Shirai’s heart was pounding as if it would burst while leaning on Ewha’s support to step out of the carriage.
“Haa… I clearly said 9 o’clock.”
“Isn’t this even better? We can return earlier, can’t we?”
“That’s for the Holy Maiden to decide, isn’t it?”
The wind was so cold it made their breath visible with every exhale.
The streets were filled with snowdrifts from snowfall no one could remember when, and with every step, the sound of snow crunching echoed.
Despite the consistently cold February wind, it had no effect on them. Shirai was wearing a thick white sweater over her Holy Maiden robes, made from durable leather, and Ewha had a constitution resistant to cold.
Therefore, she had no extra outerwear on top of her uniform. Of course, that was possible only because she was Ewha.
Even so, sighing was natural. The reason they left the temple during a time that should have been spent honing their training was due to Shirai’s whim.
“Why did you move the inspection schedule up? And at such a late hour, only Daylight Church?”
“Hmm…”
While they had left the temple saying it was a mere stroll, they couldn’t hide moving the schedule indefinitely. They might have already been caught by now.
The reason? Just wanted to see a man, and nothing else. But in preparation for any contingency, they needed a plausible excuse now.
“S-suspicious, maybe?”
“Are you saying Daylight Church is a heretical cult?”
“N-no, not that. Someone tipped me off before. About… um… oh yeah, the church leader had a hobby of manipulating young girls, right? Someone read it out loud to me; I don’t remember it clearly.”
“If that report is true, he is a piece of garbage beyond redemption. I understand now why the Holy Maiden moved the schedule.”
“Y-yeah…”
Actually, it was merely spouting something random that Mate would never do, to make it easier to prove him innocent later.
“This is the front gate. Should I knock?”
“Please.”
Knock knock knock!
The force behind the knock was immense due to the sheer size of the church.
The larger the building, the harder you need to knock to be heard. But with no response, Ewha stepped back to knock harder.
“We’ve come for an inspection. Is there anyone inside?”
“Is the light on?”
“Yes, there’s definitely someone inside. At this hour, it can only be one person.”
Knock knock!!
“Church Leader Mate Daylight! Are you inside?!”
Perhaps because of intercepting Shirai’s self-harm that same morning, a ominous feeling overcame Ewha, prompting her to tell Shirai to step back.
“What are you planning to do?”
“I’m going to break the door.”
Right as Ewha took a step back to gather her momentum—
“Please help me!”
A blonde teenage girl with crimson eyes burst through the gate, colliding with Shirai.
Fortunately, neither of them fell, and Ewha spoke calmly to avoid startling the girl.
“What’s wrong?”
“That madman grabbed my arm and wouldn’t let me move!”
Suddenly, Shirai’s earlier words came to mind.
“A while ago, I received a tip-off… um… what was it again? The church leader had a habit of manipulating young girls, right?”
Crunch.
Ewha gritted her teeth and stared ahead. There stood a blonde man with a healthy build, whose face perfectly matched the ID photo she had seen on file.
Church Leader Mate Daylight, planned to enter Lumere Academy, and decently handsome.
“I’ll handle tying up this filthy man…”
Shirai never missed.
The direction of the voice that pronounced her three-character name.
Ta-da-dak!
In an instant, as she dashed directly to Mate, arms open wide, protecting Mate like an eccentric behavior, everyone present gasped in shock.
Ewha judged Mate’s mental control ability and quickly understood why she was called a veteran aide.
“To dare take a hostage of the Holy Maiden…”
“Put down your sword.”
She knew mental control abilities existed; she had met someone with such abilities during her student years.
Thus, she knew better: the controlled entity can never speak.
“Drop it on the ground. Let me discern by sound.”
From suddenly advancing the schedule of the Daylight Church inspection, her actions now were undeniably protecting an obvious criminal.
“Did you not hear me?”
A sudden realization brought cold sweat to Ewha’s brow.
When I saw Shirai’s face through the church gates, I was honestly glad to see her.
In this world, Shirai was my second heroine I successfully romanced after diving deeper than just a game.
Speaking in order—first was Judit Mundust, second was Shirai, third was Sia Stella.
Muse Fairfield… too difficult, I couldn’t romance her even after spending a lot of time.
So what I’m asking is, why is Shirai glued to me, pressing her face against my shoulder?
I had noticed ever since Shirai ran toward me with arms open and acted antagonistic toward Ewha.
You haven’t lost your memories. You even remember everything about me fixing your eye.
To prepare for moments like this, I had repeatedly asked Yuren to just say that I created it and never to reveal the truth, not even on my deathbed.
“Huff…”
It’s a guy without any backbone, so it’s my role to understand him.
“Lady Holy Maiden, this is difficult.”
I tried to keep my wits about me and speak calmly, but Shirai was entirely ignoring it.
The long wooden pews where devotees typically knelt to pray were never imagined to be where the Supreme Leader took a seat.
Shirai and I were here at the very back, much like a couple on a date at the movies. As obvious as it may seem, this was a one-sided attachment.
With disbelief and confusion, Ure sat slightly apart in the same row.
Ewha Cloudrain sat directly behind me, glaring deadly daggers straight at me.
I had sworn before restarting this cycle not to engage with heroines again, choosing instead to maintain a casual relationship to address trauma.
But things got intertwined because Shirai hasn’t forgotten her memory. And that brings up the possibility other heroines might retain their memories as well.
“Holy Maiden, it’s time to go back.”
“We’ve only been here for 30 minutes.”
“We still have to account for the commute…”
“I’ll judge that. I still have time, and Ewha, you don’t need to worry. I’ll shoulder all responsibility… ensuring it doesn’t harm Ewha.”
“Even the Divine Empress Claudius would only reprimand the Holy Maiden to a reasonable extent.”
It was Ewha Cloudrain who forcefully prepared the carriage, came out worried about Shirai, and healed the torn flesh on her forehead after a suicide attempt.
“Shirai, you don’t understand why, do you? Don’t worry. You’ll know everything with time.”
But Shirai’s gaze was steadfastly on one man.
Ewha felt a mix of disappointment, frustration, and a sudden question forming in her mind.
“What does she see in that man?”
He might be rail-thin, but it’s undeniable he has a handsome face. You’d confidently argue anyone saying otherwise has a twisted sense of beauty.
But it can’t be just about looks because Shirai is blind. She can’t possibly be an appearance chaser.
Until a year ago, she used to sing about wanting to marry someone who could restore her sight—she surely wouldn’t behave this way with some random man right now.
Ewha let out a heavy sigh, filled with her complicated emotions.
“Holy Maiden, I have a favor to ask of you.”
“W-what is it?”
The man she yearned for and wanted to meet so badly said he had a favor. Full of anticipation, Shirai waited, eyes wide.
Due to her blindness, the fervent image of this man she envisioned became even more vivid. Her heart began to race, as if it might burst any second.
To someone who had achieved what they only imagined, there was no room for considerations of dignity. Even if there were hundreds of people in the church, Shirai knew her actions would be the same.
“Could you persuade a girl named Yuri to stay and sleep at the church?”
“Wh-why would you dump such a mess on me suddenly!”
While her body remained rigid like a statue, the energetic chatter between the two men made Shirai feel unpleasant.
So her brilliant intellect finally came up with a solution.
“Ewha, you and that girl Yuri and her mother should all return to the temple.”
Just to be sure, Ewha questioned her, wiping the cold sweat flowing down her forehead.
“…Will the Holy Maiden return with us too?”
“No. I plan to sleep here tonight.”
“ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!”
The roaring voice shook the church slightly.
Thanks to Shirai’s excellent solution, that day, Yuri and her mother avoided an accident. And they were safe even after the day of the incident.
From the fact that the fire never occurred, it appeared the disaster had been man-made.
Shirai was half-dragged back to the temple by Ewha, and much time passed.
A month.
Shirai visited the church weekly and showed no sign of leaving my side, completely ignoring the inspection. She must have already realized I’m a heretical sect leader but chose to overlook it.
The dull church life has come to an end.
My journey is now destined for Lumere Academy.
![[TS] Surviving in a Yuri Visual Novel](https://i0.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1740775735-6552-TS-Surviving-in-a-Yuri-Visual-Novel.png?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "[TS] Surviving in a Yuri Visual Novel")
