NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23
With eyes closed, I carefully embraced the Saint and surrendered to the warmth.
Her soft voice tickled my ear.
“Hey, I cleared out all the furniture. They were all too worn out.”
“Did you? Thank you so much for all your hard work.”
“Especially the bed… it broke as soon as I tried to lift it. It must have been eaten by bugs. And there were bug eggs everywhere…”
“Ah, it must have been very hard to clean up.”
The Saint nodded, burying her face in my shoulder.
At that moment, a strange ticklish sensation crept up my neck.
I wasn’t sure if it was from her hair or her breathing, but this small sensation strangely stirred my heart.
Trying to shake off that feeling, I opened my eyes slightly to meet the Saint’s gaze.
She looked like she’d been staring at me all along.
“Uh…”
“Um, over here…”
The Saint seemed flustered by the unexpected situation, fidgeting and avoiding eye contact.
Then she carefully pulled away from my embrace to create some distance.
A fleeting sense of loss and emptiness came from the missing warmth.
Just as that feeling passed, the Saint silently bowed her head and slowly extended it toward me.
‘…What are you doing?’
I stared at her blankly, not immediately understanding the Saint’s intention.
Soon I detected a subtle expectation in her glance as she peeked at me.
That’s when I realized what she was thinking and smiled softly.
“…Do you want me to pet you?”
The Saint wordlessly nodded and came even closer.
Her cute actions almost made me laugh out loud.
Barely suppressing my laughter, I began gently petting her hair.
Her soft hair tickled my palm.
“Thank you so much, Saint.”
“Eh… Yeah.”
The Saint seemed satisfied as she breathed evenly while being petted.
For a moment, her laughter flowed, then suddenly her body twitched and trembled.
I worriedly looked down at her and stopped my hand.
She seemed slightly startled, which made me even more concerned.
“Is something wrong? Are you cold?”
“Ah, no. It was just my hair touching my neck.”
The Saint grabbed her hair with both hands and shyly smiled.
She apparently tried drying it, but given the cold weather and her very long hair, it didn’t seem to dry properly judging from the droplets falling.
I was also worried about her wearing overly thin and light pajamas in this weather.
I sighed and offered my coat to the Saint.
“A…?”
The Saint looked up at me, surprised by the suddenly placed coat.
When she tried to give it back, I hastily put it on her again.
“I’m fine, please wear it.”
“B-but Mr. Death, aren’t you cold…”
“Anyone can tell you look much colder than me. Here, please sit down.”
I sat her on a chair, then took out the red stone given by Mr. Chunsam from the pocket dimension.
“May I dry your hair, Saint?”
“Ah, yeah, that’s fine.”
The warm heat from the red stone enveloped the Saint’s hair.
I carefully brushed her hair with one hand while adjusting the stone’s heat with the other.
“Is this okay? Not too hot?”
“Yeah… It feels good.”
The Saint smiled gently in response.
Hearing that made me feel relieved but also strangely moved, so much so that my whole body went limp momentarily.
Because of that, I nearly dropped the stone and hastily grabbed it again.
‘…Focus. I can’t burn such beautiful hair.’
I adjusted my grip on the stone and took a short breath, silently concentrating on drying the Saint’s hair.
Perhaps she got a bit bored?
While twirling her now soft and dry hair around her fingers, the Saint suddenly asked an unexpected question.
“Ah, uh… Mr. Death, do you prefer long or short hair?”
“Me?”
Why did she suddenly ask that? Since I received the question, I figured I should answer.
‘If I had to choose, short hair would be much easier to maintain.’
I said as I gently stroked her damp hair with my hand.
“I like short hair better.”
“Is that so?”
For some reason, the Saint’s voice sounded a little dejected. Puffing her cheeks slightly, she grabbed her long hair with both hands.
“…Maybe I’ll cut it.”
“Short hair is easier to manage, but long hair really suits you, Saint.”
“Is that so?”
Why did her voice brighten up again?
While considering the Saint’s intentions, I got distracted and almost burned her hair.
‘…Focus, focus.’
However, the Saint whispered softly, disrupting my concentration.
“Then… I won’t cut it. If my hair is long, Mr. Death will touch it for a longer time.”
“A…!”
In the end, the stone slipped from my hand and fell to the floor.
I sighed and picked it up.
“…Next time, please dry your hair thoroughly.”
“…”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me.”
“Uh… yeah…”
Why? Even after getting an answer, it felt like this would happen again.
Before I could say anything, the Saint was already flustered and changing the subject.
“Uh, uh… There’s nothing in the room now, is that okay? You might feel uncomfortable without any furniture, right?”
“If there’s nothing, it’s better for me. I have a lot of stuff, so it’ll be easier to organize.”
“…Is that so?”
The Saint, who had been sparkling-eyed just a moment ago, suddenly became deflated.
She looked down and puffed her cheeks slightly, sighing softly.
Then, suddenly, she exclaimed and clapped her hands.
“Ah, that’s right! I forgot to fix the door lock.”
“The door?”
Looking at me, the Saint nodded vigorously.
“I thought very carefully, and no matter how I think about it, I locked the door.”
“…R-really?”
“Yeah. But Mr. Death opened it right away. So, um… you should only use this room after the door is fixed…”
I thought about letting it go, but my conscience wouldn’t let me.
I quietly opened the pocket dimension and extended the key.
The Saint looked at the key with a puzzled expression.
“What is this?”
“…I’m sorry. I used this to open it.”
The Saint carefully examined the key in my hand and tilted her head.
“This isn’t the key here?”
“Actually… our Father was once captured by humans and death disappeared. To prevent such an incident from happening again, each reaper received a special key. This key is designed to open any lock…”
I unconsciously lowered my head while speaking.
This was clearly an indefensible situation.
The Saint stared at me with her mouth slightly open, then tightly closed her mouth and sighed.
“So that’s why the door opened even though I had locked it.”
“…Ugh. Sorry.”
“Uh-huh.”
The Saint’s gaze felt relentless, making it hard to lift my head.
After a brief silence, the Saint flicked the key with her finger.
“Mr. Death can bypass locks…”
“But, I mean… I can open any door I want even if you lock it…”
It’s technically correct, but why does it feel so unfair and like I need to defend myself?
Adding to my confusion, the Saint stared directly at my face and smiled.
“Mr. Death, your face is red again.”
“…”
At the Saint’s words, I felt my face getting hotter.
Yet the Saint seemed to enjoy it, coming even closer.
I covered my face with both hands and desperately shouted.
“I’m sorry for opening it without permission!”
“Aha-ha! It’s fine. I was in danger, and most importantly, Mr. Death saved me.”
The Saint chuckled playfully, flicking the key with her finger again.
“In the future, please ask me first before using the key.”
“…Yes, understood.”
“No, it’s not that I don’t want Mr. Death to come in. It’s just that I’m worried you might come in if I’m in trouble…”
The Saint finished her sentence and fidgeted with her fingers.
It was obvious she was embarrassed.
‘Even though I don’t know why she’s so bashful…’
Still, as someone living under her roof,
I shouldn’t create another awkward situation like before just because of me.
‘In that case, should I express one of my hopes?’
I looked at her expression for a moment, then spoke gently.
“Yes. I’ll definitely ask you first next time. So, Saint, if you’re in any danger, please be sure to tell me honestly.”
“S-so, honestly?”
The Saint hesitated, looking down to answer.
I thought I understood why.
[I don’t want to see Mr. Death get hurt…]
Perhaps because she has cared for people for so long,
The Saint has a tendency to over-protect even someone like me, a reaper.
Like when she threw herself to save me,
Or when she wouldn’t let me carry anything even though my arm was only a little hurt.
And earlier, even though she was shaking at the sight of such a big bug, she told me not to enter.
‘When such dangerous situations arise, she’ll try to hide them again.’
That was the Saint’s way.
Ignoring her own safety, she tries to take on all the risks alone…
Understanding the Saint’s actions,
I felt it wasn’t something that should be left as is.
Because I know it’s not always the best choice.
Especially in our situation where the only ones we can rely on are Saint and me.
‘Then, I should also fix my habit of hiding things.’
Eventually, I had to change as well.
So the Saint doesn’t have to bear the entire burden alone.
And more than anything else, so we can overcome the problems of this world together.
I smiled softly and took the Saint’s hand.
“Saint, I understand. I sometimes have that tendency too.”
“Such a tendency?”
“When things get tough, hiding them and trying to bear everything alone… Isn’t that what I do as well?”
The Saint looked at me in surprise for a moment, then nodded soon afterward.
“That’s not always the right choice. Especially when there’s someone you can rely on.”
“…Someone to rely on.”
“Yes. We are in the same boat, after all.”
I looked directly at her while continuing to speak firmly.
“I will be open from now on, so please be honest with me too. That way, we can solve things together, right?”
“Together?”
“Yes. Together.”
Suddenly, tears welled up in the Saint’s eyes.
Caught off guard, I tried to wipe them away, but the Saint quickly dabbed her eyes first.
Then she smiled brightly and nodded slowly.
“Uh… I’ll try…”
“Yes. I will do my best from now on.”
The Saint’s eyes gleamed with an idea as she grabbed my hand.
“Especially if you’re in pain! Even if it’s just a little pain, don’t hide it! Don’t think it’s fine!”
“…Yes, if I get even slightly hurt, I’ll report it.”
Hearing that, the Saint grinned and extended her pinky.
“Good! Then, no more hiding from each other!”
“Yes, understood. Saint must keep this promise too.”
“Yeah. T-then… this is me really being honest…”
The Saint turned red and hesitated.
The way she carefully checked my reaction created an oddly tense atmosphere.
After a while, the Saint clasped her hands tightly and looked at me.
“S-if we sleep together tonight…”
“I absolutely can’t agree to that.”
Thus, the Saint, who was rejected outright, remained dejected throughout the meal.