Chapter 18: Midnight Mischief
In the dark factory, the air was thick and stuffy. Two kids who had successfully sneaked in looked around.
“Oh… It’s really big.”
Even from outside, it was large, but inside it felt completely different.
“I think the center over there would be good. I’ll go check it out.”
“… Just in case, I’ll stay here.”
“You’re not trying to run away alone, are you?”
“Idiot. If I’m right next to you, why did you come all the way here?”
They had come all this way to avoid the influence of magic power around them, but if they did that, it would be pointless.
Ah, Sugar understood and headed alone to the center of the factory, skipping lightly.
Walking without making big footsteps naturally led to slow steps. Looking around like that, the machines looked interesting.
There were trains and things similar to cars in this world. They were products of magic and engineering combined. So the design had a completely different feel from modern ones.
It was dark, so it was hard to see well. It probably had a brass-like material.
What would it have looked like on the game screen? Imagining it randomly, she giggled.
Sneaking into a place they shouldn’t be at midnight with a friend. It was an unusual situation, and the thought of it being childish made it fun.
On the other side, threads were densely strung between the machines, and in one corner, a round ball of fiber was visible.
Just in case it wasn’t natural, she stayed away from the area with threads and fibers. After all, they were from nature.
It seemed like a decent spot, so she waved her hand toward Tomi standing far by the window, but there was no response.
“… Can’t see?”
Even if seen, the chance of ignoring was high. So she stopped and took a stance.
…?
But for some reason, it felt different from usual.
Should she say it was catching the flow of magic power? Controlling it was very easy.
Eh…? Eh? Wait?
-Image it. You can move. Gather the energy inside your body in your hand.
She had heard this tip from a friend and mentor sometime ago.
Indeed, it moved as thought.
Good. Let’s push this momentum…
Closing her eyes, Sugar entrusted her body to the flowing imagination and magic power.
Tomi stood far by the window, watching Sugar’s figure in silence. How many minutes had passed with arms crossed?
He had stared at Sugar for a long time, but there was no movement at all. Instead of her usual lively presence, she just stood there blankly.
Did it fail…?
Tsk. He clicked his tongue.
Since the plan had been born from his hypothesis, he had secretly hoped for success. He wanted to see the results with his own eyes. It didn’t matter whether Sugar was disappointed or not, but a tiny bit of sympathy stirred in him.
She was tied to the heresy. Of course she would want to get stronger. She had even shown a desire to attend magic school. Her passion for magic was huge.
Recalling those things, various emotions intertwined and left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth.
She still had a long way to go. To reach the third stage, there was a mountain of things to do.
He would have to stick with her for months, maybe even years.
Thinking about having to chase after her made him impatient already, but it wasn’t that bad. He wanted to see something vivid and real come from his own hands.
At the same time, a small doubt arose.
… Why does she trust me so much?
Thinking about it, she had believed every hypothesis until now.
She had even risked her life once. Right now, she was working hard to plan an illegal entry into the factory.
Those were things she had done because she believed his words. Starting from the first time she asked him to teach her magic and continuing until now.
Why me?
What was so special about his words?
“…”
If he dug deeper, his feelings would become unmanageable, so he stopped.
It was getting late.
He was worried that the guards might return.
So he was about to move his feet to take Sugar with him.
“…?”
It was a night relying only on faint moonlight. He couldn’t create a light source with magic because it would risk being discovered.
In that darkness, things floating in the air came into view.
He thought he had mistaken them because it was so dark.
After all, a loom much larger than a car couldn’t possibly float in the air.
Several threads and strands of fiber floated like a fluffy cloud.
And below them, at the center of the phenomenon, Sugar stood.
“No, what…?”
All gloomy thoughts had vanished. It was like being doused with cold water and waking from a nightmare.
He had no idea how to handle this situation right now, and his head was starting to hurt.
“Really… She…”
She must have been overflowing with magic power infused with the will to manipulate. This was a phenomenon caused by young kids who had talent but couldn’t control it. If she kept going like this, she would quickly exhaust herself.
What would happen if she exhausted herself in that state?
Obviously, the things would fall. Since he didn’t want to imagine what came after, Tomi immediately descended the stairs. No one wants to fall to their death.
When he arrived in front of Sugar at a brisk pace, it was a sight to behold. The magic power leaking out was visible to the naked eye. Because of the pure nature of magic power, it should have dispersed into the air, but the amount was abnormal.
“Hey… Can you hear me…?”
In a trance. No matter how much he whispered, Sugar just stood there with her eyes closed, motionless.
Magicians who liked meditation would sometimes lock themselves away for days without eating, so it wasn’t surprising. But for someone who should never do something like this as a beginner, it was embarrassing.
She’s too focused on the flow of magic power…
Maybe even more so because she was a beginner.
If he forced her to hit her, she would snap out of it, but instead she would be startled, concentration would break, magic power would cut off, and the floating things would fall.
Then the loom would be destroyed, the fibers would get dirty, the guards would come running, and she would be imprisoned by the three of them.
… Absolutely not.
But waiting until she opened her eyes like that, Sugar’s magic power wouldn’t last. At her young age, she had more than others, but it wasn’t infinite. A limit was coming no matter what.
Moreover, there was a chance the guards would come before that.
“Huu…”
He decided to wake her consciousness while filling her magic power. It was a hastily thought-up solution. He approached right in front of Sugar.
But where should he touch?
To inject magic power, physical contact was necessary, but he didn’t know where to grab.
Shoulder? Like when she reached stage one, the abdomen?
… Let’s do it with my hand.
Thinking of it as a handshake, it seemed like the most natural spot.
Tomi grabbed both of Sugar’s hands and stood facing her. Her hands were soft and warm. The magic power was circulating intensely, so her body temperature had risen.
Standing face to face like that, an indescribable feeling of shame rose up.
“… Damn it.”
Why did he have to do something like this?
The incident at the cafe earlier came to mind, making him feel awkward. She had grabbed his hand first that time too.
He shook his head and started injecting magic power with the thought of ending it quickly. This way, not only would the consumed magic power be replenished, but even Sugar would feel a sense of discomfort from her empty magic channels being filled.
But this wasn’t enough.
He needed something decisive to wake her consciousness.
He really didn’t want to do this, but he had no choice to avoid prison.
With a deep breath, Tomi’s face, flushed with embarrassment, trembled.
Without making a sound, he just opened and closed his lips until a single word formed and came out as sound.
“S-Sugar…”
“Hey,” “You” — those wouldn’t do. It had to be a word that would definitely make the other person react. There was nothing more fitting than a name.
“… Sugar.”
So, forcing himself through embarrassment, he called her like this.
“Hey… Wake up… … Sugar.”
“…”
“S-Suu-ga.”
When he usually called Sugar, he used “hey,” “you,” and such. Because of the commotion last time, he knew her name well, but he had never once put “Sugar” in his mouth since that day.
That was why his face kept heating up.
The spring-like smile of Sugar he had seen that day kept coming to mind, just like the name engraved in his head.
-My name. You know it, right? Say it.
-From now on, you can read it like that.
“…”
To erase stray thoughts, he looked ahead and there was Sugar again. Not the Sugar in his memory, but the real Sugar.
Under the moonlight, her snow-white face with closed eyes without a trace of a smile felt somehow sacred. Even though his gaze lingered on the different atmosphere from usual, he soon turned his face away.
Staring at her made him feel like he was doing something he shouldn’t.
Grasping the hand of a girl who seemed to be sleeping and calling her name while looking at her face was unbearably embarrassing.
“… Idiot. Pervert. Not waking up?”
Even with bad words, the embarrassment didn’t disappear.
“… Wake up quickly.”
No matter how much he called, there was no movement. Just in case something was wrong, he checked her wrist and found a pulse.
She was alive.
A strange sense of relief filled him, and strength entered his hand that was holding hers. The name he was calling carried that emotion.
So it was.
“Sugar…”
“… Tomi?”
Her white eyelashes lifted. Her eyes, of a mysterious color, finally turned toward Tomi.
She looked around as if she didn’t understand the situation, then immediately checked her surroundings.
“Ah.”
Her eyes widened. Following the torrent of emotion, the things floating in the air began to shake violently.
“Calm down…! Calm down…!”
Grasping her hand tightly, her eyes turned back to Tomi. At the same time, the loom that had been shaking stopped.
“What, what is this…”
“Calm down and come in. Don’t be scared. It’s nothing.”
“… Did I do this?”
Her expression was good. Instead of answering, Tomi nodded and slightly released his hand.
“Slow down. I think you can control it.”
“… Nothing’s moving.”
“You did it earlier.”
She had calmed down properly. She had stopped the things that were wildly shaking.
“It’s not working now… I definitely feel connected to you.”
“…”
That was weird.
It was difficult for someone who had caused a rampage like this to immediately control magic power. After all, she had rampaged because she couldn’t control it.
What should he do? Frowning, Sugar made a small sound.
“Ah, Tomi. I think I know.”
And then, this time, Sugar grabbed Tomi’s hand.
“W-what?”
“Here. Now you control it.”
“… Wait.”
When she looked up, the factory’s floating items came into view. If she thought of the left, they moved left, and if she thought of the right, they moved right.
It felt like she was holding them with her own hands. She had the initiative.
Clearly, the magic power floating in the air was hers, but the fine manipulation was being done by Tomi.
“See? You controlled it earlier too.”
“No way…! Just by holding hands, you can take the initiative? This is absolutely not easy…! With magic power greater than the opponent’s—”
“Shh! Theory later…! It’s possible right in front of you like this.”
“…”
It was breaking common sense, but since it had actually happened, there was nothing to do. First, everything should be put back in place.
Tomi held Sugar’s hand and, while discussing, restored the factory’s machines and fibers to their original state.
“Hey… Is this direction right?”
“It is. I remember. I watched carefully while coming here.”
“It doesn’t seem right. No matter how I look, it’s not.”
“Tomi. Trust me.”
“…”
If he stubbornly refused to believe, he would fidget with his hand.
Interlacing fingers. Biting his nails. Twitching and fiddling.
“Huh? Huh?”
Inserting his own finger between Tomi’s fingers. Gently putting it in and out, in and out.
Friction occurred, making it warm and sweaty.
Then, this time, he rubbed Tomi’s fingers in the opposite direction. It was flashy yet slow, as if swallowing them into his own palm.
A slimy sound came from the sweaty hand.
Listening to it, it felt like he was doing something he shouldn’t.
“…”
He wanted to shout something, but he couldn’t make a big noise. Suppressing his anger, he followed Sugar’s words and lowered the loom, and only then did he release his hand.
Finally, after lowering everything, he let out a satisfied laugh.
“Good work.”
Whispering into his ear was embarrassing.
When he stepped back a little and wiped the sweat from his hand, the scene of the factory after some tidying came into view.
The two people who exchanged glances immediately escaped through the window they had entered from.
There was no one chasing them, but somehow his back felt prickly. The anxiety that came when things went too well gripped them both, and they ran as fast as they could.
With magic power infused into their legs, their movement was light.
From the factory intrusion to what happened there and today’s achievement. It was so absurd that someone burst out laughing, and the other followed with a small smile.
They didn’t know what would happen tomorrow, and they didn’t know what would happen today. There was a lot of uncertainty, but running through the night streets together with a friend was just fun.
The feeling that somehow everything would be fine if they were together kept coming.
.
.
.
On the other hand, the next morning at the textile factory.
“What! Why are the looms reversed!”
“The windows are broken too…”
“Who the hell is this guy!!”
Among the factory director and workers, the “crazy person who broke into the factory overnight, reversed the loom positions, and fled” became a person of interest for a while.