Reality Hits After Constantly Running Into the Nun
Ryude, struck with a heavy dose of reality after running into the same nun yet again, dragged himself out of the cave and bought a sword. It was the exact same model—five silver coins. All that remained in his pocket was fifty copper pieces. He stepped out of the weapons shop with a bitter taste in his mouth only to find the sun already setting. Even when he accomplished nothing, time still marched on.
“Heh heh, looks like someone spent the whole day playing around.”
Given how his body felt right now, hunting magic beasts tomorrow seemed impossible. He decided to do volunteer work instead and figured that since he was already slacking off today, he might as well enjoy it properly.
Sniff, sniff— Just then a familiar scent brushed past his nose. A savory aroma that instantly stirred his appetite. Charcoal-grilled whole chicken.
“I don’t have much money left anyway.”
One last reset. I’ll start working hard for real after this. Having neatly justified it to himself, Ryude followed the smell toward the chicken shop.
“Welcome~”
Golden-brown chickens glistened invitingly in the display. Each one cost ten copper. After all the hard work he’d put in until now, he figured he deserved this small luxury.
“Boss, two… No, just one chicken to go, please.”
“Coming right up~!”
Even one felt a little excessive, but two would have been outright wasteful. The owner, with perfect timing, packed a freshly roasted, steaming-hot chicken into a paper bag and handed it over.
It had been a long time since Ryude last tasted chicken. He hugged the warm bag tightly to his chest, savoring its heat, and started the walk home.
After about twenty minutes, he turned the final corner—and locked eyes with a tiny living creature.
“Uuu…”
A street urchin in rags was staring at him, drool trailing from the corner of their mouth. Ryude realized the child’s gaze was fixed on one specific spot. When he lifted the paper bag, the child’s eyes rose with it.
“…………”
Ryude looked back and forth between the child and the bag, weighing his conscience against his stomach.
“Sigh… Here.”
He could always eat chicken another day. But if he ignored this kid now, he knew his heart would bother him for a long time. Ryude squeezed his eyes shut and held out the bag.
“Whoa…”
The child let out a delighted cry and snatched it. Then, from every direction, more children began popping out like rabbits.
“Huh? What the—?”
Is this some kind of shadow clone technique?
“Waaaaah—!!”
Roughly five kids, all in the middle of their growth spurts. The single chicken vanished from existence in mere seconds. Once it was gone, the children licked their greasy fingers and turned their sparkling eyes back toward Ryude.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Staring at me like that won’t make more chicken appear, you little rascals.
Twinkle, twinkle—!! Sparkle, sparkle—!!
“Ugh…!!”
The all-out eye-beam assault had begun.
“Damn it, fine.”
With no other choice, Ryude sprinted back to the chicken shop.
“Boss, four more chickens to go!”
“Oh my, it’s that young man from before~ Four whole chickens? You’ve got quite the appetite!”
He emptied his pockets completely. At this point he truly had nothing left but the price of a single loaf of bread. Carrying paper bags in both hands, Ryude returned to the children. He was panting hard from running at full speed, yet the kids deftly snatched the bags from his grasp.
“Wooooow!!!!!!”
“Yeah, yeah. Eat up, kids.”
What fault did the children have, after all? Ryude watched them devour the chicken with satisfaction, then finally—truly this time—headed home.
“At least I saved my own share.”
It had been an unexpected expense. Still, the joy of eating chicken wasn’t completely gone. If anything, a small sense of pride had taken its place.
“Hm?”
Apparently the day still had more in store.
“Where are you rushing off to?”
“…Why are you here again?”
It was the nun, Sheryl. Ever since their first meeting, he had run into her every single time he went to volunteer. Even on Sunday she wore her habit—probably because of evening service. She glanced at the paper bag in his hands and smiled warmly.
“Hehe, enjoy your meal.”
“Ah… yes.”
He had literally been humming a tune moments ago. This is mortifying.
—
A nun was walking along the street as the sun began to set. For some reason she kept her eyes closed. Her name was Sheryl. Exhausted from the duties that had dragged on all the way until Sunday, she made her way to her usual spot.
When she turned the corner of a dark alley, several shadows moved in perfect sync before revealing themselves.
“Have you all been well?”
“Waaaaah—!!!”
They were street children who existed outside the empire’s laws. Children who should have been in orphanages were instead wandering the streets simply because they had never been registered at birth. Unfortunately, Sheryl’s current position as a nun meant there was little she could do for them. The most she could manage was to visit when she had time and provide a meal.
“Ah… look at me. I’m so sorry, everyone. I’ll run back and fetch the lunch basket right away.”
Only then did Sheryl realize the basket she carried wasn’t the right one. Overcome with fatigue, she had made a careless mistake and inwardly scolded herself.
“Uuuu……”
The children’s disappointed faces floated clearly before her eyes. Heart aching, Sheryl hurried back toward the church.
After a thirty-minute round trip, she returned with the proper lunch basket—only to hear voices coming from the very same corner.
“…Is this a dangerous situation?”
Street children received no protection under the law. If someone harmed them—or worse—there was nothing she could do about it. Sheryl crept forward silently and peeked around the corner.
“That man is…?”
Her eyes widened. It was the man she had seen frequently lately. For the past two months he had shown up diligently for volunteer work. His sincere attitude had left her with quite a favorable impression.
“…Still, better safe than sorry.”
Human nature could be frighteningly two-faced. While baseless suspicion was wrong, the situation left her no choice but to watch carefully. Sheryl braced herself to rush out if necessary and observed.
She soon realized her worry had been unfounded.
“Sigh… here you go.”
He handed over the very food bag he had clearly bought for himself. Then he watched with gentle eyes as the children ate with delight. A soft smile naturally spread across Sheryl’s face.
“Goodness.”
When the chicken disappeared in the blink of an eye, the man dashed off with a determined expression. Startled, Sheryl reflexively ducked behind a crate so he wouldn’t notice her.
“Where did he… ah.”
She peeked out, searching for him, and less than a few minutes later he returned with both hands full of paper bags.
“Hehe.”
The sight was so comical she almost laughed aloud.
“Eat slowly, kids. Big brother’s heading out now.”
He tossed the bags to the children, then walked away humming cheerfully, clearly in a good mood. Sheryl straightened her posture and stepped out as if she had simply been passing by.
“Where are you rushing off to?”
“…Why are you here again?”
She couldn’t wipe the smile from her face.
“Hehe, enjoy your meal.”
“Ah… yes.”
His embarrassed reaction was rather cute. But then he suddenly looked back and forth between her and the bag in his arms before quickly hiding it behind his back.
“Even if you stare like that, I’m not giving you any.”
“Huh…? Wh-what! I never asked for any!”
The fact that she had almost felt a twinge of dislike toward him was a secret she would take to her grave.
—
The next day, volunteer work took place at the free soup kitchen. Following the church’s directions, Ryude made his way to the site. A monk gave a brief explanation in front of the building, after which the volunteers scattered to choose their tasks. No specific roles had been assigned. Although they were technically criminals, everyone except Ryude was an adult, so the decision was left to personal judgment.
“Hmm.”
Ryude stood at the entrance and surveyed the area. Everyone else had naturally gravitated toward the easier, more comfortable jobs. Most seemed to have chosen food distribution.
“That spot should be empty, then.”
Finding a task no one else wanted and that he could handle alone, Ryude headed behind the building. As expected, the back area was deserted—apparently no one wanted trash duty.
Or at least, it should have been.
“You’re here.”
“…………”
She stood there as if she had been waiting for him. Yesterday and today—two days in a row. He failed to keep his expression neutral.
“Um, making a face like that actually hurts my feelings, you know?”
She pouted.
“Sorry. I was just surprised for a second.”
Is there something going on here? Why do we keep running into each other?
“Did you enjoy your meal?”
“Well… I usually skip breakfast, and I haven’t had lunch yet.”
“No, I meant Sunday. You smelled absolutely delicious.”
“Ah, yes. It was good.”
While sorting plastic bags, she spoke to him in a friendly tone. The casual familiarity still felt strange to Ryude. Awkward, he fiddled with one of the innocent bags.
“Hehe, take your time. It’s still before the lunch rush. A few people come in between meals, but it’s not too busy otherwise.”
“I see.”
Just as she said, the sounds from inside were sparse, and the trash area remained quiet. Still, being alone with her felt uncomfortable.
“Then maybe you should come during the actual lunch hour. I can handle things by myself before and after the rush.”
“Hmm? So you’re telling me to do both food distribution and trash sorting during the busiest time? Too bad. I was hoping to take it easy here too.”
“Ah… that’s how it works? My mistake. Sorry.”
She clearly had no intention of leaving. This seemed like a good opportunity to ask what had been bothering him.
“By the way, Sister.”
“Yes?”
“Why do you always walk around with your eyes closed?”
He had never mentioned it before, wondering if she might be visually impaired, but after seeing her clearly today it didn’t seem to be the case. Her golden eyes had shone too brightly.
She answered as if it were nothing special.
“My eyes? It’s a form of training, I suppose.”
“Did someone important order you to do it?”
“No, it’s my own method. When I close my eyes, I can sense the life energy around me more clearly.”
“Hmm.”
Ryude nodded, convinced. She tilted her head, puzzled by his reaction.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking the Sister might be hitting puberty a little late.”
“Wha—? W-what do you…!”
For a moment her body froze as if she had misheard. Then her face began turning bright red.
Just then, the soup kitchen grew noisy with the arrival of the lunch crowd. Ryude seized the opportunity and stood up.
“Right, time to get to work.”
“Wait! You! What exactly did you mean by that?!”
That day, Ryude spent every single hour under the heat of Sheryl’s unrelenting glare.