Chapter 128: It’s Not My Preference

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“I’ve been thinking about the summer vacation schedule in advance.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

Ian’s gaze, as we were talking together, slid down and then quickly went back up.

There’s still about a month left until the vacation and then there’s also an exam before that. But if we’re planning to go on a trip or something, we need to make reservations and prepare in advance.

“…Sugar, do you have anything you want to do?”

“I have a lot of things I want to do, of course.”

She did indeed have a lot, but she couldn’t just spend all her time playing. She needed to make the most of it.

“What about Leon?”

Since Sugar needed to organize her thoughts, she passed the question to the friend next to her.

His gaze also sliding down briefly before quickly darting back up.

“I… will probably be busy studying or collecting materials.”

“Ah.”

It must be because of his mother. Sugar let out a sigh, wondering if she shouldn’t have brought it up, but Leon shook his head as if to say it was okay.

And then there was a brief silence.

Ian and Leon’s gazes slid down from Sugar’s face to her neck. They quietly looked, and then, as if realizing something, their gazes quickly went back up.

“…Hey. Just point it out. If it’s bothering you so much, just say something.”

“What can I say? You wouldn’t listen to me anyway when it comes to ‘that kind of thing.’”

Ian spoke calmly, but there seemed to be a hint of emotion in her voice.

The choker-style accessory Sugar was wearing. The faint red marks peeking out from underneath it. It was so blatant that even Ione would have been shocked, but they didn’t feel like jumping up in surprise.

“I thought it would be best to just pretend not to notice…”

“I agree.”

Ian and Leon said calmly.

But that kind of reaction only digs deeper into a person’s heart. Resignation. Giving up. Their own form of consideration.

Sugar’s face turned red.

“…It’s not my preference.”

“Wow, your body is being trained to fit your boyfriend’s preferences–”

Ian blurted out without thinking and then covered her mouth in surprise. Leon looked at him as if wondering, ‘What did I just hear?’

Ian coughed awkwardly and continued.

“Well, as I always say, make sure to draw the line. I know you really like each other, but you still need to graduate first…”

“Ian. What are you even talking about? Of course, we need to graduate. Why are you bringing that up now?”

The way she widened her eyes and asked, like a younger sister, was really frustrating. Even from an outsider’s perspective, it was frustrating, so the two of them wondered how the guy dealing with her must feel.

“No, I mean, I’m telling you to be careful with your behavior.”

“Behavior…?”

Sugar tilted her head in confusion, but then, as if she realized something, her cheeks turned red.

“We’re not in that kind of relationship…”

“…Huh.”

Ian was so dumbfounded that she could only let out a sigh.

Even Leon shook his head with a resigned expression. He really does admire Riley,

‘Although my respect for him diminishes when I see his preferences. Still, he’s walking a tightrope even while indulging in those things.’

Meanwhile, Sugar’s partner happened to come out of the room. They were all waiting because Professor Hubert had called him before lunch.

But unlike usual, where Sugar would run up to him with a ‘Wow!’, she only avoided his gaze this time.

Surprised by the unfamiliar reaction, Riley looked around at his friends. They also subtly avoided his gaze.

They must have talked about the choker.

Not that Riley really cared.

“Sugar, why is the atmosphere like this? Did you say something nonsense again?”

He gently tickled her slender, white neck with his fingers, pretending not to know. He was very satisfied with the sight of her wearing his mark.

Below that, there were plenty of marks he had made. Each time he made one, he vividly remembered her moaning and saying she liked it.

In contrast, she looked angry now. Her lips were trembling, and she was frowning. Her half-closed eyes glared fiercely at him.

“It’s your fault…”

She muttered, but her voice was full of conviction. The way she quickly turned around was fierce.

Riley snorted.

She was the one who sneaked into his room, stole his shirt, and allowed him to mark her. Now she’s blaming others?

He thought about teasing her but stopped.

Besides, a grumbling voice came from behind, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

What could he do?

The four of them headed to the cafeteria.

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

After what happened yesterday, Sugar had been deep in thought.

From now on, she would have to wear the choker every day. Whenever the marks faded, new ones would have to be made.

Regardless of whether she liked it or not, since she had agreed to do it, she decided to do it properly.

With that mindset, she wandered around the building.

She didn’t want to do it outdoors, so she was looking for a suitable place inside. She would have to take off some clothes and moan, so she didn’t want to do that outside.

Originally, she wanted to bring Ian along, but she said she had something to do at the library and left.

What about her best friend, Riley?

She left him behind. She couldn’t bear to have him accompany her in scouting locations. She could make up excuses to Ian, but not to him.

He would immediately figure out why Sugar was wandering around the school.

‘What the… Why do I have to go through all this?’

When she said she wanted to act alone, he said he had something to do and left.

It must be nice to be on the giving end rather than the receiving end.

Men are all the same.

“-So. Do you know any good places, Professor?”

“I’m truly puzzled by your audacity to come and ask me such a thing.”

Sugar asked casually, and Professor Trace clicked his tongue. They had gone through a lot together during the holiday, so they had a certain level of familiarity. She had deliberately gone to his office to ask.

“I thought you might know. A place with good soundproofing and few people. Do you really not know any?”

“The school is not a place for such activities.”

“What do you mean by such activities… I just need a place to, you know, talk about secrets…”

Half of that was true. Besides the purpose of marking, she also needed a place to exchange secrets. It’s better to keep discussions about heretics discreet or the plans the two of them are making might leak out.

Steele isn’t necessarily a safe place.

Of course, the main purpose is to satisfy the dark desires of her friend.

For Sugar, it’s just an annoying, unpleasant, and repulsive act. It’s absolutely not something she enjoys, even if it’s done safely indoors.

So, as she rambled on, the seasoned mage shook his head. He didn’t even need to use lie detection to see through the lies of a woman young enough to be his great-granddaughter.

‘If I were 20 years younger, I would have scolded her.’ But with age, his emotions had dulled, and he only thought about it.

“I get the gist. But if it’s something like that, why don’t you go to the student council or the administrative office? They won’t just give it to you… but you could start a club or something. Persuading them is up to you.”

“Ah, that’s a good idea. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Well then…”

Trace picked up his cane.

“You didn’t come just to talk about that, did you?”

As he set up a barrier, Sugar smiled awkwardly.

“Well… I thought I should let you know too. Especially about the eyes.”

She briefly explained about the dream lantern, the eyes, their usage, and purpose. Since they were involved, she thought he had the right to know. He had also helped her.

She didn’t mention how she had learned how to use it.

Trace, who had been listening quietly, wiped his cane with a cloth and muttered.

“Really… I experience a lot of strange things with you around. Even at my age, there are still many fascinating things.”

He spoke in a calm tone, as if he had taken a step back.

“There must be a reason. The reason these things were given to you. Keep them safe.”

“…Aren’t you worried?”

“Worried?”

“About revenge.”

She asked indirectly, finding his reaction strange. If something happened to Louveci before he could take action. Isn’t he worried about that situation?

“Ha. Do you think I’m going to die just because I lost two eyeballs?”

He answered with a bitter smile.

The always expressionless and calm mage. This mage who is treated as a pitiful person by his colleagues, the only time he shows emotion is when he talks about his target for revenge.

His deep-seated grudge is one thing, but the trust he seems to have is quite unique. Sugar stared at Trace intently.

“…If you need help, just say so. Especially with matters related to ‘that side’ that you’re involved with.”

“…”

“Being with you, I feel like I might reach my goal someday. Let’s get along well.”

Sugar bowed and left the office.

‘Well then…’

She headed to her next destination. The student council room. She was curious about how these people would differ from the original story, so she went to satisfy her curiosity.

‘Come to think of it, I think I heard something about the student council president a long time ago…’

It’s a distant memory, a friend from the orphanage, a shy girl and the blond teenage boy who saved her from an accident.

He was wearing a Sky Island cloak.

It’s just a guess. It’s rare for someone to join Sky Island at such a young age, so it might be him.

At this point, he would have enrolled at Steele to earn a magic school degree later in life.

Thinking about this and that, she knocked on the student council room door.

Actually, it was just as she was about to knock.

‘Huh?’

Someone opened the door and rushed out. Sugar fell back with an ‘Ah!’

“Oh, sorry. I should have checked if anyone was in front of me.”

A low voice accompanied the hand that reached out. Sugar, who avoids holding hands with other men, ignored it and stood up, brushing off her bottom.

“It’s okay. It happens.”

As she slowly looked up, she noticed that the other person’s hair was long. Ash-blond hair. In her memory, it was just ordinary short hair.

Come to think of it, their body lines were also beautiful. Following the slim waist, there was a noticeable curve.

Oh. It’s not as big as Ian without the bandages, but it’s quite large.

She checked the person’s face. It was a woman. A handsome beauty. She looked very similar to the student council president in her memory, but the gender was different.

Sugar’s mouth dropped open.

“Wait, President. Why are you a woman now?”

“?”