Even My Taste Is Off
Ryly and Leon stopped outside the dormitory.
“Why… are you running away?”
“If it were you, wouldn’t you run away?”
Leon sighed, clearly exasperated.
“I really didn’t want to have this conversation… but since you’re the only one I can consult, and you’re close to Ian-nim.”
“…”
“Don’t look at me like that.”
Leon had roughly guessed the situation. He’d probably gone through hell because of Ian’s strange distance. But Ryly had clearly said before that men never engaged in such physical contact.
Whether it was because she was a woman and it didn’t hit home, or because she’d learned from Sugar and it had firmly taken root, Leon didn’t know.
Still, stirring up needless misunderstandings was out of the question. He should listen to the story, talk to Ian properly, or maybe find someone closer to the matter.
“…Alright. I’ll hear you out.”
Ryly pulled a communication device from his pocket. He’d bought a pair for short-range use within the school. It was cheap because the range was short and it only connected to the same pair.
“Who are you calling?”
“Someone who knows Ian-nim better than me… Ah. Can you come out now?”
[Why? Why? At this suspicious hour?]
“You need me.”
[… Need me? What’s going on?]
“You’ll find out when you come.”
[Is something weird happening?]
“Well…”
[… Wait a little in front of the dormitory.]
There was still time until curfew, so the two men headed toward the girls’ dormitory.
When they waited, the girl with the white hair soon appeared. Leon had expected her in pajamas, but she came out in her usual attire, scarf wrapped around her neck and her face flushed.
“R-Ryly. What kind of… Ah. What is this? You were there too.”
“How did my voice change so much?”
When Leon asked in disbelief, Sugar waved him off and looked at Ryly.
“Ryly. Why did you bring him?”
“A guy has been on my mind lately, so I asked for counseling.”
Sugar’s mouth fell open. No way. Even her preferences had gone off track.
Sugar, who had been maintaining a five-step distance from Ryly, kept glancing between the two men. Then, as if she’d made up her mind, she stepped between Leon—who was shouting “Please stop it!”—and Ryly, whose expression was flustered.
“Hah… I never thought I’d be restrained by a woman while alive.”
“I never thought I’d restrain a man either.”
“So, just listen to the story first, okay?”
Leon endured the awkward gazes of the white-and-gold duo and headed toward the greenhouse’s bench. He’d brought them there because it was a good place to talk quietly. Sugar and Ryly sat side by side, with Leon alone in front.
“So… where should I start?”
“Why do I have to hear this?”
Sugar, who had been expecting a private night with Ryly, buried her face in the table and muttered.
“… If Ian-nim finds out I got into your bed, that thought will disappear.”
“Ah. Ian-nim got into your bed… Wait. What?”
Leon’s sudden words made Sugar’s eyes widen. Even Ryly’s eyebrows shot up.
“Who made your hearing go weird… Want me to repeat it?”
When Sugar poked her ears, Leon opened his mouth again with a defeated look.
“When I woke up on Saturday morning, Ian-nim was in my bed.”
“It wasn’t that Ian-nim got into your bed, but that Ian-nim got into your bed?”
“Exactly.”
“…”
Sugar closed her mouth quietly. Even she found it a bit… much.
“For the sake of her honor, I’ll add this. Nothing happened that you’re thinking. I was just peacefully sleeping. Of course, when I saw the scene and asked her…”
[Ah… You were having a nightmare at night and looked really pained… so I got in to pat you. Like a mother would for her child. My mom used to do that to me when I was little… T-that. Since we’re the same gender, it’s fine, right? Family isn’t the issue, but if we’re different genders sharing a bed, there’d be a problem, but we’re the same gender…]
“She said that. Now, I’ll ask again. Does she like men? Is her taste like that? Is she a masochist?”
No one answered the barrage of questions. Sugar and Ryly just stared at each other, opening and closing their mouths, then closing them again, repeating the motion.
Of course she liked men. She was a woman, after all.
But what could he say? He couldn’t reveal her gender, and even if he did, it would cause problems.
“Ah… um…”
“Do you understand why I’m asking these questions?”
“Yeah… I get it… Sorry for the misunderstanding… Anyway. When I was at the Saint’s place, Ian-nim and I often slept together.”
“What? You’re openly having an affair—”
“Shut up. Don’t spout nonsense.”
Sugar answered coolly, then cleared her throat while glancing at Ryly’s reaction.
“Anyway. We really slept in the same bed as pure friends. Since we’ve been close since childhood, I kept that feeling. Ryly will agree too, right?”
“That’s right.”
Leon nodded reluctantly but obediently listened to Ryly’s affirmation.
“So… that’s it. I got in with the pure intention of comforting you. She’s an adult who slept with women, but men? She had no such intentions at all. She’s like clear water.”
His desperate shield was on the verge of cracking.
Actually, it was impossible to say. Even Sugar was thinking, *Aigoo! If the Saintess knew, she’d cry blood!*
Of course, Sugar would also crawl into the bed if Ryly was having a nightmare during their shared night and comfort him. But that was limited to Ryly.
[That’s possible between me and Ryly. Ian-nim and Leon aren’t like that.]
The phrase Ian had said—“Since we’re the same gender, it’s fine?”—stuck in his mind.
He had no idea how she’d come up with such bizarre and unpleasant claims. Still, he had to calm Leon, who thought of Ian as a man, so he vigorously defended her.
“So, you’re saying she transcends even the bonds of lust and purely spreads love?”
“… Yeah, that’s right.”
“Ah…”
Agape. Leon’s eyes widened as if he’d understood something noble. The man who usually found the Saint’s sect oddly distasteful looked down with a heavy heart. It stung his conscience.
“I didn’t know that at all… too much of a criminal-like misunderstanding…”
“…”
Sugar rubbed her thighs and kept her mouth shut tightly.
.
.
“Thank you for the counseling. I feel like my worries have lessened.”
“… Good.”
Leon. Sugar glanced at Ryly and turned her head.
“Then I’ll go.”
Leon headed to the boys’ dormitory, leaving Ryly behind to see Sugar home.
“…”
“…”
“Ryly… what do we do about Ian-nim.”
“I don’t know. It’s because of you.”
“Why is it because of me? It’s all because of those romance novels. You’ve been watching too many spicy things since childhood, so your tastes went off.”
“You. You didn’t watch any of that since childhood…”
“What did I do?”
Sugar, who had turned her head, suddenly looked around. Confirming no one was there, she approached Ryly and stood behind him.
“Wait a second.”
Before Ryly could ask why, Sugar wrapped her arms around his broad back and pressed her nose against it. Then she inhaled and exhaled, over and over.
“Ugh. Hoo. Hoo…”
They hadn’t hugged in five steps for the whole day, so she was making up for it. She smelled his scent, rubbed her cheeks against his warm body, and explored eagerly until she finally gave up.
“Okay, now. Let’s go.”
Then Ryly grabbed Sugar. With a yelp, he pulled her close and lowered her scarf.
Red marks from the weekend still lingered on her white neck. Since she’d removed the bandages while washing, they were fully visible.
Ryly hugged the struggling Sugar with one arm and stroked her neck with the other, carefully tracing the marks he’d left. Every time his fingers brushed her skin, Sugar flinched.
“Ryly… pervert…?”
“I don’t want to hear that from you.”
After a long time of grumbling, Ryly wrapped the scarf around her again.
Since it was still there, there was no need to leave new marks.
“Ryly has become weird…”
Sugar, muttering with a flushed face, pushed him from behind toward the girls’ dormitory.
***
Leon entered the dormitory building with a refreshed feeling.
He’d been dizzy in his head all weekend because of Ian. Thanks to Sugar and Ryly, it had eased up somewhat.
[Well, she’s the Saint’s descendant. It’s not something a mere human can judge.]
He didn’t have faith in the Saint’s sect, but he respected it. The Saint’s sect had a good influence shaking the continent. It saved those suffering in pain and fought evil.
Of course, he wished the lofty and all-knowing being had protected them before such things happened. But the world didn’t work that way.
With a slightly sad sigh, he opened the door. Sounds of chaos came from inside.
“… Ian-nim? What’s wrong?”
There was only Ian, his roommate. So when he asked, a “N-no, I’m fine!” came from the bathroom.
“Are you really fine? Can I help with anything?”
After hearing about her noble spirit, his heart ached. At least, while sharing the room, he wanted to take care of her. No matter how busy he was, he couldn’t let this slide. So Leon stood in front of the bathroom door.
“The sound was really loud. Ian-nim, you can speak comfortably.”
“Ah… No… I’m really fine…”
The bathroom door opened and Ian peeked out. Her long hair spilled down, and her face wet from water looked at Leon.
“… Ah. That. Is that so?”
“U-um. Just, a bug came out.”
Actually, when Ian had come out naked to put on clothes while Leon wasn’t there, Leon had suddenly entered and rushed to the bathroom. But that wasn’t a big problem. She just needed to put on clothes and come out.
The real problem was that she’d left the chest-compressing bandage outside.
So right now, her overflowing breasts were rubbing against the door. If touched, they’d be buried and swallowed whole. The soft, fluffy thing was swaying without a place to go, facing Leon across the door.
“Should I catch it for you?”
“No. That’s taken care of. But there’s a favor I need to ask.”
Ian hid behind the door and hesitated. So Leon nodded as if to say speak.
“Over there. The bandage should be there. Could you bring it…?”
“Bandage? Did you get hurt somewhere?”
“Ah… Um… It’s nothing. Just a little…”
Following Ian’s gesture, a neatly rolled bandage lay on the table. Leon picked it up and examined it closely.
It smelled good from somewhere. Like the fresh floral scent Ian usually gave off—
Leon immediately lowered his head and rushed back to the bathroom.
“Here it is.”
“Thank you…!”
Ian immediately closed the door.
[Hah… Almost got caught… From now on, I have to solve everything inside the bathroom…]
The bathroom was humid. That was why she’d gone out to put on the bandage or clothes when Leon wasn’t there, making it awkward. It couldn’t be helped.
Thinking about it, Ian looked at the bandage Leon had picked up. The warmth of his hand remained on the bandage.
[… Don’t think about it.]
Ian soon loosened the bandage and slowly wrapped her chest.
“U-um…”
With each turn, a moan escaped from the pressure. Since her size was above average, she had to apply firm pressure.
Her skin was being crushed and buried in the bandage, painful. Hah. Ian breathed heavily and put on a shirt over it. It was painful while wrapping, but once done, it became familiar, so it was fine.
Soon Ian came out from the bathroom with an embarrassed smile.
“Now, go wash. Sorry for coming out late.”
“… No. I bathed in the underground bath.”
“Really? Ah, yes. It smells like soap.”
When she came closer, Leon sniffed. So he kept repeating Sugar’s words about the “clear water like person.”
Even though Ian’s moan from the bathroom still echoed in his ears, her long hair cascading over her transparent, moist skin, her body thin and curved. She really had no thoughts at all.