Chapter 18: Midnight Mischief

R&e;a​d‌ on K​&a;tＲe​ａd̂ｉn‍ｇC̈ａfé​

Inside the dark factory.

Amidst the thick, stifling air that had settled, two children who had successfully sneaked in looked around.

“Whoa… it’s really huge.”

It had seemed big from the outside, but seeing it from the inside felt different.

“The center over there looks good. I’ll go try it out.”

“…I’ll stay here, just in case.”

“You’re not planning to run away alone, are you?”

“Idiot. If I were going to stay by your side, why would I have come all the way here?”

They had come here with great effort to avoid the surrounding magical influence. If they didn’t, it would all be for nothing.

Ah. Convinced, Sugar scurried off alone toward the center of the factory.

Walking quietly to avoid making loud footsteps, she naturally slowed down. As she looked around, the machinery seemed fascinating.

In this world, there are trains and things similar to cars. They are the products of magic and engineering combined. That’s why their designs differ from those of the modern era.

‘It’s too dark to see properly, but it’s probably made of something like brass, right?’

What would it have looked like on a game screen? She chuckled to herself as she imagined it.

Sneaking into a place they shouldn’t be in the middle of the night with a friend. It’s not an ordinary situation, but it feels oddly charming and that’s what makes it fun.

Looking around, threads were densely hung between the machines, and in one corner, there was a rolled-up bundle of fibers.

Wondering if those might also be treated as natural materials, she stayed far away from the areas with threads and fibers. After all, they were derived from nature.

Having found a decent spot, she waved toward Tommy, who was standing by the window far away, but there was no response.

“…Can’t see me, huh.”

Even if she had seen, Tommy was the type to likely ignore her anyway. So, she gave up and focused on her posture.

‘Huh?’

But for some reason, it felt different than usual.

Should she describe it as grasping the flow of magic? Controlling it felt incredibly smooth.

‘Huh? Huh? What?’

-Imagine it. Imagine that you can move. Picture gathering the energy in your body into your hands.

She had once received this tip from a friend who was also her teacher and truly, it moved as she imagined.

‘Alright. Let’s ride this momentum…’

Closing her eyes, Sugar surrendered her body to the flow of magic.

Tommy stood by the window, watching Sugar from a distance.

Arms crossed, several minutes had passed in silence.

He had been staring at Sugar for a while, but there was no movement. Instead of her usual lively self, Sugar just stood there, motionless.

‘Did she fail…’

Tsk. He clicked his tongue.

It was a plan born from his own hypothesis, so he secretly hoped it would succeed. He wanted to see the results with his own eyes. Whether Sugar was disappointed or not didn’t matter, but he felt a slight pang of pity.

Sugar was a kid tangled up with heresy. It was only natural that she wanted to get stronger. She had even expressed a desire to go to a magic school. Her passion for magic was immense.

Thinking about all that, a mix of emotions swirled within him leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

There was still a long way to go. To reach the third stage there was a mountain of things to do.

He’d have to stick with Sugar for months, maybe even years more.

The thought of having to clean up after her was already exhausting, but it wasn’t all bad. He felt like he could achieve something tangible with his own hands.

At the same time, a small doubt crept in.

‘…Why does she trust me this much?’

Thinking about it, Sugar had believed in all his hypotheses so far.

She had even risked her life once. And now, she was putting in so much effort, even planning to sneak into the factory.

All of it was because she believed in Tommy’s words. From the moment she first begged to learn magic until now.

Why would she trust someone like me?

What is it about my words, which are nothing special?

“…”

If he dug deeper, his mood would spiral out of control, so he stopped.

It was getting late.

He was worried the guards might return.

So, he was about to head over to drag Sugar back.

“…?”

In the dim moonlight, the only light in the night, he couldn’t create a magical light source for fear of being caught.

In that darkness, he saw something floating.

At first, he thought he was seeing things.

After all, a loom larger than a car couldn’t possibly be floating in the air.

Threads and fibers floated like feathery clouds.

And below, at the center of it all, stood Sugar.

“What the…”

All his gloomy thoughts vanished. It felt like being splashed with cold water, jolting him awake.

He had no idea how to handle this situation, and his head started to ache.

“Really… this kid…”

He guessed that Sugar’s magical energy, filled with the intent to control, was leaking out.

It’s a phenomenon often seen in young children who have talent but can’t control it. If this continued, Sugar would soon collapse.

And if she collapsed in that state?

Of course, the objects would fall. He didn’t want to imagine what would happen after that, so Tommy quickly descended the stairs. No one wanted their life to come crashing down.

When he reached Sugar in quick strides, it was a mess. Magical energy was visibly leaking out. Even though the pure nature of the energy would dissipate into the air, the sheer amount leaking was abnormal.

“Hey… you… can you hear me…?”

Sugar was in a trance. No matter how much Tommy whispered, Sugar just stood there, eyes closed, completely still.

It wasn’t surprising—some meditating mages would lock themselves away for days without eating—but for a beginner who seemed unlikely to do such a thing, it was baffling.

‘She’s too absorbed in the flow of magic…’

Maybe it’s because she’s a beginner.

If he hit her or something, Sugar might snap out of it, but that would startle her, breaking her concentration and causing the floating objects to fall.

Then the loom would break, the fibers would get dirty, and the guards would come running. A triple threat that would land them in jail, ruining their lives.

‘…Absolutely not.’

However, waiting for Sugar to wake up on her own wasn’t an option either. Sugar’s magical energy wouldn’t last. Even though she had more than most at her age, it wasn’t infinite. A limit would inevitably come.

And there was also the possibility that the guards would arrive before then.

“Sigh…”

He needed to wake Sugar up while also replenishing her magic. It was a hastily thought-up solution. He quickly approached Sugar.

But where should he touch?

To infuse magic, physical contact was necessary, but he wasn’t sure where to grab.

Shoulder? Like when they did the first stage? Or the abdomen?

‘…Let’s go with the hands.’

Shaking hands seemed the most neutral option.

Tommy grabbed Sugar’s hands and stood facing her. Her hands were soft and warm. Her body temperature seemed to have risen due to the intense circulation of magic.

Standing face to face like this, an indescribable sense of shame welled up.

“…Damn it.”

Why do I have to do this?

The incident at the café came to mind, making him feel awkward. Back then, he had also been the one to grab Sugar’s hand first.

Shaking his head, he decided to get it over with quickly and began infusing magic. This would not only replenish Sugar’s depleted magic but also make her feel the discomfort of having her empty magic channels filled, but that alone wasn’t enough.

He needed something decisive to wake Sugar up.

This was something he really, truly didn’t want to do, but to avoid jail, he had no choice.

After taking a deep breath, Tommy, his face red with shame, moved his lips.

Without making a sound, he mouthed a single word that eventually formed into sound.

“Su…ga…”

‘Hey’ or ‘you’ wouldn’t work. It had to be a word that would definitely make the other person react. And nothing worked better than a name.

“…Sugar.”

So, despite his embarrassment, he called out to Sugar like this.

“Hey… wake up… …Sugar.”

“…”

“Su-u-gar.”

Usually, he called Sugar ‘hey’ or ‘you.’ He knew Sugar’s name well enough from the incident that had happened before, but since that day, he had never once said ‘Sugar’ out loud.

That’s why he kept feeling more and more heated.

Sugar’s sunny smile from that day kept coming to mind, etched into his memory like that name.

-My name. You know it, right? Say it.

-From now on, you can call me that.

“…”

To clear his mind, he looked ahead, and there was Sugar again. Not the Sugar from his memories, but the real Sugar.

Bathed in moonlight, her pale face, devoid of any smile, with her eyes closed, gave off a strangely solemn vibe. The unusual atmosphere caught his eye, but he quickly turned his face away.

If he kept looking, he felt like he was doing something he shouldn’t.

Holding the hand of a girl who seemed to be asleep, calling her name, and staring at her face—it was unbearably embarrassing.

“…Idiot. Pervert. Aren’t you going to wake up?”

Even saying bad things didn’t erase the shame.

“Hurry up and wake up.”

No matter how much he called, there was no response. Wondering if something was wrong, Tommy checked Sugar’s wrist for a pulse.

She was definitely alive.

A strange sense of relief washed over him, and his grip on Sugar’s hand tightened. That emotion seeped into the way he called her name.

Perhaps because of that.

“Sugar…”

“…Tommy?”

Sugar’s white eyelashes fluttered, and her mysterious-colored eyes finally turned toward Tommy.

Confused about the situation, she blinked a few times before looking around.

“Ah.”

Her eyes immediately widened. In sync with that emotional surge, the floating objects in the air swayed violently.

“Calm down…! Calm down…!”

Tommy tightly held Sugar’s hand, and her eyes turned back to him. At the same time, the swaying loom stopped.

“What… what is this…?”

“Calm down and listen. Don’t be startled. It’s nothing.”

“…Did I do this?”

Tommy liked how quick Sugar was to catch on. Instead of answering, he nodded and slowly let go of her hand.

“Lower them slowly. Think that you can control them.”

“…They’re not moving.”

“You did it earlier.”

When told to calm down, Sugar had managed to stop everything. She had brought the wildly swaying objects to a halt all at once.

“I can’t do it now… but I can definitely feel the connection.”

“…”

What’s going on?

It’s true that someone who just caused a magical outburst like this would find it difficult to immediately control their magic. After all, the outburst happened because they couldn’t control it in the first place.

As Tommy frowned, wondering what to do, Sugar made a small sound.

“Ah, Tommy. I think I get it.”

Then, this time, Sugar grabbed Tommy’s hand.

“What, what are you doing?”

“Here. Now you try controlling it.”

“…Wait.”

When Tommy looked up, he saw the factory items floating in the air. If he focused on the left, they moved to the left; if he focused on the right, they moved to the right.

It felt as if he was holding them in his own hands. It was clear. He felt like he had taken control.

The magical energy floating in the air was clearly Sugar’s, but the detailed control was now in Tommy’s hands.

“See? You were the one controlling it earlier.”

“That’s impossible…! How can just holding hands let me take control like this? This isn’t something easy…! You’d need more magical energy than the other person’s to—”

“Shh! Theory later…! Look, it’s happening right in front of us.”

“…”

It defied common sense, but since it was actually happening, there was nothing he could do. The priority now was to put everything back in its place.

Holding Sugar’s hand, Tommy discussed with her and began restoring the factory’s machines and fibers to their original positions.

“Hey… is this really the right direction?”

“It is. I remember. I saw it clearly on the way here.”

“It doesn’t seem like it. No matter how I look at it, it’s not…”

“Tommy. Trust me.”

“…”

Reluctant to trust her, Tommy hesitated, but Sugar began fiddling with his hand.

Interlacing their fingers. Rubbing their fingers together. Moving them around playfully.

“Huh? Huh?”

Sugar slipped her fingers between Tommy’s, gently moving them in and out, in and out.

The friction made their hands warm and sweaty.

Then, Sugar rubbed Tommy’s fingers instead. It was dazzling yet slow, as if trying to engulf Tommy’s hand in her own.

The sound of their sweaty hands squelching filled the air.

Listening to it made Tommy feel like he was doing something he shouldn’t.

“…Ugh.”

He wanted to yell, but he couldn’t make a loud noise. Suppressing his frustration, Tommy followed Sugar’s instructions and lowered the loom. Only then did Sugar let go.

Finally, after putting everything back in place, Sugar smiled with satisfaction.

“Good job.”

Whispering in Tommy’s ear felt embarrassingly intimate.

As Tommy stepped back to wipe the sweat from his hands, he saw the factory floor, now neatly organized.

Exchanging glances, the two quickly escaped through the window they had entered from.

No one was chasing them, but for some reason, their spines tingled. The unease that comes when things go too well crept in, and both of them ran as fast as they could.

Infusing their legs with magic made their movements light.

From breaking into the factory to what happened inside and today’s achievements—thinking about it all felt absurd. When one of them burst into laughter, the other couldn’t help but chuckle along.

They didn’t know what the future held or even what tomorrow would bring. Uncertainty loomed large, but running through the night after causing trouble together was just plain fun.

Being together made them feel like they could handle anything.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, the next morning at the textile factory.

“What the hell! Why is the loom turned around!?”

“The window’s broken too…”

“Who the hell did this—!!”

Among the factory manager and workers, the “lunatic who broke into the factory at night, turned the loom around, and ran off” became a hot topic of discussion for a while.