The Gloomy Saintess Obsessively Clings to Death

The door shut with a ‘bang.’

Once again, I stared bewildered at the firmly closed door.

This time, there was no sound of a lock being engaged, but

a strange tension filled the air, somehow suggesting it absolutely must not be opened.

‘…What should I do? Should I try knocking?’

After hesitating for a moment, I decided to check what was going on inside.

I cautiously pressed my ear against the door.

Suddenly, the sound of bustling activity inside came to an abrupt stop, followed by an oppressive silence.

Then…

A faint sob faintly seeped through.

Even I, who am ignorant of human customs, could understand this much.

I shouldn’t go in.

‘…Did I make some kind of mistake?’

Cold sweat ran down my back.

My thoughts became tangled.

Should I apologize?

Or should I go somewhere else, as the Saint suggested?

In the end, I opted for the latter.

Though I could apologize, the problem was I didn’t even know what I had done wrong.

Even after thinking calmly, still…

‘Why exactly? I just asked a question and received an answer. …Could I have been supposed to say I hadn’t seen anything?’

I realized it was already too late.

At this point, there wasn’t much sense in pretending I hadn’t seen anything, so

it seemed I had better stay away until the Saint calmed down.

‘Then, maybe I should investigate who’s been watching this place meanwhile.’

But just as I took a few steps forward,

a ‘clang!’ came from inside, and the door edged open slightly.

The Saint’s face appeared cautiously in the gap,

her face still slightly flushed.

I stood frozen, looking at the Saint.

A brief silence.

The Saint spoke first.

“…Uh, I’m sorry for turning you away.”

“Oh, it’s alright.”

The Saint let out a small sigh of relief.

‘…Should I apologize too? For saying I saw…?’

My mouth moved to speak but I quickly clamped it shut.

It felt like it might stir up trouble unnecessarily.

The silence continued.

The Saint stole a glance at me, then hesitated before speaking again.

“…Um, I didn’t kick you out because I’m mad or dislike Mr. Death. It’s just… this room used to be mine… So, there’s… something embarrassing… might come out…”

“Ah, so that’s the reason.”

Now the pieces fit together, and I understood her reaction and sobs from before.

The Saint’s face turned even redder.

She lowered her gaze, continuing in a quieter voice.

“…So… I just got a little flustered… sorry.”

“It’s really no problem. Um… I assume I should still not enter, right?”

The Saint tightly closed her eyes and nodded.

She seemed firm, so entering was definitely a no.

‘I guess I’ve made it look like I’m asking the Saint to clean up for me… is that right…’

I scratched the back of my neck and turned around.

I thought it was better this way, doing what I could for the Saint’s sake.

‘Let me find it as soon as possible.’

Just as I was about to step forward,

A ‘squeak!’ sounded from behind and my arm was grabbed.

“…Huh?”

Turning around, I saw the Saint holding my wrist.

She looked up at me, fidgeting.

“…Uh… Where are you going?”

“Well, I thought I’d scout the area for a bit…”

The Saint’s eyes flickered with anxiety.

I immediately understood. Asking her that was a mistake too.

I awkwardly scratched my cheek.

“Then, should I stay here by the door?”

“No, not that. You said you were cold earlier. If you catch a cold…”

“But I’m a God, so I don’t catch colds.”

“…Still, no.”

The Saint gave me a glance then gently brushed some dust off my clothes.

“…There’s a bathroom right next to my room. It has warm water. You could take a shower, warm up, and relax for a bit… Okay?”

Her tone was gentle but resolute.

Even the seemingly docile Saint had a stubborn side.

I guess this too was something I couldn’t turn down.

“Understood. Then, I’ll have to excuse myself for a moment.”

“Yes!… Ah, ah, no! I’ll call you when I’m done… I’ll wait in the kitchen.”

The Saint briefly showed a hint of regret before nodding.

“Understood. Then, please wait for me in the kitchen.”

“Alright. I’ll prepare a delicious dinner.”

“Yes. I’ll look forward to it.”

I nodded to her then proceeded to destroy all the bugs in the room.

“…Sorry.”

The only thing I could do for the Saint right now was

to kill all the bugs in the room and provide a delicious dinner.

I looked at the Saint retreating back into her room then headed toward the bathroom.

A few moments later, the bathroom was surprisingly clean.

Indeed, the hot water flowed abundantly, quickly filling the air with warmth, as the Saint had promised.

Plus, the towels and toiletries were well-organized.

‘…The Saint is truly an enigma.’

I let my body relax under the warm stream of water.

As the warm water embraced my body, the strain gradually eased away.

While I let the water flow over me, the Saint’s expressions and tone from before came to mind.

‘She asked me to stay in her room. Is she really not cautious enough?’

Perhaps she was similar with others.

I had a strange feeling of discomfort as that thought crossed my mind.

I shook my head to dispel the awkwardness.

‘…Still, from what I saw in the memories of the souls, there’s no sign of such a tendency.’

Has living in this world for a long time done this to her?

The traces the Saint left in the souls’ memories were faint, whether long or short.

Few people approached the Saint as closely as Ms. Eileen.

Most of the time, the Sant appeared as ‘Background 1’ or ‘Villager 1’ in those memories.

Somewhere, she silently treated the wounded or purified the world.

Rather than making herself known, the Saint quietly imbued the lives of others with light.

It felt only natural to see this as her.

‘…Was she ever lonely?’

Perhaps this carefree manner with me and her numerous acts of devotion

were unconscious efforts to fill her own loneliness.

‘Of all things, it had to be Death.’

A peculiar sentiment stirred in me at that thought.

If the Saint were to lean on me, I couldn’t turn away from that expectation… But

would I be enough to properly support her?

Even as the warm stream of water wrapped around me, my mind remained tangled with thoughts.

*

After showering, I waited in the kitchen for quite some time.

I was sitting in a chair, lightly tapping my fingers on the table to pass the time, but it seemed the Saint still had no intention of coming out any time soon.

‘Judging from the hectic energy coming from her, I assume she’s very busy working…’

Still, should I go to help?

But if I go, it might lead to another embarrassing situation for the Saint…

‘Either way, it would be game over.’

Unable to decide, I rested my head on the table and sighed.

The silence in the kitchen emphasized the sluggish passage of time.

I thought about pulling out a manga from the pocket dimension but lost interest after flipping through a few pages, quickly closing the book.

‘Bored…’

How long have I been with her that her absence is so noticeable?

Lost in this thought, I raised my gaze to look out the kitchen window.

The sunset visible beyond the window temporarily calmed my mind, but the quiet stillness soon returned.

“When will it be done?”

I muttered to myself, leaning back on the chair.

How much time had passed?

Something cold draped over my slightly chilled body.

The unexpected warmth startled me into grabbing what was in front of me.

“Ah, sorry. Did I wake you up?”

The familiar voice came faintly through the haze.

I opened one eye with great effort to see the Saint staring at me in surprise, holding the edge of the blanket I’d inadvertently grabbed.

Her face expressed a mixture of embarrassment and apology.

“…It’s you, Saint.”

“Yes. Why are you sleeping here like this? You could’ve slept comfortably in my room.”

“No, it’s okay.”

Judging by the hoarseness in my voice, I must have been deeply asleep.

Still somewhat groggy, the Saint’s voice was the only thing coming through clearly.

As was the gentle feeling of her hand rubbing my cheek.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the Saint.

Her hair was slightly damp, and her face showed traces of moisture alongside a serene concern.

Her attire seemed worryingly thin and light for this chilly kitchen.

‘She must be cold.’

I reached out and pulled the Saint into an embrace.

“Hu, Huu?!”

“Why are you dressed so thinly?”

“It’s… It’s winter pajamas…”

My head was still fuzzy; I could only nod.

Then I felt the careful touch of her stroking my hair.

I instinctively leaned into the touch, enjoying the sweet scent that tickled my nose.

“Hi, Hii…”

Something about this feels familiar…

I burrowed my face to focus on the fragrance.

“Ah, ugh! Mr. Death…”

This was the same scent as the body wash she used earlier.

“Did you shower?”

“M, mhm.”

“It smells good.”

A soft sound was heard, followed by the gentle heat of the Saint’s body pressing closer.

Her warm breath tickled my ear.

“Mr. Death’s scent is nice too…”

“That’s just… because we used the same stuff…”

“No… not that.”

I looked at the Saint in a daze.

Her face was already fiery red, but she didn’t avert her eyes, looking straight into mine.

“…Just… Mr. Death’s scent is nice.”

That word resonated in my ear, triggering an odd ticklish feeling deep in my chest.

“Strange. I thought I only smelled of death.”

“No, that’s not it.”

The Saint shook her head slightly but assertively spoke.

Her gaze unwavering.

“From Mr. Death comes… a warm scent. It makes me feel peaceful and reassured.”

“…Is that so.”

“Yes… That’s why it’s so nice.”

Seeing the Saint sheepishly smile filled a corner of my heart with a strange lump.

I was feeling both woozy and increasingly clear-minded.

Then…

A cold water droplet from the Saint’s damp bangs fell on my face.

My drowsiness dissipated in an instant, reality flooding back.

Only then did I realize what I was doing.

Gripping the Saint’s arms hastily, I created some distance.

Unable to face her, I turned my head and apologized.

“I’m so sorry!”

“…Aren’t you going to hold me anymore?”

“…What?”

The Saint’s soft voice teased my ear.

I blinked in confusion and looked at her.

She kept her head bowed, nervously fidgeting her fingers.

“Uh… After all the hard work I did cleaning…”

“Ah, thank you for the hard work.”

“Mm-hmm… So… Praise me…”

With a beet-red face, the Saint shyly stretched out her arms.

It was impossible to resist.

In fact, before I even thought about it, my arms were already encircling her waist.

I gently pulled her back into a close embrace, delicately patting her back.

“…Thank you so much for cleaning.”

“Y-yes…”

The Saint let out a small smile and rested her body in my arms.

In the moment our warmth touched, all the confusion seemed to calm.

‘Not sure what exactly is going on…’

I closed my eyes, feeling her breath graze my shoulder.

I wanted to forget everything for now and cherish this moment with her.

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