74. Face-to-Face (1)
Looking at Sugar, her lips were slightly upturned, returning to a relatively normal state compared to before.
Of course, “relatively normal” was what it was. Since none of her eyes were smiling, Ian standing beside her kept trembling.
“Shu, Sugar. That… Ryly?”
“Ah, Ryly. He’s enjoying the life of an alpha male right now, so just leave him be. If I’m around, my reputation will suffer and I’ll get in the way.”
“Ah, alpha, what? No, no… you don’t have to answer…”
Just shut your mouth. Don’t touch it.
Words are the root of all evil. To fulfill the words of one of the old Saint’s disciples, Ian tightly shut her mouth.
I had seen it in romance novels before. If you touch it unnecessarily, it explodes. For this kind of thing, only the root cause can be resolved.
“By the way, Ian-ssi. The incident at the entrance ceremony. Isn’t it interesting?”
Sugar casually brushed off the bomb she had just dropped and changed the subject.
Ian nodded her head while sweating. After all, it’s interesting.
The Saint’s staff moving! It’s the first time in history since the academy was built and the staff was placed there.
“Of course it’s interesting… Before the Saint-nim returned to the sky, there was a word he said while handing the staff to his disciples.”
“Really?”
“‘Until the one who continues my will appears—’ That’s what he said. So the disciples displayed it in Stille as a symbolic element, saying ‘Students, carry on the Saint’s will!’ Now that I think about it, it was a kind of prophecy…!”
As she spoke, Ian’s chest swelled with emotion, and she let out a “Kku…” exclamation. Despite being oppressed by freedom in the past, she’s a young lady who takes pride in her bloodline.
Then, “Ah!” she snapped back to her senses and checked Sugar’s expression.
Her eyes were narrowed and smiling.
Ah, has her mood improved a bit from before…?
Her inner thoughts were unpredictable, making it embarrassing no matter what.
“I understand Ian-ssi’s feelings too. So you’re interested, right? Then let’s go together.”
“Eh, eh? Where?”
“To that student named Leon.”
“What are we going to do there?”
“We need to get close to him. He’s the male student holding the Saint-nim’s staff.”
“No, why bother? It’ll just draw unnecessary attention between us.”
“Then I’ll change the subject. I have something personal I want to ask. It would be easier to talk with Ian-ssi beside me. Will you help?”
“… Then, sure.”
She wanted to fulfill her friend’s request. Moreover, Sugar’s mood was extremely low right now. She had to do something about it.
Then, “Ian-ssi is the best!” and Sugar clung to her. This was just like usual.
Hmm. As long as I don’t bring up Ryly’s name.
I don’t know what happened between them, but I can roughly guess. Probably because of the demerit, Ryly said something like to distance himself, and something got twisted because of that.
“… So Ryly is that good?”
He didn’t say to completely distance himself, just to stop the skinship. Does that make her react like that?
Sugar had been like that since childhood. She stuck to Ryly before he left the Holy City, missed him after he left, and when he returned to the Holy City, she was so happy she wanted to die.
It was really surprising. This kid had been like that since childhood. Even though she was two years younger than me, we were like that.
They said in their mouths that they weren’t lovers or a couple, but in Ian’s eyes, no matter how you looked at it, that wasn’t the case.
What does it feel like to fall in love?
The kind of emotion that makes you love the other person so much that even if the other person acts upset, it becomes scary.
It always comes up when reading romance novels. They ride on a strange current, fall in love, misunderstand and fight, then reconcile and get even more clingy.
The changes in such emotions and the flow were incredibly interesting. When I was young, I had a yearning for it too. I wanted to experience something like that someday.
Of course, now I’ve given up.
“Ian” is a man.
He has to be a man.
That’s why he’s here at Stille, enjoying daily life with friends outside the Holy City.
He’s never going to be a woman with maternal lineage power.
“…”
After thinking it through, Ian gently stroked Sugar’s hair.
“Okay. Let’s hurry. And don’t get too close outside. You’ll get caught for no reason.”
“Ahh. Damn school.”
Sugar pouted and dropped it.
“By the way, do you know where that student is?”
“Yes, roughly. First, do you remember? We met once at a cafe before.”
“I remember. He apologized to me. That…”
“Yes?”
“Outside the Holy City. The first male peer I had a conversation with.”
Was that a conversation?
Sugar tilted her head. Ian was saying it to reinforce her memory, but for Sugar, it didn’t matter.
“Yeah… whatever. Anyway. Today, I also observed the situation. Right now, the students’ interest is divided between Ian-ssi or that student Leon. I can’t really talk to Ian-ssi, and with me and that useless Ryly attached, everyone seems to be paying a lot of attention to Leon who goes around alone.”
“He was staring blankly all day. You saw all that?”
“Ehh. Even I always keep an eye on my surroundings. This is basic.”
Although her words sounded believable, the image of her earlier trying to pull out grass came to mind, and she immediately got nervous. There, she subtly insulted Ryly too.
“… Even if I know you, sometimes I don’t know.”
“That’s just how the world is. There are many things we don’t know.”
Finding Leon wasn’t difficult.
Just go to where people are gathered, and it’s quick. Whether freshmen or upperclassmen, it was bustling. Just like Sugar said.
“Hmm, hmm.”
There, when Sugar led Ian with a fake cough, a miracle happened. The purple-eyed Tianzi appeared, and everyone made way to the side.
Ian’s cheeks turned red.
“Yes. I’ll pass by for a moment.”
Sugar pushed Ian from behind and passed through. The students looked at them with curious eyes.
The meeting of the Saint’s staff holder and the Saint’s bloodline. Anyone on this continent with deep-rooted Saint faith would jump out of bed for this big spectacle.
“Hello!”
Immediately, she greeted the black-haired man, and the other party nodded hesitantly.
“… Yes.”
“Do you remember us? We met a few days ago at a cafe.”
“I remember. You. The blonde guy and… anyway, you two are lovers.”
Since I saw that indecent sight, it was memorable.
Hmm. “Lovers.” Sugar recalled one of the assumptions she had in her mind.
“If you’re lovers, how about it? Surprised?”
“… Yes? If an embarrassing act is surprising, then surprised…”
Is it not from reincarnation or regression? If you know the original world’s flow, the reaction wouldn’t be like that.
“First, let me tell you. They’re not lovers. And, do you know who this person is?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then the conversation is quick. Leon, right? You received the selection of the Saint-nim’s staff. That’s why interest was generated. Can we talk for a moment?”
“No.”
Compared to the polite tone, the answer was sharp as a knife.
“Eh… it would be fine if it was a little.”
“Now it’s not.”
“Eh?”
Didn’t you refuse the conversation?
“If it’s the staff, I returned it to Stille. Now it’s not selected. Then, since I have business, I’ll go.”
Leon spoke firmly, slightly frowning as he glanced at Ian once and turned away abruptly. As if trying to leave through the gap where students had vacated their seats.
“…”
“Ian-ssi. That guy is spreading rumors in the Holy City. I saw him looking through it. It’s definitely blasphemy…”
“Enough!”
Sugar whispered in Ian’s ear, and she jumped.
“But it’s strange… the nuance is a bit different…”
“What is…”
“Ah, it’s a monologue. Anyway, shall we follow from behind?”
There are many eyes here. Sugar wasn’t the type to back down just because she was rejected once.
- If it’s the staff, I returned it to Stille.
That word bothered her.
In the original story, first, the Stille side would confiscate the staff and hold a meeting, but then return it to Leon again. It was to respect the will of the staff that broke the triple barrier and came out.
But “returned.” The nuance is that he offered it himself, not that it was taken from above.
And strangely, it seems to be aware of Ian.
Since yesterday, it’s been strange. He’s angry and dislikes being selected by the staff, and is eyeing Ian.
“Could it be… opposing the Saint sect…?”
No. No matter what, the Saint’s staff wouldn’t designate a heretic as its owner.
This is dismissed.
Next. Reincarnation or regression.
It’s possible, but the reaction to Sugar is lukewarm for something like that. Of course, it could be acting.
Anyway, next hypothesis.
Did you live a past different from the original story?
There’s no law that this world flows as is just because there’s an original story, and there’s also the butterfly effect caused by Sugar. The fate can change in many ways.
“Hmm…”
Sugar recalled various hypotheses and pondered. What is the cause? Why is she wary of things related to the Saint sect?
I'll consult Ryly metaphorically again–
“Yes. After all, the most accurate is to ask the person themselves.”
Ryly is out.
With that, Sugar took the lead, and Ian followed hesitantly.
***
“When will he come out…”
After following Leon into the main building for tens of minutes. Since he entered the president’s office, they’re waiting in front, but he doesn’t come out at all.
Sugar pressed her nose to the window and admired the outside scenery. It’s good if there are many allies. Since it would help, she followed anxiously, but her heart wasn’t in it.
Glancing sideways, Ian was standing primly. Her standing posture resembled her older sister.
But from earlier, she’s been fidgeting a lot. Is it because Leon upset her mood?
This won’t do. Sugar’s eyes sharpened.
At that moment, the door to the president’s office opened.
“It’s really unnecessary…!”
“First, please take this as the president’s order.”
“I’ve heard it many times! You can stop now!”
The president’s secretary Mel’s calm voice. In comparison, Leon, who was angry, raised his voice as he came out of the president’s office.
Sugar blocked his way.
“Hello.”
“You again… Did you come chasing me?”
“Of course.”
“No… why exactly…”
“Because of the thing you’re holding.”
Pointing at the staff, she smiled wickedly, and Leon trembled.
Because of the aftereffects of the scene from the lecture hall earlier, Sugar’s eyes were a bit off. It was a bit eerie.
Ian standing behind such Sugar looked at Leon with a sideways glance. She’s the Tianzi who has been fidgeting since earlier because he’s been on her mind.