3rd Person POV
Kazuki Sakuragi facepalmed and let out a heavy sigh. He had instinctively responded to the woman in Spanish instead of Japanese.
He cursed himself under his breath before peeking at the woman through the gaps between his fingers.
She wore a dark green nun's habit with a white wimple framing her face, along with dark stockings and simple shoes. Her long, silky black hair reached down to her hips. She had a slender figure and a noticeably curvaceous build.
She was also carrying several plastic bags filled with groceries, their weight pulling down on her arms.
Kazuki lowered his hand and studied her carefully.
"...Do I know you, ma'am?" he asked.
"No." She shook her head. "But my colleagues seem to know you."
She smiled gently.
"My name is Ray. Or Sister Ray-Ray, as Sister Asia calls me, if I remember correctly."
Then she extended her hand toward him.
"Nice to meet you, Kazuki Sakuragi."
Kazuki's eyes widened for a moment as he remembered what Asia had told him. His expression softened slightly before he took her hand and shook it.
"Nice to meet you too, Sister Ray," he said in a softer tone. "I did intend to visit the church and meet you personally, but school is... you know, kinda busy."
"I know. Asia excitedly told me about someone she reunited with before she was taken to the Cathedral."
Sister Ray began walking, and Kazuki followed beside her.
"I was interested in meeting you."
"But why?"
"I don't really know..." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "I suppose it's just a hunch."
She smiled at him.
"I have a feeling you're a great person."
"Ehhh? Is that really a great reason to want to meet someone?"
Kazuki then glanced at the grocery bags in her hands before extending his hand toward them.
"May I, Sister?"
Sister Ray stopped and followed his gaze.
"Oh..."
She understood what he meant and handed the bags to him.
Kazuki took them without hesitation.
"See?" she said with a soft, melodic chuckle. "You're a really great guy."
"Just don't flatter me too much, Sister." Kazuki began walking beside her. "I'm going to start getting strange ideas."
"I don't mind that, though," she replied casually.
"Why do I feel like someone may have said the same thing?" Akeno's image suddenly flashed through his mind, wearing her usual closed-eye smile.
"Oh my," Sister Ray chuckled. "Someone is popular, I see."
"I have a feeling that's not a good thing."
For a while, neither of them said anything.
Sister Ray quietly hummed a melody as they walked. Her voice was gentle and clear, carrying a strangely captivating quality.
Kazuki found himself listening without even realizing it.
There was something peaceful about the song like a gentle breeze passing through the trees.
Then...
"Sister," Kazuki said. "May I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"The abandoned church..." Kazuki's expression became unreadable. "Why don't you ask the community to help rebuild it? Since it's a place of worship, I imagine people would naturally be willing to help."
Sister Ray looked at him.
"That's... a strange question."
She thought about it for a moment before nodding.
"The reason is simple, Kazuki-kun."
"First name already?" Kazuki immediately turned his head toward her. "Well, I don't mind it, though."
Sister Ray blinked before giving a small apologetic smile.
"I apologize for using your first name. My colleagues aren't Japanese, so they're not particularly concerned about that kind of distinction. They're comfortable using someone's first name even when meeting them for the first time."
She paused before continuing.
"And to answer your question, it's not that I don't want to seek help from the community. We simply don't have enough money to provide food and drinks for everyone who comes to help."
Kazuki listened quietly.
"Even if people are willing to help us, I don't want them to feel like they're simply being used for free labor. If we're going to rebuild this church together, I want them to feel welcomed."
She smiled faintly.
"And food and drinks are one of the best ways to make people feel welcome."
"I get that..." Kazuki nodded in agreement. "Free food and drinks are the best."
Sister Ray laughed softly. "That's what you took away from what I said?"
The two continued laughing together, neither noticing how quickly the time had passed.
Before long, they were already standing in front of the abandoned church.
Kazuki's smile gradually faded.
Something felt wrong.
He couldn't explain it. There was no obvious reason for the feeling, but a faint uneasiness had settled somewhere in the back of his mind.
"Um, Sister Ray," Kazuki said. "Where's Asia?"
"Oh." Sister Ray glanced toward the church. "She's cleaning some of the debris inside."
She paused.
"Actually, I didn't plan to meet you today. I just happened to see you on the way back, so I didn't have time to ask Asia to come with me."
"Okay..." Kazuki narrowed his eyes slightly.
Sister Ray noticed the change in his expression but continued speaking naturally.
"She's quite enthusiastic when helping the others clean the church." She sighed lightly. "And when she gets like that, it's kind of hard to ask her to stop."
"I know that feeling."
Kazuki nodded in agreement as memories of his childhood in the orphanage came back to him.
Asia had always been like that.
Once she became determined to help someone, it was almost impossible to convince her to take a break.
"Come in, Kazuki-kun." Sister Ray opened the door. "Asia would be delighted to know that you came to visit."
"Then..." Kazuki followed her inside. "Pardon my intrusion."
Kazuki stepped inside first, carefully watching his footing.
The church was in even worse condition than he had expected. Debris covered much of the floor, with broken pieces of glass scattered among the rubble. Cracks spread across the walls, and parts of the ceiling looked as though they could collapse at any moment.
It's a miracle this place is still standing.
He lowered his gaze to avoid stepping on a particularly large shard of glass.
Then his instincts screamed, causing him to immediately spin around.
Whoosh!
A red spear was already thrusting toward him.
Stab!
The spear pierced through his right shoulder.
"Oh..." Sister Ray smiled, but it wasn't the gentle smile from before.
It was a twisted smile.
"You reacted to danger pretty well." Her violet eyes narrowed slightly. "I was aiming for your lung, actually."
Kazuki gritted his teeth and grabbed the shaft of the spear.
He immediately pulled himself backward, forcing his body away from the blade. Blood spilled from his shoulder as he staggered several steps away.
"Ghk...!"
A sharp pain suddenly spread through his head.
His vision blurred.
His legs became unsteady.
Kazuki dropped to one knee, desperately trying to catch his breath as it grew heavier with every passing second.
His consciousness was rapidly slipping away.
"What the hell is happening?"
Sister Ray watched him struggle without the slightest hint of concern.
"Poison is a wonderful tool." Her smile widened. "It's a shame it didn't work against those damn Devils."
Kazuki tried to raise his head, but his vision was already growing darker.
The last thing he saw was Sister Ray standing over him with that same twisted smile.
Then...
Darkness swallowed his consciousness.