I don’t know what to do with the love letters piling up every day.
I’ve never received letters like this in my life, so I have no clue how to handle something from someone I’m not interested in. At least I should have received chocolates on Valentine’s Day to understand a bit.
“Can’t you just throw them away?”
Selena’s answer was simple.
Well, if you think about it, that’s true.
But, um, I don’t know, it feels a bit off.
When I think back to when I was a guy, I can imagine how terrible I would feel if the letter I gave to a girl confessing my feelings ended up in the trash. I can’t just toss them carelessly.
By the way, are there no letters from girls?
…Except for some letters, they were all colorful, and I had no idea which ones were from girls. How did they even get this stationery without going outside? Since they all look similar, it seems they were all bought from one place. Do they sell stationery at the snack counter too?
Honestly, receiving confessions from girls would be awkward too. Most decent-looking folks in this world would be happy to get any confession from a girl, but since I’m still stuck in a convent, I can’t openly date.
But wait, does the religion in this world allow same-sex relationships? The convent has a no-contact rule even between same genders, so it seems like there was some kind of incident, but I don’t know if they oppose same-gender relationships for non-nuns. I didn’t set that up or anything.
I only started reading yuri stories long after that, when I became a college student.
Oh, wait a minute.
The convent?
That’s right! I’m still living in the convent!
Ding!, an idea popped into my head.
While I’m living in the convent, I can’t date anyone — not same-gender or opposite-gender, any kind of relationship is off the table. Especially since I’ve already obtained the title of Saintess, the high-ups in the church would surely have a fit if I had a boyfriend.
So, my strategy would be: ‘Therefore, I cannot accept your feelings.’
But will hot-blooded teenage boys wait five more years for that? Of course, I really want to beg them not to wait.
An officer school is still an elite school, right? Plus, it’s co-ed, so I might end up with a girlfriend or something.
I shouldn’t be the one saying that, given that I graduated from a co-ed high school and didn’t have a single girlfriend.
But it’s not like I can go to each person one by one and return their letters. I’ve received more than twenty letters! Since these brave officer school cadets are sending letters, it’s almost half of the male cadets doing so.
Am I really going to track down each of these people, return their letters one by one, and sincerely apologize? Am I crazy?
“Hey, what’s up? Are you planning to take them?”
Feeling jubilant with a good idea, I started organizing all the letters on my desk, and Selena asked, seemingly surprised.
“What? No? I’m not taking them.”
“Then what’s with the tidy arrangement?”
“Well, I’m going to return them to the student council president of the officer school.”
“Return…?”
“Yes. Because I still live in the convent. I can’t have a boyfriend.”
“Oh, I see…?”
Selena’s expression became ambiguous. Was she shocked that I couldn’t date a boy? Well, from the perspective of typical teenagers, I might seem a bit pitiful.
In the dramas of this world, stories where nuns engage in forbidden relationships with men are quite common, but upon reflection, the influence of religion on society and people’s real lives here is dramatically different from what I experienced in my world.
It’s common for nuns to be dispatched to rehabilitation centers or for priests to teach history classes. So, from the eyes of people outside the church, it might seem very unfortunate for someone raised in a convent without ever dating.
In reality, once you turn 20, you can leave being a nun; they help with independence. If all orphans in society can’t marry or have kids, the population would decline further and further, so it’s more important for the church to spread the precisely trained kids into society to create connections.
It’s also about exerting influence over the academy and placing their recommended students.
Of course, if someone of priestly status escaped, they would be excommunicated right away.
In other words, these monks and nuns are just underage individuals under the church’s protection, masquerading as monks and nuns. Though if someone wants to continue that life, they can, but how many would actually choose that?
In truth, my very own setting was just a setup for a happy ending after a conquest, stating ‘you can quit after turning 20’.
Anyway, tales of forbidden love with nuns, as portrayed in dramas or movies, are just that — stuff of fiction. If they want, they can just quit and get married. The church even provides wedding gifts.
Priests also have no real way to be dealt with by the church other than excommunication. I think I read somewhere about conspiracies of sending assassins, but I doubt a church with incredibly rational inquisitors would bother with that hassle. If they had that kind of force, they’d all be at the frontlines.
“Uh… never mind. Don’t worry about it.”
Selena seemed to want to say something but trailed off when I faced her.
“Uh? Wasn’t there something you wanted to say?”
“No, um. I feel like anything I say won’t get through.”
That’s kind of suspicious.
*
…If I just return them without reading, won’t the senders get hurt a lot?
That question loomed up in Selena’s throat, but she decided not to say anything. After all, Clara was extraordinarily dense about this stuff. I couldn’t assure her I had the confidence to explain the difference between being rejected after a confession and being blocked before even getting to confess.
Maybe she was just completely clueless about dating.
Given how pale her face turned when she opened those letters, I could see that was a reasonable assumption.
No, more importantly, it’s Clara who’s still walking around with teddy bear underwear at this age.
Selena gave Clara a once-over from head to toe.
Every time I see it, she just has an endless amount in all the right places.
It’s more surprising that they make teddy bear underwear in this size.
Should we go to an underwear store together sometime? Selena was suddenly deep in thought.
*
Even if there are joint classes, usually, cadets experience advanced and experimental lectures from the academy to broaden their thinking.
For example, the living patterns are entirely different.
Officer cadets live a military lifestyle. They wake up early in the morning, do a quick roll call and exercises, clean up, attend classes, and do training… To phrase it more accurately, it’s like a mix of military life with academy life.
Of course, it’s far more free and creative compared to the Korean military I experienced, but it still feels way more standardized than the academy, where you sometimes wonder if these individuals even go to the same school.
Of course, since the academy is a school too, the majority of the time students spend there is filled with dull classes.
Especially history or foreign language courses are no different from the world I came from. The history classes are especially notorious for boring lectures that read like a textbook, making it excruciatingly dull. Plus, there’s so much to memorize, and the teacher is a church priest, which makes it notorious for lulling students to sleep.
But outside of these theoretical lessons, they really let the students loose.
When we did sparring classes not long after entering, they often forced kids who don’t get along or feel awkward together, but as time went by and they got friendly, they were allowed to choose their own opponents.
Then, while watching, they repeatedly talk about how to respond and how they should have countered, helping them strategize.
The varieties of powers the students captivate are vastly diverse, and their ways of employing those abilities differ greatly. Even the same magic can be handled in completely different ways, like Selena’s use of a bow and Aurora’s use of a wand.
Even Erica and I, who have immense talent for healing, fought completely differently. I primarily attacked with strength while Erica defended with magic.
That’s how it works to help students blossom creatively. There are several auditoriums fortified with astronomical costs spent on accident-prevention magic, ensuring safety.
There’s a significant difference between how the academy maximizes cooperation efficiency by modularizing combat styles, while officer schools emphasize individual combat abilities to adapt to any situation.
Once class is done, the students enjoy true freedom after school. They can go home or stay at school for club activities. There are plenty of empty rooms, support from the government is robust, and the church is secretly investing, so students can easily create their own clubs after going through a simple approval process.
Maintaining these club activities can be a valuable tool when seeking employment after graduation, making students less likely to head straight home.
As a side note, while Rina and I stayed behind daily for sparring, the ‘Dueling Club’ was somehow formed with members like Selena, Satsuki, Jian, Aurora, and Linnea. Our homeroom teacher Seo-A must have definitely monitored what students were doing inside the school intensely without us realizing.
Though the name sounds fierce, it’s definitely a helpful place. Of course, I didn’t worry too much about stats but the rest just went home besides helping out with training or watching sparring sessions.
Well — anyway, that’s the current situation.
Living in a place like this that’s a complete 180 from everything they grew up with! And realize! That’s the original intent behind this all.
Teachers insist not to lose, partly due to pride but also because the goal itself is a part of the training process.
The confessions I received (or similar confessions, or perhaps the groundwork to confess) were probably also possible because of that.
Even though it’s co-ed, officer school strictly prohibits dating.
Though such a rule may weigh little against the determination of some, generally speaking, the occurrences would be rare compared to the academy. At the academy, it’s common to hear about who’s dating who in certain classes and how much chocolate they’ve received.
Since it’s like this here, to put it plainly, one could say it’s ‘looser.’
“…Can I ask what this is about?”
So, when I approached Lin with a rather thick bundle of letters, it was no surprise that her expression immediately darkened.
Seeing the envelopes I held — some of which were a bright pink, blatantly saying ‘this is a love letter’ — she probably had a rough idea.
“Uh, well…”
Thinking about it, bringing them here felt a little inappropriate. It’s like I’m handing the letters from people who confessed to me over to someone whose job is to manage it, right? Is this even right?
Of course, it’s totally ridiculous, isn’t it?
I thrust the stack of letters toward Lin and said, “These might be letters confessing love to me.”
“Is that so…?”
Lin, caught off guard, took the pile with a really perplexed expression. Seeing her face turn bright red, it seems she might feel embarrassed, though more likely it’s the disgrace of her school’s students doing something like that.
“Um, I’m in a convent near the church right now. I’m afraid I can’t accept any feelings… and my position makes me more cautious. I know it’s extremely rude, but is there any chance I could return these to their owners?”
I originally thought it was ridiculous, but upon reflection, it felt wrong.
Regardless of my position, it doesn’t make sense to delegate this to someone else. It’s less about one’s position and more about whether it’s misleading to offload the responsibility.
And the more I spoke, the quieter my voice became, and my face reddened.
Hmm, if I ask now, it might seem foolish?
“Ahem.”
Lin cleared her throat and took a deep breath to steady her expression. Unlike me, who feels embarrassment that hasn’t faded, Lin composed herself and bowed her head in front of me.
“First, I sincerely apologize for causing discomfort due to this embarrassing matter for the Saintess.”
“Oh, um, that’s not really…”
I was shocked, but it’s not like I was offended. She didn’t even curse at me.
“But…”
Lin trailed off. What is that? Does she genuinely think I should return them myself? I felt anxious watching Lin when her face turned crimson again as she rifled through the pile.
Then, she pulled out one of the white envelopes from among the collection and handed it to me.
“This is… not every single letter is a confession of love. But it could easily be misunderstood. Such things should have been conveyed face-to-face…”
“Um? Ex… excuse me…?”
An inarticulate sound escaped my lips.
“This is… a letter of thanks I personally wrote. I hope you read it.”
Blushing fiercely, Lin said that and added, “The remaining letters I promise to return to the respective senders. I will firmly instruct them to ‘directly’ hand it to the Saintess, so there shouldn’t be any letters unworthy of your attention. Then.”
“Oh, um…!”
I called out to her, but it was already too late.
Lin quickly ran off and turned the corner, leaving me crouching with my hands on my head.
You idiot…! At least check the contents of the letters first!!
Thinking back, not every letter had to be a love letter. There might be regular letters among them, just like Lin’s.
Seeing the first letter shocked me, I hastily concluded that the rest must be love letters!
I sensed it.
This would haunt me and cause me to kick off my blanket every night until my life ended. The blankets I end up using will likely last way shorter than usual. Oh, what a sin!
Lost in such absurd delusions to escape reality, I felt someone gently tapping my shoulder.
Looking up, I found Erica standing there.
“…”
Erica stood there looking as if she were seriously pondering what to say.
“…Did you see?”
“Yeah.”
“Ahhh…”
It’s over. This life is ruined. I left behind the worst dark history since arriving here…!
As I sunk into despair, feeling as though I touched the bottom, I felt another tap on my shoulder.
Looking up, Erica was still standing there.
“I heard earlier, were those letters love letters?”
“…”
What am I supposed to say?
“…Not all of them were, but yeah.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say that ‘except for one, they might all be love letters.’ Erica was looking at me with sparkling eyes.
What is this? I feel guilt creeping in.
As I seriously considered the source of that guilt, Erica opened her mouth.
“Um, I have a favor to ask.”
Erica’s shy manner was incredibly cute. Seeing that made my guilt multiply. Why?
“Clara seems popular with the boys… so could you tell me how to do that…?”
Ah, I see. That’s why I felt guilt.
I wasn’t lying when I said that, but Erica had been misled by my words.
Not every letter was a love letter. Thus, it’s possible that most could be love letters.
I guess she made that judgment.
“Popular…?”
“Yeah. You know, I have someone I like.”
Shyly nodding, Erica said that, and I could only grasp my head once more.
How on earth am I supposed to fix this?
Goddess, please tell me…!
[I’m sorry. That’s beyond my knowledge as well…]
Right, true…!
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