“Huh?”
So that was the first time?
“Practice is very different from the real thing,” Shiro explained. “When I did it for the first time…I, uh, faltered at the rawness of the sensation and the procedure went awry… Hence why I then practiced on a dummy meant for learning artificial respiration.”
“Now I remember… Elma said when she found us, you had been unconscious.”
“As your maid, such a careless mistake on my part is unforgivable. I am truly sorry.”
Shiro’s flat expression wavered as her cheeks started turning red in embarrassment.
“That’s the part you’re embarrassed about?”
“Is that so strange?”
Having been raised to suppress her emotions, her way of feeling things was a little different than mine.
Her beautiful, ice-blue eyes stared at me innocently.
Her graceful facial features. Her tidy-looking nun outfit.
This is bad… Really bad… Cuteness overload…
Her God-tier cuteness was about to make my heart literally explode and kill me.
“Master, please be quiet. This scent… It’s the high priest.”
Scuff, scuff, scuff… The sounds of footsteps stopped in front of the room.
“Number 786, are you feeling all right?”
Did someone report me to the high priest? Damn it, and this is the worst possible timing…
He knocked on the wooden door.
“Master, please act like you are taking a shower.”
Stuck close to me, her sweet voice whispering into my ear made me shiver. Somehow I managed to reach the shower handle and turn it.
Shhhhaaaa—water started pouring from the shower head onto the floor. At the same moment—
“I must check on you just in case something has happened. I’m coming in.”
—the high priest entered the room.
“Pardon me. I didn’t realize you were in the shower.” I heard the sound of pages turning. “I just couldn’t believe that we had the Japanese Akuto Satou himself among our new recruits.”
I guessed he was looking at some kind of name registry. So he had noticed me.
“…Hmm… How interesting…” I sensed that he was looking for something in the room. “It seems you have been reading the scriptures.”
“Yeah, I read it,” I answered.
“And how are you feeling?”
He asked me in a soft tone of voice, but I could feel his sharp gaze through the shower door.
“Uh…the word of God is echoing in my head…and it makes me feel really dizzy…”
What a stupid answer.
But it was like Shiro said—I was supposed to have taken drugs that lowered my intelligence.
“I see. Situation normal.” I could tell that the high priest was relieved. “After all, there are always a few new members who become overwhelmed from experiencing the rapture of God’s judgment.”
I needed to make sure the high priest thought his Power of Words was still working.
“I wonder. Is a person from another world like you really able to understand the scriptures?”
“Yes… I want to obey the judgment of the God of this world.”
On the other side of the shower door, the high priest broke into a smile.
“Ha-ha-ha! How magnificent. You parted with your sister, only to choose the church rather than the princess. I’m sure God’s blessing will suit you well.”
Good, that seemed to convince him. I think I’m safe for now.
Or so I thought.
Yank, yank. I felt Shiro tugging at my clothes.
What is it?
I looked at her face. She was trying to tell me something, but she was so expressionless I couldn’t tell what it was.
“Oh?” The high priest’s tone of voice changed. “Do you have your robes in the shower with you?”
My heart jumped into my throat.
“How strange… Do you usually shower with your clothes on?”
This is bad… He’s gonna find us!
How didn’t I notice that I was fully clothed?
Shiro was noiselessly mouthing something in front of me. But I still had no idea what she was trying to say.
“I intended to be considerate of your privacy, but this is too suspicious. I apologize, but I would like to check inside the shower…”
What do I do? If I can use telepathy with Shiro—
I focused my concentration into my forehead and felt a line connect between us.
<<Master!>>
<<Shiro!>>
Good, I reached her.
<<Please put both arms over your head and relax your body!>>
I did as I was told.
Shhhwwwip!
She was so fast I didn’t even see her move. In a split second, I had been stripped stark naked.
“Oh, I see.” The high priest stopped moving. “You removed your clothes in the shower.”
With super speed, Shiro had folded all my clothes and placed them outside the shower.
I went with it. “…Yes, I have a habit of getting undressed in the shower room.”
With that we managed to keep him at bay. I turned to face Shiro again…
…and saw she was now on the verge of losing her balance.
<<Ah…>>
<<Wai—!>>
Our positioning was getting extremely precarious.
I bent forward in a hurry to hide my lower half. Now I was basically hugging Shiro.
<<Master.>> A message from Shiro. <<Your heartbeat…is extremely loud.>>
<<S-sorry.>>
My poor virgin heart already felt like it had exploded multiple times.
<<He will find it suspicious. Can’t you stop it?>>
So basically, “please die”?
Splash! Shiro’s tail hit the shower handle and turned it to cold water.
“Arf!”
“Was that you just now, Akuto Satou?” the high priest asked.
“…Yes! The water suddenly turned cold! Arf, arf!”
What else could I say? I was desperate.
“It seems that the hot water isn’t as reliable since we expanded our facilities. I will be sure to let the maintenance team know.”
That convinced him, somehow…
Just as I was on the verge of a mental and physical breakdown, I heard a voice calling from the hallway.
“High priest, sir. It is almost time for the next ceremony.”
“I must take my leave. There are yet many more souls in need of saving. While you may feel some confusion, please do your best to accept the law of God.”
“S-sure.”
With cold water pouring over my head, I used the last of my energy to focus on what was being said outside.
“Let us head to the sermon hall…”
The high priest shut the door to room 786.
“Hmph. He’s nothing but an average human brat after all. Perhaps Tsukasa Wagatsuma is the one in possession of the Shard of Judgment. But that is of little importance.”
He spat out the words as he walked away.
After hearing it through to the end…
“…Master?”
I passed out cold. Again.