Chapter 28: I Only Do This With You

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“…What?”

Riley genuinely doubted his ears.

“This. Let’s share it.”

So, she was saying they should share the ice cream?

Well, sure. It’s possible to share.

But the conditions weren’t right for sharing. There was no plate, no spoon—just a single scoop sitting on a cone.

A vague idea came to mind, but he quickly dismissed it. It was ridiculous. If she were in her right mind, she wouldn’t even think of such a thing.

So, he asked.

“…How?”

Since he couldn’t figure it out, he asked for clarification. If you don’t know, it’s the right thing to admit it and ask.

“Sit on that bench over there.”
“Okay.”
“Sit side by side.”
“Yeah.”
“Put it between us. Lick it together.”

Ah. She wasn’t in her right mind after all.

Riley took a deep breath before he could yell. Losing his temper outright wasn’t good. The slightly matured boy calmly opened his mouth.

“Do you really think that’s a normal way to do it?”

He sounded like a worn-out textbook from the orphanage, but it didn’t matter.

Sugar nodded confidently.

“It’s the only way.”

“Ugh… cough… What kind of…”

It was hard to breathe. His stomach was churning. The stress was making his blood boil.

“What’s wrong? Friends can do that.”

“Friends do this kind of thing…? Hey… let me ask you this… do you do this with other kids too?”

“Other kids?”
“The other kids at the orphanage.”
“Ah.”

As if wondering why he was asking, Sugar blinked.

“No? I only do this with you.”

Second attack.

This time, he was suffocating for a different reason.

Cough… Gasp… He clutched his chest, trying to catch his breath. His face was already red, on the verge of boiling over.

Sugar, wondering why her friend was acting like this, stroked her chin, then snapped her fingers as if something had occurred to her.

She didn’t forget to flash a grin.

“Ah, so you want me to only do this with you?”

He finally exploded.

“Wh-what are you talking about!? I’m only putting up with it because it’s you! If you did this with anyone else, they’d have freaked out and run away by now! I’m asking because I’m worried about you!”

Hmm, a stable flavor.

Enjoying his reaction, Sugar also took this opportunity to think.

It was true she didn’t do this with other kids. They were all too meek, making it not worth the effort. But this boy’s reactions were so fun because he’d snap back immediately.

She treated gentle kids gently and feisty kids accordingly. There wasn’t a big reason behind it.

Plus, he was her most trusted friend, the one she spent the most time with, and the one who gave the most entertaining reactions.

There was no one better to tease using her “girl” advantage. That was all.

The same went for hugging him.

She treated him as warmly as she teased him. He was a precious and grateful friend, so she treated him the most kindly.

That’s why, even when she seemed to be teasing him, she’d sometimes switch to a warm attitude.

Of course, more often than not, she did it without thinking.

It was something she did unconsciously. Perhaps because that mindset was ingrained in her, it came as naturally as breathing when it came to him.

Even now, it was the same. She genuinely wanted to share the ice cream with him. Like a mother sharing with her child. That’s why she suggested it, but when he reacted so intensely, how could she not tease him?

“Hmm…”

Watching the boy ramble on, clearly trying to hide his embarrassment, she smirked smugly.

“So, Tommy, you want me to only do this with you?”

“Ugh… cough… Aaaah!!”

“Calm down, calm down… The ice cream’s melting. Let’s hurry. Okay? It’d be sad if it all melted after we went through the trouble of getting it…”

She quickly changed her expression to a disappointed one, and the boy, calming his anger, followed her with a bright red face, creaking along. Despite always acting prickly, his actions were undeniably kind.

-Idiot.

Sugar secretly stuck out her tongue and led Riley to the bench.

Honestly, teasing kids was the best.

A quiet corner bench.

Sitting still, he could feel her breath.

She naturally had a sweet scent. Mixed with the aroma of the milk ice cream, it felt like his nose might melt.

As he sat silently, frowning, he heard the sound of licking from in front of him. A wet, moist sound.

Since they were facing each other with the ice cream between them, this was all a natural phenomenon.

“Aren’t you eating? Your side’s melting.”

Sugar spun the ice cream around, changing its direction.

So, the part she had been licking was now facing Riley.

“What a waste… We can’t throw away something so precious.”

The moist sound returned.

Listening to it, he couldn’t stand it. Looking ahead, the ice cream with clear traces of someone’s licking was right there.

“Ugh… ugh…”

As he trembled, the sound suddenly stopped.

“Tommy… you really don’t want to eat it?”

Drooping eyebrows. A gaze fixed on him.

There was something about her that kept tugging at his heart. He didn’t know how to describe it, but it kept stirring something inside him.

Clenching his fists, Riley held back the urge to run away and took a deep breath.

It’s true that she went out of her way to get this for him. Even though she usually annoyed him, her thoughtfulness was admirable. Whether it was a joke or not, the fact that she had brought him out today was commendable.

So, just a little. Just a bit.

He had to at least pretend to eat.

He stuck out his tongue slightly.

But there was no way it would reach the target with just 1 cm. No matter how much he wiggled his tongue, all he could taste was air.

In the midst of this, Sugar gently brought the ice cream closer to him.

“…!”

Ah.

Sweet.

It couldn’t be this sweet.

The unexpected sweetness sent a shiver down his spine.

Holding his trembling hand, which was shaking as if he had a tremor, he moved his tongue from bottom to top once.

The ice cream—the part Sugar had licked—melted onto his tongue.

After doing it once, the burden of the second time lessened. Moving his tongue a bit more made it even sweeter.

It felt like something fluffy was blooming in his head. The thrilling sensation on his taste buds made it impossible to think of anything else.

-Thump, thump.

He worried if the girl right in front of him could hear his heartbeat, but when he looked, she was smiling.

It was a smile free of mischief.

It was a pure smile, as if praising a child. She seemed genuinely pleased just watching him eat.

“…Good boy.”

Shame surged through him.

He wanted to run away somewhere.

Suppressing that feeling, he tightly closed his eyes.

“That’s… that’s enough… you… you eat the rest…”
“Huh? You barely had any.”
“I ate a lot… I’m full now…”

Swallowing the saliva that had pooled in his mouth, it tasted sweet. The ice cream that had seeped into his tongue mixed with it.

As he trembled, lost in the aftertaste, Sugar quietly finished the ice cream, placing it entirely in front of herself and devouring it quickly. In the blink of an eye, she even popped the cone into her mouth.

It seemed she had been slowing down just to eat with her friend.

“Mmm, yummy.”

Whether it was the ice cream that tasted good or her friend’s reaction, or maybe both, she smiled contentedly.

They had seen enough and eaten their snack. They had done all the fun things.

There were attractions like mini Viking rides and sky tours with magicians, things she had seen in her past life, but they didn’t have money, so they’d save those for another time.

On the way back to the orphanage.

“Are you okay? Still feeling dizzy?”

As the afternoon went on, the crowd kept growing. Riley, who had already exhausted his mental energy dealing with Sugar, complained of dizziness.

He disliked crowded places, and the embarrassing situation made him reluctant to show this side of himself in public.

He had endured a lot so far. Holding back his churning stomach, Sugar led him into a quiet alley.

“Sorry… I didn’t know it would be this hard for you…”
“…It’s fine.”

He muttered without any ill will, and Sugar looked around.

“Wait, let’s see if there’s somewhere to rest.”
“Where would there be a place like that around here…”

No matter how much he tried to stop her, she scurried off on her own. Soon, she scurried back.

“There’s a place! Over there.”
“What?”

Following her, they found a small shop.

It was tiny and old, but well-maintained and clean. A small wooden sign hung on one side, reading “Under the White Tree Shade.”

“What kind of shop is this?”
“Looks like a general store. It’s better to be indoors than outside. Let’s rest here for a bit.”
“They’ll probably just kick us out if we go in.”
“Don’t be so negative. There might be someone kind like the grandma earlier. We can just say, ‘My friend isn’t feeling well, can we rest here for a bit?’”

“Are you out of your mind…?”

Even though he had lived in the slums, he didn’t know anything.

Even though the north, where they were now, was wealthier than the south where Riley was born and raised, and the orphanage didn’t force them to work or starve,

the treatment of orphans and the poor didn’t change much.

Riley, with his heavy past, unknowingly criticized her.

Nevertheless, Sugar boldly opened the door.

“Hello?”
“Hey… wait…!”

Before he knew it, he followed her inside. It was packed.

Every corner was filled with various items, neatly arranged to the point of looking almost obsessive.

“Wow… there’s so much stuff. Books, stationery, teacups, jewelry, wands… wands? Why are there magic wands here?”

Wand-type staffs, easy to hold with one hand, were lined up inside the display case.

In the corner, there were also two or three staff-type wands that required both hands to hold.

“Is the shop owner a mage?”
“…I don’t know. They might just have them for decoration.”

There were people who couldn’t use magic but collected magical items.

“Definitely. The owner seems like someone with a strong collecting habit. Gathering items seems to be the main goal, and selling is secondary.”

As Sugar whispered, Riley nodded. While they were looking around the shop, a door opened from inside the store.

“What’s this, you kids!”