This Afternoon
Two girls were exchanging a handshake of friendship when Ryly, standing nearby with a distinctly displeased expression, made sure to assert his presence.
“…Huh? Ah! So you’re that friend of hers.”
Ian remembered. The person who had made Sugar pour out her complaints while drunk. She had heard they were always glued together, so this had to be the kid.
“Right, Sugar?”
“Right.”
“Oh…”
Ian kept glancing at Ryly, tilting her head as if deep in thought. She had heard descriptions of his appearance, after all.
“Hello! You know who I am, right?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Ryly.”
“I’m Ian. You can call me by name. If you’re Sugar’s friend, you’re basically my friend too.”
“Yes.”
“So you’ve made up with Sugar?”
“Yes.”
“So how did you two become close? You seem like you’ve known each other since before coming to this land.”
“We’ve become quite close.”
“…?”
After trading questions and answers, Ian covered her mouth and leaned in to whisper something to Sugar.
“…Is he normally like this?”
No. He was generally sharp-tongued, but not *this* blunt.
She knew why. Sugar had been wearing an ambiguous expression, unsure whether to smile or frown.
She would have to give a heads-up about gender later. Her friend was going to explode.
“Ryly.”
To soothe her friend right away, Sugar called out his name and tapped her right ear.
—Do you remember what I said?
Ryly’s expression twisted in a completely different way. The memory of that day surfaced. The memory of that sweet act.
He immediately relaxed his face, muttering “I see,” and let out a silent sigh.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
Seeing Ryly’s honest apology, Sugar stepped forward and took his hand.
They naturally switched their finger positions to interlock, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“My attitude was improper—”
“No, no. Wait. That’s not the issue… but… that… that… act… wouldn’t that be a problem…?”
“Huh?”
While Ryly was apologizing, Ian’s face flushed red as she pointed somewhere. She was gesturing at the clasped hands of Sugar and Ryly, stumbling over her words.
Ah. The two children were staring at their own hands.
But was this really so shocking that it made them tremble? Sugar thought it was perfectly fine, while Ryly panicked, realizing he had been so lost in the moment that he hadn’t noticed anyone else pointing it out. It was all because of Sugar’s influence.
“You, you, too… too…”
“Yes, speak slowly.”
Gasping for air, Sugar calmed him, and Ian squeezed out a sentence with great effort.
“N-no inappropriate things! …!”
What?
“No matter how young you are, holding hands with the opposite sex! That’s… a bit…”
“…?”
Even Ryly, who had been panicking earlier, looked bewildered.
“P-p-public indecency! Yes, public indecency! The Saint is watching! So you can’t do that, kids…”
Waving his fingers in warning, he scolded them. As someone older than them and a descendant of the Saint’s blood, he tried to endure his embarrassment and earnestly attempted to teach them.
But none of it reached those two.
At least not to Sugar, whose lips curved into a mischievous smile.
Ryly, realizing what was coming, braced himself.
“Eek.”
She had expected this. The mischievous Sugar pressed herself against Ryly.
Ian, blushing furiously, yelped “Kyaa!” and felt even more embarrassed.
The prince… no, princess inside the tower had zero immunity.
“Why are you so embarrassed, Ian? You hugged me and held hands with me earlier too.”
“I-I… I was just doing it as friends… you two… that’s…”
“That’s…?”
“The atmosphere…”
“The atmosphere?”
When asked again, Ian’s face turned even redder as she lowered her head.
“N-no, I only live in the tower, so I don’t know… I just read about it in books.”
“What book was it?”
“Th-that…”
“What book made you think holding hands between friends is inappropriate? I’m curious.”
“You two don’t seem like ordinary friends…”
“Right. We’re not just friends. We’re the most important friends.”
Ian tilted her head. Really? Could the most important friends do that? Did it carry that kind of atmosphere?
“More importantly, what book was it?”
“That’s not important…! Fine!”
“Aw, don’t hold back.”
Perhaps she had found new prey to tease. Sugar kept pressing on relentlessly.
In the end, Ryly grabbed her cheeks to calm her down.
“Waaah.”
“Forgive my rudeness.”
“…It’s fine.”
“I’ll be more careful with my behavior.”
“No, I… I don’t mind… but the Saint… my ancestor… is watching…”
“…?”
.
.
.
The commotion finally settled.
The three of them gathered at a table set up in one corner of the room. Ian, whose face was even redder than the adults’, requested tea from the priestess while fanning herself. Moments later, three teacups were placed before each of them.
“Go ahead and enjoy it slowly.”
That was the reason Ian had called the two of them today.
She also wanted to thank Sugar and wanted to get closer to them.
So, basically, she wanted to talk.
It was mostly Sugar who spoke, with Ryly adding comments from the side. Ian had spent the whole day in the tower and had little to talk about. She was delighted just to hear about the outside world.
Sugar talked until her throat felt dry and took a sip from her teacup.
Ugh. It’s bitter.
Why drink tea?
Sticking out her tongue, she added the specially prepared milk and honey directly into the cup.
Beside her, Ian was sipping tea elegantly. Though her appearance was that of a young nobleman, once you knew the truth, her feminine charm shone through. She was a beautiful girl who gave off the impression of being handsome.
This time, she looked at the other side.
Hmm. He really is exceptional. Our Ryly. His looks rival those of the Saint’s bloodline.
A golden thread-like braid hiding his slightly furrowed brows. Eyes looking down indifferently. Firmly closed lips. A face that would make many girls swoon.
“Hmm, hmm…”
Wait, what?
Many girls swoon, many girls?
Sugar, who had been watching Ryly with a fond gaze, suddenly made a face.
In the original story, this friend had been incredibly popular. Handsome, kind to everyone, well-mannered. Of course it was an act, but still… looking at the surface, how could any woman not like a blond, blue-eyed handsome man who acted gently?
Good. If he was popular, that was good.
But… what to say…
“…?”
Sugar stared blankly at the table, tapping it.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap.
Drip drip. Drip drip drip—
“So? Are you going to Stille? Do you have anything you want to do?”
Ian suddenly jumped in while they were talking about Stille. She had been telling them about the reason Sugar and Ryly fought and had steered the conversation here.
Sugar snapped out of her daze and spoke.
“Ah… just to learn magic. To broaden my horizons. To experience various things.”
“Amazing… Stille… wow…”
“You haven’t even reached the age to enter yet.”
“But you have a goal. You have dreams for the future. That’s… so…”
Enviable… Ian muttered.
No matter how much permission she had to leave the Holy City, she still wanted to go beyond that.
Did this girl know why her older sister had raised her as a boy?
Sugar didn’t know the conversation between the sisters that day. She didn’t know where the story had gone. So she quietly kept her mouth shut.
“Anyway! I’ll cheer for you. I’ll pray that you can go. It’s a place built by the Saint’s disciples, right? So it’s a place that continues the Saint’s will. In this situation, as a descendant, I’m praying for you, so the Saint will surely be happy and answer my prayers!”
It was exactly like a child boasting about their bloodline while being full of affection. A cute arrogance. Her speech and actions were refreshing, which was a relief compared to her sister.
“Thank you. I hope Ian can go outside the Holy City someday too.”
“Right! I will.”
Ian answered cheerfully and then glanced at Ryly before asking the two of them.
“But… then when is Ryly leaving?”
She had learned that Ryly was leaving far away, which was why they had fought.
She had seen Sugar’s behavior before and thought they were close, but now they seemed quite relaxed, so she was curious.
Sugar and Ryly exchanged glances and then turned back to Ian.
“Today in the afternoon.”
“Yes, we’re going today in the afternoon.”
“Ah, so you’re going today in the afternoon…”
Today in the afternoon…
Today in the afternoon!?
“Hey! Why are both of you here!”
“Ian called us.”
“No! I should have said something! Since this friend is leaving today, I need to see them off! If I had known they wouldn’t be able to go, I wouldn’t have called!”
With that, she kicked her chair and stood up, clapping her hands.
The priestesses, as if waiting for it, pulled the two children toward the door.
“Get out! Get out right now!”
It looked like the two were making Ian angry and being sent out, but in reality, it was the stubbornness of the Saint’s descendant who felt sorry and had burst inside.
“No, it’s fine. We can talk more, Ian.”
“No matter how much I’ve learned about the world from books, I have some sense…! Hurry up and get out! Go have some intimate time together!”
The door slammed shut firmly.
“Ah! Don’t do anything too indecent! You’ll be punished!”
The last words came from inside the door. It was so absurd that laughter burst out.
The people living here all seemed to have something stormy inside them.
A strange guardian, a strange saintess, a strange saint’s descendant.
“Interesting person.”
“Hmm…”
Ryly nodded awkwardly.
The two children who had been sent out of the tower faced each other.
“Then… shall we walk? Or is there something you want to do?”
“Not really. Do whatever you want.”
Sugar smiled faintly and led the way, walking. There was no destination. The Holy City was vast. They were simply walking as they pleased.
In the hearts of these two children was a sense of regret. And trust in each other.
That was why they had been so relaxed when parting today.
They had decided to meet again. They had said everything they wanted to say.
So they left without showing sadness and made a silent promise to part ways.
Let’s live as usual. It was never the last time.
So, as they walked quietly, distant shouts reached their ears.
“Hey, Captain! What’s that sound! Since you’ve taken in a disciple, you’re going to do activities with that kid too?!”
“Uh, Peco. That’s how it is.”
A familiar voice. Sugar and Ryly exchanged a glance and then quietly approached, making no sound.
And they peeked through the bushes.
“So what if I tell you on the day I leave! At least tell me a week in advance… what am I supposed to do!”
It seemed they were having conflicts due to poor communication on this side as well.
It wasn’t particularly about men and women, but etiquette was still required between superior and subordinate.
The incompetent uncle who scolded her like that. Ryly narrowed his eyes and watched.
“You’re going to follow too?”
“I’m following the Captain for justice and my mission, not to raise a child—”
“Shut up. How old am I? I need to take in a disciple before I get any older. How long am I supposed to drag you around?”
“If you say that, it really hurts…”
“Of course I thought about you. I wrote a recommendation letter for a place where you can be promoted.”
“Enjoy your trip!”
“Tsk.”
No matter how you thought about it, it seemed like they were in a place with only strange people.
---
The two children who had been sent out of the tower faced each other once more.
“Then… shall we walk? Or is there something you want to do?”
“Not really. Do whatever you want.”
Sugar smiled faintly and led the way, walking. There was no destination. The Holy City was vast. They were simply walking as they pleased.
In the hearts of these two children was a sense of regret. And trust in each other.
That was why they had been so relaxed when parting today.
They had decided to meet again. They had said everything they wanted to say.
So they left without showing sadness and made a silent promise to part ways.
Let’s live as usual. It was never the last time.
So, as they walked quietly, distant shouts reached their ears.
“Hey, Captain! What’s that sound! Since you’ve taken in a disciple, you’re going to do activities with that kid too?!”
“Uh, Peco. That’s how it is.”
A familiar voice. Sugar and Ryly exchanged a glance and then quietly approached, making no sound.
And they peeked through the bushes.
“So what if I tell you on the day I leave! At least tell me a week in advance… what am I supposed to do!”
It seemed they were having conflicts due to poor communication on this side as well.
It wasn’t particularly about men and women, but etiquette was still required between superior and subordinate.
The incompetent uncle who scolded her like that. Ryly narrowed his eyes and watched.
“You’re going to follow too?”
“I’m following the Captain for justice and my mission, not to raise a child—”
“Shut up. How old am I? I need to take in a disciple before I get any older. How long am I supposed to drag you around?”
“If you say that, it really hurts…”
“Of course I thought about you. I wrote a recommendation letter for a place where you can be promoted.”
“Enjoy your trip!”
“Tsk.”
No matter how you thought about it, it seemed like they were in a place with only strange people.