Chapter 83

Chapter 9. Boundaries and Barriers

Well, I can’t believe it, even after thinking it over again.

Is it because I’ve lived in the Church for too long that I’ve just gotten used to it?

…No, it’s still weird when I think about it again. We’re nuns, right? Shouldn’t it be that we can’t roam freely outside the Church?

No matter how much I wander around compared to other nuns, this feels off.

“Hey, Ria.”

As I was following Ria, who was walking ahead, I couldn’t take the weirdness anymore and called out to her.

“Yeah?”

Ria turned her head towards me. Her red hair swayed slightly under the veil that was casually draped over her head.

Well, Ria never really adjusted to the Church from the start.

Sharing a room with Ria, I was the rebellious nun wearing a shortened habit, a belt under my chest, and even a bridge in my hair.

For me to get influenced was inevitable, but I wondered if Ria was one step further ahead.

In the original, every time Ria did something she shouldn’t at the Church, the Saintess would usually hit the brakes.

“……”

“Why?”

When I didn’t say anything, Ria tilted her head, looking puzzled.

And I thought about Ria like that.

Shouldn’t I be the one hitting the brakes? Really?

“Hey, Ria. Can I ask you something?”

People passing by glanced at us, but no one was outright staring.

My face was somewhat known, but I wasn’t a celebrity. Most of those around when I was radiating light were people related to specific careers.

Nonetheless, someone might be listening to us. It’s more about passing by and happening to overhear. You know how it is; you might catch a neighboring person’s conversation on the subway.

No matter how rebellious I was, I had no intention of talking about buying a swimsuit in front of people.

I grabbed Ria’s wrist. Surprisingly, she came along without resistance. If she had pushed back, I wouldn’t have been able to win.

We walked a bit away from the main street to a more secluded area, and I quietly said to Ria.

“Honestly, isn’t it a bit weird for a nun to buy a swimsuit? Even going to the beach?”

I spoke my thoughts reasonably.

Even though I was a rebellious nun, I still rebelled within certain limits. I made sure to wear the habit and had a veil over my head.

As for the dyeing… well, I at least considered it before doing it.

“……”

But Ria seemed more shocked than I expected by my words.

“Why, don’t you want to go to the beach?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to go.”

I quickly replied as I felt like I might have hurt Ria’s feelings with what I said.

“Is there really a need to wear a swimsuit? If it’s not a pool, you can just go in wearing clothes.”

Ria’s expression became quite subtle at my words.

“So you’re suggesting we go to the beach in a nun’s habit? Just to get wet?”

“People do that, right? Sure, some wear swimsuits, but many also just go in their clothes and have fun.”

I hadn’t experienced the ocean in this world, but I had seen such scenes on TV.

Ria gazed at me blankly for a moment, then slowly raised her hand to cover her forehead.

“Hey, Anna, do you know what you’re saying right now?”

“……Why do you ask?”

“……Are you really that clueless?”

As I asked back, looking bewildered, Ria placed her hands on my shoulders with a serious expression.

“Anna, the nun’s habit is, well… it’s a type of clothing that many people have… ‘demand’ for.”

“……Huh?”

“In other words, it’s like a fetish.”

I stared at Ria, momentarily dazed, and slowly opened my mouth.

My face felt a bit hot.

“W-what are you talking about right now?”

“Looks like you really don’t know.”

Ria sighed deeply, pulled her hands back, and wiped her face.

“No, it’s me who’s dumbfounded here!?”

I shouted that, then quickly looked around in surprise. A few people passing by glanced our way. It seemed our unusual appearance was drawing attention, and now that I had shouted, it really caught their eyes.

I hurriedly walked forward. Ria followed beside me.

“So you’re saying it’s a fetish because the nun’s habit is wet?”

“Let me clarify something; ‘all’ uniforms in the world can be fetish objects, you know?”

“That’s a pretty broad statement.”

Oh, I knew as well. Clothing specific to certain professions can also be fetishized.

In fact, any clothing that exists in the world could potentially be a fetish. Human sexual tastes are incredibly diverse; I actually wonder if there are clothes that don’t fall into some fetish category.

“While it is broad, the nun’s habit ranks pretty high among them. You know? Sometimes, there are idiots who think nuns are easy women.”

“……That’s something I’ve never heard before.”

“It’s simple. They’ve never had a boyfriend in their lives, so they think any conversation would lead to them quickly falling for it.”

“How do you know about this so well?”

“Anna, I’ve worked quite a bit with hunters. Plus, I have people I know at the Church. The stories I hear are numerous.”

“……”

The idea of a ‘pretty nun’ in the world I used to live in was purely a fantasy tale. It’s hard to find young and beautiful nuns in real life. Most nuns roaming around outside were mature, middle-aged women.

I wasn’t quite sure how Catholic nuns were admitted, but characters in cartoons wearing certain specific outfits becoming suggestive was inevitable. ‘Reality’ was certainly not that forgiving. Both nun’s habits and uniforms like nurses or police were usually just practical clothing.

On the other hand—

“Oh.”

“See? You were talking about stalkers and such, weren’t you?”

Ria remarked after hearing what I said.

That’s right.

In the world I lived in, a nun might just be a job, but this world…? This was a world from a web novel.

Even if it’s not outright adult content, surely, in the latter parts of the story, there would be adult scenes. Above all, there’d be no reason to have a ‘Saintess’ character and deliberately remove her nun’s habit before an adult scene.

Isn’t it all too transparent why a Saintess appears as the heroine?

“……”

I was incredibly furious, but unfortunately, the worldview of this place was far too irrational and illogical compared to my mental state.

“If we went to the beach and entered the water in nun’s habits, there would definitely be guys trying to hit on us.”

“……Is it fine if we wear swimsuits then?”

“That’d make it a bit less annoying. We’d blend in a bit more naturally among others.”

I felt frustrated as it was hard to logically refute because it didn’t match my understanding.

“And,”

Ria landed her final blow on me.

“……Isn’t it a bit rich coming from you, wearing your clothes that small and now saying that?”

Since I’d been wearing a belt under my chest, I had no choice but to tremble without being able to retort that statement.

“Or, is it that you really just don’t want to go to the beach with me?”

Looking at Ria’s face, I fought to avoid letting my gaze fall to her chest. I instinctively knew that such behavior would seem a bit odd, even if she was the same sex.

“……”

I stammered for a long moment, then finally said in a small voice,

“No, it’s not like that.”

Ria’s expression turned soft as she listened to me, perhaps thinking I looked like someone who’d never been to the ocean and wanted to experience it.

Well, I am a ‘nun.’ I’ve lived in a convent my whole life, and the only time I went outside was for volunteer work.

Alright.

Let’s take the real reason for not refusing to the grave.

Seeing two nuns step into a swimsuit store was more bizarre than I had expected.

Actually, I didn’t even know there were specialized swimsuit stores. When I bought clothes, I usually just went to brand-name stores and grabbed some discounted items without much concern for looks.

Swimwear stores were generally just sections of such places, right? You pop in during summer and leave quickly.

However, the place we entered was undeniably a ‘swimwear store.’

Oh, they sold other things too, but mostly surfing boards and fishing rods. Still, it was evident that swimwear dominated most of the store.

“Welcome!”

A staff member approached us with a bright smile.

“Ah, hello?”

I awkwardly greeted back.

Though they’re called swimsuits, when you think about it, the fabric area isn’t really that different from underwear.

Just look at the mannequins wearing them and the photos on the posters.

Definitely not a place a nun would typically visit.

I had never even bought underwear in this world. The Church provided what I wore.

“Ah, right. I didn’t mention this, did I?”