The Saintess Next Door is a Super Popular VTuber Whose Character was Designed by Me
Tonari ni Sunderu Seijo-sama wa Ore ga Chara-Design o Tantoushita Daininki VTuber deshita
Chapter 29 - The Saint's Weaknesses
"Um, sorry. I might be scared of the lift."
Since the free time started at the school trip, the four of them had been skiing down the slopes, but after a few rides on and off the lift, Asumi confessed this.
"Aren't you an experienced skier, Miss Saintess? No offense, but... isn't it a bit late to be saying that?"
"I wasn’t scared before, but for some reason, I am now. I know it’s really late to say this… I’m sorry."
"It can't be helped. There are things you’re fine with as a kid but struggle with as you get older. Like bugs."
"For once, we actually agree. Why on earth was my elementary school self able to hold cicadas?"
Suddenly bringing this up, Asumi apologized with a hint of embarrassment. However, Iori, sensing her discomfort, gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
Kanata and Kurumi also acted cheerful, signaling that there was no need to feel bad.
"Everyone feels that way. Or maybe it was Kurumi messing around on the lift and making it shake."
"...I wasn’t messing around that much, okay! If that's the case, let's ride together. I actually prefer being with Kanata anyway."
"Then we'll hang around here, so you two go ahead. The teachers probably won't say anything if we swap pairs like this."
Kanata tried to lighten the mood by teasing Kurumi, and she seemed to catch on, engaging in the playful banter.
Iori noticed this and naturally suggested the pair swap.
"That would be unfair to you, Tokisaka-san. I'm fine, really."
"But if you're scared, you shouldn't ride. Honestly, I don't want anyone to be left out having fun alone."
Asumi, however, seemed reluctant to inconvenience Iori, so she tried to act tough. But Iori just smiled gently at her.
Skiing itself wasn’t that important to him—what mattered more was making sure she wasn’t uncomfortable.
"I-It’s not that I don’t want to ski! I’m still having fun."
"Is that really how you feel?"
"Yes."
Iori suggested stopping, but it seemed like she genuinely wanted to continue skiing.
He couldn’t tell if she was just putting on a brave face or if she truly meant it. His relaxed expression shifted into something more serious as he met her eyes and asked again.
Asumi looked back at him and, more firmly than usual, gave her answer.
"...Got it. Then let’s switch pairs for now so you can take it easy. And if it gets too much, we’ll head back to the lodge together. Sound good?"
"Understood."
"Alright then. You two are fine with that, right? Actually, you two lovebirds probably prefer it that way."
"Of course."
"Yeah. You better keep a close eye on her."
Deciding to trust Asumi's words, Iori made this arrangement, and she seemed satisfied with it. Kanata and Kurumi agreed to swap pairs as well.
Then the four of them returned to the slopes once more.
"Um, Iori-kun. Thank you for being considerate."
"Huh? I don’t think it’s 'being considerate', this is just how we always are, right?"
As Kanata and Kurumi skied ahead, Iori felt a small tug on his sleeve.
When he turned, Asumi was looking up at him with a soft smile.
Whenever he was in trouble, Asumi would help him, and vice versa.
To Iori, this wasn’t special treatment—just the usual.
"Hehe. That’s true. I take care of cleaning up and tidying things, after all."
"Hey, hey. I do the cooking, right?"
"I do too."
"That’s true. Well, whatever. Let’s go."
"Yes."
With that, the two exchanged light banter and finally set off toward the lift.
And Asumi’s hand remained firmly on Iori’s sleeve the whole time.
“You okay?”
“Y-Yes. I think telling you guys about it made me feel a little better.”
“Good. But seriously, don’t push yourself.”
“I’ll be fine.”
As they got on the lift, Iori was immediately worried about Asumi, but she answered without any sign of trying to act tough. Asumi's left hand still rested on Iori's right arm, but he didn't mind since it seemed to comfort her.
"Not a lot of people on this side, huh?"
"Well, it's an intermediate course, and it seems like there are fewer experienced skiers in our grade. For various reasons, I think this is actually more convenient for me."
The course that Iori and Asumi were skiing on was an intermediate one, and further up led to the advanced course. Because of this, the number of people was relatively low, both in their grades and at the ski resort overall.
This was good for Iori, who wanted to take it slow. It also meant fewer eyes were on Asumi.
Their pairing didn't attract any bizarre rumors, but Iori had been troubled by envious glances, especially from the boys.
When wearing goggles, her face was somewhat hidden and didn't stand out too much, but without them, she was noticeable even to those non-students.
Including Kurumi, they had been approached a few times by people trying to hit on them, and Iori and Kanata had chased them away. In that sense, it was nice to be on a less crowded intermediate course.
"Alright, let's get ready to get off."
"Y-yes."
As the lift approached the top, they took some distance between them and prepared to disembark. Asumi's expression showed a hint of tension, but Iori was also feeling a bit nervous.
Even experienced skiers sometimes mess up and stop the lift, so they had to be careful when getting on and off. When the attendant signaled it was time to get off, they quickly slid their boards and managed to get down safely.
"Phew, that was nerve-wracking."
"Iori-kun, you only get nervous when getting on and off the lift, huh?"
"Yeah, I had a bad experience once."
"Oh really?"
"Right before getting off the lift, I tilted my skis too much, and they got stuck in the ground. My legs almost got yanked out from under me."
Asumi had clearly picked up on his tension and tilted her head in curiosity. Iori, with a wry yet nostalgic expression, recounted his past blunder.
"Ah, that must have been traumatic."
"Yeah, so honestly, I wouldn’t have minded staying at the lodge with you."
"I didn't expect you to be such a scaredy-cat, Iori-kun."
"Shut up. Let's go."
Seeing Asumi tease him while also showing sympathy, Iori felt reassured that her fear of the ski lift wasn’t weighing on her too much anymore. With that in mind, he started gliding down the slope.
"Wow, that's amazing. You're really good at skiing."
"Am I?"
Asumi was quite skilled at skiing. Although she had only come here a couple of times when she was younger, her natural athleticism allowed her to glide gracefully down the slopes.
It was only natural that anyone, regardless of gender, would be captivated when such a talented Asumi took off her goggles at the bottom of the slope to reveal her beautiful face.
"You're scared of the lift, though."
"P-Please don’t bring that up!"
Having skied enough for the day, Iori and Asumi headed back to the lodge, but along the way, he teased her as payback for earlier. This made Asumi blush, and she started lightly smacking him on the back in protest
Then, at that moment,
"Kyaa!"
"Whoa, are you okay—?!"
Asumi suddenly lost her footing, nearly falling.
Iori, who was nearby, instinctively reached out, grabbing her arm to steady her. But in the process, their balance was thrown off, and they both tumbled to the ground.
Then Iori ended up in a position where he was on top of Asumi.
He managed to brace himself enough to avoid any injuries, but their faces were just inches apart.
Seeing her stunning beautiful face up close, Iori felt a sharp pang of panic shot through him. Asumi was equally flustered, her face turning bright red as she stared at him in surprise.
"I-I'm so sorry!"
"No problem. Can you get up, Asumi?"
"Y-yes."
Iori quickly stood up and helped Asumi to her feet. They both brushed off the snow from their jackets and started walking again. They felt too embarrassed to look at each other.
It was probably the closest they had been since the time Asumi almost fell at Iori’s house. They didn’t want anyone to see that moment, so they were relieved that there was no one around.
"W-we weren’t seen, right…?"
Asumi glanced around nervously, murmuring to herself while stealing glances at Iori as they walked side by side.
She seemed a bit different from before, but neither of them could think about it. Iori was doing his best to act as if nothing had happened.
Despite the little mishap, the two of them wrapped up their free time on the first day.
[To be Continued]
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