For some reason, the saint of our school drops her façade when she's with me (GL) - Chapter 13

“Hello, hello~”

After the end-of-term exams, Mizuki, who had unusually arrived before the first period, peeked at my phone and tilted her head.

“It’s rare to see you looking up shops, Yukie.”

“Is it?”

“Normally, you just browse images or game walkthroughs, right?”

Isn’t that more like you, Mizuki?

Well, this best friend of mine does occasionally look up date spots and hotels too.

“Ooh, could it be~? Are you going on a date?”

Mizuki smirked mischievously, clearly in full teasing mode.

“It’s just a prior engagement.”

I had promised to go out with the Saint after the exams were over.

Technically, it was because Mizuki had caused a misunderstanding, but I’ll leave that part out.

For me, it was just the usual, but for the Saint, it would be a chance to visit places she doesn’t usually go. I was just looking up some additional spots out of curiosity.

“If you’re planning a surprise for me, make sure it’s a place with cute girls.”

“It’s not, and let’s be real, Mizuki, you’d flirt with any girl no matter where we go.”

“I make sure they’re single first!”

“And how exactly do you know that?”

“You can tell~ Single girls give off this certain vibe—like they’re frustrated or a little lonely.”

I could understand the first part, but if Mizuki could really pick up on the second and still ended up in messy situations, then women truly are terrifying.

“So, who’s your date?”

“As you’ve already guessed.”

“Ahh, just as I thought. Any progress?”

“Thanks to you, I suppose.”

As much as I hate to admit it, Mizuki might be half the reason things turned out this way.

“If you’re looking for a cheap hotel, I have recommendations~”

“I’m not going, okay? I’m not a beast like you, Mizuki.”

“How rude, calling the Apostle of True Love a beast.”

“Oh, great Apostle of True Love, allow me to ask you something.”

“What is it, Sachie-mon?”

Who’s Sachie-mon?

“How do you escort someone who appears refined on the outside, seems a bit naïve, and is secretly fascinated by the mundane world?”

“Easier than an average girl~ If she’s dreamy and romantic, even better.”

Now that I think about it, Mizuki once talked about seducing a girl from an elite all-girls school.

“Girls’ schools are nice, aren’t they~”

“You should’ve gone to one then. Didn’t your sister, Mizuho, go to an all-girls high school?”

“Well, yeah, but as for me, I wanted to go wherever my crush was applying.”

What an impure motive.

“Besides, you had already decided on this school too, right?”

“Academically, this was the safest option.”

Considering my grades, this school was my best bet when thinking about university acceptance and job prospects.

Our high school has a decent reputation as a preparatory school, but I’ve heard it also gets a lot of job offers.

That said, leaving Mizuki aside, the Saint could have easily gotten into a more prestigious school. Why did she choose ours?

I should ask her sometime.

“But honestly, I was relieved.”

“About what?”

“If your uncle hadn’t said anything, you would’ve transferred and gone to a school outside the prefecture, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

If it was due to ‘adult circumstances,’ I would’ve accepted it as inevitable.

“You definitely would’ve ghosted me if you went to a different school.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

Probably.

“You can be surprisingly cold-hearted, Yukie.”

“Speaking of which, this came out yesterday.”

I pulled out a card from my bag, still in its protective sleeve.

It was a rare card featuring Mizuki’s favorite character.

“Sachie-mon, you’re the best! I love you!”

Even though I never said I’d give it to her, she blew me a kiss and snatched it away, leaving me exasperated. Then, Mizuki glanced toward the Saint.

“What’s up?”

“Hmm~ The jealous gaze feels nice.”

Jealousy, huh?

“So? Do you really think I’m that cold-hearted?”

“Well, you never came to visit me when I was out of town, did you?”

“Travel expenses are expensive.”

“That’s exactly my point! I swear, Yukie, I love you so much, and yet…”

I could only hope she meant that in a platonic way.

“Besides, high school is way more fun with you here. That’s why I’m grateful to your uncle.”

“I am too. I’d like to repay him someday.”

“Wait… Yukie, don’t tell me you’re planning to… seduce your uncle…?”

“Idiot.”

“Ouch!”

I flicked her forehead, and she let out a weird moan.

Why do I have so many dramatic people around me?

“Jokes aside, where are you taking your date?”

“Why do you keep calling it a date?”

“Isn’t it?”

It’s not.

I’m just going out with the Saint.

“Hmm~ If that’s what you want to believe.”

Mizuki smirked and stole a glance at the Saint.

She was, as usual, handling our commoner classmates with grace, but I felt our eyes meet a few times.

“Yukie, you know, right? Going out with someone you’re interested in is called a date.”

“That’s news to me.”

“Sachie-mon, you’re not an all-powerful robot, you know~”

Even in the original story, that robot had a weakness for mice. Compared to that, there’s really no point in arguing.

Anyway, that’s not important right now.

“Do you think she’d enjoy the usual route or the one we used to take in the past?”

“Hmm, you should definitely include familiar places. If it’s all new, there’s a higher chance of things going wrong.”

I never thought I’d find Mizuki’s extensive experience reassuring.

Not that I’m taking her advice for that kind of outing.

“Besides, she’s expecting your escort, right? Just go with what feels natural for you. That’ll give the best results.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. You can try acting all cool, but if it’s fake, it’ll just feel empty.”

Hmm, makes sense.

“And, make sure you pay for the hotel.”

“I’m not going! And do you seriously pay yourself?”

“Nah~ Usually, the other girl covers it.”

She said it so smugly.

“Still, I can’t help but feel jealous~”

“Of what?”

“It’s rare to see you so motivated about something, Yukie.”

“You think so?”

“Totally~ It’s heartbreaking, like I’m the tragic heroine of an unrequited love story.”

Mizuki dramatically pretended to sob, putting on yet another convincing performance.

“Maybe I should just join in too.”

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

“How cold~”

If Mizuki got involved, things would definitely take an unwanted turn.

Besides, I had this nagging feeling that Mizuki might steal the Saint away from me.

The reverse could also be true, but my subconscious was more concerned about that possibility.

More than anything—

“Don’t you have a date that day, Mizuki?”

I tapped on my phone, showing her the calendar. Mizuki looked at it and nodded in agreement.

“Ah, guess you’re right~”

“Yeah, too bad.”

“Then let’s meet up at night and go as a group of four!”

Why would we do that?

“Kidding, kidding~”

“Are you sure?”

“About 20% serious~”

Eighty percent unserious still isn’t good!

As we were chatting, the first-period teacher entered the classroom, and the chime rang.

“Ugh, class already? Such a pain.”

“Just deal with it.”

“Before that, as your best friend and wise predecessor, I’ll give you some serious advice, Yukie.”

“Advice?”

I was expecting her to say something dumb again, but this time, Mizuki’s expression turned uncharacteristically serious as she leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“If you have feelings, put them into words. I know it’s scary to face them, but it’s common for someone you love to end up in another world.”

With a simple “Good luck,” she returned to her seat.

Another world, huh…

(That’s not what this is.)

Mizuki keeps harping on about this “date,” but we’re just going out together, that’s all.

Even so, her last words lingered in my mind.

The Saint isn’t suddenly going to disappear into some fictional realm.

Sure, she looks like she walked straight out of a fantasy, but this isn’t some unrealistic story about people jumping to different worlds.

But what if she became unreachable?

What if she became someone else’s?

The thought alone made my chest tighten painfully.

It wasn’t the same as the jealousy of losing a friend.

A long time ago, when Mizuki was my first real friend and my uncle was my only family, I was extremely dependent on them.

I used to get irrationally frustrated whenever they seemed to enjoy things without me or talked about things I didn’t know. But even then, it wasn’t like this.

If something similar happened with the Saint…

(I’d end up like my mother.)

Worse than with my uncle or Mizuki—I would become an unbearable woman.

I was certain of it.

As I pulled out my textbook and notebook to prepare for class, a message notification popped up.

I glanced at my phone.

It was from the Saint.

“I’m looking forward to our date.”

…Could she have overheard us?

I doubt it, considering how noisy the classroom was in the morning. But knowing her sharp ears, I couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility.

More importantly, she had put it into words herself.

(So… it’s a date, huh…?)

I wanted to deny it.

I wanted to brush it off as a joke.

But for some reason, acknowledging it as a date felt strangely right.

“Put feelings into words, huh…”

I shouldn’t.

If I do, I’ll end up like my mother.

I knew that, yet I felt like I had already reached a point where I had to face it.

I needed more time.

I wanted to be sure of my answer before I put it into words.

But at the same time, I wanted clarity.

I hadn’t known the Saint as long as I had known Mizuki.

We’d only met a few months ago, when high school started—wasn’t it too soon to be thinking about something like this?

Yet, if I kept hesitating, I knew I’d only spiral further.

So, I should at least prepare myself to face it.

Maybe I’m not worthy.

Maybe I’ll become as twisted and miserable as my mother.

But no matter what, I can’t hide my desire to be closer to the Saint.

“…Nosy little busybody.”

I muttered under my breath, making sure no one could hear me.

Still, I had the oddest feeling that my best friend, wearing her usual smug grin, knew exactly what I had said.

The decisive moment would be this Sunday.

Whether I’d actually take Mizuki’s so-called “wise predecessor advice” seriously was another matter.

But one thing was certain—something between me and the Saint might change that day.

I glanced over at her.

For just a moment, our eyes met.

She remained composed as she opened her textbook and notebook, ready to focus on the lesson.

But in that split second, I caught it.

A playful, teasing smile.

A smile that no one else in the class ever got to see.

A smile only I knew.

The usual, polished smile she showed to everyone else meant nothing to me.

Unlike my classmates, I didn’t find that mask “beautiful” or “precious.”

But that fleeting, mischievous expression—the one that belonged solely to me—

I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I exhaled and shook my head, forcing myself to open my book.

First, I needed to focus on class.

I wasn’t good at switching gears, but being clumsy meant I couldn’t afford to stay still.

Fine.

If it’s a date, then it’s a date.

As long as I get to see her smile, that’s enough.

And if I find my answer along the way—

Even better.

Maybe I’m overthinking all of this.

If only I could convince myself of that.