Youth
Sugar wondered how she was in the past.
Actually, there's no need to phrase it grandly as 'the past'; just going back a few days would suffice.
As soon as she reunited with Ryly, she felt his grown-up appearance was arrogant and decided to use a slightly cheeky prank like usual to put him in his place.
Of course, it backfired spectacularly.
Because her defense was nearly zero, she was too vulnerable to counterattacks, so there was nothing she could do.
After that, 'ranking cleanup' became just another painful memory for Sugar, and besides, being glued to Ryly felt too good. The so-called 'staying close' feeling was enjoyable, so she pushed it to the back of her mind.
But if you stimulate it like this... if you poke this brazen woman's heart, won't it burn up again?
Whether the day of reunion or the incident from the other day.
Her ears... her ears... that... that breath, lips, whispers, scent, ugh, ugh...
It feels like her ears are getting hot. Doing something like that with a completely nonchalant expression.
Moreover, that incident was the result of Sugar digging the ground alone. She interpreted Ryly's words to keep distance as her own grievance, got swayed by some unknown feelings, got annoyed, and in the end, 'this happened because Sugar cherished Ryly so much.'
Thinking about it makes me angry.
'Well, of course Ryly cherishes me too. But if he acts like that, it's annoying. It feels like I've become someone who clings to him.'
Like 'Because you cling to me that much, I'm not making a girlfriend, hehe~'
Sugar bit her lip.
She knew everything. His gaze that subtly stroked her thighs, the hand that sneaked under her clothes when hugging, the actions that pretended not to while showing desire. But since he's a man, she understood he couldn't help it, so she was pretending not to notice while keeping the line as 'friends'. She was giving him leeway for that.
She didn't even think he would bite her whole body, but anyway, for Sugar, she thought she was quite understanding herself.
But to make such an expression?
'Arrogant... arrogant...'
It didn't sit well with her that he had relational superiority.
Sugar's mind started spinning. The personality of an adult Ryly, her weapon, ways to break this fixed relationship. Her brain, considering everything, began to calculate furiously.
She didn't like studying, but she had some clever parts. She was good at scheming.
While thinking like that, suddenly a flash of behavior appeared.
First of all, it's not lewd. It's a very wholesome act.
But using that as a pretext, she could torment the body parts wildly.
At the same time, skinship could happen naturally.
Sugar showed an enlightened expression and said 'Oh...' in admiration. Even she herself was scary thinking about this.
Revenge would be 'this'. No, it's not revenge. This is 'healing'.
In the tired daily life, the healing provided by an understanding Sugar.
“... You know, Ryly.”
“Why.”
Ryly, who had been wearing a smug expression, was about to go back to what he was doing when Sugar casually brought up a story.
“Can you spare time for lunch later?”
“We’re already stuck together anyway.”
“No. Just the two of us. Go somewhere without people. I have something I want to do.”
“...”
Ryly frowned slightly.
Is he hearing the sound of scheming? Just the two of us, somewhere without people?
What plan is this brazen girl cooking up this time? Since she had been through it several times since childhood, he was suspicious but nodded anyway.
Whatever plan Sugar had, he thought he could overcome anything. Because she wasn't weak to pushing, easy to handle. He should at least go along with it a bit.
Ryly just answered in a tsundere way, 'Okay.'
After sneaking into the classroom, the professor was already calling attendance.
Like always, Ian's seat was empty, so she sat there immediately.
'... Huh?'
But Ian's expression was weird. Staring blankly ahead. She knew about the newly arrived Sugar and Ryly.
'Is it because of the worry about the two-person room?'
Thinking that, she looked at Ian, then turned her gaze to Ryly. Ryly shrugged his shoulders.
Anyway, she had to attend class. Soon the attendance check ended and class started.
Todays first lecture was astrology.
“The position of this star is really important. It affects depending on whether it's visible or not. Don't you all dream at night? The star sky also affects those dreams. Dream is imagination while sleeping. Have you heard something similar? Magic is imagination. From the entanglement of all possibilities, picking one and realizing it in reality is magic, and if you apply that to dreams, can a night's dream just be a dream—
The female professor with her eyes rolled up continued the lecture.
While listening to the content, Sugar was planning lunch and rolling her pen.
After class.
Today, the three of them decided to eat at the school cafeteria.
Sugar and Ryly looked at Ian with red cheeks, tilting their heads. Ian was staring blankly, constantly pressing a head of lettuce to her cheek. Not her mouth, but her cheek. Her aim was way off.
'Is it because of the two-person room?'
Ryly thought the same thing he did in the classroom earlier.
A grown woman hiding her gender and sharing a room with a man. It would be worrying about the future.
Well, the alternative is sharing a room with him. Of course, he would refuse even if asked. There's Sugar, after all.
The scary thing is Sugar's eyes spinning, but behind that colorless expression, there's a heart directed at Ryly.
Ryly looked at the white-haired woman sitting next to him.
He didn't know she was so obsessed. In Ryly's mind, Sugar was always light and breezy like spring wind.
But those eyes. That expression. The appearance of revealing that sticky emotion...
- You'll be the closest to me?
- You can't do that to other girls...
“...”
The memories from the other day, her face melting without noticing, were messing up his mind.
Sugar is a woman. To Ryly, she is truly a woman.
In the midst of pushing her body, it's tough. Being tormented by the soft body that slips into the arms, the sweet scent, the sensual movements. It's like a lake of patience with waves crashing. Always a quiet lake without peace.
The feelings she had harbored since childhood expanded more when she became an adult. The longer they didn't meet, the farther the distance, the more yearning. It was the same for Sugar.
However, she doesn't openly admit those feelings. That's impossible. Me? Why her? This isn't such a feeling?
Because she had been through a lot since childhood, there was some dissatisfaction, so she was treating him a bit crookedly. That's why she was wearing a smug expression today and getting back at him.
She was definitely thinking 'Ryly is arrogant!' with that head, and planning some lame plan.
Who is really arrogant. She is the one provoking first.
While thinking that and grumbling, if she had to choose the most precious person, she would choose Sugar without hesitation. The reason she couldn't come to meet Sugar until now. It was purely training and journey for one woman.
Especially from last year to this year. It was a really busy time, not just for training purposes.
Of course, because he was chasing the sect.
She had to tell Sugar about the results. The things she witnessed, the clues, the phenomena. There were more than a few strange things.
But when she saw the girl smiling happily and hugging her, or enjoying school life, the desire to talk disappeared. She thought to just leave her alone a bit more.
“Why are you like that, Ryly...?”
Sugar asked softly while staring fixedly.
Ryly silently put a cherry tomato into her mouth. The cherry tomato touched her petite lips and slid in without resistance. And when she pulled, the fork grazed her lips and came out.
“...”
Sugar was puzzled, chewing the cherry tomato. Ryly silently glanced at the fork once and then started eating again.
It was a scene where Ian should have said something from the side. She was still just pressing the lettuce to her cheek.
Ian, who always accompanied couples. The saintess who brought out her gender as a man.
Probably, the greatest crisis of her life was about to begin for her.
Temporary relocation to a two-person room due to the strange phenomenon in the male dormitory one-person room floor. The two-person room assignment was done by the dormitory head appropriately, but she was called separately.
'So... it seems like I have to use the two-person room. How is Tianzi...'
'Please call me a student.'
'How is Anne...'
'Yes... no problem, but then who will I share the room with?'
At that time, for Ian, it was a big dilemma. Sharing a room with a man. If she shared with Ryly, who knew her secret, it would be a bit easier, but he was her friend's man. No matter how she felt about him, she couldn't do something that Sugar, her friend, would hate.
Originally, if she chose that, she would definitely be killed.
While she was hesitating, the dormitory head opened her mouth.
'It's Leon, a student. You know him? The one chosen by the Saint's staff...'
'... Are you sharing with that student?'
'It seems so. This student originally used a two-person room, and since the number of resident students is odd, she was using it alone. So... I arbitrarily assigned the room through the staff, but if not, I can pair you with Ryly, who came with you.'
'No, no, no. I'll do it as assigned... but can I not use the two-person room alone?'
'If that's what Tianzi wants, I'd like to do it, but... because all the one-person room students were moved to two-person rooms, the number of rooms is tight... I'm sorry.'
'No. Then there's no choice. And please call me a student.'
'Then I'll do that. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience...'
So, from today, she started using the two-person room. After today's classes, she had to move her luggage to Leon's room.
For a while, they would share the same room.
A man and a woman sharing a room.
What public indecency!
Because of this, her brain was overloaded, so she was pressing the lettuce to her cheek.
The saintess who received the admiration of all the continent's people, the saintess who inherited the noble blood of that divine being, her worried appearance was truly heart-wrenching.