Chapter 95: Misaligned Preferences

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“Why are you running away?”

“Wouldn’t you run away if you were me?”

Somehow, Riley and Leon had stopped outside the dorm.

“I really didn’t want to talk about this, but you’re the only person I could talk to. You’re close with Ian, right?”

“…”

“Please don’t look at me like that.”

Riley roughly expected it. Ian must be making things difficult because of her odd sense of distance. But Riley had clearly said before that men basically never do things like physical contact.

He didn’t know if it was hard for her to grasp because she’s a woman or if it’s just the way she’s learned things from Sugar.

In any case, causing unnecessary misunderstandings wouldn’t help. So Riley decided to listen to Leon and properly talk to Ian later. Or maybe it would be better if someone closer to her talks about it.

“…Fine. I’ll listen.”

Riley took out a communicator from his pocket. He had bought a short-range pair for use on campus. The price of these communicators varied depending on range and number of connections, but this one was cheap since it only worked with the matching pair and had a short range.

“Who are you contacting?”

“Someone who knows more about Ian than I do… Ah. Can you come out now?”

[Why, why? At this hour of the night?]

“I need you.”

[…You need me? What’s going on?]

“You’ll know when you come out.”

[Is it something strange?]

“Well…”

[…I’ll wait in front of the dorm.]

There was still some time before curfew, so the two men headed toward the women’s dorm.

After a while, a lady with white hair appeared. Riley had expected her to come out in her pajamas, but she came out in her regular clothes, wearing a scarf, with a slightly excited look on her face.

“R-Riley. What is this about… Ah. What? You’re here too.”

“How did your voice change so much?”

Leon asked, looking bewildered, but Sugar casually ignored him and looked at Riley.

“Riley, why did you bring him?”

“This guy has been bothering me lately and asked for some advice.”

Sugar’s mouth dropped open in shock. Could it be? Had his preferences gone off-track, not just his personality?

Sugar, who had been keeping a five-step distance from Riley, alternately stared at the two men. Then, as if making a decision, she stepped in front of the two, blocking them.

“Ha… I never imagined I’d be getting side-eye from a woman.”

“I never thought I’d be giving side-eye to a guy.”

“That’s not it! Just listen to me.”

Leon, enduring the uncomfortable gaze of the platinum-haired duo, led them to a gazebo beside a greenhouse. It was a quiet spot, perfect for a conversation, so he brought them here. Sugar and Riley sat side by side, while Leon sat alone in front of them.

“Well, where should I start…”

“Why do I have to hear about this?”

Sugar mumbled as she buried her face in her hands, disappointed. She had been hoping for a night alone with Riley.

“…If Ian finds out that he was in my bed, you’ll understand why I was so worried.”

“Aha. Ian was in your bed… Wait, what?”

Sugar’s eyes widened at the unexpected statement. Even Riley looked slightly flustered, his eyebrows raised.

“Sorry my hearing got a little weird… Could you say that again?”

Sugar tapped her ear, and Leon, feeling like he had no choice, reluctantly repeated himself.

“One morning this weekend, I woke up to find Ian in my bed.”

“Ian didn’t get into your bed, but Ian was in your bed?”

“That’s right.”

“…”

Sugar fell silent, and even she thought, ‘This is a bit much…’

“I should clarify for the sake of his reputation. Nothing happened like you’re thinking. We were just peacefully sleeping. Of course, when I saw it, I was startled, so I asked him…”

“He said “Ah… You were mumbling in your sleep, and you seemed really uncomfortable, so I came in to comfort you, just like a mother would comfort her child. My mother did that when I was little… Well, it’s okay because we’re the same gender, right? If it was a different gender, it’d be a problem, but since we’re the same gender…”

“—That’s what he said. Now, I’ll ask again. Does he like men? Is that his preference? Is he a laissez-faire person with his sexuality?”

At Leon’s barrage of questions, neither Sugar nor Riley responded. They just exchanged glances, silently biting their lips, and then exchanged another glance before biting their lips again.

Of course, Ian probably liked men. She was a woman after all.

But what could they even say? They couldn’t reveal her gender, and even if they did, it would be a problem.

“Ah… um…”

“You understand why I’m asking this, right?”

“Yeah… I get it. Sorry for misunderstanding… Um, first of all, when I was at the holy city, Ian and I would sometimes sleep together.”

“What? An affair—”

“Shut up. Stop saying nonsense.”

Sugar sharply interrupted, then cleared her throat, glancing at Riley.

“Anyway, we really just shared a bed as friends. We’ve been close since we were kids, so that’s how it was. Riley can confirm that, right?”

“That’s right.”

Riley confirmed, and Leon listened carefully, although he seemed suspicious.

“So… that’s it. It was really just a pure act of comforting you. Even as an adult, he would sleep with a woman, so there’s no way he would have any intentions with a man. He’s as pure as spring water.”

The desperate defense was tear-jerking.

It was, of course, nonsense. Sugar said that, but deep inside she thought, ‘Ah! If Saintess Ian knew about this, she’d be shedding tears of blood!’

Of course, Sugar would do the same if Riley was mumbling in his sleep. But that was only because of their special relationship.

‘That’s only possible between Riley and me. Ian and Leon don’t have that kind of bond.’

And that statement Ian made about “It’s okay because we’re the same gender?” kept bothering her.

She didn’t know how Ian ended up making such a bizarre and uncomfortable argument, but she had to calm Leon down, who thought of Ian as a man. So, she defended her fiercely.

“So, does that mean he transcends physical desire and spreads pure love?”

“…Well, I guess so.”

“Ah…”

Agape. Leon’s eyes widened, as if he now understood something noble. He had never been too fond of Saintism but now, as if he had just realized something, he lowered his head feeling terribly guilty.

“I didn’t know… I was under such a criminal delusion…”

“…”

Sugar rubbed her thighs and kept her mouth shut.

***************

“Thank you for the advice. I feel like some of my confusion has been cleared.”

“…Glad to hear that.”

Confused, Sugar briefly looked up at Riley before turning her head away.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

Leon headed back toward the men’s dorm. Riley stayed behind to walk Sugar back.

“…”

“…”

“Riley… What should we do about Ian?”

“I don’t know. Isn’t it your fault?”

“Why is it my fault? It’s all because of those romance novels. They’ve been reading inappropriate stuff since they were young, so their preferences are probably messed up.”

“You… You don’t even need to read that stuff, but from a young age…”

“What?”

Suddenly, Sugar spun around and started walking briskly ahead, then paused to check her surroundings. After confirming no one was around, she walked over to Riley, stood behind him and hugged his broad back.

“Wait a second.”

Before Riley could ask why, Sugar buried her face in his back and took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

“Mm, hmm. Hhh… Hehe…”

She hadn’t had the chance to smell him all day, walking five steps behind him. Now she was filling that need.

She breathed in his scent, enjoying the warm feeling, rubbing her cheeks against him in delight. After a while, she stopped.

“Okay, I’m done. Let’s go.”

This time, Riley grabbed Sugar and pulled her closer, startling her.

He quickly lowered her scarf to reveal a red mark on her white neck from the weekend. After she had washed up, the bandage was gone, and it showed immediately.

Riley pulled Sugar into his arms and gently traced the mark, touching it tenderly. Every time his fingers brushed her skin, Sugar flinched.

“Riley… Are you a pervert…?”

“I don’t want to hear that from you.”

After a while, Riley wrapped the scarf back around her neck.

It was still there, so there was no need to leave a new mark.

“Riley’s acting strange…”

Sugar mumbled to herself, her face flushed as Riley gently pushed her toward the women’s dorm.

***************

Although I don’t have the faith and heart to believe in and follow a saint, I do respect them. The good influence that the religion of the saint has on the continent. It saves those who groan in pain and fights off evil.

Of course, I wish that before such things happen, the Saint, who is said to be all-powerful and exalted, would protect us. But the world doesn’t work that way.

It was then, with a somewhat sad sigh, that I opened the door. A loud crashing sound came from inside.

“… Ian? What’s going on?”

The only person in the room would be my roommate, Ian. So, when I asked, I heard a reply from the bathroom saying, “I-It’s fine!”

“Are you really okay? Is there anything I can help with?”

After hearing about his noble spirit, I felt moved. At least, while we’re sharing the room, I should take care of him. Even if I have little time or energy, is this too much to do? So, I stood by the bathroom door.

“The sound was very loud… Ian. You can speak freely.”

“Ah… no… really, I’m fine…”

The bathroom door opened, and Ian peeked his head out. His long, wet hair hung down, and his damp face looked toward me.

“… Ah. I see.”

“Uh, yeah. A-a bug came out.”

The truth was, when Leon wasn’t around, Ian had come out naked and was trying to get dressed when he suddenly barged in, and she rushed to the bathroom. Up until that point, there was no real problem. It was simple; she just needed to get dressed.

The real problem was that she had left her chest compression bandage outside.

Right now, her breasts, as if about to spill over, were brushing against the door. If touched, the hand would be completely swallowed up by the size. They were soft and white, shaking as they were lost without a place to rest. And here Leon was, facing her across the door.

“Should I hold it for you?”

“No, I’ve fixed it. But, I do have a favor to ask.”

Ian hesitated, hiding behind the door. I nodded, signaling for him to speak.

“Over there… there should be a bandage. Could you bring it to me…?”

“A bandage? Did you get hurt somewhere?”

“Ah… yeah… it’s nothing serious. Just a little…”

Following where Ian pointed, I found a neatly rolled-up bandage placed on the table. As I picked it up, I observed it carefully.

There seemed to be a nice scent coming from somewhere. A fresh, flower-like scent, just like the one Ian usually carries…

I shook my head and quickly moved toward the bathroom.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you…!”

Ian immediately closed the door.

***************

‘Ha… that was close… I’ll make sure to handle things inside the bathroom from now on…’

The bathroom was damp, so when she wrapped the bandage or put on clothes, it was uncomfortable. That’s why she had left while Leon wasn’t around. But there was nothing she could do.

Even so, as she thought, she looked down at the bandage. The bandage she had picked up. The one that still held the warmth of his hand.

“… D-don’t think too much about it.”

Ian soon began unwrapping the bandage and slowly started wrapping it around her chest.

“Ugh, hmm…”

With every wrap, the pressure became more intense, causing a small moan to slip out. Since the size was far from ordinary, she had to wrap it tightly, paying careful attention.

Her skin was being pressed down, buried in the bandage, causing discomfort. Hah. Taking a deep breath, Ian put on a shirt over it. It was uncomfortable when wrapping the bandage, but once it was done it would feel normal again.

Soon, Ian came out of the bathroom with an awkward smile.

“You should wash up too. Sorry for being late.”

“… It’s fine. I already washed up in the underground bathhouse.”

“Really? Hmm… Ah, I see. You smell like soap.”

Ian came closer and sniffed. Meanwhile, Leon kept repeating in his head what Sugar had said about “the clear water-like person.”

Even though the moans of the divine being from the bathroom still echoed in his ears, and despite Ian having long hair flowing down with translucent, moist skin, and a thin, curved body, he truly felt no thoughts come to mind.