Chapter 14

Chapter 2. Encounters and Opportunities

Something felt off.

I mean, I had the impression that I was mistaken about something.

To be honest, I found that novel quite enjoyable. If I didn’t think it was interesting, I wouldn’t have bothered to catch up to the latest chapter.

I had a certain fondness for each character, and I was curious about which character would end up with the protagonist. I even had deep discussions with other readers, exchanging opinions on which characters should get together.

Of course, rationally speaking, aside from my childhood friend, there wasn’t much else to choose from.

Among the many theories of literature, there’s Chekhov’s Gun, explained by the great Russian author Anton Chekhov.

To put it simply, if a gun appears in the first scene of a novel, there should be a scene where it gets fired.

Movies, which are created by piecing together scenes shot by cameras, sometimes capture unintended things within those frames. Things like other cameras, the reflections of the crew in mirrors, or the odd actions of passersby. Oftentimes, they can’t be cut out due to production circumstances.

However, a novel is entirely judged by the author’s intentions. If there are a lot of passersby, you can simply describe it as “there are many passersby,” without needing to go into detail about each person’s appearance.

If there’s a deep description of a certain person, there should be a reason for it. Whether it’s to vividly portray the atmosphere, foreshadow the character’s role in the unfolding story, or symbolically hint at something.

Especially in a web novel, where the word count is somewhat limited, you need to think carefully about this.

Yes, the “childhood friend heroine” is Chekhov’s gun. It’s a loaded gun that should be fired someday.

Usually, this character appears first, shares sweet memories with the protagonist, and whether it’s tsundere or not, there’s a backstory of having liked the protagonist since childhood. All those numerous foreshadowings should naturally be used in the novel, shouldn’t they?

1. Rationally speaking, the heroine who has the longest screen time and many hints connecting her to the protagonist is usually the childhood friend.

2. Logically, the first introduced heroine would naturally have a larger fanbase.

How could the childhood friend heroine be eliminated?

Pushing aside the childhood friend, who has built up so many layers of development, how did the saintess get so close? I genuinely can’t comprehend it. To say the least, the saintess’s power, even at its best, was just “Mace Twirl,” and the only part that could have a practical contribution was her Saint Power.

Just because I received a few heals, my feelings blossom? It’s not like we’re in a flirty bridge effect or something.

Unless there’s a tag for NTR, the protagonist should naturally end up with the childhood friend.

I’ve already sent detailed feedback about this story to the author. This was before the important message regarding atheism was conveyed.

“……”

“What’s the matter?”

And maybe that was the reason.

I was quite confused about whether the situation I was in was something that the author—well, the god of this world—had intended or not.

“Hey.”

Punch.

“Eek!?”

Just like that, something poked into my side—no, specifically it was a finger jabbing between my ribs, making such a sound. This time, though I nearly kept my mouth shut through my transcendental patience, that sound didn’t turn into a full-fledged scream of ‘Eek!?’—

I hastily looked around.

Among the people sweeping up the convent yard, no one seemed to be looking our way.

Several nuns had already disappeared. They were probably busy getting ready for their shift or mixing with the crowd.

The truly young nuns, those around five years old—the same age as when I arrived here—hardly interacted with us directly. The daycare for those infants was in a separate area of the church.

“What was that about all of a sudden?”

As I fiddled with my aching rib, I glared at Ria, who held a broom made of bamboo just like mine, now giving me a perplexed look.

“I’ve been calling you for a while, and you didn’t respond. Just standing there, moving the broom in a daze. Look.”

At Ria’s words, I looked down at the ground.

Had I swept one spot too mechanically? The sand had been slightly pushed aside. Well, since the ground was pretty solid, it hadn’t actually been dug up, but the stiff broom made of branches left clear lines, as if I had carved a scratch.

I furrowed my brow slightly and used my toes to erase the traces.

“Why? Are you thinking about that kid’s face again?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, the one you said was around our age.”

“Ugh.”

I let out a sound of disbelief at that remark.

I’m rational, but I have a grasp of the emotional sensibilities of irrational humans.

Of course, it’s not uncommon for a woman to be ‘smitten at first sight’ with a handsome man. After all, there’s no basis for judging a person’s first impression beyond their appearance.

The same goes for the opposite gender and, naturally, can exist between same-sex individuals. The probability is a bit lower than for heterosexual interactions, but it can still happen.

And the ‘protagonist’ inevitably comes with settings that he’s handsome—

“Why me?”

I responded with a chuckle.

As I moved the broom a bit roughly, a scraping sound echoed from the ground. Even while I was showing my obvious disdain, Ria seemed to entirely not believe my words.

“Well, don’t you usually not give much of a reply when guys approach you? You were actually hiding behind the nuns last time too.”

It was the season where it seemed like the days would be getting fewer. Yet, it wasn’t exactly cold.

While sweeping the floor, I pondered why I was having this conversation.

“Ria.”

Then, my rational brain quickly reached a conclusion.

“Do you have any interest in that guy?”

“What?”

Hmm, as expected.

The exaggerated way Ria responded to my question was, based on the big data of my life accumulated over decades, precisely how girls react when ‘they’re not against it, but also find it embarrassing to show they like someone.’

Unfortunately, I didn’t have many women around me, but I had observed that common response often in dramas filled with female writers. Usually, in such scenarios, when the female lead hears, “Hey, don’t you like that guy?” she responds with, “What? Hmm~~~?”

“Well, I guess it’s not that surprising. Objectively speaking, he is handsome.”

Not only is his face good-looking, but his body is too. There’s no escaping that. Maintaining one’s physique is crucial for a hunter’s job.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t immediately recognize that the protagonist was the protagonist just based on his looks. Illustrations in web novels are usually two-dimensional, and especially on platforms like Noblepia, they often draw inspiration from Japanese manga.

Actually, there weren’t even any illustrations of the male protagonist. For illustrations to appear in the main story, the author often has to select them himself, and if that’s the case, it’s way more efficient to pick illustrations depicting the heroines rather than the protagonist.

So the only face of the protagonist I recognized was that of an SD character from the emojis released.

Not being able to recognize him is understandable.

His face, which was once covered in blood, became surprisingly handsome once the Saint Power washed him off, and I was only shocked by the thought of, “How much of a gym rat can he be to look like that?” when I looked at his revealed body through torn clothes for injury inspection.

In contrast, it would be natural for Ria, who’s already one of the heroines, to have such reactions.

“No, I haven’t had a chance to speak a word.”

“When you become a nun, your fantasies regarding the opposite sex tend to grow larger. I know that much too.”

One of the nuns I roomed with wasn’t fighting solely because of matters of faith.

She constantly talked about men, so I ended up getting tired of it and requested to switch rooms.

And while not every nun is like that, a portion of those who went through their rebellious years tends to show that tendency. Some even brag about meeting men while volunteering; I absolutely can’t understand how they came across guys in such a short outing period!

Unless the guy is some serious premature ejaculator who can finish everything in under a minute, it’s nearly impossible, right?

…No, that’s not what I’m trying to say.

“……It’s only been a little over a month since I arrived here?”

“If the person was already popular, a month isn’t that long to feel that way.”

“Wait? I’m popular!?”

“Well, what else could it be? The hunter profession has way more men, right? Plus, Ria, you’re young, and in all respects, you have an attractive appearance that guys would find appealing.”

“Uh…….”

What a surprise.

While I take some pride in my own physique, Ria is clearly more eye-catching. Although it’s a subtle difference, if she and I wore the same form-fitting clothes, the comparison would be obvious.

It wouldn’t be that strange if she had one or two male friends her age.

Not that such situations often happen in stories, but surely there must be some guys that liked her secretly enough to approach her, right?

“……”

Leaving behind the suddenly quiet Ria, who seemed to be deep in thought, I finally managed to enjoy a bit of this peaceful morning while reflecting.

So what was I thinking about again?

Ah, right. I was going through a logical argument about why the childhood friend should end up with the protagonist. Yes, indeed.

Let me finish that thought.