Chapter 98: This Can’t Go On Like This

Ȓεαⅾ ​ȯɴ КɑṫŔеа​ɗｉṅｇС​ａƒ​ｅ

Leon sat in the classroom, replaying yesterday’s events in his mind.

It was the time when Sugar and Riley were spending time in the forest.

…

“Ah…!”

Uaaahhh–!

The cookies thrust in front of him, and the sight of his roommate with their hair let down made Leon silently scream inside his mind, even though he didn’t show it outwardly.

The catalyst had been Ian, who brought snacks to the dorm room.

“I baked some cookies, want to try them?” Ian had asked, and Leon thought, “How domestic…” readily agreeing

When Ian shyly added, “It might be strange since it’s my first time…” Leon felt a strange sensation but still replied that it was fine.

When he actually tried them, they were fine. Though misshaped, they were delicious.

When he expressed this, Ian smiled brightly, and Leon felt a strange flutter in his chest but he told himself it was just due to Ian’s kind nature.

“Oh, there’s crumbs on your mouth… Wait a minute.”

That’s where the problem began.

To wipe the crumbs from his mouth, Ian took his handkerchief—full of a faint pleasant floral scent—and personally wiped his mouth.

After that, for some reason, Ian started feeding him directly.

“I-I can feed myself, Ian. I’m not a child.”

“Oh, sorry. Was that too much? I sometimes feed Sugar like this…”

“…”

Pure. Pure love.

Leon tightly shut his eyes and opened his mouth, thinking it was just pure love.

Ian chuckled softly and placed the cookie in his mouth.

Now, back to the present.

‘This can’t go on!’

It’s dangerous.

So dangerous.

Compared to Ian’s vast love, Leon feels small, narrow, and inadequate. He feels like he’s going to be crushed by kindness. Instead of simply accepting it, it feels like he’s choking himself.

With this kind of mental strength, what could he even accomplish?

Is his heart so narrow that even the smallest bit of love can’t get through?

Leon recalled his childhood. The happy days. His “proper” mother. The ordinary boy, Leon, who didn’t know anything and carried no burdens.

But then, he shook his head. Every time he thought of happy memories, that day’s memories followed.

Ever since that day, everything had been ruined. His heart, his mind, couldn’t accept kindness anymore and all he could think were ugly thoughts.

— At least I understand this heart, as someone who’s higher up, even from the holy city, I get it. So cheer up.

There was no one more virtuous. The one who had once grumbled about the saint’s staff, how could the descendant of that person speak to him like this?

But why did he keep feeling weird about this person…

“Ahhh…”

He sighed and suddenly turned his head.

Then, he saw Sugar and Riley munching on something. They were holding cookie bags wrapped with pink ribbons—Leon’s was wrapped in purple ribbon—and nibbling away.

Among them, Sugar, who had a particularly grim expression, caught his eye.

…

Sugar walked into the classroom, replaying yesterday’s events in her mind.

It was the time when Ian and Leon spent time together in the dorm room… Well, roughly speaking, things happened like that.

She was the one who had been thirsty for Riley’s touch.

‘This can’t go on!’

It’s dangerous.

Though she denied it, a sense of self-loathing lingered.

‘What’s this? I never thought such things, but if I did, that’s a perverted Sugar.’

It was not right. To want her precious childhood friend Riley to touch her like that, it was absurd.

She had decided to accept playfulness as just that and embrace it. But this—this wasn’t right.

“Ahhh…”

She sighed inwardly and suddenly looked straight ahead.

Then, she saw Leon, who was holding his head in his hands.

At that moment, their eyes naturally met.

When their gazes met, she realized.

‘You too!’

‘You too!’

Both of them were struggling with whether their friendship could stay as it was.

Sugar thought.

‘Poor thing. Ian’s charm has completely taken hold of you, hasn’t it? But you’re still thinking of her as a man, right? Honestly, that’s unsettling.’

Leon thought.

‘But doesn’t this guy have any struggles? Isn’t she the one who outright expresses her desires to Riley? Isn’t she the pervert here?’

Anyway.

The two people who both thought “this can’t go on” met, each silently thinking they were somehow better than the other.

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

“We need a way out…”

“What kind of way?”

Sugar and Leon sat on separate benches, having a conversation that looked like nothing to anyone else, a secret discussion.

Of course, Riley was lying on his side with his head resting on Sugar’s soft thighs, reading a book, so the perfect secret meeting wasn’t exactly happening.

“Honestly, isn’t my problem just… doesn’t it just need you guys to tell Ian properly? About the distance and his behavior?”

“You can’t ask someone else to do what you don’t want to do. Can you really say ‘I don’t like it, don’t do it’ to Ian, who looks at you so innocently?”

“…”

“Look. And to be honest, you’re enjoying it, too.”

“Th-that’s not true!”

“I think you’re enjoying it. No matter how I think about it, it’s your original taste—”

“Stop saying weird things! And you? Do you have any struggles? You’re the one who just enjoys—”

“Hey!”

“Look at you, getting all cozy while acting like that!”

“This… this is totally different…”

Sugar blushed and brushed Riley’s bangs aside. Currently, Riley was peacefully reading while casting the ‘Curse of the Deaf’ on himself. Listening to their conversation would only make his mind go wild, so Sugar was glad for it.

“Let’s calm down. Yeah, let’s keep our voices… down.”

Leon muttered under his breath while trying to calm himself.

“I’ve been thinking.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“No matter how I think about it, what we need now is mental strength.”

“…”

Leon frowned but nodded, realizing there was some sense to it.

“We need mental strength that won’t crumble anywhere. We’re magic users. It’s one of the most important elements.”

“I agree. You mean we should use that to manage all our worries and emotions?”

“Exactly.”

Sugar answered while recalling the double chant Riley had shown her a few days ago. How much effort must it have taken to make it possible?

Even if she couldn’t reach that level, she thought a great wizard should be able to shake off these messy thoughts quickly and it seemed to be going well.

“Leon… Let’s grow through this.”

Right now, Sugar and her friends were all targets of the Cult. Sugar and Riley were obvious, but Ian and Leon were also included.

Anyway, the cult still hadn’t openly reached out. The previous incident was due to Sugar approaching the Crystal Tower first. Even so, they had to always stay cautious and prepared. The Crystal Tower and the beastkin were both dangerous. There were many unknowns within and regarding the cult.

‘But Leon doesn’t even use the staff or make companions.’

He always walks alone. Though she saw a few familiar faces in Steele, that was it. They weren’t close to Leon. On the other hand, the three from the Holy City had become Leon’s companions.

Of course, if something tough came up, they’d be willing to help. That was the quality of a hero. They wanted to guide him to the path of glory.

But what if something happened where Sugar wasn’t around?

Leon wasn’t a child. In this world, one had to face threats with their own strength.

So, Sugar thought, she had to create a chance.

Let’s help Leon grow and I’ll benefit from it too!

Sugar recalled an event in Steele that would lead to growth. The flow of the original story and the protagonist’s development was different, so it wasn’t certain it would happen here.

“Mental strength related… There’s nothing like leveling up.”

Fighting monsters and enemies to gain experience points to level up. It’s a game mechanic, but in reality, it’s about facing enemies and gaining experience.

But she couldn’t just throw him into a monster’s lair right away.

He seemed to be average in magic practice.

He followed the lessons diligently, his earnest personality showing. He was essentially a model student, sitting every day, studying books.

He didn’t step forward in front of others, didn’t meet his companions, didn’t even go out of school. If this were a game, it would have been a bizarre playstyle.

“… So let’s go out. There’s a good place.”

“Huh? Where are we going suddenly?”

“The shopping district.”

Sugar nudged Riley and got up from her seat.

“What is it? Where are we going?”

After breaking the curse Riley asked, Sugar simply replying, “A good place.”

“Let’s bring Ian too. It would be better to go together.”

“No, where exactly are we going…?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

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

“Was it to the left after leaving the school… second alley? This one? Where was it…? If anyone knows a place that looks like a mental training center, let me know.”

It was a place she had thought of visiting someday. It’s not a burdensome event, so it’s fine. But she had postponed it because it seemed a bit annoying.

As she wandered around the event location, to be honest, she had no idea where it was. With memories over ten years old along with the fact the shopping district in the game had been shrunk, while in reality it was much larger than she had imagined.

“Not an estate, not a pasta place, not a matchstick store… oh, an incense store.”

“Just find it properly.”

A place that sold incense, making you feel good. When Sugar stared at it as if entranced, Riley pressed her head down.

“But a mental training center? Why there, Sugar? I followed you, but…”

“For the enhancement of your abilities…”

Ian asked, and Sugar replied with a compassionate expression.

To put it simply, in the game, it was a place where you could pay money to increase your stats. The increase wasn’t much since it was easy to access, but if you used it a certain number of times, you’d receive an achievement like “Achieved Enlightenment,” significantly increasing mental-related stats, if she remembered correctly.

“You’ve gone and seen something strange again…”

“It looks like you saw something strange.”

“Foolish Sugar.”

But everyone’s reactions were full of reluctance.

“Finally, Riley, step forward.”

Do they not trust me? Sugar glared with sharp eyes, her hands on her hips.

Then something caught her eye behind Riley.

“…Wait, move aside.”

When she approached, there was a flyer attached.

[ -Mental Healing Center Harmony-

Harmony Mind! Peace and serenity to you!

Are you feeling lonely? Have you ever wished someone was with you?

It is loneliness that makes you weak, and it is loneliness that makes you vulnerable.

When you’re exhausted from studies and feel like you might collapse, rely on us…–]

“Oh. Is this it? It’s on the 3rd floor of the building next door.”

“Is this why you brought us here?”

“What is this? It’s not even funny.”

Ian, Leon, and Riley each muttered as they looked at the flyer.

Sugar was feeling confused.

“Huh? Was it always like this? Was it a place that handed out flyers like this?”

While thinking that, the three had already moved ahead.

“What are you doing? You’re not coming. You said you’d go.”

“Ah, yeah…”

Sugar tilted her head but followed behind them.

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

“Senior, this is bad.”

“What is it… Unless it’s a call from upstairs, just handle it… Please, let me sleep…”

Being naturally active at night, they slept a lot during the day. One of the two women was half-awake, leaning on a chair, when a junior suddenly burst in. The warm afternoon sunlight streaming through the window made it the perfect time to fall asleep.

“But a customer has arrived.”

“Just handle it yourself…”

“Four people have come.”

“Deal with them one by one…”

“All four of them are targets.”

The senior’s eyes snapped open.

“Didn’t you feel any magic earlier?”

“I thought you were just getting all excited…”

“You’re too much.”

Despite the words, the junior’s expression didn’t change, remaining calm.

The two of them hid the thin tails on their waists and put on gloves. Their tight shirts revealing their curvy figures. The way they licked their lips was quite suggestive.

Even in the face of sudden guests, they weren’t nervous. After all, the targets were just some kids who wouldn’t even graduate from school.

But they, having dealt with professional mages multiple times, weren’t bothered by it.

The two women, their red eyes glowing, stepped forward to welcome the four.