For some reason, the saint of our school drops her façade when she's with me (GL) - Chapter 23

Aizen Karen yearns for it.

She has always longed for a prince—or perhaps a knight—to whisk her away.

Not just someone who would capture her heart, but someone who would take her, her very existence, away from this world.

(This is the worst.)

Dressed in a kimono against her will, Karen was forcibly taken to an arranged marriage meeting, with no regard for her own wishes.

Her silver hair, inherited from her grandmother and mother, stood out as an unusual feature among the Japanese. While others admired it as part of her beauty, Karen had never been particularly fond of it.

That striking silver hair, no matter how beautiful, had always been a symbol of her difference from others—a lesson instilled in her since childhood.

Her heterochromatic eyes, her intelligence, and all her extraordinary traits only served to reinforce that distinction.

(If only she were the one wearing this instead…)

Her thoughts drifted to a girl who would suit a kimono far better than she ever could.

Taller than Karen, with well-balanced features, but usually masking them with a languid aura—her one and only classmate, the person Karen truly desired.

What is she doing right now?

(She would look perfect in this, no doubt.)

Though she would deny it, with her slender figure and black hair, she would undoubtedly look stunning in a kimono. The thought made Karen smile unconsciously.

Unlike Karen, whose chest was tightly constrained in the fabric, the girl would have more room in the chest area. And if Karen teased her about it, she would surely glare in jealousy, having always been self-conscious about her own lack of curves.

But recently, Karen had hardly been able to see her source of comfort.

They were in the same class, so she could catch glimpses of her in the classroom. Yet, as the Saint, Karen had to maintain her facade, leaving her with no choice but to watch from the sidelines.

Gone were the days of chatting in the clubroom, eating the lunches she made, and playing games together at home.

Everything had been systematically stripped away.

And the one responsible—her mother—had the audacity to say:

“It’s all for your own good.”

Karen could only scoff at the thought.

(She thinks just because she failed, I will suffer the same fate?)

Karen had heard the story—her mother had lost her first love.

She had once been consumed by despair, only to be saved when she met Karen’s father.

That was why, no matter what Karen said, her mother believed she was destined for the same outcome and was determined to control her life.

Karen knew this all too well.

It was an infuriating level of overprotectiveness.

(If only I had realized sooner, things wouldn’t have turned out this way…)

Karen was no femme fatale.

Yet, she understood.

That moment, that night in the park—if nothing had intervened, she and her would have been able to share their feelings without any obstacles.

They could have had a future together.

(It’s truly frustrating…)

Meeting her again in high school had been a coincidence.

Karen hadn’t immediately realized that the boy who once filled her loneliness in that park was actually her.

But as they spent time together, suspicion turned into certainty.

And on that day, the truth was confirmed.

Karen believed it was fate.

Everything about them was opposites, yet they both yearned for love.

And she knew—without a doubt—that only they could truly understand and accept each other’s unspoken, overwhelming emotions.

(I want to eat her cooking again…)

For the first time, she had experienced the taste of something different from the meals she had grown up with—meals prepared with warmth.

(I want to talk to her again…)

For the first time, she realized just how precious time with a loved one could be.

(I want her more and more—)

She wanted to make her hers and hers alone.

So much so that, against her nature, she found herself jealous of her best friend.

Karen had always known it.

No—she had accepted it from the very beginning.

Aizen Karen loves Suzuki Yukie.

(The seeds have been planted. Whether she comes or not…)

Karen had seen her suffer from afar, struggling after finally realizing her own feelings at such a terrible moment.

She knew—just how deeply she was shaken, how she had been unable to sleep at night.

Karen had repressed the countless urges to run to her and hold her tight.

She had held back from working at home, from clubroom interactions, from any form of intimacy—because she wanted to protect her.

If her stubborn mother ever learned of her existence, there was no telling what she would do.

Karen feared the worst—that her mother would manipulate events to erase her love before it could fully bloom.

She simply couldn’t trust her parents enough to believe otherwise.

And she had no desire to repair that broken bond.

She only wanted one thing.

To be with her beloved—Yukie.

That was all.

(It’s contradictory, isn’t it?)

She had distanced herself to protect her, and yet here she was, wishing to be saved.

But still, as a girl in love, she believed it was her right to wish for that.

And if that wish couldn’t be granted—

Then she would destroy everything herself and take her away.

She had even entertained such dangerous thoughts as she faced this day.

Please, turn everything upside down.

“Milady, we’ve arrived.”

The long, dull car ride finally came to an end. Karen stepped out reluctantly, greeted by the sight of a traditional inn.

It had been reserved entirely for this occasion, with few staff members present. Instead, both families’ members were stationed throughout the premises, taking care of security and other arrangements.

And then—Karen noticed a slight sense of unease.

(Are most of them Grandmother’s people?)

Though some of the groom’s and her mother’s subordinates were present, Karen couldn’t help but feel that there were far too many of her grandmother’s attendants here.

As she tilted her head at the slight sense of unease, the very grandmother she found so difficult to deal with came striding over with incredible energy.

“Oh! Karen, you’ve arrived! I wanted to see you, dearest!”

“Grandmother, you’re too close.”

Karen swiftly dodged her grandmother, who seemed ready to plant a kiss on her cheek.

She didn’t see her grandmother often, as she was a different kind of presence from both her mother and herself. But whenever they did meet, she was always this playful, which was precisely why Karen struggled to deal with her.

“Grandmother, where is my mother?”

“She’s already inside, waiting.”

Karen sighed, watching as her mother—without bothering to accompany her—had gone ahead to meet the suitor, likely to gauge his mood first.

She wasn’t surprised, though. Her mother had always been that kind of person.

She believed that words were unnecessary, that family love should be understood without being spoken aloud. Karen, however, knew better—even she understood that some things needed to be said.

“Karen~”

Her grandmother suddenly leaned in and whispered conspiratorially.

“The path for your lovely prince is clear~ You’re free to move however you like.”

Karen’s expression shifted in surprise before she could hide it.

Seeing her reaction, her grandmother grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Sachie is on her way~”

“The weather is lovely today. First, let me express my gratitude for this meeting between our two esteemed families.”

The man, who was apparently Karen’s arranged marriage partner, spoke in a smooth yet suspiciously rehearsed tone.

Handsome, from a good family, with a promising future, and even a good personality—on paper, he was an excellent match.

But Karen had absolutely no interest in him.

If anything, rather than focusing on the shady man in front of her, she found herself thinking about her grandmother’s words.

“Sachie is on her way.”

Why did her grandmother know that name?

Karen even felt a small pang of jealousy that her grandmother had said it before she could.

Still, those words somehow lifted her mood.

She had suspected that her grandmother had been working behind the scenes.

But now, with that confident declaration, she was certain.

Despite being difficult to deal with, her grandmother was on her side this time.

No—she was on their side.

Karen remained silent as the smooth-talking suitor continued his monologue.

Her mother, hidden from view, nudged her a few times to get a reaction, but Karen ignored it completely.

(She’s coming. For me, Suzuki-san is coming.)

Her mind was filled with that single thought.

“I need to excuse myself for a moment.”

Karen’s behavior was unusual enough that her mother, flustered, began to rise from her seat, likely intending to regain control of the situation.

And then—

From outside, where no other guests were present, came the sound of running footsteps.

Before the attendants at the door could even properly attempt to stop her, the doors swung open.

A voice rang out.

“This marriage meeting—stop it right now!”

Dressed in her usual uniform but with pants instead of a skirt, Karen’s prince—her beloved—stormed in, still catching her breath.

Without hesitation, she strode toward Karen, took her hand, and turned to face Karen’s mother—not her suitor, but her mother.

“I’m taking your daughter with me. She is my most precious person.”

Boldly, with a confident smile unlike anything Karen had seen before.

Karen’s heart pounded.

“What… are you saying?”

The brief silence that followed was broken by Karen’s mother.

Her bewilderment was evident. It was almost amusing enough to make Karen laugh.

But her beloved—Sachie—spoke firmly, as if willing herself to be even stronger.

“I am Suzuki Yukie. I am Aizen Karen’s girlfriend. I came here to put an end to this engagement.”

“…I was never informed she had a lover.”

“If we had told you, would you have accepted it? Seeing that we are both women, would you have acknowledged it even if you knew?”

Karen’s mother’s expression twisted slightly in discomfort.

Then, she turned her sharp gaze toward Karen.

“Karen. I wasn’t aware you had such an… interesting friend. But this is inappropriate. She should leave immediately.”

Her mother’s order was clear—reject her.

Karen almost responded instinctively.

But the warmth of Sachie’s hand, gripping hers tightly, stopped her.

“…Aizen-san—no, Karen.”

Another sharp pulse of her heartbeat.

Sachie, her beloved, gazed at her with softer eyes than ever before and said it plainly:

“You can answer honestly.”

Whatever had changed inside Sachie, it didn’t matter.

Karen was overjoyed.

Because Sachie had come for her.

Without hesitation, without reservation, Karen turned to her mother and declared:

“I refuse this arranged marriage. The person I love is right here!”

With that, she threw herself into Sachie’s arms.

She hadn’t felt this elated in weeks.

“I love you, Sachie!”

As the stunned audience sat in silence, two individuals reacted differently—both laughing in amusement.

One was Karen’s grandmother, Claudia, who had orchestrated Sachie’s charge.

The other was the suspiciously charming fiancé.

But Karen ignored them.

She looked directly at Sachie and called out, deliberately loud enough for everyone to hear:

“Take me away from here!”

Sachie nodded without hesitation.

“I’m taking your daughter with me.”

With those final words, she pulled Karen along, leading her away.

Karen focused only on the warmth of the hand holding hers—the hand that had finally reached her.

She had finally come.

Her prince—

The one who would take her away.

At last, they were connected.

Their feelings, finally as one.

☆☆☆

After Sachie had taken Karen away—

“Well now, wasn’t that quite the spectacle?”

As the room remained frozen in shock, Karen’s mother and the fiancé’s family began to rise, intent on pursuing them.

But they were stopped.

By none other than the suspiciously charming fiancé himself.

“I suppose this makes me the villain who tried to separate true lovers, huh? I have a feeling she’s going to yell at me later.”

He spoke with an air of amusement.

“Oh my, you seem rather pleased.”

Claudia, Karen’s grandmother, commented with a chuckle.

The man, utterly unbothered, smiled.

“Of course. I had planned to refuse this engagement from the start. They saved me the trouble by breaking it off for me.”

A collective “What?!” erupted from everyone except Claudia.

“You already knew, Father. I have someone I love. There’s no way I would marry anyone else.”

“…You fool! Do you even understand what this engagement meant?! And do you think I’d allow you to marry some nobody?”

“There it is—that attitude. I don’t hate it, but…”

The fiancé suddenly grabbed his father’s collar and yanked him forward.

“Listen carefully. No matter what you say, I choose her. And if you try to pull something like this again… even if you’re my father, I won’t hesitate to destroy you.”

After delivering his warning, he shoved his father back and casually waved as he left.

Watching this unfold, Karen’s mother, Kiana, stood speechless.

Claudia turned to her daughter, grinning.

“Men are scary, aren’t they~? But Kiana, darling, you should realize—you did something just as reckless to your own beloved daughter.”

“…Mother, did you orchestrate this?”

“No, no, dear. I simply cheered on a lover.”

Then, dropping her usual playful demeanor, Claudia spoke seriously.

“Thinking about Karen’s future is important. But ignoring her feelings and forcing your will upon her? That is not okay.”

“…But…”

“You worry too much. That girl will definitely make Karen happy.”

“…Who is she?”

Kiana asked hesitantly, seeing the unwavering trust in her mother’s eyes.

Claudia’s answer was simple.

“She is the beloved granddaughter of my dearest friend.”

By the time Karen and Sachie learned how everything had unfolded after their escape, it was already far in the past.

But later, Claudia would smugly recount how everything had fallen perfectly into place—

And Karen, overjoyed in her lover’s embrace, would simply roll her eyes.