“—Eight… Eight.”
“Mm… ngh…?”
A gentle shaking at my shoulders dragged me up from the depths of sleep.
Still half-conscious, I slowly opened my eyes—
—and was immediately greeted by a face so breathtakingly beautiful that my brain froze.
“Wha—!? R-Raphiel-san!? Why are you in my room!?”
“Because, unusually enough, you were still asleep close to noon, so I became concerned.”
“Huh?”
Still dazed, I fumbled for the alarm clock beside my bed.
The hands had already passed ten in the morning.
…Ah.
That was probably because I had stayed up until nearly dawn making inari sushi after my bath. No wonder my internal clock had completely broken.
“S-Sorry! I’ll make breakfast right away—”
“There’s no need to worry,” Raphiel replied calmly. “I found more of the same food that had been offered at the small altar in the living room inside the refrigerator, so I ate that instead.”
“Oh, you ate the inari sushi?”
“So that’s what it’s called. Despite its simple appearance, it possessed a remarkably deep flavor. Especially the sweet-and-sour rice inside. It was very… umamama.”
Apparently, Raphiel had taken quite a liking to inari sushi.
“I left some for you as well.”
“Oh, thanks… Though, uh, if you want more, you can have my portion too.”
“I shall accept your offer.”
The answer came instantly.
Honestly, there was no way I could calmly eat while Raphiel stared at me with shining eyes and very obvious longing anyway.
As Raphiel happily munched away on the inari sushi, a loud voice suddenly echoed in from the entrance.
“Oooi, Eight!”
“Hm? Village chief? What’s wrong?”
“A bit of trouble’s come up. Is the Saint here as well?”
“Wafe awm hwewe buh…”
(“I’m right here, but…”)
Still chewing on sushi, Raphiel emerged from the room.
“Please either eat or talk. One at a time.”
“Mogumogu…”
“She chose eating!?”
“Gulp. Now then, what has happened?”
“Well, you see…”
According to the village chief’s explanation—
some of the younger men of the village had entered the forest at dawn to search for surviving goblins after yesterday’s attack.
And in the process, they had discovered the goblins’ nest.
“There were several goblin children inside the cave,” the chief said grimly, “but they’ve all been dealt with, so there’s no need to worry there.”
“Y-You killed all of them?”
“It’s cruel, aye. But goblins that survive grow clever and attack other villages later. It had to be done.”
“I-I see…”
I forced myself to nod.
Even after living in this world for three years, there were still parts of it I couldn’t get used to.
This world was harsh.
Far harsher than Japan.
“From what I’m hearing, it sounds like the problem’s already solved though?” I asked cautiously.
“That’s the thing. It’s not.” The village chief scratched his beard uneasily. “Apparently there was a young girl in priestess robes being held captive in the nest.”
“A priestess…”
“She doesn’t seem violated, thank the gods, but we figured it’d be best to have her examined just in case.”
“Oh? Then this is indeed my field of expertise.” Raphiel puffed her chest slightly with pride. “I’m a practitioner of healing miracles capable of restoring even a body torn apart, so long as the heart still beats.”
…I really doubt the situation was that severe.
Still, with Raphiel accompanying them, they headed toward the village square.
There, lying atop a hastily prepared blanket, was a cute young girl with bright red hair styled into elegant drill curls, dressed in priestess garments.
Beside her stood Grana in full armor, gripping the girl’s shoulders anxiously.
“Ronda!! Wake up, Ronda!!”
“Grana-san? You know her?”
“Mmm, Eight-dono…” Grana turned toward me. “Yes. She’s my younger sister. We aren’t related by blood—she’s the daughter of my adoptive parents—but she’s still precious to me. Raphiel-sama, I beg you… please save my—”
“I understand.”
Before Grana could even finish speaking, Raphiel placed a hand upon the unconscious girl and began chanting softly.
Warm light bloomed instantly.
The glow wrapped gently around Ronda’s body like a blanket of sunlight.
“Uuuh… ah…? What… happened to me…?”
“RONDA!”
“Fweh!? G-Grana-neesama!? Why are you here!?”
“That is my question!” Grana thundered. “Why were you in a goblin nest when you should have been at the royal capital’s temple!?”
“Huh? Well, I was traveling toward the village where you and Raphiel-sama were staying, then I got lost in the forest and the goblins captured me and—AH!”
Suddenly gasping, Ronda grabbed Grana by the front of her armor instead.
“Grana-neesama!! Where’s Raphiel-sama!?”
“W-What?”
“I came here to defeat the heathen who corrupted Raphiel-sama, of course!!”
At those words, I quietly began trying to back away from the scene without making a sound.
Unfortunately—
GRAB.
“Please let go,” I whispered desperately as Raphiel seized my arm. “If this keeps up, I’m definitely getting dragged into something troublesome.”
“Don’t abandon me and flee.”
“I mean, isn’t it fine? From the sound of it, she’s just an overenthusiastic fan of yours. She doesn’t seem dangerous.”
“I healed her as a Saint earlier, yes. However…” Raphiel’s expression darkened slightly. “Truthfully, I’m not very good with Ronda.”
“Huh? Why?”
“She doesn’t look at me with simple admiration or faith.” Raphiel frowned faintly. “It feels more… indecent somehow. Like she views me with rather lewd intentions.”
“Lewd intentions?”
And then—
Ronda finally noticed Raphiel standing nearby.
“RAPHIIEEEEL-SAMAAA!! I HAVE LONGED TO SEE YOU AGAINNNN!!”
She shoved Grana aside and sprinted toward her at full speed.
“…It’s been some time, Ronda.”
“Uheh… uhehehe… The real Raphiel-sama is absurdly beautiful in person~! Ahh, I’m drooling…”
“Eight,” Raphiel murmured flatly, “do you understand now?”
“…Ah. Yes.”
How could I even put it?
Ronda’s eyes were absolutely overflowing with desire.
Also, that expression was definitely not one a holy priestess should be making.
“Muh!?” Ronda suddenly narrowed her eyes at me. “Raphiel-sama, who’s this man!? Wait… this man carries your scent on him…!”
Her eyes widened dramatically.
“HAH!! So you’re the heathen who corrupted Raphiel-sama!!”
“Huh!? W-Wait a sec—!”
What was with this girl!?
She was like a runaway racecar with no brakes whatsoever.
“I challenge you to a duel for Raphiel-sama’s hand!! If I win, you must cease corrupting her immediately!”
“No, listen, Raphiel-san corrupted herself—”
“No arguments!!”
Ronda lunged straight toward me—
—and immediately collapsed face-first onto the ground.
“Gurururururu…”
An enormous growl echoed from her stomach.
“Uugh… I haven’t eaten anything since the goblins captured me… I can’t move…”
“…For now, do you want to come eat at my place?”
“W-What a terrifying heathen!! Not content with corrupting Raphiel-sama, now you seek to corrupt me as well!?”
“Well, if you don’t want to—”
“That’s separate from this!! Accepting charitable offerings is also the duty of the clergy!!”
…Wasn’t it supposed to be the clergy doing the offering?
Still, arguing over technicalities sounded exhausting, so I stayed quiet and simply brought Ronda home.
Now then.
What should I make?
“Giving heavy food to someone with an empty stomach probably isn’t a great idea… Alright. Rice porridge it is.”
Making okayu was simple.
First, I placed washed rice and water into a pot and heated it over medium heat.
Once it began boiling, I lowered the heat and gently stirred from the bottom so the grains wouldn’t stick.
Then I shifted the lid slightly open and let it simmer quietly without stirring further.
Finally, I poured in beaten egg, turned off the heat, and let the remaining warmth steam it softly before seasoning everything with salt.
If I’d had salmon or pickled plum on hand, it would have been even better.
Unfortunately, I had neither today.
So plain salted egg porridge would have to do.
“Alright. Done.”
“This is… risotto, perhaps?” Ronda declared proudly. “Hmph! If you think such a simple dish can corrupt me, you’re gravely mistaken, heathen!”
“You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to…”
“I never said I wouldn’t eat it!! Itadakimasu!!”
At least she still properly said itadakimasu before eating.
Deep down, she probably wasn’t a bad kid.
“It’s hot, so be careful not to burn yourse—”
“Hafuh! Hot! Hahf! Mgh!”
“…Looks like she’s fine.”
Before I could even finish warning her, Ronda had already started shoveling spoonfuls of porridge into her mouth.
Unlike Raphiel, apparently she wasn’t sensitive to hot food at all.
“Mmgh… gulp… Huh…?” Ronda blinked slowly after swallowing. “This is strange… I’ve never eaten this before, and yet… it tastes like my mother’s cooking…”
“I understand,” Raphiel said with a small nod. “Though, personally, I barely remember my parents’ faces.”
“I understand as well,” Grana added calmly. “Though my real mother never once cooked for me.”
“Raphiel-san, Grana-san, please stop making the atmosphere awkward.”
“Umaaamamaa~!!” Ronda cried blissfully, continuing to devour the porridge anyway.
Well.
As long as she was happy, that was what mattered.
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