CH 7

The temple looked modest from the outside, but when it came to the residential areas of the temple administration, it was luxurious.

It was not so different from a nobleman's mansion.

“The temple is more snobbish than I thought.”

“Don't say that…”

Yuno, who followed along with me as I lightly said a profane language, frowned as he looked up at the useless glittering lights.

It couldn’t be helped since the people who were managing this place came from aristocratic backgrounds.

Also, people from the private sector who have worked their way up the ladder could feel a sense of status by being surrounded by luxury goods, so this structure was basically accepted.

Some people stay in a modest room, not wanting to be extravagant even if they rise in the ranks, but such highbrow people tend to be shunned within the organization.

Well, this was often the case in Japan as well.

The Saint was said to have shut herself in a room on the luxurious side.

I think the person who was supposed to be Mana did not choose this room by herself but was assigned to it by the temple, but she must be living a moderately comfortable reclusive life.

I envy her.

The room was located far away from the other rooms.

I stood in front of the door that stood alone.

What should I say first?

I couldn’t see the outside from here, but the snow must still be falling.

Even if I couldn’t make it sunny, I don't want to make it worse.

“I guess I'll knock first.”

After saying so, I lightly knocked on the door.

It wasn't that loud, but it echoed in the long hallway.

“......”

“......”

“......”

“......no response…”

“......It seems so…”

As expected…Well then, what should I do?

As I thought about it, memories of my previous life came back to me.

When I thought of “snow,” “door that won’t open,” and “knock,” It made me want to sing the song, “Do you wanna make a snowman~?” (Frozen movie reference kek)

Shall I take the plunge and sing it?

Nah, I'm not going to start singing all of a sudden…

It would be horrifying if I just suddenly did that.

Even Yuno would be avoiding me.

I should probably stop thinking about this nonsense…

I knocked again and called out to her.

“Nice to meet you, saint? My name is Edward Astraea, the third prince of Astraea. You may continue as you are, and I will listen to what you have to say…”

“Go away! Pervert!”

“”......””

I couldn't help but make eye contact with Yuno when I heard a shout coming from inside.

Pervert?

…Oh, you mean Ethan?

I guess he said a lot of sexually harassing remarks.

I mean, this voice was definitely Mana.

It's a voice I could hear again after dying once, but the line that flew in first was “pervert.”

It was not appropriate for a dramatic story in which we meet again even though we are dead.

I guess there was no fate between us.

I am a mob in a story in which I am dead; and Mana was a saint in a different world.

Even though I'm a mob prince, I've been promoted to a prince, so all’s well that ends well.

Once again, I attempted to talk to her.

“Saint, I was ju—”

I spoke to her as a mob prince, but what I got back was—

“Narcissist!”

“Fake noble!”

“Beauty pusher!”

“Sexual harasser muscle head!”

“Walking sexual harasser!”

“Guy with a brain between his legs!"

—and many other abusive languages.

While she was yelling, the Saint must have been getting heated up because the blizzard outside was making a “Goooooo” sound.

“Ugh…”

“......”

Me and Yuno looked down involuntarily.

That was it…we couldn’t stay here anymore!

“Yuno, let's pull back for a moment.”

“......”

Yuno, bit his lower lip, and nodded his head.

I couldn't believe she knew how to curse like that!

We hurriedly walked away from the Saint's room, and when we came to a place where there was no one around—

“Ku–HAHAHAHAHA!!! I felt like she said all the curse words that she knows to elder brother HAHAHAH!!!!”

“Ed-sama, you shouldn’t…pfft…laugh at that…pfft…”

“See!? You’re even laughing!”

“That’s not true–”

“Sexual harasser muscle head! Guy with a brain between his legs!”

“HAHAHAHA!!!”

I laughed my belly off and even the always cool Yuno laughed out loud.

What she said was so well precise and said.

“Aaahh~~~ She made me laugh so hard.”

I felt much better.

She must have been under a lot of stress about my Elder Brother.

“We weren’t in a mood to laugh but I see that the Saint has a good sense of humor.”

The Mana I remember was a calm and collected older woman who never raised her voice.

“Sounds like it. Well, I can't keep laughing about this. All right, Yuno, get me a pen and paper ready.”

She didn’t seem to want to listen to me, so I decided to write her a letter stating my business.

“Ah, also one more thing.”

I don't want it to be revealed that my previous life was Haruma Kuga, but I want to get her attention to the extent that I could get her to listen to me using my memories of my previous life.

There I wrote a letter, did one more task to complete the package, and gave it to the priest who was bringing food to the saint.

I instructed Yuno and rented a spare room.

“Can you please deliver this letter and package to the saint.”

“If she doesn't receive them…?”

“Just tell her that you will leave it in front of the door.”

“I understand.”

The priestess looked nervous and went to the saint.

She was a young female priestess, but she must be a good girl to be nervous even with me.

“You have a lot of talents, Edward-sama.”

“Hmm? Oh, you mean that one?”

Yuno was holding a cookie in the shape of a cat's face, which was the contents of the parcel that I just entrusted with the letter.

I asked for and received permission to use the kitchen of the temple.

The cookies were handmade by me.

I have never baked cookies in this life, but in a previous life I did so occasionally.

In my previous life, I was an idiot who honestly believed a fashion magazine's suggestion that said, “A man who can do housework and cooking is popular with the ladies!”

I didn't really want to be popular, I just wanted Mana to like me…

I am a true fool because I have been cheated on by doing such a thing.

However, I hoped I could make use of it in this world!

Since there were no molds available to use, I made two colors of dough, chocolate and plain and rolled them into bars, assembled them to form a face. Then cut them into Kintaro-ame style after rolling them up like a nori roll, or so called Icebox cookies.

Since the dough could be iced with magic, it took less time and was easier to make in this world, but this process does not seem to be available here; because of it the kitchen was bustling.

The reason why I made this was because Mana was a cat lover.

The free item that came with the milk tea I bought just before I died was also a cat character.

I'm sure this cookie would be a hit…I think?

“Since the Saint is also a young woman, I think she prefers sweets and pretty things. This is a good strategy. It's a pity that if only Edward-sama had a little more charm, people would look at you differently…”

“Can you not cheer me up then put me down like that? Besides, you would still appreciate me, regardless of what people around you think of me, right?"

“Of course I do. I don't want to serve fools, so please don't let me down.”

“Yes~”

It was great that he was acknowledging me.

Thank you for being a typical tsundere.

“Well then, since the pastries are just right for occasion, let’s have tea time before the priest returns.”

Icebox Cookies are easy to make in large quantities.

I've distributed them in the kitchen, but I still have a few left over.

“Can I have some too?”

“No problem, eat as many as you like.

“Thank you very much. I'll make you some tea.”

By the way, there were two kinds of cookies that I made; a black cat based on chocolate dough and a white cat based on plain dough.

I also made marbled cookies by lightly mixing the leftover dough.

This one looked delicious even though it was plain and round in shape.

I got some unpleasant stares in my previous life when I said this, but making cookies was a lot like playing with clay.

So it was pretty fun for me too.

“It's kind of too good to be eaten…”

“I was to do it well.”

Oh that was it, how about making and selling these at the orphanage?

I could have the kids with a lot of magic power take charge of the cooling process—

“E-Edward-sama…Edward-sama!”

I was planning it, but I was interrupted by Yuno's voice.

“Oh, my bad, I was thinking of something. What’s wrong?”

“That’s…”

Yuno pointed to what should have been a window with a view of falling snow…

I was surprised to see something different from what I had expected.

The snow had stopped falling.

It wasn't raining either.

“It's so bright, it's like angels are coming down from the cracks of the clouds…”

“Yeah. Oh, look, The clouds are disappearing too…”

The black clouds were dissipating, and more and more light was flooding in.

The weather was improving at a frightening rate.

“Clear skies…”

“It's a cloudless blue sky…”

It was so clear that the heavy rain we had yesterday and the snow we had this morning were a lie.

Could it be…?

I looked at the cat face cookies that Yuno was chewing on.

“I guess she was pleased with this?”

“The plan worked, didn't it?”

I wonder if I could get her to meet me this time.

All right, let’s go again.

As I was pouring down the remaining cookies in my mouth with my tea, I heard the sound of running coming from the hallway.

No one inside the temple runs unless there is something urgent.

So, what was going on?

“Is he here!?”

“P-Please wait! I will go and call him for you!”

A woman's panicked voice echoes.

“They are making a lot of noise, aren’t they?”

Just as I was about to nod at Yuno's words the door opened with a loud sound.

Against the dazzling sunlight, her long, beautiful black hair swayed.

—Ah, I knew it. It was you.

It has been sixteen years since I died.

Mana's appearance has not changed so much that the day when my life ended in my previous life seems like yesterday.

I got up from the sofa and bowed.

“Saint-sama. My name is Edward, the third prince of the Astraea kingdom. Thank you for comi–”

“...Why?”

“?”

I thought I heard her saying something, so I turned my eyes to see the Saint looking at me with tears streaming from both eyes.