Chapter 134

Maria wants me to hit her.

Maria wants me to hit her.

Maria wants me to hit her.

“E, Evans-sama?”

I quickly turned around and covered my face with my palms. It’s because my expression was impossible to control.

I was asked by Maria at night. To please restrain Maria during the day from showing violent tendencies.

But, what to do? It’s not like I’m the one coaxing her, and she’s the one asking, right? Her little hands are all tingly, aren’t they?

The request from the Saintess of the night and the request from the Saintess of the day. Right now, I have to make a once-in-a-lifetime choice. Of course, the first request came from the Saintess of the night, but…

Still, she’s just a kid, if she wants to do something, shouldn’t we let her do it fully?

It’s absolutely not that I want to see the Saintess punching. Ahem.

Decided. I’ll ask for forgiveness from Maria at night separately, but for now, I’ve decided to heed the request of the girl Maria in front of me.

Ah…, seeing Maria punch is already making my heart thump-thump.

It reminds me of the old days when I got beaten up by Margarita, the former saintess. Even if I’m not the target of the beating, I can’t miss the sight of Maria, who used to be purer than anyone else, swinging her fists around.

“Maria… shall we go somewhere more private?”

“Yes, yes? Ah, no, it’s not possible, right? Ye, surely… I was too rude, wasn’t I…?”

She seemed to believe she would definitely be rejected. Maria showed a reaction completely different from my answer. She didn’t even meet my eyes and stammered.

I grabbed Maria’s trembling hand. Her round, white pupils gaze at me with surprise.

“What are you talking about? You said you can hit me, right? I’ll take as much as you give!”

“Rea, really? You’re accepting my inappropriate behavior?”

“We’re friends, aren’t we? It’s only natural to help out with this.”

“Friend…”

I led Maria by the wrist into the space between buildings. Between the main hall and the gymnasium, a shaded and rarely visited place. Once there, I happily bared my stomach.

“You can hit me as much as you want. Maria, relax. If anything, you can think of me as a wooden post.”

“That, that cannot be done. How could I call such a precious life a wooden post…”

“It’s just a figure of speech. Wouldn’t it make it easier for Maria to hit me?”

Sweat beads formed on the hand gripping the top part of my shirt up to my chin. It’s sweat of anticipation.

There’s no sensation I feel from being hit by Maria. The difference in resilience is immense; if she hits seriously, Maria might end up getting hurt instead.

“Uh… Yes, understood. Then, excuse me for a moment…”

“As much as you want.”

Her soft-as-mochi hand clenched into a fist. Maria pulled back her fist like an arrow.

Just as I swallowed saliva moistly,

“Hyuuu… I, I can’t do it…”

Taking the stance for a straight punch perfectly, Maria suddenly knelt down. Confused, I asked.

“Ma, Maria? What are you doing? Why did you suddenly stop?”

“No matter how much Evans-sama says it’s okay, hitting someone… This, this isn’t right for a saintess! I must have been momentarily possessed by Satan!”

“Damn…! It was almost ready to go…!”

Maria turning her fists into handkerchiefs. I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Uhh… Let’s, let’s just go have lunch… Sorry for wasting your time.”

“No, if Maria doesn’t want to, I can’t force her. Though it is a bit disappointing… Well, I guess I should give up.”

“Does Evans-sama really wish to see me engage in fisticuffs?”

“Of course! A saintess wielding her fists to threaten enemies is a dream, isn’t it!”

“T, that’s a dream, you say…? While I respect your tastes, I don’t think I can empathize with them…”

“Just kidding, it’s simply that I think it suits Maria. I just want Maria to do whatever makes her happy. Be happy.”

That’s sincere. I spoke clearly without a trace of falsehood.

People may think the position of the Holy Order’s saintess is very blissful, but in reality, being a saintess comes with many restrictions. One must always adhere to rules and set examples wherever they go.

Rules are notions that suppress human desires. The Church, under the name of church law, is a place with countless rules, and let alone the daughter of the Lord, a saintess shouldn’t even dream of deviating.

How stifling is that? Perhaps mature Maria at night wouldn’t understand, but young Maria during the day, who has plenty of things she wants to do, must be suffering.

All I want is to relieve that. Live doing everything you want.

The reason I want to see Maria throwing punches is because her desire leads her to it.

“Well, anyway, let’s go. We need to eat.”

“Yes… Um, are you upset?”

“Naturally not. I’m not petty enough to get mad over something like this. Just a bit disappointed, though.”

I moved toward the cafeteria, holding hands with Maria. I fondled her smooth hand, free of calluses, as if handling a jewel.

“Se, you’re disappointed…? About what?”

“Ah- I wanted to see Maria punch-. You excited me with hope and then snatched it away-.”

“Shh…! Please stop that! Such wicked desires are all Satan’s temptations…!”

Tsk, clergy members are so troublesome. They label anything that makes them feel good as Satan’s temptation.

Have you seen Satan? Real Satan doesn’t care about these things. Anger is the domain of the demon of wrath, and pleasure belongs to Asmodeus.

Ding-dong-dong-.

Still, there’s hope. That Maria’s hand is shaking like a quaking aspen leaf. It’s a reaction indicating that despite suppressing her desire, she’s become addicted to it like a drug.

Good, let’s invest time and slowly draw her into the world of violence. For Maria at night… I’ll mumble some nonsense to placate her mood. Whatever.

“Huh? Where did you go?”

Arū called me at the cafeteria entrance.

“I was just at the gym with Maria for a bit. Why?”

“Meeh… Lately, Evans keeps hanging out with Maria. I’m lonely.”

“What do you expect me to do about it, huh? If you’re annoyed, go make friends with other students.”

“Meeh? Make friends? Me?”

Responding half-heartedly, Arū perked up her ears.

Hey, wait a minute. I feel like I said something wrong.

When Arū approaches other students trying to make friends, the highly probable outcome is…

“Kyaahhhh! It’s a beast-human…!!”

“A-Aru…! Rumors say she even rejected a recruitment offer from the ‘Panther’ crew…!”

“That ‘Panther’ made a recruitment offer and she refused? Is Arū a deity…?”

Simply walking through the cafeteria with Arū splits the crowd, giving them a live experience of Moses’ miracle.

Just the other day, she sent a third-year student into panic, and also rejected a direct invitation from Heavenly Hero Stella herself. Arū’s reputation soared far and wide. Fear becomes faith when it reaches overwhelming levels.

Right now, that’s what Arū is to the academy students. Yesterday, she even subdued a hero instantly, intensifying the craze even more.

“Aru! Arū! Arū!”

“How in the world did some noble family raise such a monster? Did they strip their entire fortune to sponsor her?”

“Kyaahhhh! O, oh no! Don’t come closer! Stay away!”

Of course, the students’ enthusiasm for Arū stems from fear. Regardless of lifting her up, they still fear her deeply.

That’s the problem. When they merely approach her, they have seizures and run away. If Arū goes up to them saying she wants to be friends…

“Meeh! Hello! Human, will you be my friend?”

“Hiiiiik! P, please forgive me! I’ll give you everything I own, just spare my life!”

…A predictable future unfolds even without seeing it. There’s nowhere to pasture this Arū.

What to do? Since she’s my pet, I have to supervise her.

Thus concluding, I placed my hand firmly on Arū’s head. She growled for a moment but soon calmed down.

“Meeh… I’m bored. Evans won’t play with me. You’re always playing with that human.”

“You’re hundreds of years old… No, eighteen years old, what kind of playing are you asking for?”

“Kyeeeng… Hate you. You brought me here without asking! If you brought me, you should take responsibility!”

“I’m thinking too. About how to take responsibility for you.”

Maybe because she feels neglected by my attention shifting, Arū glared at Maria. Maria followed hesitantly behind me and Arū, looking uneasy.

Should I use Arū to awaken Maria’s violent tendencies? Show her Arū hitting me?

I shook my head immediately at this brilliant idea. Forget it, while Maria might be fine, if Arū hits me, I’ll die with my organs ruptured.

“Let’s eat…”

My future seems bleak. Once today’s academy schedule ends, I should visit the information broker, dragging along Arū who’s sulking.

“Woof woof! Good! Being together!”

“Hey, do you really like me this much? Am I completely becoming a dog?”

“Grrr! I’m not a dog! It’s acting!”

“You’re totally like a puppy wanting to be with its owner, Arū. Hey, Arū, wave your paws at the sky.”

“Rrrr…!”

After a long time, Arū and I ventured outside Eden Academy alone. On the surface, she grinds her teeth, but from her wagging tail, I can tell she’s in a good mood.

Arū is a celebrity within the academy, but outside, she’s unknown. Passing through the bustling market, Arū and I are just two ordinary strangers.

“Hey, Arū.”

“Woof?”

“Since we’re out, I’ll buy you something delicious. Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Rawr! Rawr rawr rawr! Meat! Meat!”

Her bright eyes gleam brilliantly. Excitedly shouting, Arū draws some attention.

“There are types of meat. Pork, beef, chicken, dog meat…”

“Beef! Beef!”

“…And you choose the most expensive one. Anyway, since all the money comes out of Beatrice’s wallet, it’s none of my concern.”

The sound of Beatrice’s spine cracking echoes. But I’m the tyrant master, gladly tormenting my subordinate’s wallet.

Mr. Butcher! Are you there!

Back in the day, to buy meat, one had to visit the butcher shop and find the butcher, but now, we go to the butcher shop and call for the shopkeeper. The industrial revolution changed people’s lives this much.

“Give me some beef! Cut… the cheapest part!”

“Woof? No way! Buy the expensive one!”

“You damn mutt… Alright, fine. Give me the expensive cut!”

The wallet I swiped from Beatrice became significantly thinner. All the money she diligently saved from her teacher’s salary diminished in an instant.

Still, filling Arū’s belly with lots of meat wasn’t a useless expense. After buying a hefty amount of raw meat, I put it in Arachne’s sack and handed it to Arū, allowing her to snack on it while walking.

Arū can eat raw meat without getting blood on her mouth. Passersby are startled when they see Arū eating raw meat, but since she’s a beast-human, it’s not a big issue.

I headed to the back alley of the market. To the place where I occasionally visited in my past life to request information—the Information Broker.

When I asked Beatrice about the Real Eye Teacher, her response was rather uninformative. He transferred to Eden Academy about ten years ago, has no peculiar personality traits, and is liked by everyone…

According to Beatrice, he does seem to hide his strength, but since he hasn’t revealed his true power yet, she couldn’t gauge the extent of it. And it’s not like we can just challenge him to a fight because he’s a teacher.

Hence, I eventually came to the Information Broker. Ten minutes ago, we were in the bustling, sunny marketplace, but after passing through a few alleys and some bars, we arrived at a secluded back alley.

I found a tavern there. A place with no customers, shabby, and eerie.

This place is also known as Black Point (Black Shop). Known only to those in the know, though small in scale, it provides the most accurate information among brokers. Far better than those large brokers who bring useless tabloid gossip.

Upon entering the old wooden door of the tavern, a woman sat at the counter. With jet-black, flowing hair reaching her toes and dressed in a black dress.

“Oh, customer? Our first customer of the day?”

“Hello. First visit, any discount events?”

“That depends on the information you’re requesting and mutual agreement, right?”

She countered my deliberate question with another question—sharp. Clearly, she’s dealt with many people.

“True, can you bring us some tea first? I’m the type whose mouth opens better with something to drink.”

She skillfully coerces answers. Once you start answering, you get dragged around in all directions. I’ll have to seize the opportunity to snatch back control soon.

“Hmm? How did you know I brew good tea just by ordering tea in a tavern?”

“The tea fragrance wafts through the air. How could I resist in a tavern where tea fragrance fills the air?”

“That’s true. Alright, I’ll brew it right away, so sit and wait.”

The server pointed to a table and disappeared inside. Arū and I sat around the creaky table.

“Munch munch…”

Creak-.

Arū was eating the meat like popcorn, holding the sack with her left hand and fishing out pieces with her right. Just as I reached to stroke her animal ears,

Squeak-.

“Shopkeeper, are you there?”

The door opened, and a hooded girl entered. A familiar-energy girl.

Who is she? Someone I had ties with in my previous life? I scrutinized the hooded girl cautiously.

***

“Jo, why is Joker here?”

The hooded girl, Frey Dr. Siegfried, who came to gather information, was shocked upon entering the information shop. She saw a face she wasn’t supposed to see.

“Se, surely she wasn’t waiting for me? Could she have known I’d come here? No… Judging by her puzzled look, she doesn’t seem to recognize me…”

Though meeting Joker wasn’t part of the plan, leaving after coming in might raise unnecessary suspicions. Pressing her deeply hooded head against the surroundings, Frey quickly took a seat in the corner.

If she weren’t careful, Joker might see her face, so Frey turned her back to Joker. Still, her tiny heart was pounding wildly.

“Ah… Gi, I’m nervous again…”

The regressed one’s dry back gradually began to shrink.

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