What Are You Doing Every Night?
If a mouse as small as a rabbit jumps up, Sugar jumps up too.
“What are you doing!”
She throws her whole body to catch it, and the mouse lets out a squeak. Its pitch-black eyes fill with fear and caution, as if foreseeing her future.
“Become my money…”
However, Sugar mutters like in a play and just cuts off the tail.
If she deliberately lets it go, the mouse runs away in a hurry, and Sugar chases after it.
While hiding its body among the bushes, Sugar lowers her small body and follows closely.
Sometimes on all fours, sometimes jumping over the bushes, she pursues it stubbornly like a beast hunting prey.
The tailless mouse enters a burrow. At that moment, Sugar’s heart races with excitement.
Holding the shovel on her back, she immediately charges towards the burrow. She steps on the shovel head with her foot, lifts it up, and dirt flies, widening the entrance of the burrow.
Inside the burrow, it was quiet as if the mouse was dead, but that’s just it. It was bustling underneath.
To dig properly, Sugar focuses on the flow of internal magic power.
Her legs to support the body firmly, her waist and shoulders to move lively. Expanding the magic with such an image makes the digging much easier.
At first, she would explode all her magic power and get tired quickly. It was a typical beginner’s mistake.
However, now it’s different. She has learned to use the right amount at the right time.
Magic is always limited, so she must use it carefully.
Having learned this with her body, Sugar feels a bit smug and lifts the corners of her mouth while digging the ground.
At dawn.
A girl digging the ground with the morning sun behind her under the dim sky.
The figures of large mole mice are clearly visible, and various squeaks are heard, but she doesn’t even blink. With agile hand movements, she grabs, cuts the tail, grabs, cuts the tail. Precise movements.
And when she releases it, they stand there blankly looking at the collapsed burrow.
Sugar gives a few walnuts to the large mole mice who lost their homes and tails. Up to this point, she had collected them.
“Live strongly.”
After all, you’ll build your house quickly and grow new tails.
Putting the obtained tail in her pocket, she leaves them behind.
Now it’s time to go home.
A small forest on the outskirts of the city.
The slums outside the bustling area.
The forest outside the slums.
Sugar sneaks out of the orphanage at night, and here she struggles to prepare the requested items.
She received a request to bring as many tails of creatures called large mole mice as possible.
The more she brings, the more money they give, so her enthusiasm couldn’t help but rise.
There, some proportion goes to the self-proclaimed request broker, but it doesn’t matter much.
After all, there is no need to spend money on food and shelter. She just needs to gather money to prepare gifts. She had already gathered quite a bit.
Thinking about that makes her happy, but after moving her body all night and using magic power, she’s tired, so she returns to the orphanage still dragging her feet today.
She sneaks into the building and immediately heads to the bathroom.
When she turns on the shower, warm water can’t be expected. Still, right after moving her body, it’s hot, so it’s okay to shower with cold water for now.
“Ah… ugh…”
She rubs her body with the cold water, wiping away sweat and dirt. Using cheap soap to make foam, and washing the clothes she wore.
Once she adapts to the temperature, today’s achievements come to mind and a smile comes out.
Money is money, but she was talking about magical achievements.
During the period of a little over a week, her magic manipulation skill has increased a lot.
She still can’t manipulate external objects like at the beginning, but internal manipulation has improved noticeably, allowing her to move her body faster and more efficiently than before.
Am I quite talented?
If this is the case, becoming familiar with external manipulation is just a matter of time?
Her heart flutters with excitement.
Hey, Sugar! Stile!
The magic mage Sugar who makes the floating island tense and the cult shocked, and Ryly trembling!
(Ryly, who had just finished his business in the underground sewer and returned to the bedroom, sneezed.)
Because she couldn’t sleep properly, or because moving her body was hard, Sugar was a bit dazed from the cold water.
After erasing the traces of going out, she comes out of the bathroom and changes into the clothes prepared.
The soft feeling is nice.
She roughly dries her wet hair with a towel and enters the girls’ bedroom.
“Ugh… Sugar…?”
“Shh, shh. It’s nothing.”
Frallin, who is sleeping next to Sugar, opens her eyes slightly from the noise, and Sugar quickly closes her eyes. Then patting her belly, she falls asleep quickly.
Hoo.
It seems like a bunch of them are sleeping on a large mattress. Sugar, who is sleeping at the left corner, lies down on the spot.
If she just lies down, it’s damp, so she puts a towel near her head.
It’s itchy…
It’s really annoying when having long hair. It’s bothersome when moving, so she wonders if she should cut it short.
Personally, Sugar thinks women have long hair, but since it’s her own head, it doesn’t matter if she does as she pleases.
Ah, speaking of which, tomorrow… no, today I have to go get the money. While I’m at it, maybe pick out the gifts in advance. I have decided on the types, but I haven’t decided on the specific ones, so…
Thinking about various things, she falls asleep quickly.
After only an hour of sleep.
Sugar eats breakfast groggily and goes out groggily to meet the request broker and receives money and new requests.
She also goes to the White Wood Shade shop and consults with the owner grandma to decide what to buy. Grandpa also pretends to provide opinions.
“I’ll give it as a secret, okay? If that friend comes, please keep it secret that I’m preparing the gift.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
The grandma was smiling strangely, but anyway, she firmly warned her.
After sending such a schedule, now it’s afternoon.
Sugar is sprawled on the attic of the orphanage.
“Gwaaak…”
She lies flat on the floor as if trying to merge with it, making some strange sound.
“Hey, wake up.”
“Just a little… sleep more…”
“Are you not training?”
“I’ll do it from next week, Mom…”
Who is your mom. Annoyed Ryly pokes Sugar’s arm with the back of a pencil. Every time he pokes, she crawls sideways like a worm.
So she crawls and hides her body in the blanket provided in a corner.
It seems she can prepare the money in a few days. From then on, she thought she would work hard again.
After all, internal magic manipulation increases day by day through practical training.
External manipulation will start next week after gathering the money. It was easier to think of dividing the training areas.
“Hey. You should be able to float this pencil with your power right away…”
But Ryly doesn’t know about that situation. He thinks that moving her body at night to catch monsters or earn money is only her doing, so he keeps urging her.
She needs to reach the third stage soon, what is she doing? She said to go to magic school together or something.
Slightly sulking and poking, a sudden thought comes to mind.
“You… aren’t you doing something at night while not sleeping, right?”
The one who loved training so much is now postponing it to next week and just lying there listlessly.
So when she subtly asks, Sugar just turns her head and meets her eyes without saying anything.
She looks like she’s smiling.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Idiot! What do you mean? It’s because it interferes with training… Tell me straight. What are you doing at night without sleeping?”
“No. Nothing. Just sleeping.”
“But why are you so tired? You know, you’re acting weird lately.”
She was pretending to be energetic, but after going out at night for over a week, it was starting to get hard.
The always bright and energetic kid is now just slumping, so the friend next to her would find it strange.
She thought that if she went out during the day, the abnormality would be noticed, so she went out at night. But this wasn’t a good method either.
Still, it doesn’t matter. Sugar had decided to keep making excuses.
“Just a bit tired. I haven’t been eating much lately. It’s because I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry… Tell me the truth. What are you doing every night.”
She’s persistent.
She can’t say anything about going out to earn money for the gift to give her. But since she’s already noticed that she’s ‘doing something at night’, she has to say something vague.
So, she decided to twist the story a bit.
“Tommy… are you that curious?”
“Yeah. So tell me.”
“Hmm… a girl doing what every night, so curious?”
“…W-what?”
A slightly drawn-out tone. Half-lidded eyes.
Why is this again. Ryly felt a bad feeling.
“Eh? I said I’m curious…?”
Sugar slowly raises her upper body.
With fatigue added, a strange atmosphere. Moving slowly seems like she’s deliberately emphasizing to show herself well. Her gaze keeps going to the white hands, white face.
Eventually, she extends both arms towards Ryly.
With a slight smile, she whispers with those small lips.
“Come here, I’ll tell you… what I’m doing every night.”
The tone is very seductive.
The young boy just looks at her like he’s bewitched. Like a bug jumping into the light.
So beautiful that he can’t resist without throwing his body.
Whether it’s what or not, if he goes there, he’ll be happy—
“—Hey! It’s not a joke!”
She does this whenever she gets the chance!
Immediately, he snaps out of it and starts yelling, but Sugar sticks out her tongue. She tried to use the nature of becoming obedient when hugged to pacify her, but it was a pity.
“Did you hear me? Huh? If you used magic power, you should rest! Training or whatever, recovery first! Even with proper condition, accidents can happen, but you just look at it lightly…!”
“Ugh, calm down. Okay, okay.”
“Don’t brag about using magic power! Those who can use it clumsily like you end up getting hurt more!”
What is she doing every night. Ryly himself goes out to dig underground sewers when he has time, but he is much more skilled and has a grimoire, so it’s not a problem.
But Sugar can’t even reach the third stage, she’s only half of the second stage, no magic tools. From Ryly’s perspective, she’s a friend who can’t do anything.
But she’s doing something alone at night without him.
Monsters are dangerous, adults are dangerous, the damn heretical woman is dangerous, but what confidence is she going out with alone!
So, while he’s angry, Sugar slowly approaches.
“Tommy, calm down. I’m grateful for your concern.”
“Your concern! No! It’s not! Don’t involve me! You’ll get in trouble! I’m talking!”
“Yeah. But really, it’s okay. It’s nothing… it ends soon.”
“So what exactly…!”
Clenching his fist in anger, Sugar puts her hand on his hand. The action was like water flowing without giving a chance to push away.
“…Can you trust me a little and wait?”
Speaking seriously. Ryly just opens his mouth.
Trust and wait.
Trust me.
This friend will definitely trust and wait for me. Infinite trust.
With that heart, Sugar said.
The anger he had was because he was worried about her, and she knows that.
She gets angry and prickly but basically kind. Sugar, who knows that well, smiles slightly and touches that heart.
Soon, I can buy a gift for you.
She held back what she wanted to say. Gifts are better as surprise gifts.
Thinking about receiving it and pretending not to be happy, it’s already exciting. A smile naturally comes out and turns into a smile.
“…I don’t know. Do as you like. I definitely said it.”
As usual, the winner is Sugar.
When Ryly turns his head away, Sugar smiles secretly and makes a V sign.
Feeling a bit annoyed, when Ryly turns his head again, she looks far away and quickly dodges.
Then, as if remembering now, she claps.
“Ah! This is a different story.”
“Wha…”
“I want to cut my hair, what do you think? It’s inconvenient every time I move, so maybe I should cut the length a bit.”
Sudden topic change.
To change the atmosphere, she talked about what she thought in the early morning.
“Absolutely not.”
Without asking, she gives an immediate answer.
“Why?”
“…Your ugly face will become even uglier.”
Hmm. Indeed.
Staring fixedly, the other person can’t say anything and just closes their mouth tightly.
“Yeah… if you think so.”
The inside is obvious.
The reason that an ugly face becomes even uglier is probably not true. Maybe because it’s a pity to cut it or long hair is nice.
Of course, since she received the earlier ‘trust me’ plea, she can pretend not to know and accept this much.
I’m an adult. For your dishonest self.
Since I know you, I’ll listen to only your opinion.
“Tommy, I think I shouldn’t cut it. Right?”
“What? I don’t care! What does it have to do with me…”
The naive boy turns around and keeps muttering. His ears are red.
Since it’s obvious, a laugh bursts out.
It would be good if he was a bit more honest.
This kid will meet many people when she grows up. Especially to her lover, honest attitude is good. Don’t hesitate to praise, and say what’s in your heart at the time.
So, it would be good to get used to such a mindset in advance.
Ah, then since I can’t tease her, this is appropriate.
Be honest with her when she grows up or with her girlfriend.
For now, play with me funnily.
Today, Sugar was an adult-like but not adult-like person.