Chapter 87

I couldn’t help but swallow when I saw water cascading down Ria’s body as she came out of the pool.

No matter how many boundaries I set, it was hard to take my eyes off such a beautiful sight.

Still, I managed to divert my gaze somehow. I knew I had to adapt to what lay ahead, but for now, the stimulation was too overwhelming.

Even after becoming a woman, this body still responds to desire. Is that not natural? No matter how much the being below has crafted this form according to their own power, it’s still a human body after all.

“Puhah!?”

I was trying my best to keep my eyes on the ground, but soon, it became unnecessary as my view was completely obstructed.

Ria had thrown something at my face. For a moment, I thought she might have caught me staring at her chest, but thankfully, what landed on my head was a large towel.

“Well, I do need to wash up anyway.”

Ria coolly said this and headed towards the shower room.

I pretended to scrub my face with the towel to cover my gaze.

As Ria said, once you enter the pool, there’s no way to avoid cleaning up. It takes a little while to dry my long hair, but it can’t be helped.

…And once again, I couldn’t help but feel flustered.

Just like the changing room was designed for multiple people to change together, the shower room in this pool was the same. Ria and I were washing up in the same space.

Of course, I made my way to the far corner of the shower room.

The good news was that there was one showerhead installed in each booth. As long as I stepped inside a space separated by translucent glass and didn’t deliberately position myself in front of the mirror reflecting Ria, I wouldn’t have to see her back or anything.

But I could hear everything.

The sound of the shower turning on, the sound of water cascading as it hit Ria’s skin.

It was the sort of sound you might hear from water flowing down a slope on a rainy day. I could also hear the sound of Ria’s feet splashing on the shower room tiles.

“It was fine for a first time, though.”

Ria’s voice echoed in the shower room.

“I’m still a bit anxious, but if I take my time to learn, I’ll get the hang of it.”

“……”

I pouted a little.

Ria knowing how to swim meant she learned from someone else, right? She must have worn a swimsuit, for sure.

It was obvious it wouldn’t have been a bikini like the one she’s wearing now—

…What am I even thinking about?

“Well, that’s a relief.”

I said this while trying to appear as nonchalant as possible.

“I’ll do my best not to be a hindrance.”

“…I’ve never thought of you as a hindrance.”

Ah, my words must have sounded too sharp.

I didn’t know what to say next, so I fell silent. I should have just apologized for the blunder.

I stepped under the cascading shower, letting the warm water splash against my face.

For a while, only the sound of water falling filled the air. Whether to consider that silence a blessing or find it uncomfortable, I couldn’t come to a conclusion after thinking for a while.

*

Ria sometimes grumbled at me or teased me about what I was doing, but fundamentally, she treated me very well.

Maybe because she couldn’t be straightforward, her tone had a slight edge, but in the end, she maintained the attitude of someone who wanted to do something for me.

And today was no different.

To get me to choose a swimsuit, Ria even went so far as to rent out a swimsuit shop.

And I whined endlessly in there. I found fault with every swimsuit Ria picked for me, and I even suggested to her a rather embarrassing swimsuit that, while it suited her, was still very revealing.

We bickered a little, but in the end, Ria gave in to my stubbornness. She chose a swimsuit that was a bit less embarrassing for me and picked that red swimsuit for herself.

Moreover, she paid for all of it with her own money.

“Anna.”

“Yes?”

I guess I was too lost in my own thoughts? Ria called out to me, looking a little anxious.

I lifted my gaze to look at Ria.

Yeah, it was just like this.

We were in a restaurant. Not just any ordinary eatery, but one that Ria seemed to know very well.

On a normal day, we would probably have been having a meal at the convent. I never thought the food was bad. It must have been quite nutritious too.

But at the same time, it was a meal that wasn’t too expensive.

For Ria, who lived outside as the daughter of a well-known hero, that meal must have seemed incredibly cheap.

Now, we found ourselves in quite a nice restaurant. The menu was excellent. Honestly, it was the sort of place I had never had the chance to properly visit even in my previous life.

I had just taken a bite of the steak a moment ago, and after always eating the healthy food served at church, it felt extremely indulgent to my palate. In a good way.

Thick steak. With a sauce that seemed like it had been simmering for hours. Every time I bit into it, the tender fibers of the meat pressed gently against my teeth, and the juices that seeped out spread smoothly inside my mouth.

After one bite, I began to wonder if it was even okay to continue eating this.

“Is it not to your taste?”

Ria asked me with a worried expression.

And I found myself a bit confused at the situation.

“It’s definitely to my taste. To be honest, it’s incredibly delicious.”

I said with a serious look and set down my fork and knife.

Since I had already eaten a piece, I couldn’t exactly pass it on to someone else. No, food can’t go to someone else just because I had eaten it or not at this point.

If I was going to refuse, it should have been from the moment I stepped in here.

Ria had reserved the place ahead of time.

Surely she went through some trouble to secure this reservation.

And here I was, unable to refuse because of various reasons.

“Why? Is it difficult for a nun to eat something so delicious?”

I’m not sure, but it could be the case. After all, a nun, right? Those who practice discipline are generally expected to abstain from indulgences in all religions. Well, considering that priests can at least have a drink, it might not necessarily be the case.

For a nun to come out to a place like this and eat steak is surely absurd.

“Or is it that you’re upset because I brought you to a place like this without any warning? Do you want to go back?”

Since I didn’t answer, Ria, looking a bit anxious, asked again.

I quietly shook my head.

I wasn’t upset.

To be honest—I think I had been looking forward to this ever since Ria brought me here with a bit of excitement in her eyes. A place that looked expensive. And a spot that looked pricey, too.

The view of downtown Seoul spread out before us. Well, it’s not like it was the tallest building in the country or anything, but still, it was one of the taller buildings around, showcasing a great view of the city center.

Maybe realizing we were wearing nun outfits, Ria brought me to a spot where people wouldn’t notice us.

On a normal day, I wouldn’t have had any way to afford a meal in a place like this.

It was only because Ria was treating me that I could enjoy it.

“……Ria, is it okay if I bring up something a bit serious?”

“Huh? Y-yes, that’s fine.”

I hesitated for a moment, then slightly pulled my chair back and leaned toward Ria.

Getting steak sauce on my hair wouldn’t be the worst thing, but honestly, I didn’t want to ruin what looked like an expensive piece of steak.

“Anna?”

Ria seemed taken aback. It was probably the most shocked I had ever seen her look.

She hadn’t looked so startled even when I had asked her to jump into the enemy camp with me.

“I just wanted to say this. I’m sorry, Ria.”

“……Sorry for what?”

Ria asked back, her voice slightly dazed.

“You’ve been really attentive to me all day today.”

Why did I suggest going to the beach? Naturally, it was because I thought I wouldn’t be able to. Ria must not have thought of the possibility of me having a previous life.

She knew I had never learned swimming, no matter what excuses she made while teaching me.

…Bringing me here must have been for the same reason.

“But I ended up complaining a lot.”

I looked up.

Ria was staring at me with a blank expression.

After staring at me for a while with her mouth agape, she finally raised her head and looked up at the ceiling.

After staring at the ceiling in a daze for a while, Ria carefully set down her fork and knife.

She wiped her face with both hands.

Then, taking a deep sigh, she muttered,

“Oh, Anna.”

She murmured my name.

“What you should be saying at a time like this isn’t that.”

“Huh?”

I blinked in surprise as Ria suddenly stood up. Thanks to the carpet beneath, my chair didn’t make too much noise as it scraped the floor. I wondered how they clean up if food spills? It must be a lot more laborious than cleaning up a fast-food restaurant.

Then, Ria turned the table and came towards me.

“But wait!?”

Before I could hurriedly make an excuse, Ria clasped my cheeks with both hands.

She made me look her in the eyes, holding my face and forcing me to gaze directly into her gaze.

“What you should say is not an apology.”

Ria said every word carefully.

“You tell me how you felt today, okay?”

Ria questioned a bit intimidatingly.

…I felt like if I said the wrong word, I would be eaten up. With her breath slightly brushing against me, it felt as if she had completely crossed the boundary I had set.