Chapter 176: The City of Romance (1)

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Money was needed.

Not in the small “til” units used to buy hot dogs, but in “gold”—a currency rarely used in daily life.

After checking the auction house’s estimated winning bid, it turned out they needed more than double the funds Sugar and her group had painstakingly scraped together.

‘It’s just an estimate, so the actual price might be lower~’ she optimistically thought, but she couldn’t afford to lose Song of Silence right before her eyes.

“No matter how I think about it, there’s no solution… Leon, how about you get a job at the casino? Just drink a gender-swapping potion and—”

“Have you lost your mind?”

“Then should I do it?”

“I’d rather sign up for a deep-sea fishing boat! How are we supposed to earn that much in such a short time? Why don’t you try spouting nonsense to Riley instead?”

“Wha—?! Are you insane? Suggesting we feed a gender-swapping potion to a prickly, domineering guy like him and shove him into a casino?! Do you have any idea what would happen? You filthy bastard! Monster!”

Sugar ranted excitedly, clutching her chest. Her cheeks flushed. Her eyes sparkled.

Riley looked down at her with a gaze full of contempt.

Sugar shivered.

“Alright, enough nonsense. Let’s focus on what we can do first. We don’t even have a place to stay. We need to find lodging.”

No one was better at cutting through chaos than Ian, who pulled her hood low over her eyes and brought up the topic of accommodations.

It was summer. Everyone was intoxicated by the port city’s beautiful scenery and the allure of making money at the casino. With peak tourist season and the auction combined, the streets were packed.

The four of them immediately began checking nearby inns.

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

“No rooms available.”

…

“We’re fully booked.”

…

“We have one single room.”

“Ah…!”

“There are four of you, right? If you pay extra, we can provide bedding to sleep on the floor… but I wouldn’t recommend it. It’d be really uncomfortable.”

Ian, who had taken the lead, hesitated. The auction was in six days. The idea of four people crammed together in a stressful, sleep-deprived state was unbearable.

“This isn’t going to work… Let’s go.”

Everyone agreed without objection and left.

Standing in front of the building’s exterior, the four huddled together.

“Maybe we should just go somewhere expensive. Bigger places should have more rooms.”

“We need to save every penny we can… How about splitting into pairs to look for a decent place? We can communicate if we find something.”

“Sounds good… Huh? Wha—?!”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

Ian’s listless reply suddenly cut off as her eyes widened at something in the distance. The other three followed her gaze and saw a sign written in elegant calligraphy: “Label of the Skin”. The shop window gleamed dazzlingly.

“Whoa…! I never thought I’d actually see it…!”

“What kind of place is that? Doesn’t look like an inn.”

Confused, Sugar tilted her head—until Ian suddenly jumped in excitement.

“Sugar, don’t you know? It’s that trendy perfumery everyone’s talking about!”

Perfume?

Sugar’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“Every product they release has this fantastical harmony of scents, but it blends so naturally with a person’s body odor that it’s not overwhelming… Especially their ‘alluring’ fragrances—they’re famous! Plus, the founder has this romantic love story—”

“Wait, what? ‘Alluring’ fragrances? Like a love potion? Isn’t that illegal?”

“No, no. They don’t use any questionable ingredients or magic. Everything’s legally approved.”

So, like pheromone perfumes? The kind that makes you more attractive to the opposite sex.

Sugar scoffed. Humans. Beasts. Do they really buy that stuff just for dating? What matters is the heart.

“Well… Let’s find a room first. We can sightsee later.”

They’d come for the auction, but it’d be a shame not to enjoy the city at all. Watching Ian’s sparkling eyes, Sugar chuckled like an old woman humoring a child.

At any rate, their top priority was set. After finishing their discussion, the four split into pairs and went their separate ways.

Naturally, Sugar stood next to Riley.

“It’s so crowded…”

Using the crowd as an excuse, she subtly looped her arm around his.

Come to think of it, his scent used to be mixed with other men’s cologne… but now, it’s just his own.

Lost in thought, she spoke up.

“Hey, Riley. What are we gonna do about the money?”

“I’ve been thinking.”

“Mhm?”

“How about negotiation?”

“Negotiation? With that adventurer, Praline?”

“Exactly. It’s impossible to gather that much money out of nowhere. We could ask if there’s anything she needs besides gold—negotiate face-to-face. If that fails, then all four of us can brainstorm money ideas.”

“Oh… That could work. But negotiating for something worth two thousand gold…”

What bargaining chips did they even have? Sugar pondered deeply.

“I think that adventurer… isn’t right in the head.”

Riley dropped the bombshell with a straight face. Sugar just nodded along. Yeah, yeah.

“No sane person would crawl into the Shattered Lands just for money. It’s gotta be thirst for the unknown. Curiosity. The thrill of challenge. That’s her driving force.”

The Shattered Lands. A place where even corpses couldn’t be recovered.

No—wait. There was that incident where a survivor returned as a walking corpse and wiped out an entire village. So, bodies could be found.

That’s how twisted the place was. Even death wasn’t peaceful there. Anyone who’d willingly adventure there couldn’t be entirely sane.

“So, what’s our bargaining chip for an adventurer like that?”

“You. Me. Us.”

“Us? All four of us?”

“Groups as unique as ours are rare.”

“That’s true.”

At this point, it wasn’t even surprising. Somehow, the people she’d ended up traveling with were all… distinctive.

“So, we offer something only we can do… something only we can show her?”

“For now. Of course, we’ll have to meet her first. She might be crazier about money than we think.”

“Hmm.”

Sugar mentally reviewed what she knew about Praline. She’d looked her up in the papers before.

A rookie adventurer. Almost no known info besides her name. Secretive.

Listing it out, it wasn’t much. But secrecy was typical in that line of work.

“Can we even meet her in the first place?”

A shadowy adventurer. They could ask about her whereabouts at the auction house, but would they really get to see her?

“No…! We have to try everything we can.”

She shook her head vigorously.

For her friend. For her friend’s mother. A little money and some legwork were nothing.

They’d find a way.

Once they started something, they had to see it through. They had to fix what had gone wrong.

Steeling her resolve, she tightened her grip—unknowingly squeezing Riley’s arm even harder.

Suddenly self-conscious, Sugar glanced up at him. His face was as indifferent as ever.

Then, she scanned their surroundings.

People walking alone. Friends traveling in same-gender groups. Families. Couples holding hands.

Bound by different relationships, harboring their own thoughts, they walked along the angular cobblestone streets—each with their own distinct presence.

Among this sea of people was herself. And her childhood friend.

“…”

A sudden thought crossed her mind.

Sugar subtly released the arm she had been holding.

Wordlessly letting go, she clasped her hands behind her back, feeling an odd emptiness.

What was this woman thinking as she put distance between herself and her friend?

Then, in that moment, a hand seized her.

“Ah—!”

Riley pulled her close, wrapping an arm tightly around her shoulder and drawing her into his warmth. His familiar scent and body heat enveloped her.

“R-Riley? What’s with the sudden—?”

“Excuse me! Coming through!”

A high-pitched voice cut through the air. Out of the corner of her eye, a noblewoman in a flowing dress rushed past, bumping into people as she went. The crowd shot her annoyed glances.

“It’s crowded. Stay close like usual.”

“…Thanks.”

So he pulled me in so I wouldn’t get jostled.

Sugar quickly wriggled free. Riley loosened his grip, puzzled, and she popped out of his hold like a spring.

“What’s wrong?”

This was unusual. Normally, Sugar would stay quiet when Riley hugged her. But now, when he asked, she just fidgeted, lowering her head.

Was she feeling unwell? Hurt somewhere?

After a long pause, she finally spoke.

“Lovers…”

“Huh?”

“If we’re like this… people might think we’re, y’know. That kind of couple…”

“…What?”

“That’s why I put some distance…”

Had his hearing been damaged from the last incident? Riley doubted his ears.

She kept her distance because she didn’t want to look like lovers?

Sugar?

That Sugar?

Memories flashed through his mind.

“We’re childhood friends, so it’s fine!”

“This much skinship is normal between family!”

“I-It’s not like that! We’re just close friends!”

That was the Sugar he knew—the one who never cared what others thought, who brushed off teasing with a shrug and clung to him anyway.

Riley immediately pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Riley…?”

“Doesn’t seem like a fever… or does it? Still feels warm.”

“Let go… I’m not sick.”

Sugar turned her face away.

“Oh, I think that person dropped something.”

Ignoring his scrutinizing gaze, she picked up an object from the ground—a small, elegant clutch bag made of glossy green fabric.

“…Let’s return it.”

The direction the owner had gone was the same way they were headed. If they couldn’t find her, they could just hand it over to the guards.

Riley hesitated, then abruptly held out his right hand.

“…”

“What? You said let’s go. Hold on.”

Sugar gingerly reached out—but instead of taking his hand, she gripped his sleeve.

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

The woman in the vibrant green dress wasn’t hard to spot. She stood frozen, frantically scanning the area—clearly searching for her lost bag.

“Excuse me, were you looking for this?”

“Ah! Oh my!”

The woman’s face lit up.

“How kind and adorable of you! To come all this way to return it…! Such a sweetheart!”

She praised Sugar like a child, laughing as she took the bag.

“Glad we found you. It’s crowded, so be careful.”

Mission accomplished. Sugar turned to leave.

“Wait, dear. Hold on a moment.”

“Huh?”

“This is fate, don’t you think? Let’s chat a bit.”

The woman smiled warmly.

“Sorry, now’s not a good time for us.”

“Oh, what a shame. I just thought, since you’re tourists, I could show you around.”

“You know this city well?”

“Of course! I was reborn in this land of romance…!”

She dramatically spread her arms, her dress fluttering like a peacock’s tail.

Sugar blinked.

“Well… if you know the area, do you happen to know any lodging? We’re looking for rooms.”

“Hmm, lodging?”

“Yes. We need four affordable single rooms.”

“Oh dear, sweetheart. What are you expecting in peak season?”

The woman laughed, snapping open a fan (where did that come from?).

“Zenrock in midsummer…! Countless butterflies flock to these blooming flowers. Souls drawn here by romance and revelry, eager to drown in its pleasures… Ah…”

Riley tugged Sugar’s wrist. Let’s not engage with this one.

“Want to follow me? I do know a place. Consider it a thank-you.”

Sugar and Riley exchanged glances. Sugar was hopeful; Riley, wary of the woman’s theatrics.

“We’d appreciate it.”

They decided to follow. Worst case, they lose nothing. But they needed sleep to survive.

The woman’s lips curled into a smile.