Having swiftly finished my meal, I scurried back to my room, deftly evading both Laura, who wore a peculiar expression, and the ever-present guards.
I had intended to escort Rainy to her own room, but she, still seemingly under the lingering sway of the aftereffects, clung to me relentlessly, compelling me to bring her back to my room for the time being.
“…”
“…”
We sat side by side on the bed, Rainy and I, our fingers intimately intertwined.
Intellectually, I grasped that she was not in her usual state, still reeling from the trauma.
Yet, I was acutely aware that sitting here, fingers interlocked, side-by-side on a bed, undeniably crossed the line of a conventional friendship.
Amidst the subtle, ambiguous atmosphere, I turned to Rainy, who sat beside me, my expression grave.
“Saintess.”
“Uh… yes.”
“Saintess, you do concede, don’t you, that, as the young lady remarked earlier, this situation is entirely open to misinterpretation by others?”
“Right…”
Though a blush of embarrassment made me hesitate to voice the words myself, I swallowed it down and spoke.
“Saintess.”
“Yes…”
“For now, you truly don’t wish to release my hand, do you?”
“Yes…”
“Very well, then let us remain together for the rest of today.”
“Are you sure?”
Rainy gazed up at me, her expression fragile and uncertain.
“Of course. After all, it was my oversight in neglecting you that led to this predicament.”
“Hmph, as long as you understand.”
A faint smile graced Rainy’s lips, seemingly mollified by my apology, as she playfully slapped my thigh.
“Ow…”
Though I felt not a flicker of pain, I deliberately exaggerated my reaction, feigning severe injury to lighten the mood, and then inquired,
playfully.
lightly.
“Saintess, you don’t harbor any… ulterior motives, do you? Like, perhaps you truly fancy me, which is why you defaced my face and refuse to release my hand.”
“Hey!”
Rainy’s face instantly flared crimson, and she hurled a pillow, heavily imbued with her scent from just one night’s rest, directly at me.
I met the incoming pillow with a bright smile, accepting it without resistance.
“Heh heh, your answer?”
“You… you’re merely a friend! Today… I’m simply a bit frightened, that’s all…”
I scrutinized Rainy’s expression intently.
From the subtlest flicker of her eyebrows to the slightest twitch of her lips.
Determined not to miss even the most minute clue.
Rainy, evidently feeling the weight of my scrutiny, averted her gaze, her cheeks burning a vivid crimson, effectively concealing her expression.
After a moment of contemplation regarding Rainy’s emotions, I concluded that, for now, it was merely conjecture and too difficult to reach a definitive conclusion, so I simply lay down on the bed.
Rainy, whose fingers were still naturally intertwined with mine, was drawn along by my movement and found herself lying down on the bed as well.
Her eyes widened in alarm, trembling slightly as I abruptly lay down beside her.
“Wha… what is it?”
Meeting her startled gaze, I offered a gentle smile and spoke.
“Let’s simply take a nap like this today.”
“It’s still broad daylight, though?”
“When one feels anxious, isn’t sleep the greatest solace? I promise to remain by your side, never releasing my hand, even as I slumber, so please, allow yourself to drift off peacefully now.”
Rainy, her fingers fidgeting, gazed up at me with an unsettled expression.
“If I fall asleep first, you won’t vanish, will you?”
“I promise to remain steadfastly by your side all day, becoming your personal human doll. A doll you can bite, choke, embrace, or do with as you please.”
Upon hearing my words, the Saintess pouted, muttering under her breath.
“Friends don’t do such things to each other, you know?”
“…”
I longed to point out that friends typically neither intertwine their fingers nor sleep in the same bed, but.
I swallowed the words unspoken, offering only a smile.
“That’s true.”
“Just… don’t let go of my hand… that’s all I ask.”
“If that is what the Saintess desires.”
“…”
Despite my numerous assurances that I would not depart, Rainy, seemingly unable to shake off her apprehension, remained wide awake.
In that case, I recognized that I should be the one to drift off first.
Being perpetually weary year-round, I was confident that I could fall asleep instantly, simply by willing it.
Thus, before succumbing to sleep, I offered one last playful chuckle and spoke.
“Please don’t draw on me today, alright? Otherwise, I’ll genuinely be upset.”
Rainy, perhaps sensing my intention to conclude the evening on a lighter note before sleep, grinned impishly and retorted playfully.
“Prepare yourself for tomorrow morning.”
And so, that night, we fell asleep.
****
With the ominous caw of crows, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and rose from the bed.
“Are you awake?”
Opening my eyes, I found Rainy, immaculately dressed, greeting me with a radiant smile.
Rising from sleep, I felt a constriction in my throat, and my words emerged in a stammer.
“What time is it right now?”
“Ten o’clock. You’ve been asleep for more than twenty hours.”
“Ah…”
Rainy, who had already vacated the bed, commandeered my chair, and was playfully swinging her legs, inquired with a mischievous glint.
“So, aren’t you going to check your face? I’ve sketched a new masterpiece, you know.”
“Really?”
“If you’re skeptical, then by all means, confirm it for yourself.”
I scrambled out of bed and hastened towards the full-length mirror positioned within the room.
After inspecting my face, stomach, arms, and thighs, I found no discernible peculiarities.
“What? There’s nothing there.”
“Heh heh, you fell for it, you fool.”
“Tsk, I truly should have simply abandoned the Saintess and departed last night.”
“Hmph, you might not recall, but last night, you were the one who clung to me relentlessly, weren’t you? This morning, I awoke to you incessantly babbling, ‘I love you, Saintess noona (TL Note: A Korean term for an older sister or an older female friend/acquaintance of a male),’ and it utterly terrified me.”
“…”
While I was certain this was merely one of Rainy’s typical jests, a sliver of doubt lingered, prompting me to swallow hard and reiterate my question.
“Re… really?”
“Yes, I’ll recite your exact words for you.”
Rainy cleared her throat with a theatrical ‘ahem.’
“Ooh… Saintessss… don’t leave meee… Saintess’s chessttt is so warmmm… I wanna kiss your soft, squishy cheeksss…”
She perfectly mimicked my voice.
Goosebumps prickled my skin at her surprisingly convincing vocal imitation.
While more risqué lines might have been out of the question, the possibility of me muttering such words in my sleep… even I had to admit it was certainly within the realm of possibility.
Observing my face drain of all color, Rainy erupted into peals of laughter.
“It was a lie, you fool. Nothing of the sort happened.”
“…”
“You were startled, weren’t you? Your heart must have hammered as if your innermost thoughts had been laid bare, right?”
Rainy continued to tease me, her laughter so boisterous it felt almost theatrical.
Her exaggerated mockery, however, ironically fueled my suspicion that I might genuinely have uttered such nonsense in my sleep.
Yet, the true answer remained known only to Rainy.
****
Gone was the fragile demeanor she had displayed yesterday, replaced by her usual cheerful self, and Rainy eagerly began to speak.
“So, how will you proceed with the young lady’s education now?”
The initial objective of the young lady’s education—addressing her picky eating—could be deemed a partial success.
While it did necessitate the assistance of dressing, I had successfully coaxed the young lady, who previously seemed to have never so much as touched a vegetable in her entire life, to meticulously scrape her plate clean.
“We should proceed to stage two.”
“What’s stage two?”
“We will replicate the process the Saintess underwent to overcome her struggles with alcohol.”
“You don’t mean…?”
A shadow of fear flickered across Rainy’s face.
I nodded, affirming her unspoken suspicion.
“A sound mind in a sound body! A joyful life of exercise!”
“…”
“From now on, I intend to summon the young lady every morning for a brisk run. In the afternoons, she will also undergo sword training.”
Rainy’s eyes darted nervously as she offered an awkward laugh.
“Oh… I see!”
Only yesterday she had clung to me so desperately, yet now Rainy was subtly retreating, inching away from me.
I watched her, a wide grin spreading across my face.
“Now that I think of it, the Saintess hasn’t been able to exercise in the mornings recently, have you?”
“Uh… yes… so many things have been happening, you see… haha…”
Rainy, seemingly sensitive to heat, had beads of sweat trickling down her forehead.
“Saintess, you should accompany us, shouldn’t you? To exercise.”
“I… I have church duties to attend to… Raden, you do your best!”
No sooner had the words left her lips than Rainy bolted out the door.
Her speed was quite impressive, perhaps a testament to her prior exercise regimen.
However.
Thump.
Yet, her efforts were insufficient to escape me, and she was swiftly apprehended.
“You seem quite invigorated, Saintess. It would be ideal to take a lap around the estate together.”
“I… I’ve fully recovered from my ailment, haven’t I? I’m healthy now! So, wouldn’t it be more prudent to focus on the young lady first?”
“Exercise, by its very nature, is something one must consistently pursue, even when in good health.”
“Ugh…”
The Saintess, apparently realizing her excuses would prove futile, let out a soft groan before her eyes brightened, and she gently clasped my hand.
Curious as to what Rainy might attempt, I merely observed her in silence.
“Ra… Raden.”
Rainy gazed up at me, her voice tinged with a hint of moisture.
Her vulnerable demeanor caused my heart to flutter almost imperceptibly.
“I’m just so utterly exhausted today… could we perhaps postpone the exercise?”
“You’ve slept for how many hours, and you claim to be tired? Your dark circles have significantly receded as well.”
“I swear to the Goddess, I will certainly participate next time… please?”
With that plea, Rainy clasped my hand tightly and even rubbed her soft cheek against it.
While it was satisfying to realize that Rainy, who, owing to her former status as a Saintess, had been extremely averse to physical contact with men, had grown comfortable enough for such natural displays of affection.
On the other hand, it made me sigh, wondering how much she truly loathed exercise to resort to such actions.
I let out a deep sigh and declared,
“If you detest exercise to such an extent… then I suppose I have no choice.”
Rainy’s lips curled into an immediate, triumphant smile, reaching almost to her temples.
She seemed to believe I would concede at this point.
“I will simply work you harder until you come to love exercise.”
“Ah…”
Not a chance.
Thus began the hellish, unending physical training.
