No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 16

EP.16

Chapter 2

Encounters and Opportunities (3)

I woke up in the middle of the night again.

My stomach growled loudly, as usual.

If I had to faint, it would have been nice if I’d just stayed unconscious until morning. That way, I could’ve just waited until breakfast.

But after using up all my energy to perform another divine power ritual, my head was buzzing as well.

I seriously debated whether to endure the hunger and go back to sleep or fill my stomach once again.

The answer came quickly. I couldn’t sleep well on an empty stomach.

In my previous life, I hadn’t been this sensitive about hunger. But then again, metabolism at thirty and at twenty are worlds apart.

Even though I wasn’t in my teenage years of peak growth, I was still in a high-energy stage of life.

Besides, even though I was technically twenty by Korean age, I was still just nineteen. Just barely still in my teens, really, and at an age where I could get away with stuffing my face with whatever I could find.

Clutching my empty stomach, I headed toward the counseling room.

There might still be some ramen hidden away from last time. Ria had insisted on stockpiling a few cans of tuna as well, so I was all set—

“—Ah!”

But, unfortunately…

The counseling room lights were fully on. A strip of bright light spilled conspicuously from beneath the door, a clear sign that someone was inside.

…No matter how much this convent respected individual freedoms, its rules were far stricter than those in the outside world. Wandering around at night was prohibited, for one.

Probably because they wanted to avoid people sneaking into each other’s rooms to party. They likely worried about things getting rowdy or, heaven forbid, a bit too friendly.

Still, they didn’t actually have anyone patrolling at night, but… anyhow.

What should I do?

If someone was in the counseling room at this hour, it was most likely the Mother Superior. Either she’d caught someone else sneaking in here at night, or she had an important guest visiting at this late hour.

Either way, this was not the time to knock on the door and ask, “Excuse me, I’m starving. Mind if I cook the ramen I stashed in here?”

The thought of being unable to quell my hunger stung my nose.

As I turned to leave, tears welling in my eyes—

Then the door burst open.

“Eek!?”

I let out half a squeak, the sound halfway between a hamster and a scream, startled by the door’s sudden swing. Quickly, I turned my head, trying to think up any excuse—

And nearly fainted at the scent wafting from beyond the door.

A slightly spicy, unmistakably artificial aroma, the kind that only came from instant soup packets. And the soft bubbling of something delicious simmering away.

I hadn’t smelled it in ages, but it was unforgettable.

“…Packaged ramen.”

Yes. That thick aroma you could never get from pouring boiling water into a cup ramen. The rich, bubbling sound of it cooking right then and there, not just soaked in hot water like tea. And somewhere in the mix, the faint scent of egg cooking.

For someone as hungry as I was, that smell was absolutely irresistible. I couldn’t help but fix my gaze on the open door.

“Oh, I was just about to call you.”

Said Ria, standing there in the doorway.

Honestly, a million things crossed my mind when I saw her like that.

Wasn’t it a bit too risky to openly set up a portable stove on the table and cook ramen in an aluminum pot at this hour?

And more importantly, where on earth did she get that portable stove and pot? Could she have swiped them from the kitchen?

But I was too hungry to voice any of those questions.

Grrrrowl.

Already half-losing my grip on rationality at the smell of delicious food, I stepped into the counseling room before I could say anything.

“How… how did you even manage all this?”

I asked, the words finally coming to mind as if I’d just remembered to ask.

“Oh, that.”

Not that I really needed her answer; I was already seated by then.

Actually, I sat down and then immediately stood back up. Sitting like that made it hard to see what was in the pot.

There, in the pot, nestled two egg yolks, round and intact. Not fully cooked, they were gently soft-boiled, looking just the right consistency—not too runny, not too firm.

Moved by this unexpected sight, I picked up a ladle with prongs on one side—who knows where she got it—and scooped up a portion of noodles, placing it neatly into the bowl in front of me. Steam rose up and hit me right in the face.

It looked like a one-way ticket to a calorie overload, but I couldn’t have cared less. I was satisfied. In fact, not scooping up both eggs was about the only rational decision I managed to make in that moment.

“Thanks for the meal.”

I said, picking up my chopsticks. Ria had already sat down and was breaking a yolk over the noodles, mixing it gently and then slurping up a mouthful.

“Hoo, haa.”

Breathing in and out to cool off the hot noodles, I let the rich, creamy texture of the half-cooked yolk coat my mouth first, bringing a deep eggy flavor, followed by the spicy, artificial taste of the ramen broth soaking into the noodles. It was searingly hot but overwhelmingly delicious.

So good.

Sniffling a bit, I chewed and swallowed the noodles, then eagerly went in for the next bite.

“Hey, hey, you’re going to burn your mouth at this rate. Eat slowly.”

Ria said.

I have to eat it quickly before we get caught, right?

Or, at least, that was what I was trying to say, though the noodles filling my mouth turned the words into a muffled jumble. At least the last four words came out more or less clear after I swallowed.

“Relax. No one’s going to catch you.”

She replied, somehow understanding perfectly. She settled comfortably in her chair as she said it.

I paused mid-bite, chopsticks hovering in midair, then Ria let out a chuckle at my reaction.

“So, this is how you’ve been getting by all this time? Saving people, then collapsing, waking up in the middle of the night to sneak a meal. Just how many years have you been living like that?”

I slurped up the noodles, frowning slightly. Since Ria assured me it was fine, I took my time a bit more with this bowlful. After about three bites, my stomach began to feel a little more settled. Still hot, but manageable.

“What kind of question is that? I’ve just been following the rules, that’s all.”

“No, I mean, there are certain exceptions to rules that just… come up, you know? Even the strictest Mother Superior wouldn’t let a kid who saved lives starve just because she fell asleep before eating dinner.”

“…”

Oh, really?

I’d only been trying to avoid waking the Mother Superior at night since she, like everyone else, needed her sleep.

In any case, if we were to eat together, I could already predict how it would go—she’d likely just watch me eat, without taking a bite herself. And, if I seemed the least bit relaxed, she’d probably start lecturing me.

“…I just find it easier to eat alone.”

I replied, sounding almost as if I were defending myself.

With a slightly sulky look, I slurped a few strands of ramen into my mouth. Ria chuckled, shaking her head as she got up and grabbed my bowl.

“Ah…!”

Before I could even think that she was planning to snatch my food away, Ria carefully added the remaining egg from the pot into my bowl, along with some extra noodles and broth.

It seems she’s still got the heart of a heroine. Yeah, with such a kind side, it makes sense she’d end up with the main character, right? After all, what’s a good tsundere without moments like these?

Quickly revising my evaluation in my head, I split the slightly more cooked egg with my chopsticks.

“When I told the Mother Superior about it, she was really taken aback. And she felt bad too. She might try to talk to you about it tomorrow.”

“…Really?”

I blinked at Ria’s words. She scooped some noodles and broth into her bowl as well, pausing briefly as if she’d just remembered something, then grinning.

“Do you need kimchi?”

I nodded eagerly, and Ria retrieved a small container from the fridge.

“I set some aside from dinner earlier. Almost forgot.”

She said.

“…”

Hearing that, I felt a bit moved. The slight sting in my nose wasn’t from the spicy ramen. It might be spicy for foreigners, but I’m Korean. Though my appearance isn’t typical for a Korean, I am one.

For a little while, we ate in comfortable silence.

Well, mostly me—I was the one eating with more enthusiasm. While the gnawing hunger from before was easing, my stomach still wasn’t quite full.

“About that guy earlier.”

“Huh?”

“The patient who was brought in.”

“Oh.”

I blinked, setting my chopsticks down.

“Is he… okay?”

“As fine as the last time I checked. He regained consciousness not long after you collapsed. Actually, he didn’t even seem to ‘faint’ in the usual sense, if you can believe it.”

“No signs of shock, either?”

Honestly, his condition was miraculous—being alive at all was astounding. The fact that he hadn’t died from massive blood loss was surprising enough, but he really should’ve been in shock, given the severity. Well, there have been cases of people surviving even after being sliced in half, so maybe it’s not unheard of, but still.

“Nope. Thanks to your power, even the girl who was injured beside him seems to have healed completely.”

“That’s good to hear.”

I picked up my chopsticks again, and the quiet slurping sounds filled the counseling room once more, mostly from me. Having already eaten dinner, Ria didn’t seem all that hungry. She took a portion of noodles mostly out of politeness, eating only about half a ramen’s worth.

I got up and checked the pot again. Had she made two packs of ramen? There was barely any left now.

“There’s some rice in the fridge. It’s not too cold, probably just chilled a bit. Is that alright?”

“Oh, then, I can go get it—”

“Nope.”

Before I could twist my body fully to reach for it, Ria had already stood up and headed to the fridge, returning with a container of perfectly cooked, white rice.

“…Why? Is something going on?”

From the way she’d been oddly nice to me, and all the things she’d prepared in advance, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Maybe something bad had happened?

Of course, I didn’t stop eating. I scooped cold rice into my bowl, ladling the warm broth over it. Steam rose as the broth seeped into the rice, thickening slightly.

“No, it’s just…”

Watching me pick up my spoon, Ria hesitated, seeming to wrestle with her thoughts before finally deciding to speak.

“I’m… sorry.”

“Sorry?”

A chill ran down my spine at those words.

“What? Out of nowhere?”

Startled, I looked up at her, and Ria blinked in confusion.

“Huh?”

“What did you do? Did you drop me on my head while moving me or something?”

I ran my hands over myself, feeling for any bruises or bumps.

“Hey, come on.”

Ria seemed a bit offended that I’d jumped to such conclusions. But she couldn’t stay annoyed for long, and took a deep breath, as if gathering herself again.

“No, it’s not that. We didn’t just drag you around; we used a proper stretcher.”

“Really?”

I sat back down, still feeling slightly wary, and picked up my spoon again.

“So, what are you apologizing for?”

“…Well, isn’t it my fault you collapsed?”

“Huh?”

“Last time, you at least held up until you went to bed. You even managed a proper shower.”

I stared at her blankly, and she scratched her head in mild frustration.

“I thought… maybe it was from pushing you so hard that you collapsed from exhaustion.”

“Ah.”

Realizing why Ria was acting this way, I nodded.

“It’s fine.”

I scooped up a spoonful of rice, blowing on it as I replied.

“It’s not really your fault, is it?”

“…Really?”

“There’s no way you could’ve trained me expecting something like that to happen. Would soldiers complain if an enemy attacked while they were training, saying the training was pointless?”

I’d been furious when a drill sergeant said something similar to me once, but then again, he hadn’t cooked ramen with eggs for me.

Guess food really does clear your head.

“Well, to be fair, I did kind of get tricked into starting the training, but it’s too late to turn back now.”

I shrugged.

“Running away now would just make it look like I’m scared of you, Ria.”

I took a bite of rice soaked in ramen broth. Ah, it was a different warmth than noodles, a warmth that spread through my whole body. As expected, a meal isn’t truly complete for a Korean without rice.

“Oh, I see…”

Ria’s voice sounded somewhat deflated, as if something about that response didn’t quite sit right with her.

“Can I finish this rice?”

“I don’t know where you put it all.”

“The human stomach is a lot more elastic than you think. Did you sleep through biology class?”

“…Hah.”

Ria let out a small huff, clearly exasperated but refraining from arguing back.