Chapter 103: That Man, That Woman

Ｒｅ​ａ​ｄ ｏｎ ＫａｔＲｅ​ａｄｉｎｇ​Ｃａ​ｆ​ｅ

“Where is Ian?”

“I don’t know.”

“Weren’t you always together?”

“If that’s the case, then you, who share a room with him, should know better.”

From Leon’s perspective, Riley was the most normal among the three from the Holy Capital. Compared to Ian, whose sense of distance was broken, or Sugar, who was somewhat eccentric, Riley was just a prickly person who was overly clingy with his girlfriend.

That didn’t mean Leon had no wariness toward him at all. Perhaps because of the aftermath of the dream, a chilling thought occasionally brushed past his mind.

What if even this is an act? A suspicion that would make both the listener and the thinker uncomfortable.

The betrayal in the dream, that experience, had left a deep mark on Leon. It wasn’t even a true betrayal. From the beginning, there wasn’t a shred of friendship or camaraderie from ‘him.’

It was while he was lost in thought that he saw a white-haired woman in the distance. Leon immediately looked at Riley’s face. His expression was very different from usual. His eyes were dripping with affection.

Leon shook his head. What kind of foolish suspicion is this? How could this be an act?

How could someone who pours so much love into one woman betray anyone? Betrayal?

Leon apologized to Riley in his heart and sneered at his foolish self.

At the same time, a woman suddenly came into view. Her face was hidden by a hood, so he couldn’t tell who she was. But his gaze was drawn to her… upper body.

Despite Leon’s usually earnest personality, a man’s instincts couldn’t be denied. It was a size that could only be described as shocking, and he was staring blankly when it happened.

Suddenly, the woman’s steps faltered. She literally tripped over her own feet and fell.

Leon, who had been staring at her, rushed out in a panic. His body moved before his mind could think.

But the woman, seemingly flustered by the situation, swung her body more than expected.

In the moment of ‘Ah,’ his vision was blocked, and he fell backward.

-Thud.

The back of his head hurt. It wasn’t just the pain; it was hard to breathe. It was beyond difficult—he couldn’t breathe at all. Something soft was completely covering his nose and mouth, leaving no gap, blocking Leon’s face.

‘I… I can’t breathe…’

His head was spinning, and he couldn’t think straight. The lack of oxygen wasn’t helping.

Leon reached out and fumbled for whatever was covering his face. Soon, he felt something soft and squishy. It was quite an interesting texture.

“Haa…!”

Haa? What kind of sound is that? Anyway, he needed to get it off as in this state he couldn’t breathe. The heavy weight pressing on him was trembling, asserting its presence. He needed to get this off first…

‘Wait… come to think of it. Didn’t I just collide with that woman…?’

His oxygen-deprived brain tried to piece things together.

Meanwhile, his hands didn’t stop moving. The addictive texture made him knead it thoroughly. The softness seemed to embrace his fingers, as if it would swallow them whole. Each time he squeezed, the softness enveloped his fingers, filling him with satisfaction.

“Ah, uh…! Stop…!”

Though muffled by whatever was covering his ears, a sweet sound seemed to reach him every time he squeezed and rubbed.

‘…I’m reaching my limit…’

His head was spinning.

Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he felt light. Whatever was covering his face seemed to have fallen away.

His breathing returned, and he gasped for air. A fresh, floral scent filled his lungs.

He opened his eyes slightly and saw the woman from before. And he also saw the true identity of that ‘something.’

The flesh he had been groping without knowing what it was.

A mystery he wanted to explore further.

The woman’s breasts.

‘…! I, I need to apologize…!’

Leon, snapping back to reality, quickly tried to sit up.

But then, an unexpected blow to the back of his head made him collapse again.

In his fading consciousness, Leon repeated the sensation left on his hand.

‘Ah… thank goodness…’

I really like women’s breasts…

What a relief…

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

A two-person dorm room.

One of them, the room shared by the Holy Son and the owner of the Holy Staff.

In the shower, the sound of water was accompanied by a low moan.

“Ughhh…”

Usually, screams like this came from Sugar or Leon. But now, one more person had joined the scream list.

“Ahhh… what do I do… what should I do…”

They touched her.

Those ridiculously big hands, they touched it so roughly.

‘What about marriage? I’m supposed to be pure, what do I do?’

Ian muttered to herself, sighed, screamed, and even prayed. She did all sorts of things in the shower.

If only they had touched her while she was disguised as a man. Then there’d be nothing to touch, but at least it’d be between ‘men,’ so it wouldn’t matter.

Ian recalled what Sugar had said.

‘…This was an accident. An accident. Don’t overthink it, just go and clean yourself up.’

At the time, Sugar was the one who ended the situation.

She helped Ian, who was too flustered to get up and then knocked out Leon who had just regained consciousness.

After that, she and Riley dragged Leon somewhere.

Ian immediately went to the bathroom to hide her chest and then returned to her room to start showering.

Well, she was touched, so she need to wash herself.

“Ugh…”

As she washed, she looked down at her chest. It was so big that it blocked her view of her lower body. To see her feet, she had to push or press the flesh to the side.

‘This… it must feel terrible…’

It should be just the right size. She knew from romance novels that men like women’s breasts, but there’s a limit, right? She remembered Sugar saying bigger is always better, but she’s a girl. She was probably just complimenting her to make her feel better.

Even the tips were buried in the flesh. It’s so ugly.

“…”

Ian brought her hand to her chest. When she pressed with her fingers, they sank in. She pressed them in a few times and even cupped it with her entire hand.

As she played around, dissatisfied, she remembered how Leon had touched her. Surely, he didn’t know. Leon wasn’t the type of pervert who would grope a woman’s chest on purpose.

‘But still. How could he touch me so roughly…?’

With hands bigger than Ian’s, pressing down on her skin. Unlike his usual polite demeanor, it was a bold move driven by curiosity.

The image Leon had built up in Ian’s mind had slightly changed. It wasn’t disappointment, just one fact had become clear.

Leon is a man.

A man.

“Ah… ugh…”

‘A man touched me. Those big hands touched me.’

It was different from when Sugar touched her. Unlike Sugar, who breathed softly like a baby, Leon’s breath was hot and rough—partly because he was out of breath.

Thinking about it made her blood rush. Not just to her head, but all the way to the tips of her chest.

‘It was an accident…! Just like Sugar said, it was an accident!’

Ian recited a prayer to clear her mind.

But even then, doubts crept in.

‘What if he was disgusted…?’

Almost naturally, her worry shifted from ‘my chest was touched, this is a big deal’ to ‘Leon must have been disgusted.’

.

.

.

“Ah, Ian.”

Gasp. As soon as Ian opened the shower door, she swallowed hard.

She had wrapped herself in bandages and put on clothes to avoid a repeat of the last incident. But the aftermath of what happened earlier had left her wide-eyed like a rabbit, and she hid behind the door.

“Did you finish your physical? I didn’t see you in the infirmary.”

“Ah… yeah… I did it separately…”

“I see.”

Leon rubbed the back of his head and sat on the bed.

“By the way, you showered quickly. What about dinner? Shall we eat together?”

Usually, it was Ian who initiated meal invitations. But today, Leon was being unusually friendly. His expression seemed brighter too. Not exactly smiling, but definitely more cheerful than his usual blank face.

“Ah, well… sure. Let’s eat together. Let’s call the others too…”

“Alright.”

He answered with a slight smile.

A rare smile. Ian felt her heart skip a beat.

‘What’s this… why all of a sudden… did he figure out it was me…?’

Is he mocking me? No, Leon wouldn’t do that.

Despite finding his smile charming, Ian felt a pang of worry, and her chest tightened.

“Then let’s hurry. The other two are probably still outside.”

Leon opened the bathroom door and pulled Ian along. He naturally placed his hand on Ian’s slender shoulder, guiding her. A friendly arm over the shoulder. Ian let out a small ‘eep,’ but Leon didn’t think much of it.

His mind was occupied with just one thought.

‘I like women. I like women. I like women—’

The moment he realized he had touched a woman’s breast, he felt a mix of guilt and a slight physical reaction.

He soon lost consciousness, but the fact remained.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in the infirmary bed. Sugar and Riley were there with awkward expressions, but they were always strange, so it didn’t matter much.

‘Everyone, what on earth…’

‘You. You suddenly passed out. The shock must have been too much.’

‘Huh? I thought I got hit on the back of the head.’

‘What are you talking about? Anyway… since you’re awake, we’ll go. Let’s pretend today never happened.’

‘W-wait. Do you know anything about that woman from earlier? I need to apologize…’

‘…I don’t know.’

‘I see…’

But it didn’t matter.

He would find that female student and apologize. He’d even buy her a gift, she was a lifesaver.

To be happy about touching a woman’s breast for the first time—what a shameless thought. He felt so guilty and sorry. He was disgusted with himself, drowning in guilt.

However it was also true that he had been struggling with his sexual orientation.

Thanks to this, he could throw away his worries. He could accept all of Ian’s actions as mere kindness toward a friend. It felt like they had truly become friends, so he even tried putting an arm around Ian’s shoulder.

Though his eyes kept drifting to Ian’s flushed, translucent skin after the shower.

And though the pleasant scent was nice, the fresh floral aroma made him a bit nervous. Wait, this scent… I’m sure I’ve smelled it before…

‘…We must use the same body wash.’

Leon let out a sigh and decided to relax.

“Ian, there’s something I want to consult with you about. Is that okay?”

“…What is it?”

“What kind of gift is good for apologizing to a woman? Today I… did something inexcusable to a woman. Since you’ve been around Sugar a lot in the Holy Capital, I thought you might know…”

“…”

“Ian? Your face is suddenly really red. Are you okay?”

“Just… just leave it… please…”

“Huh?”

“Just leave it…”

“But no matter what… I need to apologize.”

“…”

Ian made a tearful face without saying a word.