Chapter 210: That’s the Answer

Ŕеａ​ɗ ｏɴ ＫаţȒеɑ​ⅾ​ıη​ģСаｆе

Riley isn’t the most honest person.

Compared to the depth of his feelings for Sugar, his expressions are extremely limited—specifically, his verbal ones. Emotions like obsession or attachment are excessive to the point of needing restraint, yet he can’t seem to voice them at all.

If there’s anyone as “dishonest” as Riley, it’s Sugar—but even before acknowledging her own feelings, she’d always been good at expressing them.

You’re precious to me. I cherish you the most. You’re special. I’d do anything for you—

Those kinds of sentiments.

Riley had tried sporadically, too, but compared to Sugar, his efforts were woefully lacking. Unless his emotions were boiling over, he rarely let his true feelings show.

His crooked disposition synergized with his dishonest nature, so whenever he did manage to spit something out, it was always the “pretty” words—the kind that made Sugar puff out her lips or flush red and start swatting at him. Of course, some of it was deliberate teasing because he found her adorable.

…Huh?

Sugar’s cute.

No, she’s not.

She’s really cute.

Not cute at all.

Even now, her clingy, giggling self was so annoyingly cute it was driving him insane.

“Riley… were you worried because you couldn’t see me?”

“…”

“Enough to forget even magic detection when I was right next to you?”

“…It wasn’t a normal space. It was unfamiliar, so that’s why.”

“Heh…”

Sugar cleared her throat, lowered her voice, and mimicked his tone.

“I won’t lose you. Never.”

“…”

“No matter where this space takes us. No matter what tries to tear us apart. I’ll chase you to the world’s end—and beyond… Keh… kehe… kehehe… hehe… HAHAHA!”

An eerie laugh echoed. She looked like she was about to die from happiness.

Must be having the time of her life.

Riley gritted his teeth. The sight of her preening, cheeks stretched so wide they nearly touched her ears, made him want to thump her on the head.

“Really, Riley… what am I supposed to do if you’re this obsessed with me…?”

When he glared at her, Sugar cupped her cheeks and feigned a troubled expression—though the way she swayed her hips, twisting left and right, betrayed not an ounce of actual distress. Still, for her, this was a rare sight. That dishonest man had just fervently declared his desire for her. Words this passionate were hard to come by.

Lost in her euphoria, she didn’t notice Riley stepping closer until he grabbed her small chin and yanked her face toward his.

“…Then what’ll you do about it?”

“Huh…?”

No warning. No preamble.

A distance close enough to share breaths.

Sugar’s eyes widened instantly. Her smug expression shattered, cheeks flushing as panic flickered across her face.

Riley smirked faintly. He knew better than anyone how weak she was to being pushed back.

“I asked what you’ll do if I’m obsessed with you.”

The best way to deal with someone who troubles you is to trouble them right back. A life philosophy he’d learned from her. He could already picture her flustered stammering, and he reveled in brainstorming ways to tease her further.

But—unexpectedly—she didn’t stammer.

No fumbling, no incoherent muttering. Just silence.

Then, without a word, Sugar gently took hold of Riley’s right hand, the one gripping her chin, and pulled it toward her—thump—pressing it against her chest.

Soft warmth. And beneath it, a frantic, pounding rhythm.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

“…Hehe.”

The heartbeat was so violent it felt like it might burst through her ribs. When Riley startled and met her eyes, hers crinkled into crescents.

Under the white hair that carried her soothing scent, her irises—pink or blue, he couldn’t tell—looked like a intoxicating cocktail. A drink that would addict him with every sip.

Her softly curved lips parted with warm, uneven breaths.

A ticklish laugh spilled out.

A shy, hidden red tongue.

Cheeks ripe with a delicious flush.

Your scent.

That was all.

No exchange of words. No tangled limbs. Just the sensation of her heartbeat beneath his palm and the sight of her bashful smile.

Yet, for some reason, his mouth felt dry.

Your gaze, your lips, your smile—all of it tastes sweet. A familiar yet unfamiliar sweetness, oddly foreign.

As he lost himself in the tingling sensation on his tongue, a vague memory surfaced.

A simpler time, when his understanding of desire was still hazy.

Lying beside you on sun-warmed, worn-out sheets.

Holding your small, marshmallow-soft body.

The fluttering in his chest, something he couldn’t comprehend, leaving him flustered in his youth.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Just like what he felt through his right hand now.

Or the violent pounding in the man’s own chest.

“I suppose it’s time we talked.”

“Of course. Please, go ahead.”

“Apologies for this old man intruding.”

“Ah, no, not at all…”

Just moments ago, they had been laughing and chatting loudly, but now they sat quietly, holding hands. When Trace cautiously addressed them, this was the response he received.

He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“First… we’ve been caught in a spatial distortion phenomenon. We’ve known since the start of the semester that this was happening in the male dormitory.”

“I heard that’s why single rooms became unusable.”

“Correct. Originally, a barrier was set up to prevent students from entering, but it seems they temporarily lifted it during the break for ‘investigation’ purposes.”

“Can we get out?”

Sugar peered into the bag at her waist, where a mirror rabbit was curled up asleep.

“I took a look around while you two were… occupied. At the moment, we can’t leave. The boundary is sealed. There was an incident before—a student got trapped, and a professor had to rush in to retrieve them… but that was when the distortion was less severe. Now, it’s progressed too far.”

“So even if we wait here for rescue, anyone who comes in will just get trapped too?”

(—They came to save us!

—No, I’m trapped now too.)

“Most likely. There’s no guarantee they’d even end up in the same place as us.”

“…At least the three of us managed to stay together. We didn’t get scattered.”

“That is strange. I came in fully expecting to sigh while searching for you, only to find you two already huddled together.”

“Wow. You’ve got a real sense of duty, Professor.”

“Losing students under my watch who are from the Holy City would be a far greater headache than this.”

“Such brutal honesty.”

Sugar’s expression soured. She absentmindedly stroked the sleeping rabbit’s scruff, and soon Riley mirrored the gesture on her neck. Her pout melted into a pleased hum.

“Now that I think about it, that rabbit is peculiar too… Does nothing about it strike you as odd? The fact that it was wandering the male dormitory disguised as you.”

It must have been the culprit behind the gnawed delivery boxes in the dorm. The rustling in the ceilings—this mischievous little resident.

“I can grasp the rabbit part… but this doesn’t make sense…”

Sugar muttered, glancing up at Riley.

“Riley. Remember when we went to the White Forest?”

“Obviously.”

“Harnielle told me about a mirror rabbit that fell off a cliff there. The youngest of its group, apparently.”

“Into the chasm? I didn’t hear that.”

“She mentioned it when we were alone.”

“Hmm…”

Trace interjected.

“Wait. The Great Chasm inside the forest of the White Tree? The place the Saint forcibly warped?”

“Yes. That one. Where the spatial distortion was intentionally created.”

“So you’re saying the rabbit that fell there made its way to Steele? That the spaces are connected?”

“It’s just a theory. A rare creature like a mirror rabbit appearing in Steele’s male dormitory—this is the only explanation I can think of. It wandered this distorted space alone, then crossed into the dormitory when the boundary was still weak at the start of the semester…”

Trace nodded silently, lost in thought.

Then Riley tapped Sugar’s shoulder and whispered in her ear.

“Hey. That rabbit… earlier, it copied your appearance perfectly, but it wasn’t wearing the choker.”

The transformation had been flawless—clothing, hair ribbon, everything. Only the accessory around her neck was missing. Had Riley noticed something?

“That time you snuck into my room…”

“…”

“You think it was hiding in the vent, watching you?”

“Oh…”

The timing lined up. Sugar had been caught during that intrusion and started wearing the choker afterward—meaning the rabbit wouldn’t have seen it yet.

“But here’s the thing… why did that rabbit choose to mimic your appearance?”

“M-maybe it saw me by chance through a window? I did visit the entrance occasionally to meet Riley.”

Sugar hastily deflected the professor’s question.

“No, not the how. The why. Out of all the students, why you?”

Ah. A different question entirely.

And now that he mentioned it…

It was strange.

Why? Why go out of its way to mimic Sugar? It must have seen plenty of students and professors in the dormitory. Why her specifically?

The two students pondered.

Then Sugar spoke first.

“…Because I’m cute?”

“…”
“…”

The silence was icy.

“L-let’s just move for now. Sitting here won’t solve anything.”

In the heavy air, Sugar wordlessly took the lead, pulling a lantern from her bag.