbelief, got up from her seat, and took my bowl.

"Ah......!"

Was she going to take my bowl away? This wicked—before I could even finish the thought, Ria added the other egg remaining in the pot to my bowl. Along with plenty of ramen and broth.

Still, a heroine is a heroine. Yeah, she has to have this kind side too for it to be worth pairing her with the protagonist. That's what makes a tsundere, right?

Quickly revising my assessment in my head, I used my chopsticks to split the egg—slightly more cooked than before—in half.

"When I told the Mother Superior, she was really surprised. And she felt terribly sorry, too. She'll probably talk to you separately tomorrow."

"......Really?"

At Ria's words, I blinked.

Ria picked up the bowl in front of her and ladled out a moderate amount of broth and noodles.

Then, as if remembering something she'd forgotten, Ria paused for a moment, grinned, and said,

"Do you need kimchi?"

When I nodded fervently, Ria took a small side-dish container out of the refrigerator.

"I set some of this aside earlier at dinner, too. I'd forgotten."

"......."

Hearing that far, I was a little moved. The slight sting at the tip of my nose wasn't because the ramen was spicy. It was a bit spicy for foreigners, but I was Korean. Even if my appearance wasn't one you'd commonly see in Korea.

We ate in silence for a while.

Well, I was mostly the one eating more earnestly. Even if I'd avoided the state of being on the verge of starving to death, my hunger hadn't completely disappeared.

"That person earlier."

"Hm?"

"That patient who was brought in."

"Ah."

I blinked and set down my chopsticks.

"Is that person okay?"

"Same as when I last saw them—fine. They came to almost right after you collapsed. No, actually, I don't think they ever 'lost consciousness' even in that state."

"Not even shock?"

Honestly, that state was one where being alive at all was miraculous. Surviving without dying from excessive blood loss was amazing, but actually, before that, it wouldn't have been strange if they'd already died of shock. Well, there are people in the world who survive being split in half at the waist, so I can't say such cases are 'completely nonexistent.'

"Yeah. And it seems the girl who was brought in injured alongside them was completely healed by your Holy Power too."

"That's a relief."

I said that and picked up my chopsticks again.

"......."

The sound of slurping filled the Interview Room again. Once again, it was mostly me making the noise. Ria, maybe because she'd already eaten dinner, didn't seem to have much appetite.

Since we were sitting across from each other, she'd served herself a portion, but it seemed like she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was only eating along out of politeness—the amount she'd taken didn't even look like half a serving of ramen.

I got up from my seat again and checked inside the pot. Had she cooked two packs of ramen? The noodles were almost all fished out.

"There's rice in the fridge. It hasn't been in there very long, so it should still just be cold rice. Is that okay?"

"Ah, then, I'll get it—"

"No."

Before I—already on my feet—could even turn to the side, Ria quickly got up, went to the fridge, and brought back an airtight food container filled with white rice.

"......Why? Is something going on?"

The way she'd been oddly nice to me for a while now, and the way she'd prepared all sorts of things in advance—something was seriously suspicious. Could something have gone wrong?

Of course, I didn't stop eating. I put the cold rice in my bowl, then ladled the still-warm broth over it. The steaming broth seeped into the cold rice, making it slightly thick.

"No, well."

Watching me pick up my spoon, Ria seemed to hesitate for a moment—then finally opened her mouth as if she'd made up her mind.

"Um, sorry."

"Sorry?"

At those words, goosebumps ran down my back.

"What for? All of a sudden?"

When I asked in alarm, Ria blinked.

"Huh?"

"What on earth did you do? Did you drop me hard somewhere while moving me?"

I asked, feeling around my body here and there.

"No, hey."

She'd been the one to apologize first, but when I reacted like that, Ria seemed a little offended.

But maybe because this wasn't a situation where she could just keep being annoyed, Ria took a deep breath as if to steady herself.

"No, it's not because of anything like that. And I didn't just move you roughly—I used proper equipment to move you."

"Really?"

I answered as I sat back down properly.

And while maintaining a somewhat guarded attitude, I picked up my spoon again.

"So, what's the apology for?"

"......No, it's my fault you collapsed, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Last time, you were still fine up until you went to sleep. You even showered properly in the shower room."

When I stared blankly at Ria, she scratched her head as if a bit frustrated, then said,

"I was wondering if I worked you so hard that the fatigue built up and made you pass out."

"Ah."

Only then did I realize why Ria was acting this way, and I nodded.

"That's fine."

I answered while scooping up a spoonful of rice and blowing on it.

"That's not your fault, is it, Ria?"

"......Yeah?"

"How would you know something like that would happen when you were training me? If soldiers are training and the enemy attacks, do they say the training was pointless?"

When I'd heard this from a drill instructor in the military, it had made me furious, but come to think of it, that drill instructor hadn't boiled ramen with eggs for me.

As expected, people needed to eat something before they could think straight.

"Well, strictly speaking, the training itself started because I got tricked into it, but it's way too late to back out now."

I said.

"If I ran away now, it would become me running away because I'm scared of you, Ria."

And I put that rice, soaked through with ramen broth, into my mouth.

Ah, a warmth different from the noodles swept through my body. As expected, Koreans need rice to finish a meal.

"Ah, is that so......."

Ria answered in a slightly deflated voice, as if something about it didn't sit well with her.

"I can eat all the rice, right?"

"I honestly don't know where all of that goes in you."

"The human stomach stretches more than you'd think, you know? Did you sleep through biology class?"

"......Huh."

Even at my provocation, Ria just made that sound as if in disbelief and didn't bother to argue.