No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 59

EP.59 Friendship and Relationship (3)

Thinking about Ria is inevitable for me when I really consider it.

Sure, I’ve always rooted for Han Yu-ri, the childhood friend heroine, as the official love interest. But that doesn’t mean I ever disliked the other heroines.

The illustrations crafted by the author were beautiful, and each heroine had their own unique story, struggles, and charms.

The concept of a childhood friend is sacred in its own right, but honestly, it doesn’t suit me at all. After all, the whole point of being a "childhood friend" is having that unshakable, pre-existing connection.

Even if I’ve reincarnated as a ridiculously handsome man in this world, there’s no way I would ever intrude on that kind of pure relationship. Seriously, a male character barging into a wholesome couple’s story? That guy deserves to be obliterated. Watching characters like that in stories was enough to make my stomach churn, countless times over.

So, what about the other heroines left in the wake of the childhood friend’s pure love ending?

Well, it’s complicated.

In web novels, "harem" often implies that the protagonist accepts all the harem heroines, no questions asked. Sure, in reality, it’s just a form of polyamory, but inside the fictional narrative, can’t we let such fantastical dreams come true?

Even if the protagonist doesn’t end up with all the heroines, it’s an unspoken rule that the story doesn’t show those heroines dating or marrying other male characters.

It’s like... yeah, a form of courtesy. Just as writers don’t describe every single meal the protagonist eats or detail every trip they take to the restroom, there’s no need to explicitly show beautiful, capable, and charming heroines overcoming heartbreak and finding love elsewhere—even if that’s realistic.

Leaving things ambiguous, within the realm of imagination, is far more satisfying.

Saying “it’s just a minor detail” or telling fans to “get a grip and live in the real world” is going too far, don’t you think?

“Ugh...”

But here’s the problem:

The reason I’m lying on my bed, gripping my head in frustration, is exactly that.

No matter how much someone advocates for one specific heroine to be the main love interest in a harem story, no one actually wants to see the other heroines end up with other guys.

Even someone like me, who has built up a solid tolerance for various genres—including harem, NTR, BSS, and hardcore abuse stories—can’t quite stomach that.

Logically and rationally, I know it’s absurd to daydream about Ria in that way.

Get out of my head!

I wanted to shout those words aloud, but unfortunately, Ria and I share the same room. Even though she’s currently in the shower and the sound of water is drowning out everything else, Ria is a combat-oriented heroine blessed with superhuman strength and senses. If I so much as whispered something weird, she’d probably hear it loud and clear through the water.

“Gah!”

And now, because I’ve brought up the shower, I’ve gone and reminded myself that Ria is currently in there, using the same bathroom as me.

This is ridiculous.

The novel this world was based on was serialized on Novelpia and happened to be a harem story. So, who’s to say Ria didn’t have an IF (alternative) route published at some point? It might’ve even included nude illustrations of her. But as far as I remember, I never saw those.

Even so, I could imagine it vividly. They say the human brain is the most advanced graphics card in existence for a reason.

...Am I a teenager again?

I thought I’d left all of that behind already, even in this world.

Not that it matters. Realistically, there’s no chance of anything happening between Ria and me.

Even if I carry over all my memories from my previous life and naturally find women attractive, Ria is just...

Well, how should I put it?

She probably doesn’t even like women, does she?

After all, this was a harem story.

She even fought with the saintess regularly.

…No, up until recently, I hadn’t been so aware of her. Why was this happening all of a sudden?

Perhaps it was the aftermath of the flower-viewing outing with Ria.

No matter how rational or logical a person is, humans are still human. It’s impossible to completely block or erase certain thoughts from one’s mind. Just like how watching a horror movie lingers in your imagination afterward, other kinds of thoughts can also refuse to leave.

“Phew.”

But no matter what, I didn’t want to have such thoughts about a heroine.

I got up from the bed and sat cross-legged on it. Placing my hands on my knees, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Alright.

Let’s think peaceful thoughts.

Just as I was trying to steady my breathing and fall into meditation, the bathroom door suddenly burst open.

“!?”

I reflexively opened my eyes, only to immediately shut them again when I saw Ria stepping out. She was wrapped in a bath towel, her damp hair being pressed dry with another towel.

Though most of her body was covered, wasn’t this still… a bit much?

I’d shared rooms with other girls briefly before, but none of them had ever acted like this.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Ria spoke casually, as if completely unbothered.

“You should have dried yourself off completely before coming out!”

When I finally replied, she laughed incredulously, as if I was the weird one.

“So what? We’re both girls.”

“Um, well, that’s not how it works in the convent!”

Honestly, I didn’t know how it worked elsewhere, but didn’t most people at least try to be mindful, even among the same gender? Sure, maybe you’d sleep in just your underwear, but during the day, you’d wear clothes, right?

“I’m wearing underwear.”

“That’s not the point! The issue is that you’re only wearing underwear!”

“And a towel.”

“We don’t call towels clothing, do we?”

“Why are you making such a big deal out of this? This much is—”

“Ria, have you ever lived in a dormitory? Or shared a place with a friend?”

“…No.”

I facepalmed, keeping my eyes firmly shut.

“Oh, was I not supposed to do that?”

“It’s not that you can’t do it. It’s just… isn’t it embarrassing?”

I’d heard that close friends might go to bathhouses together, but since I’d never been to a women’s bathhouse, I wouldn’t know. At least I had enough decency to acknowledge that.

Not that I ever had the opportunity in this world, anyway.

Speaking of dormitories, Ria had probably never been to a public bathhouse either. Why would she? Her family’s home likely had a massive, luxurious bath that was far more convenient to use.

“But I’ve seen you before.”

“Wait, what?”

Her calm words pierced through the room like a lightning bolt.

“I’ve never come out wearing only a towel!”

I wanted to make it clear—I cared about these things! Sure, I might be a little careless sometimes, but—

I flared up, snapping my eyes open in frustration, only to see Ria directly in front of me.

Her face was beautiful, as I’d already noted, but her body was just as striking. Though the towel obscured her slim waist, the very concealment seemed to spark my imagination even more.

Unable to endure it, I collapsed face-down onto the bed.

I buried my face and flailed about in frustration, hearing Ria’s amused laughter in the background.

I’ll get her back.

Someday, I’ll definitely find a way to make Ria feel as embarrassed as I do now. I didn’t know how I’d do it yet, but I’d make it happen.

…Well, if there was a silver lining, it was that some of my earlier distracting thoughts had dissipated.

Not that I was particularly grateful for that.

*

I wasn’t a full-fledged saintess yet, just a candidate. But it was natural for someone with influence in the church to assist with the hunters’ work.

Even if hunters were highly skilled, it wasn’t as though the government or the church refrained from getting involved. The government sought tax revenue for various reasons, while the church aimed to secure income beyond donations and offerings from believers.

I didn’t know exactly how much tax the government collected annually or how it was used, but it was true that the church couldn’t function on donations alone.

While concepts like tithing still existed, they were voluntary contributions. Since there was no definitive record of direct communication with the “god” they claimed to serve, the legitimacy of collecting money was somewhat weak.

Selling holy water, treating patients instead of hospitals, and receiving substantial donations—it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

“So, are you okay with it?”

“Huh? With what?”

As I sat idly at my desk, lost in thought with my textbooks open, Ria’s sudden question made me tilt my head in confusion.

“It’s your power, isn’t it? Yet when you use it, the church gets the money.”

Well… she wasn’t wrong.

Even the treatments I’d performed up until now probably weren’t completely free. Thanks to the regular donations given as a sort of subscription, people could rush to the church I stayed at without hesitation.

“……”

I couldn’t bring myself to respond to that.

In the past, I could have just walked away from being a nun, but things were different now.

I simply left my textbooks open on the desk.

*

Lecture Time.

Though this wasn’t an academy, since I was working alongside hunters, I attended lessons to acquire basic knowledge. The content of the lessons, being related to the work hunters did, gave the atmosphere of a university lecture, minus the direct application to hunter activities.

For now, we were temporarily taking these lessons in a nearby association building, but once a proper curriculum was set for Ria and me, they planned to send someone to teach us personally.

That’s how it was in the original story too. The protagonist’s party had special lessons tailored just for them.

It was also one of the reasons Lee Si-yoon had semi-free access to the church.

…Wait a second.

But in this timeline, Lee Si-yoon hadn’t awakened his powers yet, right?

How is this all going to unfold from here?