I Won't Hurt You

“You get embarrassed so easily, Sister Tina. Honestly, holding hands between girls is no big deal, but then again, you rarely make friends on your own initiative.”

“...” Tina nodded. Looking at it from that perspective, it really was nothing.

Afterward, they crossed three streets and went to an upscale beverage shop.

Artistic lettering was casually carved into a giant signboard, as if the owner thought this looked more “personalized.”

Although it was called an upscale beverage shop, it still fell a bit short compared to the high-end restaurants at the Holy Academy. They found a table at the edge of the room to eat, as it was relatively quiet there.

Sathya, however, really liked this kind of restaurant.

She ordered several cartons of milk tea... Yes, several cartons, not just two.

Inside the paper cartons were magical pouches that served as the containers for the milk tea. Poking the straw through the pouch was simple and convenient.

The milk tea was brown with a few ice cubes floating on top. Its cloyingly sweet flavor seemed to come from yellow rock sugar and sweet osmanthus honey.

“Sister Tina, I've never tried this flavor of yours before.”

“All of these flavors are different.”

“Yes! I've been here before, but it wasn't this crowded back then.”

Tina had originally thought this was just perfectly normal small talk, but to her surprise, Sathya suddenly snatched her milk tea, and the two of them swapped drinks.

This shouldn't have been a big deal.

However, she could sense Sathya's lingering taste on the straw.

Having undergone similar training, her senses of smell and taste were exceptionally sharp.

Thus, when her lips touched the straw, she tasted something akin to a kiss.

Was this idiot doing it on purpose? No, no, no...

Suddenly, a woman walked over.

“Aren't you the apprentice Saintess, Lady Sathya?” The owner had suddenly spotted the silver hair and a face identical to the one in the newspapers, quickly recognizing her. “Lady Sathya, whatever you order today is on the house! Thank you for protecting humanity and slaying that magical beast.”

“Mhm, oh.”

“Thank you so very much.”

Several people nearby also voiced their gratitude.

But whenever moments like this arose, Sathya would display a look of great impatience.

She no longer seemed to enjoy being praised and surrounded by people.

It was completely different from how she used to be.

The shop owner brought over pizza, fries, and their signature tomato soup. After taking a few quick bites, Sathya left with Tina. She was clearly in a bad mood.

Only then did Tina remember that magical beasts possessed a natural, instinctive aversion to humans.

But she didn't hate me.

That was right...

【Sathya's Obsession: 750】

【Host, how many times do I have to tell you? All of this is fake. You don't deserve to be by her side.】

【Have you really immersed yourself in this hypocritical illusion?】

【How laughable. How could this world ever grant you a moment of respite?】

“Sister Tina, do you want to eat anything else?”

“...What?” Tina had just snapped out of the System's whispers and hadn't quite heard her.

“Are you still hungry?”

“I'm not hungry anymore. I'm full.”

“That's good.”

Sathya smiled tenderly once more. It seemed that simply looking at me and being my girlfriend was enough to make her happy.

Even if all of this was fake.

Sathya did not let go of her hand.

After they walked for two blocks, a familiar girl stepped forward and greeted them.

“Tina, Sathya?”

The newcomer was none other than Krulu, an apprentice Saintess of the Nightingale Society.

Krulu Sarather.

The eldest daughter of the Sarather family.

The one known as the Goddess of Winter, who was also, in reality, Tina's rival.

She wore a top hat and a tailcoat. The gender-neutral attire did nothing to conceal her feminine charm.

She had some guards with her, but she had left them all far behind.

She was also out for a stroll. Upon spotting the familiar figures, she eagerly walked over to greet them.

“Miss Krulu.”

“Mhm~ Ah, I feel like Tina is exceptionally beautiful today! Usually you just look cute, but today you seem to have a completely different aura.”

Sathya originally had no interest in speaking with this person, but hearing these words, she smiled knowingly.

Krulu seemed to have already apologized to Sathya. The rudeness from the meeting appeared to be water under the bridge.

“How about we play ‘Truth Draw’?”

Simply put, it was a variation of Truth or Dare. Whichever slip you drew, you had to answer the question on it.

The “Truth Draw” activity was set up in an alley off a luxurious street, and those running it appeared to be students as well.

A crowd of female students was gathered around. Everyone got one free draw; the lucky ones received prizes, while the unlucky ones would draw a “Truth Draw” slip.

Sathya drew a prize.

But Krulu wasn't so lucky. She drew a Truth Draw slip.

Fortunately, the question on it was quite simple and not at all difficult to answer.

“What kind of person do you want to become in the future?”

Krulu scratched her head. “I want to become someone even more outstanding than my father.”

At this, some who knew Krulu began to tease her, while others simply laughed and cheered along. This seemed to be where the fun lay.

Unfortunately, Tina also drew a Truth Draw slip.

“Who is your favorite person?” she read aloud from the slip.

Instantly, everyone's eyes locked onto her, while Sathya's face turned as red as a peach from nervousness.

“Sathya.”

“Oh, wow!” The crowd cheered. Then, some began to wonder if that wasn't a girl's name.

Only then did they realize that she was actually talking about the legendary apprentice Saintess!

But since some had never seen Sathya before, they didn't realize the person herself was standing right there in the crowd.

Krulu pressed her hands together.

“I can't offer any other blessings, but I hope you two stay together forever!”

“Sister Tina~” Sathya was so moved that she actually began to wipe away tears. She didn't even care that this relationship was fake.

Just like how I never cared about the mistakes Sathya had made in the past.

Sometimes, I really forgot that she was a magical beast.

Or rather, were magical beasts actually not that bad...?

No, I shouldn't have such dangerous thoughts. Sathya was special. Only she was unique.

Afterward, Sathya took her to a delicious noodle shop. Lobster and cheese were among her favorite foods.

They could easily afford this slightly more upscale restaurant with their current financial situation.

Especially for Sathya, who was the Saintess; her scholarship alone was a massive fortune that even some wealthy elites couldn't match, not to mention the numerous investments she received from the royal family.

If they hadn't gone out on a date, Sathya would probably be bogged down by meetings with various high-ranking figures, unable to truly let loose.

Because of this, Tina felt a bit guilty toward her.

Around dinnertime, Tina was dragged along to the theater to watch a few shows, and they bought every little trinket available inside.

Although it was called a date, in the end, Tina was dragged all over the place by Sathya the entire day.

It wasn't until around eight in the evening that they finally headed back to the Holy Academy.

Upon returning to the dormitory, before they parted ways, Sathya proposed going to Tina's room to take care of her.

Her reason was that she had purchased some medicine for treating wounds, hoping to help alleviate Tina's pain and symptoms, as she still didn't know what strange illness Tina had contracted.

But Tina seemed to have fallen into a pattern of thinking. She had originally wanted to use the girlfriend status to avoid the tracking and interference of the Deceptive Magical Beast, but now, it seemed Sathya was about to take full advantage of this “girlfriend” role.

“Be a little gentle...” Tina lowered her head.

“Don't worry, Sister Tina. I won't hurt you~”