It was evening by the time I returned. Well, considering it was already afternoon when I visited the local government office, it was only natural to think that making a round trip that takes 40 minutes each way by subway would lead to evening.
After all, even when I left the building, I received an offer to get a ride, but since I wanted to escape from those officials as quickly as possible, I chose to take the subway with my companions instead. Sure, it would take longer this way, but at least I didn’t have to mingle with government employees.
I think the officials commented on my frugality when they saw me, but my head was so filled with the desire to run away that I couldn’t fully process what they were saying, so I couldn’t remember the exact details of the conversation.
“Uh, I just prefer to take the car…”
“…”
“The subway isn’t that bad, right?”
In the meantime, one of the reasons for this situation was subtly trying to take the easy route, so I glared at them, and they quickly changed their words. They seemed aware that they had been paid to bring us this far.
I intended to ask various questions on the way back, but by sheer coincidence, the time we boarded the subway coincided with the peak commuter rush.
The subway in the Beastman society was built long ago, and while it was still undergoing expansion at this very moment, it was slowly progressing, much like tax-funded transportation projects—digging the ground with a teaspoon, as they say.
While important areas were somewhat manageable, there were quite a few “non-station areas” within the city, and the further you got from the center, the sparser the stations became, often just passing by places where no one lived.
Anyway, Beastmen worked in the expensive central areas just like humans, returning to their homes on the outskirts after work. So, it was no surprise that the subway was packed.
Yeah. I had been going to a school I could reach by walking every day and flew to faraway places, or rode in a private car—I had completely overlooked that fact. Damn it!
Looking at it this way, I too had privilege, but I couldn’t understand why I kept forgetting the power dynamics between important people.
…Anyway, what I wanted to say is that while I was being pushed around in the subway, I didn’t have the chance to talk to anyone else. Naturally, I didn’t get to ask Jane anything either.
Why were all Beastmen so tall? Did it have something to do with their past where strength decided everything?
In the end, when we got off the subway, I, Aurora, and Linea were all completely exhausted and didn’t feel like doing anything. The bouquet that had been fresh only 40 minutes ago was half crushed, half fallen, and wilted completely.
At least we were lucky that the area where we were doing volunteer work was on the outskirts, at the last stop, so the train stopped at each station. Most of the time, we managed to get off quickly and sit down in the seats at the end.
“That’s why we should have taken the car. Sure, the road from the city to here was likely a nightmare, but an expensive car has good air conditioning!”
Jane, the only one among us that still looked fine, annoyingly said that.
Being trapped for almost an hour in a pleasant luxury car with a government official who had a lot to say versus being stuck in the hellish subway for 40 minutes where comfort, ride quality, and temperature couldn’t compete with even a car’s wheels—it was too extreme of a choice.
Looking at the three of us sprawled across the table at the bar, Jane, who started polishing the glass she had just cleaned, said with a perfectly composed expression, “Kids these days really lack stamina,” and I felt a bit of respect for her.
“So, you seemed like you had a lot to say. Were you going to ask something?”
Jane asked me while I was sprawled against the bar with my cheek resting on my hand, but,
“No… I’ll ask tomorrow…”
I replied in a voice that sounded like I was dying.
“Well, I figured you would.”
Jane smiled, then took a note from the memo pad next to the register, scribbled something on it, and slid it toward me.
The memo was filled with quite a long string of numbers. Noticing the slash in the middle…
“Is this… your phone number?”
“No, it’s an account number.”
Jane said, tapping the memo pad with her fingertips.
“That will be 200,000 credits, please, ma’am.”
“…”
Oh, right, well. I was the one who suggested it first.
The benefits of hiring her were evident. So evident that it was a problem.
…But why did it have to be so irksome?
*
The next morning.
Still, what happened the previous day wasn’t something that would take a toll on my stamina. The fatigue of my mood and mind wouldn’t completely affect my physical fatigue, but with my quite talented body that had been rolling around for the past six months, such a variable couldn’t possibly cause any harm by the next morning.
Moreover, considering the workload of the nuns who were doing volunteer work, they usually refrained from bothering us too much outside of their working hours, so I actually had more sleep than I did at the convent. Naturally, I had to be in a fresher state in the morning.
The problem was that there was news that would snatch that freshness away in an instant.
“Saint Clara?”
I had just taken a light shower at the lodging and was dishing up breakfast at the cafeteria—now serving breakfast after the morning time—and someone approached me and cautiously spoke.
“Yes?”
Turning my head toward the voice, I saw the guiding priest leading the nuns who had come for volunteer work.
This priest was certainly younger than Father Nguyen from the Central Church I stayed at in the 21st District, and perhaps because of that, he seemed exceptionally passionate about volunteering, saying things like, “We must not refuse even when the other side rejects us.”
That guiding priest was looking at me with a very serious expression.
…Uh-oh, it seemed I was about to hear some news that would ruin my appetite right from the morning.
Thinking that inwardly and striving to keep such thoughts from showing on my face, the priest quietly opened a newspaper.
I was holding my tray with both hands, so it seemed he made that move for my sake, but unfortunately, what he unfolded was a newspaper, and on the front page of that newspaper, there was a large headline stating, “Is She Truly a ‘Saint’? Discussing the Welfare of the Beastman Autonomous Region with the Church’s Leader.”
Fortunately, my photo wasn’t there. It seemed they were treating it as an official visit, but I had hurriedly come and gone without time for any photo.
“Um… I can explain everything…”
No, there was no way I could explain. I had no idea why the local daily newspaper would write about me as if I were the church’s sole leader, but if I were to explain that…
Would I first need to apologize, I wondered, seriously contemplating, when suddenly the newspaper that was spread wide in front of me went ‘whoosh’ and…
A beaming smile that seemed to shine bursting forth greeted me from the guiding priest’s face.
“Thank you, Saint! To achieve what we’ve repeatedly requested only to be refused, you have accomplished it all at once! Truly, it’s evident that the goddess sent you here! Ah, of course, your lovely heart for coming here is also incredibly important!”
Seeing that priest who was excitedly showering me with praises, I wanted to hide my face behind the tray I was still holding.
Ah, yes, this person was an extremely passionate volunteer.
I had taken the soup first, and now I was unable to move at all, so I could only awkwardly smile back at the priest with an uneasy expression.
*
The support in terms of human and material resources wasn’t a lie.
While some sort of agreement was made, considering that nothing had officially been drafted, seeing them provide instant support made me realize that the government was genuinely serious about me.
Of course, I couldn’t know what specifics might be hidden within that sincerity.
Honestly, I felt like the places I could escape to were dwindling.
…No, it’s more comfortable to think that now there’s no place left to run.
“Good day! I’m Elliot, here to support your volunteer activities from today!”
Indeed. After breakfast, I found people already waiting for us.
Every single one of them had a pair of animal ears on their heads, so unless there was some strange person with a peculiar taste wearing animal ear headbands, they were mostly likely government officials sent from the Beastman region.
Now that I think about it, does wearing something like animal ear headbands fall under discrimination here? It’s not like I have any reason to wear such a thing, but… I guess I should check on that later.
The number of volunteers sent by the government was twenty. While that doesn’t particularly seem large at first glance, combining it with the roughly forty volunteers regularly dispatched by the church, things would likely become significantly easier.
“…I’m Saint Clara Anderson. Nice to meet you.”
Just yesterday, the guiding priest was the representative of the volunteers, so I wondered why I was the one greeting them.
Peeking over at the priest, the volunteer enthusiast looking priest was just grinning from ear to ear.
“Well then, please share the details with this guiding priest here. They’re the one who has been leading the volunteer group for a long time, so they’ll know much better than I do what tasks you need to handle.”
Since I knew that I wouldn’t naturally know how to manage all twenty of those people, I quickly handed them over to the guiding priest.
“Uh, that is—”
The volunteer with rabbit ears who introduced himself as Elliot seemed to have something to say, but,
“Please, follow me this way. I have been looking forward to meeting you all since I received word yesterday. I’ve already distributed the tasks as fairly as possible, so let’s go in and discuss it.”
I was immediately seized by the priest who took over the role from me.
Of course, I hastily made my exit in the meantime.
With such overflowing passion, at least until I needed to go out for volunteer work, they would likely be occupied.
…If I happened to run into them while doing volunteer work outside, well, I’ll think about that when the time comes.
In any case, putting off the bothersome and difficult tasks is the way to go. Isn’t that right?
*
About an hour later.
Leaving behind the quite deserted breakfast cafeteria, where hardly anyone came, I commenced the task of catching the wild children who seemed either on the verge of malnutrition or already confirmed to be, now darting around the alleys.
Actually, volunteer work by an adult who can refuse has no solution if someone refuses, but with children who have no guardians, it was a different story.
Somehow, I had to catch them, feed them, bathe them, and put them to sleep. If possible, we should try to find their parents, and while it might sound a little cruel, if it was confirmed they had no parents, I would send them to some care facility. Of course, being from the church, the children I managed to catch would likely end up at the convent or with the nuns.
Though not many, I heard that some rescued Beastman children were managing to adapt to life, so maybe it wouldn’t be such a big problem… However, those kids, who had been living freely in the alleyways, would probably feel seriously stifled in such places.
If you asked me if there were any other methods, well, there was no choice but to head to the extremely limited local orphanages. Otherwise, it would be to wait for adoption.
“…”
“…”
So, I was having a staring contest today with that little rascal I saw yesterday.
The little kid with cat ears and unkempt hair looked even more bedraggled than yesterday. They were skinny, but seeing how well they could run suggested they might not be at the stage of malnutrition yet.
I couldn’t determine whether malnutrition could even be judged in such a way since I wasn’t an expert.
However, if I were to ask whether today was “completely the same” as yesterday, I could say with certainty that it was definitely not.
Because unlike yesterday, I now had one item in my hand.
“Come on, let’s see you run away.”
The circular shield I had been carrying around since coming to this world—a trusty object that had always blocked the attacks aimed at me while rolling both here and there as friend—well, I had brought it out because I thought it was finally time for it to shine.
Although I had thought about borrowing a tower shield carried by the guards, it would have been quite cumbersome to run around the alleys with that. With me holding it, I wouldn’t even be able to see in front of me.
I grabbed the edge of the circular shield and slammed it down onto the ground with a thud. The shield, coming up to my hip level, perfectly shielded my legs.
“You’re using tools; that’s cowardly!”
The kid protested, but I simply let out a huff of laughter in response.
“The purpose of our hands, with five flexible fingers on each side, is to use tools.”
That’s right. Humans don’t have long fangs like tigers or powerful forehands like bears… Ah, I think I’ve said this before.
Anyway, not using tools is a foolish act.
And yesterday’s me was foolish.
But humans are beings who learn from their failures.
Learning from past mistakes and taking one step further! That is the path humans should take!
“Well, fine, you say that, so I can’t possibly run away…”
“Ah!”
Just as I was saying that, the little rascal suddenly charged at me. Who’s the coward here?
But, as I already mentioned, today I had a tool.
As I moved the shield to block the path of that little creature wanting to head to my right—
“Gap!”
He slowed down right in front of me, twisting his body.
But there was no way I would miss that. I had some confidence in my reflexes. I hadn’t been idly playing around in the duel club for several months!
I tried to pull the shield back to block his way again, but—
In an instant, that damn little brat grabbed the hem of my already short skirt.
“…”
“…”
And thus ensued a tense standoff.
“Should we talk about this while you let me go?”
I asked in a very serious tone, but,
“If you let me pass, I’ll let go.”
This bold little brat declared that so confidently.
Alright, then I just need to slam my head down and knock him out. If I hit him, he won’t even remember it, and I’ll just heal the injury with a spell. As for the fainting… I’ll just say he fell while running around.
But no, that wasn’t right.
No matter how you look at it, being violent towards a little kid like this…
I slowly moved one hand to grip the hem…
“Whoa, hold it right there.”
At those words, I couldn’t help but stop.
“If you move at all, this skirt will go whoosh right up.”
“…cowardly…”
“Who was the one talking about using tools earlier?”
That was me.
Mind you, I didn’t say that the tool was someone else’s.
“Isn’t it strange that you’re running around in such a short skirt if you were just going to leap around like that?”
The little brat hit the nail on the head regarding the key point.
Really, who thought it would be a good idea to make a saint wear such a short skirt?
For reference, it wasn’t me.
The only short skirts I could think of were the nun’s outfit and a female priest’s robe. There’s never even been a saint in the first place!
…Though I knew it was a pathetic excuse, it was still the case.
“So, do you often do this with other nuns?”
“Who cares? Losing to someone embarrassed is the real loss here, isn’t it?”
That’s true. If I was embarrassed, the situation would have turned into a boon. I could just grab him and that would be the end of the story.
“Isn’t it embarrassing to see a woman’s… undergarments?”
Of course, I said that knowing full well he would do this because he wouldn’t be embarrassed, but just to probe.
“Not really? I’m a girl anyway.”
Ah, I see. If it were same-sex, one might not feel embarrassed.
…
What?
“A girl?”
I repeated.
“Then what else would I be? No cute boys like this exist in the world!”
The little rascal had a confidence that was so infuriating.
But, I felt grateful for that expression because it allowed me to do something without any hesitation.
“Is that so?”
Responding like that, I unhesitatingly tossed aside the shield and embraced the little rascal’s waist tightly.
“Ahh! What are you doing?!”
Without delay, his hands shot upwards but—
“It doesn’t matter if a girl’s underwear is accidentally revealed to another girl. Isn’t that right?”
Before he could protest, I effortlessly lifted him over my shoulder. With my remaining hand, I dusted off my flipped-up skirt to put it back in order.
I hadn’t completely forgotten my identity as a male. To be honest, the physical aspect was still more male than anything. I felt more excited by women than men. The embarrassment when the body was exposed was greater towards women.
But, when it came to a little brat like this, the story changed.
It’s not like he would have any reason to think about such things.
The problem started if that little brat were a boy, and I would get outraged quite a bit.
Why, you ask?
I went through that phase, too.
Just because he’s little doesn’t mean he has no interest in sex or that he wouldn’t be excited. I had been attracted to pretty girls with great bodies since elementary school.
So thinking about that little brat committing sexual harassment towards me would infuriate me a hundredfold.
But a girl, then?
At least she wouldn’t have any reason to think that about this body.
That’s your fatal flaw, little brat.
Having tidied up the hem of my skirt, I bent down to pick up the shield.
“Gotcha!”
And I shouted toward the alley exit.
The knights hearing my voice rushed into the alley. Two knights had their long nets spread wide.
“There’s a trap! That’s cowardly!”
“Hoho, humans are beings that live together.”
The little rascal squirmed on my shoulder, but that was meaningless now that he had already been caught.
“Indeed, Saint, you’re impressive!”
“I can’t tell you how much trouble this little punk has caused us….”
They said that this troublemaking brat had stolen a wallet each time he disappeared.
Even though he was too young to face legal consequences, the fact that he got caught would still be a disgrace for him.
Plus, we could at least dig up some information about that mysterious person who had been instilling bad thoughts into the children somewhere.
“Let me go! I’ll kill you!”
Even while being handed over to the knights, the little brat shouted fiercely but flailing his legs would only hurt his own feet, hitting the knights’ armor.
“Now shall we head off?”
“Yes!”
The knights replied loudly to my question.
*
When that nameless little brat arrived at the camp, he was slumped down. After struggling with all his might, it was only natural that his energy would wear out soon. But at least it was nice and quiet.
“Saint!”
…No, not nice at all.
I momentarily forgot that there was someone at the camp I didn’t want to meet.
Responding to the thought of doing community service, a guiding priest greeted me cheerfully, with the sweat glistening on his forehead while smiling brightly, seemingly not at all tired despite having been preparing dinner.
“I have some good news!”
Hmm, I felt like even hearing it wouldn’t make me happy.
“I’ve heard that the government has decided to support us, and the Central Church has also promised additional personnel support on the fly. They have already sent a vanguard while you were active, dear Saint! Oh, what a blessing this is!”
Oh… yes, great, that’s good to hear.
It felt like the church was entering a competition with the government, but at least things were going well.
…But the fact that I might be the focal point of that competition was quite unsettling.
“Oh, I should at least introduce you to the sisters who made the advance this way. Please come with me.”
I first inclined my head slightly to the knights and then followed the guiding priest.
At least I thought meeting people sent from the central government wouldn’t be as uncomfortable, and that turned out to be correct.
“…”
The sisters who would be working alongside us from the advance team were mostly just ordinary nuns. Some of them were older than me, but they all had calm expressions, so I wouldn’t feel too uncomfortable. Perhaps the church had selected them because they already knew about my personality.
And, of course, the church was fully aware of my character and friendships, and someone precisely suitable was being introduced—
“Was it all your doing?”
Refraining from shouting out loud, she pinched her nose with her thumb and index finger. She was a woman whose pink hair matched the nun’s outfit quite well.
Well, there was no need to hide it; her name was Rina Hicks.
Faced with her, I seriously began to deliberate on whether I should say I was sorry or just smile broadly.
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