Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

A few hours later.

Vivian closed the book and then massaged her eyes.

The book was at least 4 times thicker than the first one she read so it took her longer to finish. But there was something she noticed.

Hmm…

My eyes don't feel tired from reading intensely for more than 2 hours straight…

But…

Pop.

Pop.

She made some popping sounds with her neck and then stretched her arms and legs

My body definitely feels stiff…

Especially my neck and my lower back…

Ugh…!

As always, the best way to read is to lay down…

I never understood how anyone could read sitting down for more than 30 minutes…

But still…

This must be because of my stats, right…?

I can't see any other explanation…

"How was it?" Marie asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Vivian turned to her and flashed a smile.

"It was fine. So when do I take the exam? I was told that once I learned how to read and write I had to pass a written exam in order to complete this Holy Mission."

"Yes, but I haven't yet prepared a mock written exam for you because I wasn't expecting you to come today. Moreover, this tutoring Holy Mission usually takes at least a week and yet here you are already asking on the second day," Marie said and then narrowed her eyes. "Sister Vivian, please be honest with me, did you really not know how to read and write when we first met?"

"Sister Marie, it's really simple actually. Since I already know the language, once I memorized the alphabet, I just simply had to connect them."

"If that's the case, why did it take you this long to decide to learn?"

"Huh? Well --" Vivian said and then racked her brain to quickly think about an alibi. "I was busy. Village life isn't easy, you know. We work starting at the break of dawn until the sun sets. And then after that, you're just tired and just want to rest."

"I'm very sorry, Sister Vivian," Marie said apologetically. "I didn't mean to accuse you or anything. It's just that I find you mysterious. I remember back when I was a little girl it took me a month to read because I was a bit hard-headed. Meeting people like you just made me realize that there are so many kinds of people out there in the world with different talents and skills. It also makes me sad that there are probably people out there who have more talents and skills than me but can't make full use of it because of their situation or whatever the case. I'm so happy that I joined this Temple and was able to meet people like you."

"Oh… Haha… I guess…" Vivian said as she scratched the back of her head and let out a wry smile.

"Anyhow, about the written exam, I promise to make a written mock exam for you tonight and then have you answer it tomorrow. And then after that, if you pass that mock exam I made, I will inform Sister Annabelle that you're ready to take the written exam."

"I see, thank you, Sister Marie," Vivian said and then stood up from her seat.

"Sister Vivian, wait!"

Vivian turned to her.

"Can I ask for a favor?"

"What is it?"

"You're going to do some adventuring quests after this, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Can I come with you, sister?"

"Huh?"

"As I mentioned earlier, I find you mysterious. And I'm curious as to why do you want to be an adventurer even though you're part of this Temple."

Should I be concerned about this woman…?

I don't recall her being this annoying when I first met her…

Is it because of last night and now thinks we're friends…?

A thought suddenly flashed inside her head.

Is this how females interact with each other…?

As a man in her previous world, when it comes to interactions between men, based on her own experience, men don't ask personal questions or share their feelings. If they do, it's always awkward.

On the other hand, when it comes to interactions between men and women, one thing she learned as a man when talking to women is that most of the time, women just want to vent, not ask you to offer a solution to their problem.

Moreover, as a man and as sexist as this may sound, 99% of the time, when Vivian "hangs out" with women, only 3 scenarios could happen: 

• she has to entertain the woman to keep her from being bored

• she has to cover at least 80% of the expenses

• she has to protect her in case something bad happens

And the best part of all of this? Sex isn't even a 100% guarantee. 

So looking at it from the perspective of a man, there really wasn't that much incentive in hanging with women if sex isn't involved.

"So can I come?" asked Marie.

"Um... Look, it's not that I don't want to bring you along with me. It's really not that. It's just that, whatever is that you're thinking, I'm a Copper Rank, the lowest rank, so I'm not doing any exciting or epic quests. On top of that, I can't share the reward or give you any compensation because I'm broke and I also need to save money to buy equipment and other daily necessities."

"But aren't Priests highly sought after by adventurers? Even high-ranking adventurers would invite Priests to join their party. Also, you have the Light Affinity so you have [Heal]. That alone attracts many adventurers, no matter what rank you are."

"That's true. But I prefer to work alone and I don't trust them."

Marie's eyes shined.

"So it wouldn't be a problem if it's just you and me, right?"

"What...?"

"I'm really curious what it's like to be an Adventurer and how is it compared to our Holy Missions. And you mentioned that you're saving money to buy equipment, right? Well, I have a lot of spare items inside my room and I can give you some."

Vivian opened her mouth and then closed it before returning to her seat.

"So what kind of items are we talking about?"

"Weapons, armor and other things."

Vivian suppressed her excitement and she wore a serious expression.

"One last question: You mentioned that you're curious about what it's like to be an Adventurer and how are Adventurer quests compared to Holy Missions. You also seem like a strong Priestess and are aware that high-ranking Adventurers do invite Priests to their party even if the Priest's rank is lower. If this is the case, why don't you just join a high-ranking Adventurer party to experience it? Or why not just join the Adventurer Guild even if it's just for fun? As far as I know, I don't think Priests aren't allowed to become Adventurers."

"I just don't like joining an Adventurer party that I'm not familiar with and I don't want to get hounded by their requests, especially from men. And as for becoming an Adventurer, I'm part of the Nobility so I will have to relinquish my title if I want to become an Adventurer."

"Oh…"

Vivian recalled that one of the rules of being an Adventurer is that they're not allowed to participate in any country's politics. She also recalled how people started treating her once she became a Priest.

She studied Marie's face.

She doesn't want to get hounded by their requests, especially from men…?

Well… 

Not only is she a Priest, she's also very beautiful…

I can just imagine how annoying that is…

Marie was in her late teens. And if Vivian was to describe her, she had long brown hair, she was tall and skinny, and had a face for a runway model, not those heavily filtered and edited social media models, but a legit runway model.

But wouldn't I be the one who ends up having more problems in this scenario…?

Now that the Adventurer's Guild knows that I'm a Priestess, if I bring this woman along with me, I would just be attracting more attention…

Of fuck…

But I do want the items she's offering…

Wait…!

What if I go to the Adventurer's Guild alone to take a quest and just meet her in a different location…?

Yeah…

That's what I should do…

Vivian shook her head mentally.

If she were still a man, she would've leaped for joy for having a very beautiful woman like Marie walking around with her. After all, whether she admits it or not, there is such a thing called "social currency" which helps boost one's social status. And one of the most important social currencies that a man can have is having a beautiful woman walking around with him.

But now that Vivian was a woman, she felt nothing.

No, she did feel something -- annoyance.

Had Marie not offered any compensation, she would have never agreed because she was under no obligation to satisfy her curiosity.

"So can I come?"

"Sure."

Marie's eyes shined.