For more than half a year, Violette had been spending her nights chatting and venting to that gentleman she still hadn’t truly met.

She’d long since developed a huge curiosity toward the mysterious man on the other side of the confessional.

But she still hadn’t brought herself to slide open the wooden panel in the middle and see his face.

No matter what, she was still a girl who’d never been in love. Being a little shy and bashful was perfectly normal.

The man across from her didn’t notice her little thoughts at all; he just kept talking on his own.

They’d gotten very familiar by now. Violette could already understand a lot of the terms from that “world” of his.

She could even toss some of them out quite smoothly herself.

“Speaking of which, Sister,” he said.

“Mm?”

“I suddenly remembered something kind of…abstract from back in my world.”

“What is it?”

“There was this video creator who dressed like a nun. Her stream’s name basically meant ‘Confessional.’ Her content was listening to the viewers’ confessions.”

“Oh… that’s amazing!”

“Mm… well, in our world, you know, there are a lot of weird abstract things.”

“Mm.”

At that point, the Holy Maiden’s face was already full of expectation.

She knew he was about to say something that would blow her mind again.

“I should say this first: I don’t mean this as any kind of jab at you. It just popped into my head.”

“Even if you’re hinting at me, it’s all right. I’ll forgive you.”

“Is that so? Then that’s good—anyway, this abstract thing was given a name: ‘The Nun and the Fish.’”

“The Fish?” The Holy Maiden tilted her head. She had no idea how a nun and a fish were supposed to be related.

“To explain it, we have to start with a certain man, back when he was still a clueless little boy.”

The young man’s voice carried a faint smile.

On her side of the confessional, the Holy Maiden propped her chin up with both hands, blinking as she listened intently.

The corners of her lips unknowingly curved up a little.

And then, her expression shifted from expectation and curiosity, to shock.

Shock turned into horror.

Horror turned into disgust.

And on top of the disgust… there was a hint of forbidden thrill.

“Urgh… urgh…” Violette dry-heaved twice, purely on reflex.

“Uh… Sister… are you all right?” the young man asked awkwardly. He’d thought that after half a year of talking, she wouldn’t react this strongly anymore.

“I-I’m fine…” Violette said softly. Her slender hand gently stroked the swell of her chest, trying to soothe the churning inside.

“This is…” The young man found himself at a loss for words.

In the end, all he could offer was a pale apology.

“I’m sorry…”

The Holy Maiden was just about to answer gently and forgivingly when her mouth suddenly decided on its own. The soft words about to come out twisted into: “If you tell me your name, I’ll forgive you.”

Her words fell into the silence.

The confessional went perfectly quiet.

Only then did Violette realize what she’d just said.

Her cheeks flushed scarlet, and at the same time, she was a little scared she’d offended him.

“I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant!”

“Richard Jetri.”

Violette’s voice and the man’s voice—who claimed to be Richard Jetri—rang out at the same time.

“Eh?” The Holy Maiden let out a tiny, instinctive sound.

“You can call me whatever you like. Just… please don’t dig into who I really am.” Jetri’s voice was calm, with a trace of helplessness.

“You know, anything I say is only said to you tonight. Tomorrow, if you tell people I said it, I’ll deny it.”

“Of course!” A faint sense of grievance suddenly rose in Violette’s heart. “What do you take me for? I would never repeat a single word you say to me.”

“In a confessional, the most important thing is confidentiality. If we can’t keep secrets, then the confessional loses all meaning. And besides, sir, why say something so cold?”

The Holy Maiden was still young, after all. As she poured out her grievances in a rush, she also let a certain subtle emotion slip through to Jetri.

“We’ve been talking for so long. Have you heard any rumors about you out in the markets?”

“I’m sorry, really, I am. It’s my fault, I spoke badly. I won’t do that again,” Jetri apologized sincerely. “But, Sister, I don’t trust people easily. It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just a reflex, a habit. I’m very sorry.”

The puffed-up anger on the Holy Maiden’s face deflated instantly.

All at once, she felt like she’d been the unreasonable one.

She probably didn’t have the standing to say what she just said.

“No… I-I was wrong too…” she murmured. “I got carried away with my emotions…”

A brief silence settled over the confessional.

“I just… felt a bit wronged. But what you said is how it should be.” She was already reflecting on herself.

She’d never felt like this before. Why was she so upset tonight…?

Was it because…

The Holy Maiden pressed her lips together, staring at the wooden board that separated them.

Because this person… is different?

“Let’s talk about something happier.”

“Okay.”

That night ended a little abruptly.

Unlike before, when things ended that night, Jetri and Violette parted in silence.

The quiet, the abruptness, left Violette’s heart uneasy. She was afraid Jetri wouldn’t come back after tonight.

But when Jetri stood up, he only laughed and said, “I’ll be here again tomorrow night—you’ll welcome me, right?”

“Mm-hmm!”

Violette nodded like a pecking chick without thinking.

“Good.”

Jetri chuckled softly and left.

He left behind a Holy Maiden whose pretty face was slowly fogging with heat.

Only a long while later did she finally blow out the lamp in the confessional.

The confessional fell completely silent.

Violette’s tender heart pounded wildly.

Her dazed state lasted all the way until she fell asleep.

Her beautiful sapphire-blue eyes stayed wide open in the dark for a long time.

The explosive story of the nun and the fish that Jetri had told left absolutely no trace in her heart at this moment.

Her mind was filled only with that one soft laugh Jetri had given her before he left.

Until, hazy and unfocused, her eyes finally drooped shut.

Until she woke up groggily the next morning.

Violette had never overslept.

This was the first time.

Celine was sitting by her sister’s bed.

Her youthful, cute face—somewhat similar to her sister’s but with a totally different air—was full of deep worry.

“Sis…”

“Celine, what’s wrong?” Violette asked with a gentle smile.

Her voice still had that light, sleepy float to it.

“How about… let me take your slot in the confessional for a while?” Celine suggested.

Her soft hands wrapped around Violette’s.

Violette only turned on her side and used her other hand to stroke her little sister’s hair.

“Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

“But you’ve never overslept before, and lately you’ve been spacing out more and more!” Celine frowned.

“It’s nothing.” Violette felt a strange pang of guilt, but her expression stayed perfectly smooth.

If this were her from a year ago, she probably would’ve given herself away by now.

But all that “education” from a certain someone had given this airheaded sweet girl a faint trace of hidden sharpness.

“Sis…” So Celine stopped trying to persuade her and instead bent down to hug Violette. “You have to take care of yourself.”

“I will, I will~” Violette replied with a squinty-eyed smile.

She gently stroked the head nestled in her arms.

“Sis… I still really want to experience your work… I’m curious~~” Celine said, acting spoiled.

Violette’s smile thinned a little, without her even realizing it.

“When there’s a chance.”

That was all she said.

As if she were afraid her sister might steal something away from her.

That subtle shift in her tone didn’t escape the younger sister who spent every day by her side.

Celine looked up, a bit startled and unsure.

But her sister’s smile was still as warm and gentle as ever.

I must’ve imagined it, right?

That’s what she told herself.

She burrowed back into her sister’s arms and continued to act spoiled.

She didn’t see the way Violette’s face relaxed in quiet relief.

From that day on, Violette started paying very close attention to how she behaved.

She absolutely did not let herself space out or press her lips together in that slightly silly smile when someone else was around.

Celine really did think her sister had adjusted.

She knew Violette, and Violette knew her just as well.

If her little sister didn’t want to dig deeper, hiding it from her was the easiest thing in the world.

A man who had suddenly appeared in her life had shaken a resolve she’d always thought unshakable.

The position of Holy Maiden could only be hers, and Violette had always accepted that without question. The day she became Holy Maiden, she’d already prepared herself to serve the supreme Him of their doctrine for life.

But…

“Mr. Jetri, in your world, how do people see God?”

“Which kind of god do you mean? The single god that’s somewhat similar to the one in your doctrine, or the many gods we have in our country?” Jetri asked.

“Eh? You have our God over there too?”

“Probably not the same one.” Jetri answered casually. He’d never brought up religion in front of the Sister, never talked about his own views on faith.

It was his way of respecting who she was, and a way to avoid arrogance.

“Mm… then that one—the one similar to ours. What do you think of… Him?” Violette asked, her voice carrying a trace of anticipation for his answer.

Mr. Jetri always had a way of saying things that opened her eyes.

His way of speaking was gentle and respectful.

He himself was calm and steady.

His voice was also really nice—

What am I thinking!?

Violette jolted.

“In our world, there are religions. Some people think gods truly exist, and some think they don’t,” Jetri said.

“Unlike your world, in ours, miracles have never been shown openly before the masses. As one of the ordinary people, I’ve never seen a miracle.” Jetri spoke unhurriedly. “If you ask for my view on gods, I don’t really have one.”

“No view?”

“Yeah. I don’t care whether gods exist or not, and I don’t care what they stand for,” Jetri continued.

“Eh…” The Holy Maiden let out a soft sound of amazement.

“Whether they exist doesn’t affect my life. What they stand for doesn’t affect my life either. I’m just a very simple, secular man. I only look straight at what’s in front of me. I won’t tilt my head back to look up, because from a low angle, they’ll always seem noble and extraordinary. But if one day I stand on the same level as they do, I think I’d see that they’re actually no different from me.” Jetri said calmly.

“You…”

So cool…

The Holy Maiden didn’t finish the rest of that sentence. Her lake-blue eyes just shimmered with a strange light.

“Ah, so when you suddenly asked me, I really didn’t know how to answer,” Jetri added with a sheepish scratch of the head. “Looks like you’ve run into some kind of question you can’t figure out, Sister?”

Violette blinked.

“How did you know?”

“Because people who aren’t confused don’t ask about religion. Whether they believe or not, people with firm convictions don’t dwell on it much.”

“I really am… a little lost,” Violette admitted. Being read like that didn’t make her angry at all.

“In that case, tell me about it, little lamb that’s lost her way—didn’t think I’d be playing priest for once.” Jetri’s tone was light, with a soft laugh.

“In our doctrine, God went on a long journey at the dawn of creation. But the Holy Maiden who serves Him still remains. To preserve her purity and unwavering faith, the Holy Maiden isn’t allowed to have a spouse.”

“Mm. And then?”

Jetri had no idea why the topic had suddenly jumped to the Holy Maiden, a figure so far above them, but all he needed to do was give his own opinion.

“So I was thinking… is the Holy Maiden’s purity really necessary? Or rather, is there actually any need for Holy Maidens to exist at all?” Violette asked.

“Before I answer that, let me ask you two questions.”

“Please go ahead.”

“Does the same apply to the Holy Son?”

“Yes.”

“Are the Holy Maiden and Holy Son usually the Pope’s successors?”

“Yes.”

Jetri chuckled. “Miss Nun, you’re asking why the Holy Maiden and Holy Son have to stay ‘pure’. But tell me, why is the current Pope also the current Holy Maiden of the Church?”

Violette found it a bit novel to hear him refer to her in that way, but she quickly followed his train of thought and started pondering.

“Yeah… why is that?”

“It shows the Holy Maiden and Holy Son aren’t actually without partners. They’re just… hidden away~” Jetri said with a grin, tossing out a completely irresponsible guess.

After all, the girl across from him was just a confused, cute little nun. Since she’d asked, he might as well talk.

It wasn’t like he was saying this to the Holy Maiden herself, so what was the big deal?

“They don’t!” Violette blurted out, denying it in a sudden burst of agitation.

“Huh?” Jetri was startled. “Uh, did I offend you, Miss Nun?”

“N-no, not really… it’s just… I know the current Holy Maiden. She… she’s been single this whole time…” Violette mumbled.

“You know her?” Jetri was so shocked his form of address changed on the spot.

…My trash talk isn’t gonna make its way to her, is it?

“Then your identity’s not simple at all…”

“Mr. Jetri, weren’t you the one who said, ‘what’s said in the confessional doesn’t leave the confessional, and the identities from outside don’t enter inside’?” Violette said, a little nervously.

“Mm-hm… you’re right… you’re right…” Jetri was already picturing a squad of Church guards kicking down his door tomorrow and yelling, “FBI! Open the door!”

“Mr. Jetri!” Violette didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Ahem… sorry you had to see that. I’m just… kind of a coward…” Jetri gave an awkward smile.

“So, Mr. Jetri, you didn’t finish what you were saying earlier, did you?”

“Yeah, but with how you reacted…”

“I’m always making a fuss over everything. Aren’t you used to it yet, Mr. Jetri?”

Hearing this familiar self-deprecating style, Jetri couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “All right, then I’ll continue—My conclusion is that the reason the Holy Maiden and Holy Son can’t have partners is political. As the Church’s successors, if they fall in love while they’re still in their Holy Maiden or Holy Son period, then…”

“Why do you say that?”

“Girls who go full romance-brain are terrifying, you know~”

“I-is that… so…”

And so the night ended with Violette quietly muttering to herself, feeling very guilty.