“Ah! Our Hero has arrived!”
“Oh yes.”
Indeed, it was a close call; when I arrived, everyone except me had already gathered.
Fortunately, Yuli had handed me a sandwich, allowing me to avoid the situation where I would have to skip breakfast.
However, due to rushing here, I hadn’t chewed properly, and my mouth was still full of the sandwich I had barely bitten into.
“Why don’t you swallow what’s in your mouth before speaking?”
“…Gluck. Hello, Saint.”
After chewing a few more times, I was finally able to properly greet Mariel with clear pronunciation.
“Hey, hello. Yeah… Breakfast really is important.”
“Hmm, hmm! Eating is always right, isn’t it?”
Back in the first semester, due to financial struggles, I always skipped breakfast, but now in the second semester, those days are few and far between.
Partly thanks to the support I receive since becoming a Hero, and partly because I live with friends in a four-person dorm where Selian and Yuli always drag me along for breakfast, I rarely skip meals anymore.
What about Anne? She’s not mentioned?
Well, while I make it to the cafeteria on time without much issue, Anne can’t wake up no matter how much we try, so one of us has to literally drag her out of bed.
Even then, she walks like a zombie with her eyes still closed, sometimes even letting out the characteristic breathing sounds she makes while sleeping.
Thankfully, once we reach the cafeteria, the smell of food usually wakes her up.
“Did you have breakfast, Saint?”
“Umm… While I usually eat breakfast, today I didn’t due to early preparations…”
Mariel gave an awkward smile as she gently patted her stomach.
Certainly, without the help of Selian and Yuli, I might have ended up skipping breakfast as well.
“Ah! Would you like some of my sandwich? Since it’s morning, I haven’t finished it entirely, so…”
“Eh?”
I quickly extended the sandwich I had barely taken a bite of toward Mariel.
However, Mariel only emitted a short sound and didn’t respond.
“Saint?”
“Uh, what? Did you call me?”
When I called her name again, Mariel finally responded with a flustered look.
“Would you like some of the sandwich?”
“Eh? Oh, ah… You said that, right?”
Mariel spoke as if it wasn’t about her.
In any case, since she didn’t refuse outright, she must be hungry too.
Why wouldn’t she just ask for some then?
Could she be suspicious of the taste of the sandwich? But Mariel saw me take a bite, and I didn’t appear to dislike it, so this assumption is unlikely.
Then the other possibility is that she feels guilty about taking my breakfast.
This is quite plausible.
While Mariel occasionally acts greedy, fundamentally, her goodwill is sincere, whether it’s about others’ good towards her or her good towards others.
“Really, you don’t need to hesitate. Why are you so formal with each other in this situation? If you want it, just take it.”
“A-ah, but…”
I gently held up the sandwich in my hand in front of Mariel.
She fidgeted but her eyes remained on the sandwich.
“Ah! Maybe the part I’ve bitten might make it a bit off-putting. Please wait a moment. I’ll cut it in half…”
“Ah, no! One bite is enough for me!”
When I tried to give her half the sandwich, Mariel grabbed my hand as if I was about to snatch it away and slowly brought it to her mouth.
She seems to have noticed my earlier mention of the part I’d bitten because she bit directly into the same spot to avoid causing any awkwardness.
However, Mariel took only a very small bite of the portion I’d already bitten.
She chewed so slowly, it was as if she was trying to melt it away with her tongue without any jaw movement.
After rolling the sandwich around in her mouth for a long time, Mariel finally swallowed with a small “gluck” and looked a little regretful.
“Um… Would you like another bite?”
“Umm, no, it’s fine. You should eat too, Hero.”
Though I offered another bite, wondering how hungry she was, Mariel shook her head, insisting it didn’t matter.
It’s a little uncomfortable eating in front of someone who’s hungry, but what can you do if the person insists they won’t eat.
I carefully watched Mariel as I took another bite.
But before I could even chew, Mariel hesitantly smiled and spoke.
“Hehe… I’m still hungry. Would one more bite be okay? Is that alright, Hero?”
Of course.
Taking such a considerate small bite, even a little amount wouldn’t satisfy her hunger.
Without saying a word, I continued chewing the sandwich and extended it towards Mariel.
Mariel directly took another bite, matching the spot where I’d bitten.
This time too, she took only a small portion and slowly rolled it around in her mouth with her tongue.
Even when I offered her more by moving the sandwich, Mariel only shook her head and closed her lips tight.
When I finally took another bite, she immediately pleaded for one more.
She’s doing this because she doesn’t want me to feel like I might give her the smaller portion if I tore the sandwich in half, thus showing consideration for me.
That’s why she’s barely nibbling while we alternate bites.
Anyway, you wouldn’t believe it, but she’s the Saint.
If she didn’t do this, she probably wouldn’t eat at all.
Ultimately, Mariel and I shared the sandwich, taking turns biting into it one mouthful at a time.
*
The sun was about to rise. The streets were already full of people who had gathered to watch the opening ceremony, and Mariel and I were waiting in a space specially reserved for the event.
“Alright, it will start soon. Are you ready?”
The person in charge, who had been overseeing the rehearsals, came to get us.
At the announcement, Mariel and I prepared to go outside.
“The ribbon I gave you. I see you haven’t forgotten to wear it.”
While waiting to go out, Mariel gently touched the ribbon in my ponytail and said.
Regardless of forgetting or not, I usually wear it around my wrist like a bracelet even when not tying up my hair.
And today is not just any day – it’s a special one with Mariel.
With Selian’s help, I neatly tied my usually messy hair with extra care, ensuring it would not become tangled.
“Is it okay? Does it look weird?”
I playfully turned my head toward Mariel and shook my ponytail.
“Ahaha, it suits you well! Would you like to see? I also came wearing the hairband that Hero gifted me!”
Mariel slightly raised the veil she’d been wearing till now and showed it to me.
Underneath, there was a small, shimmering flower-patterned hairband I had given her.
I hadn’t noticed at all since she’d worn the veil from the moment I first saw her today.
Indeed, they are the Hero and the Saint. This must be what they call being soulmates.
I wore the ribbon Mariel gave me in consideration of her, and Mariel wore the hairband I gave her in thought of me.
“The hairband also suits you, Saint. Of course, anything would look good on you, Saint.”
“Hmm… Then should I put this away?”
Mariel suddenly took off the veil she had been holding.
When she removed the veil, an ivory-colored cascade of hair flowed over her shoulder.
She immediately handed the veil off to a staff member who was rushing around for the opening ceremony.
“Isn’t that the robe designated by the Shrine? Is it alright to just take it off like that?”
“Pfft, it’s just a veil. What’s the big deal? Or… do you, Hero, want to see my naked body?”
“Ha-ha! How dare a Saint say such things!”
I started coughing, startled and denying strongly.
However, Mariel only grinned mischievously, watching my flustered expression.
To be honest, when Mariel mentioned nudity, I did imagine it in my head for just a moment.
But this is something inevitable for any man.
Even in her modest nun’s habit, Mariel’s figure is one that any man would have daydreamed about.
If there are those who haven’t, nine out of ten are probably liars, and the remaining one is gay.
So I am justified in being unashamed.
Lady Goddess would surely agree, wouldn’t she?
When the Holy Sword began humming loudly and I gave it a good whack to silence it, Mariel approached me closely.
Just as her breathing tickled my ear, she whispered softly.
“If you’re curious about my naked body, would you like to go to the Bathhouse together?”
“…No, I refuse. Absolutely no Bathhouse.”
At least while I’m at the Academy, while I’m careful around my friends, there’s no way I would visit the Bathhouse.
I might accidentally reveal the Master-Slave Mark, which would only lead to headaches.
“R-really?”
Despite my refusal, Mariel’s lips curved into an even wider grin.
“Once the Celestial Festival ends… let’s go somewhere and play. Got it? It’s a promise!”
It seems Mariel focused more on the part where I agreed to go somewhere other than the Bathhouse rather than refusing the Bathhouse.
“What kind of promise is that… Just worry about deciding where to go.”
“No, no! It’s an absolute promise! Come on, pinky swear.”
Mariel extended her little finger toward me.
“I don’t necessarily think this needs to go this far… but, fine, here we go.”
When I reciprocated by putting out my little finger, she hooked it tightly a few times as if to seal the deal.
“Uhu… I’m already looking forward to it…”
But the suspicious smile on Saint’s face made it seem like a dubious promise.
Still, men can’t say no to certain things, right? There’s no way Saint would lead me somewhere truly inappropriate.
Let’s just focus on the upcoming opening ceremony for now.
