As February came to a close, the weekend rolled around, and like always, I found myself on my way to the cathedral.

Well, saying “like always” might be a stretch.

Sure, attending Mass had been a regular thing, but ever since the Student Council President went missing, it was more like I was half-forced to go… After that mess was settled, I headed straight to Abydos for work during the weekend, so it wasn’t really possible for me to show my face at the cathedral in that time.

In other words, it had been nearly a month since I last visited the cathedral. And I was supposed to be the Student Council President of a mission school, no less.

So, why am I bringing this up, when it should feel as normal as breathing? After the service, I got snagged by Sakurako for a little chat.

On days like this, Nagisa just puts a hand to her forehead… Well, Sakurako insists we’re just ordinary friends, you know.

“Mika-chan, I’m so happy. Yes, I couldn’t be happier! The last month without my faithful friend, Mika-chan, has been so cold…”

“No, no, are you really saying it was that bad without me…?! Of course, I didn’t skip just because I wanted to… Ugh.”

“Of course, I understand your circumstances. Your grueling pilgrimage to calm the chaos in Kivotos and your sacred mission to help the less fortunate people of Abydos are things everyone should learn from. Above all, I’m sure it’s been the hardest on you not being able to visit all this time…”

“Ah, uh…”

As always, hearing all these serious words from someone making it sound like I haven’t been around is a bit jarring. I had my reasons. If it weren’t for feeling responsible as the host, I probably wouldn’t have kept coming to the cathedral at all.

Nagisa wasn’t as diligent before we started living together, and Seiya doesn’t even come because of her health issues. I used to wonder why Nagisa frequented the Confession Booth, but now, the dots have connected.

“But, the time when Mika-chan wouldn’t come to talk was pretty tough for me too.”

“…Huh?”

“There’s almost no one to talk to here about what’s happening outside the cathedral other than you. You’re an irreplaceable presence. Heueng.”

“Is that so… Heueng. Hearing you say that makes me want to come more often, but realistically, it’s a bit tough. Well, we can just try to increase our Momotalk frequency a bit, right?”

“That sounds… great! I’m on board! Wee~!”

…Oh, here we go again.

Where on earth does she pick up these phrases? It’s been so long since I intentionally left myself open to hearing Wappa, that I’ve just gotten used to it at this point. But should I really correct this for Sakurako?

“Oh, by the way, Mika-chan, are you free after this?”

“…Hmm, I have a bit of free time until lunch, right?”

Since I need to grab lunch and then head to D.U. for work, I’ve got some breathing room until then.

“Then, could you come with me for a moment?”

“Hmm?”

Following Sakurako, we ended up in a place I never expected. I hadn’t gone in and out of the cathedral for months, but I had never been to this spot even once. The Confession Booth.

“Mika Sister couldn’t attend Mass due to unavoidable circumstances, so I’m sure the Lord will understand graciously. However… Mika Sister, don’t you have sins to confess?”

“Uh, um… do I…?”

“You certainly do. I’ve been keeping an eye on your every move.”

“Ahahaha…”

Seeing Sakurako getting this serious is a rare sight.

Asking if I have sins to confess feels so pointless.

Sins? If I started listing them by this law, I wouldn’t come to an end. Just the fact that I’m dating Hina might be seen as a sin. I found out that homosexuality isn’t specifically a problem here, but…

“Since there’s an open spot here, let’s take a moment to repent your sins today. If you enter and wait a bit, a sister will come and hear your confession.”

No, why on earth did Hina have to give birth to Mika in Trinity?!

Of course, being born in Trinity made me fall for my favorite character. So now, I’ve become Mika again, but still…!

“I’ve heard that a sister who’s been praised a lot in confessions lately will be taking care of you, so I believe you’ll go back satisfied.”

“…Sakurako-chan, I suddenly remembered I have some urgent work.”

“Mika Sister… You can’t possibly not know the importance of confession.”

“…Okay, okay. I’ll go.”

This isn’t happening…

*

This year, I made it into the high school division, and finally, I’ll be serving as a sister at the cathedral.

And today is my day to handle the Confession Booth.

“May the Lord forgive your sins. May you return in peace.”

Listening to the sins of my fellow sisters and guiding them to be forgiven by the First Holy will is truly fulfilling.

Most of the sins sisters commit aren’t that serious and can be forgiven with simple penances.

“Mary Sister.”

Huh? I recognize that voice…

“Is that you, Sakurako Sister?”

“You’ve been working hard today. I have a personal sister I’d like to ask you to confess to, so could you spare some time?”

“Ah… Yes, of course.”

“Thank you. May blessings be with you today as well.”

Since Sakurako is someone I know personally, could that be Hinata Sister?

First, I’ll turn around for a moment and let her reflect and repent too.

How many minutes have passed? I feel this is enough, so I open the Confession Booth.

“…In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.”

“May the First Holy illuminate our hearts. Please confess your sins truthfully while believing firmly in the Lord’s mercy and grace.”

“Amen. Uh, this is my first time confessing…”

Hmm. So this is a sister wanting to repent for the first time…

I should be particularly attentive to this——

“Um, I have many sins. So many that counting them on one hand would be overwhelming. So where should I start… Oh, I know. First, I’m in a relationship with multiple partners at the same time.”

——I see… wait, what? Multiple partners at the same time? Hold up—what’s going on here?

“And among them, two of them are devils from Gehenna. Well, it’s not like we’re meeting secretly behind each other’s backs… we’ve all agreed to it! But still, dating a devil from Gehenna is against the doctrine…”

“…Sister, love knows no boundaries. The doctrine does not forbid relationships with devils from Gehenna. However, having multiple partners at once…?”

“Yeah, it’s wrong. Morally incorrect, and not something I can be proud of… but we love each other so deeply. Can I really be forgiven for such a sin?”

“W, well, the Lord is merciful and just, but…”

This is a new one for me… What on earth am I meant to do here? Dating multiple partners at the same time, that can’t possibly be forgiven, right?

But can I really tell those who love each other to end their relationships just because it’s deemed incorrect? Ugh, this is difficult…

“Uh, if I remember correctly, you said you had many sins? If there are other sins, please confess those as well…”

“Ah, yes. Another one of my sins is that I secretly bought alcohol from the black market last year.”

A, alcohol…? This sister seems a bit too rebellious, doesn’t she? Is this really the kind of confession I’d expect from a student at Trinity?

“I didn’t drink it though! I thought I was hiding it well, but my partner found out and confiscated it. Phew, since then, I haven’t tried to get any, yet I still get this nagging feeling whenever I miss a good opportunity. Uh, I see this as a sin too.”

“Sister… Just thinking can’t be counted as a sin. However, after graduation, if you keep it to yourself and don’t harm others, then it wouldn’t count as a sin against the Lord.”

“Oh… can that be considered a relief? Aside from that, I’ve also skipped Mass for the past month. It’s partly because of how busy my work has been…”

“If there were unavoidable circumstances, that’s fine. As long as you’ve consistently attended Mass before that and continue to do so from now on, it seems there wouldn’t be an issue.”

Hmm… It seems the biggest problem is still the chaotic relationships. But how should I respond to that…?

“Oh, and this is a bit embarrassing to bring up…”

As they continue to speak, my whole face is heating up. How on earth am I supposed to guide this rebellious sister back onto the right path?

No matter how merciful the First Holy may be, there’s no way they’d forgive someone who has sinned countless times, right…?!