(CR) Shiro Seijo to Kuro Bokushi (Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence)

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by grecefar

This was cute and all but... it is okey?, a priest and a sainy romance, isn't that like... forbidden?

Heh, I have the feeling that if this one is successful, we are going to get Exorcist and Devil-chan next, which is more into shaky territory, there we get iruru (without the oppais) and Satoru Gojo lite.

This one was cute and entertaining, looking forward to see how can they make this gig last for one cour.

[Frontier]

Abel has arrived! Your classic jovial and playful best friend character who is great at cutting through the thick of things and stirring things up...and who their friend seems more exasperated than happy to see .

I love how Cecilia is both jealous of how close Abel is with Lawren while also being happy to see a new side to Lawren as he opens up a little with his old friend .

So it's not a coincidence that we never actually saw anybody utter Cecilia's name in the last episode, no one actually uses her name. Though Abel got Lawren to write it so that might be the closest she gets to him using her name at this point .

I see Abel wasted no time figuring out what was going on with Cecilia and Lawren, not that she's trying to hide it that much. Heck, everyone but Lawren can see how Cecilia really feels about him. She's not comfortable being lazy around anyone but him, though he mutually appreciates being the only one who sees certain sides to her. So adorable .

So I guess the way Lawren is a "little bit special" is that he naturally attracts angels, fairies, and even demons which is a dangerous for him and is why Abel used to give him divine protection during their seminary days and why Cecilia blesses him with as much protection as she can...even if it does make him sick. Although the sight of Cecilia swiping his cross to wipe off some of the protection was quite the sight .

Cecilia cannot lie. She can plainly admit how much she respects and appreciates Abel for all he's done for and continues to do for Lawren...even if she also has to comment on all his character flaws. At least she didn't mean it in a harsh way, she's just a Saint !

Find a girl who wishes she could turn a village into a Holy Land just to protect you .

What better reason for Lawren to wake up then seeing two people not accustomed too cooking making a mess in his kitchen? All for the sake of making something nice for him! And surprisingly Cecilia's cooking is actually tasty, despite it's appearance, and Abel even does her a solid and makes Lawren feed her even if she's totally too flustered around him afterwards .

A girls' reaction to a spider has never been so cute .

Obviously Lawren respects and admires the Saint, even though deep down she wants him to see her as a girl and not a Saint (or as a daughter to be taken care of), yet he also realizes he needs her as much as she needs him. I kind of want to see more of how they first met each other and how Cecilia fell in love with him .

I think that's the last time they let Abel clean up .

[grecefar]

cecilia is a beautiful name and she is too cute.

[FlareKnight]

I did really like her cutting Abel off when he tried to downplay his importance. Her honesty may have hammered at his flaws too, but she definitely played up his strengths. She knows plenty well how hard Abel must have worked to keep his friend safe all that time. No reason to disregard his efforts.

This certainly made Lawrence a bit more interesting. If only due to things he isn't completely aware of . I like how he's got this support network doing their best to keep him from getting overwhelmed both by angels and demons .

I'm with Abel too. Cecilia's feelings are so incredibly blatant that it's truly amazing how Lawrence can't notice them. Equally amazing of course is the lengths Cecilia has gone and wishes she could go for Lawrence. To turn that whole village into a holy land to keep him safe .

[Frontier]

Abel's caught the dreaded Japanese cold! And Cecilia is such a Saint she just can't leave him alone! Even if she also falls asleep right next to him .

Lawren is probably the one person Cecilia is least concerned about being defenseless around, but props for waking up immediately at the thought of your parishioners needing you...even if it was just Lawren lying to her. He even made her cry! That should be a sin against God !

Well, at least he's making it up to her with as many sweets as possible! More than she could actually eat in fact !

I don't get the sense Cecilia had much of a good home life before meeting Lawren, which just makes the time she has with him all the more precious to her. There's nowhere Cecilia is more happy than by Lawren's side. She's even a proud Lawren maniac !

I see the pair don't mind Abel as the third wheel...especially if he can carry their stuff and Cecilia can see new sides of Lawren .

Who is this fortune-telling beauty voiced by Haruka Tomatsu!? She sure knows how to prey on the kindness of others to get some business! And she's got Abel pegged to be careful of playing wingman so much that he forgets to take care of himself, helps Cecilia realize she's found the man of her dreams already, and basically tells Lawren to be less dense around Cecilia's feelings. But it was very adorable that Cecilia is so confident in her feelings for Lawren that he wants to make him fall for her by her own efforts .

Torn cape? Perfect excuse to return to the boutique and get a Cecilia Fashion show courtesy of some very passionate ladies! Cecilia looks cute in anything, but the best outfit is the one they all jointly agree on !

Lawren really does hold himself back when it comes to being overt in his affection with the Saint, good thing Abel is there to get him going and Cecilia is willing to push enough to get him to look and respond to her properly. She is too lovely a girl not to .

So what's this serious blue-haired girl who saved Cecilia from a fall looking for at the church? Why is she interested in the Saint ?

[grecefar]

I don't know, it was a boring chapter and lawren is getting annoying with him trying to avoid any affection of the saint, it is going to be a really long road ahead if he keeps that up.

at least the saint know her feelings.

[Alchemist007]

Just gotta give her what she wants...

[Frontier]

Busting down the door of a church is definitely one way to make an entrance .

We finally properly meet Hazelita! A rich young lady from the West who Abel used to tutor! And she's come to make sure he still does his job! And you can tell they have quite the teasing relationship. Though Hazelita is also in there for more personal reasons pertaining to her past .

So there's multiple Lady Saints, not just Cecilia, with a Great Lady Saint closed off in a city in the middle of the sea .

What was that blonde spectre that Cecilia saw? Was that a Divine Revelation or did she see the spirit of the Lady Saint of Compassion following Hazelita around ?

If Cecilia's daily life with Lawren and the townsfolk is basically the ideal for any Lady Saint, what happened to the Lady Saint of Compassion is basically the worst that could happen. They treated her like she was a divine presence closed off from humanity, even when she was still physically and mentally human, and just used her until she died. Leaving Hazelita, her only friend, left to be resentful over how Lady Saints are treated .

I'm glad it didn't take her too long to realize Lawren is a good dude, though, or that Cecilia is clearly into him...even if Lawren is so dense about it. Like it's one thing for a man and woman to be living under the same roof for over a year, but when nothing happens and the girl WANTS something to happen, you know something's wrong. He won't even call her by her name. Poor Cecilia. At least she has Hazelita and Abel to commiserate with, and a true female friend in Hazelita .

So Hazelita basically calls out Abel when he doesn't work as hard or shows how capable she knows he is, because she basically believes in him and what he can do. Abel also seems to take pleasure in how serious and determined Hazelita is and how she sees more in him than he does in himself .

What cute demonic hellspawn did Lawren create in his youth!? Though Cecilia thinks they're adorable, either because Lawren made them or she has similar taste to him at this point. It's cute watching them both try their best to make these things look cuter and that Cecilia "gets" Lawren. Hazelita and Abel better be careful they don't turn into them though .

[grecefar]

That turned a little dark with what happened to the saint that was friend with hazelita. I wonder if other saints suffer like that.

Then cecilia is really lucky that it was lawrence who found her.

[FlareKnight]

Rough break for that other Saint. A sad reality for sure. People can just plain suck. What absolute morons. I'm surprised they didn't work off the idea that a Saint should be powered by God and thus shouldn't need to eat either. Certainly Cecilia is just plain blessed.

I'm curious about what Cecilia saw above Hazelita. Is she being followed by the spirit of the deceased Saint? I could see her being worried about the future of Hazelita considering what happened.

Definitely feels like Abel is doing his usual thing. He's moving pieces around and letting himself take some hits as needed to get to a positive result. Honestly it makes sense. He stuck by and supported Lawrence for all that time when he realized what was going on with Lawrence. No one told him to do it, he just did what he thought was right. And probably the same is going on with Hazelita. He knew that she needed help and hoped to take action in a way that she would get the help needed. In this case the key was getting to see that things aren't always going to be horrible for Saints and that there are good people out there.

I do think it's good though that he has someone like Hazelita around. Abel is the type that will do all this and is quite good at what he does. But he'll usually put himself down or not see himself as being as worthy as others. Maybe Lawrence is smarter and could teach Hazelita even better. But that's not who she wants. She didn't come all this way to check things out with Cecilia. She came here for him.

They really nailed how things are with Cecilia and Lawrence. Two people living under the same roof and nothing has happened...even though one side really wants something to happen! Oh boy.

[Alchemist007]

Sad story about that saint, religious fanaticism is mental insanity. It's nothing new about humans, but it's more impactful for the story when it's about a single person. I'm interested in Abel as a character more now.

[Frontier]

It's nice of Lawren to go out of his way to visit an elderly and out of the way parishioner. And why not make it a group outing? Cecilia is happy to see the sights (fish!) and Hazelita is a classic tourist (who also gets lost) and Abel...gets carriage sick .

Corinne is like Lawren's grandma the way she dotes on him and remembers him as a child. She immediately realizes what's going on between him and Cecilia (even if he doesn't realize it) and wastes no time telling Cecilia embarrassing stories about Lawren's childhood which Cecilia is so totally here for !

Fairies trying to drag Lawren into the water is kind of dangerous, but having your Lady Saint save you and wind up right on top of her isn't half bad. Especially when she validates who you are, what you contribute, and how Lawren is valid as an individual separate from his grandpa. There's no one Cecilia would rather be with, because she never intends to leave him alone, both because of her feelings for him and also because she probably couldn't take care of herself without him .

Fairies grabbing on her man? Perfect excuse for Cecilia to give them a stern talking to and give Lawren a view of what she's like with spirits. Too bad said talk runs through the entire night, chatty fairies .

What kind of romcom heroine doesn't know what Valentine's Day is!? Although I guess Cecilia is so sheltered and Lawren so dense that it's no wonder she didn't know about it. Meanwhile Lawren is, of course, so blase about it despite apparently being pretty popular. Poor Cecilia .

Abel for the MVP wingman move! Lawren is too dense to get it if Cecilia just gives him Chocolate, so if he makes Lawren help Cecilia make chocolates something is bound to happen, right? Even if he completely misreads who Cecilia was planning to give said chocolates too. Hazelita was so close to punching him .

Though thinking about Cecilia having her eye on someone does make Lawren fairly reflective and kind of sad, if not jealous. Cecilia is such an important part of his life, someone who helped cure the loneliness he felt after losing his grandpa, that he doesn't know what he'd do if he lost her .

So the fortune teller girl is named Mell? Great seeing her in casual clothes !

Well, it was a long and arduous experience...but Cecilia made her chocolate and gave it to Lawren! Who, in true dense fashion, completely misunderstood what she intended by giving him chocolate. Like the only reason a girl gives someone chocolate on Valentine's Day is to get a White Day treat back. Jeez, poor Cecilia. Though she's happy that Lawren is happy with her gift, and that's what matters the most right now .

[grecefar]

cecilia got through him all right and just like abel said, lawrence now is thinking about it. Maybe not yet that way but it will get there soon.

[FlareKnight]

The trip was nice. I'm really loving Hazelita now that she's settled into the cast. Cute things like getting lost because she wanted to take pictures of squirrels . This girl is a treasure in her own right.

Cecilia getting pissed at the faeries was great too. Pretty sure she didn't need that cross as a defensive measure. But rather she planned on using it offensively as payback! Probably couldn't get as violent as she wanted with Lawrence watching her though.

Good for Lawrence to get reminded that he doesn't have to do everything. He can rely on others for what he can't do and be proud of the things he can do.

I love how Hazelita was ready to deck Lawrence during the Valentine part of the episode. How can a person possibly be this dense!? The only guys she interacts with on any sort of regular basis is him and Abel. It shouldn't be that hard to narrow down who she might want to give chocolates to!?

Thank goodness though she made some progress in the end. At least he spent a lot of time thinking on it. And there was definite impact in her giving it to him. Besides the physical impact...It's a slow journey, but nice to see it unfolding.

[Frontier]

Is there anything cuter than a Lady Saint as a waitress? Why, it's practically Maid Cecilia! And you have to admire the Lady Saint's commitment to helping those in need, especially a cafe owner in need of help, though the idea of Lawren praising her for it doesn't hurt .

Ah, I see. Anything Cecilia wears looks cuter and fancier to Lawren. Just like how Lawren probably looks high-spec and handsome in anything he wears in Cecilia's eyes .

That's the sweetest justification for being a klutz I've ever seen. She's just so comfortable being around Lawren that she relaxes too much. Though getting caught by Lawren when she trips is swoon-worthy enough as it is, especially with the entire cafe watching all the blatant flirting going on .

I love how Hazelita's hair is so long she can wear it over her shoulder like a handbag .

With the boys away, the girls will play! Hazelita is serious and responsible, but butter her up enough and she'll spend some time with you late into the night so you can engage in some classic girl talk. Hazelita thinks Cecilia needs to be more aggressive, like with a spicier nightgown even, but Cecilia is comfortable with how things are between her and Lawren right now. Meanwhile Hazelita puts down the idea of her and Abel together but seems self-conscious of how he doesn't see her as a woman .

Nice to see Abel and Lawrence in casual clothes! And just look at how quickly Cecilia jumps as soon as she learns Lawren is back !

I love how they compare each other to animals and they double down on that in the eyecatch. Poor Hazelita is a boar .

We finally get Abel's backstory and his ability to see the supernatural made him ostracized from his family and others. It wasn't until he met Lawren that he had a true friend who opened him back up to life, and that was only after Lawren's persistence. And Abel in turn made sure to protect Lawren .

They way they keep talking about Hazelita's brother, he's totally going to show up at some point. I think he's even in the OP .

Like Lawren is for Cecilia, Abel is to Hazelita, both pairings of people who find light and inspiration in their lives and comfort from loneliness in their mutual companionship .

[FlareKnight]

I liked getting a bit more from Abel. We can piece together the pasts of most of the cast, but he was a bit murky. Rough childhood getting discarded because he could see more than most could. Instead of that being taken good care of, he was treated terribly for it. Though hardly a shock considering how people can be.

Seems like Lawrence and Abel saved each other. Abel could protect Lawrence from things he couldn't protect himself from. And Lawrence gave Abel a source of support that let him build himself back up and put some trust in others. It also just gave Abel something to do with himself.

It was nice getting a good look at things between Hazelita and Abel. Lawrence helped pick Abel back up and Hazelita provides a powerful push to move forward. Plus she can get herself into trouble so it still gives him someone to look after. Says a lot about her importance that Abel is glad that Cecilia is there to take care of Lawrence. Leaves him able to look towards Hazelita instead of being split between two people.

Probably good to have Hazelita pushing Cecilia a bit. Part of the reason things are sitting where they are is her being comfortable. If she stays too comfortable then there's no way to get over that denseness. It's all about finding that balance.

[grecefar]

Yeah, it was good to know more about abel and the impact lawrence had after meeting him. They will always going to be best friends but now abel has hazelita to worry about and lawrence has cecilia that can protect lawrence in his place.

Great chapter.

[Alchemist007]

Abel's background is kind of weak; he "saw things" so he was an outcast? One would just learn to stop talking about it. Could be that his personality just evolved to be distant from people since they didn't understand, but that wasn't stated. His present state is a lot better as part of the cast at least.

[Frontier]

Lawren going out in the day and returning home at night without a word to Cecilia? VERY SUSPICIOUS! Perfect excuse to stalk...I mean, follow him around to make sure he's not cheating. And just so Cecilia can watch Lawren more. And of course Mell joins in !

Oh no, they lost Cecilia! And she's too into her own characters as the Lady Saint to ask for directions! Although then she meets Eric who whatever expectations he had about the Lady Saint are done away with when he finds out what a klutz and dork she really is. Like how she was half-asleep and completely missed Lawren explaining his new tutoring job. He'll probably never look at Cecilia the same way again, poor girl .

Even people who are sweet and sincere with each other have a secret or two, especially because they don't want the people they care for to dislike them .

I love how the eyecatch is Mell still looking for Cecilia (with a sign!) and Hazelita still wearing the outfit the boutique owner dressed her in. She does look very cute in that dress and beret .

Lawren has been ditching Pastor meetings because he can't leave Cecilia alone? That won't do! Especially because it gives Cecilia an excuse to go on a trip with him and see the city! And Hazelita doesn't have a good excuse to avoid seeing her family now since the city is her hometown too .

Hazelita you devious mastermind! Knowing full well they can't be proclaiming Cecilia as a Lady Saint in town and that Lawrence's only option is to call her by her name! Of course she's still bad at directions even in the city she grew up in .

It's nice to meet Lawren's fellow pastors, though I'm most interested in the two girls Camilla and Eurie, they both seem pretty cute and fun .

I guess it's safe for Lawren to reveal the truth about Cecilia to Hugo, having trusted him as his teacher, and it seems like the church (or at least Hugo) knows full well how they screwed up with the Lady Saint of this city (Hazelita's friend) and doesn't want to see the process repeated with Cecilia. Also is that Kazuhiko Inoue ?

"Ce-" dang it, it's like Lawren is physically incapable of calling her by her name! Poor girl .

Just when you thought Cecilia was about to deal with love rivals, it turns out Lawren's female friends are just happy at the prospect that he's finally found a girl instead of being totally oblivious to romance. Heck, even Hugo implies his grandpa would be as happy that he's living with a girl as much as he's doing right by a Lady Saint .

That Tomoaki Maeno charmer is Hazelita's brother!? And he's already putting the moves on Cecilia!? Although that did give an excuse for Lawren to pull the protective boyfriend move and pull Cecilia intimately close to him, so it worked out .

[grecefar]

I got some issues with this chapter, like always how they overreact about names and lawrence friends that left cecilia with an unknow man just like that. They may know him but cecilia and eve lawrence didn't, so to left her like that was a really bad move.