Chapter 234: Healthy Bath Time (2)

Re‍&a;ｄ &o;ñ ​K̂​at​Ｒe​αd​&i;​n̂ｇCafe

What had suddenly made him say that?

A reward—no, a wish. A promise to grant her one wish.

Even Riley himself was baffled by his own words. It had spilled out without forethought.

Was it because she’d been acting like a lovestruck girl lately, and he found it endearing?

Because he was grateful she’d returned to him safely?

Because he was pleased with how well today’s meeting had gone?

Or because her unwavering affection since childhood was something he cherished?

He didn’t know. He couldn’t know.

Sugar was an unpredictable creature, and being near her made him feel just as unpredictable.

“A wish coupon… A wish coupon… Hmm…”

And then, he instantly regretted it.

What if, after all that serious deliberation, she came up with something like “Can I lock you in the basement?”—a headache-inducing request?

‘I’ll lock her up first.’

But to his surprise, her answer was far more ordinary than he’d expected.

“Can I think about it and tell you later? I wanna consider it properly.”

“…Sure.”

“But why a wish coupon all of a sudden? Did I do something that nice…?”

“You’ve been through a lot lately.”

As he wrung the water from her hair, Sugar made a conflicted face. He’d thought she’d be happier about it.

“Now drop the towel and turn around. I’ll scrub your back.”

“Ah… O-Okay…”

Hesitant but obedient, Sugar lowered the towel, gathering her hair in front to reveal her smooth, pale back.

The delicate curve of her spine, the subtle jut of her shoulder blades, the slender waist that fit perfectly in his hands—all hidden until now by the thick towel.

Mesmerized, he ran his fingers down her spine, making Sugar shudder with a tiny gasp.

“W-What was that?!”

“You’re pretty.”

Her mouth fell open at the unexpected compliment.

Pretty? Did he just call me pretty? My back is pretty? Did Riley get turned on by my back too?!

While she was still processing it, the soapy shower towel touched the nape of her neck. Since his hands had already been there earlier, she didn’t startle this time—though the ticklish sensation still made her squirm.

“Nn… Ah…”

From her nape to her shoulder blades, down her spine to her waist, Riley scrubbed thoroughly. Sugar kept the towel over her lower stomach, arms crossed to cover her chest, sitting quietly.

Compared to his, her back was much smaller. Soon, he reached the base of her spine.

“Mm… Thanks, Riley. That’s enough.”

“What about the front?”

“Ah, the front’s fine…! I’ll do it myself.”

“You washed mine earlier. I’ll return the favor.”

“N-No…! Stop…!”

When his hands slyly crept toward her stomach, she flinched. As he tried to turn the stool to face her, she braced her feet against the floor in protest.

“Hey. Quit struggling and turn around.”

“I said nooo…!”

“Why not?”

This felt eerily similar to their earlier debate about whether he should keep a towel around his waist.

Sugar was about to give the same excuse when a better idea struck.

Swallowing hard, she met his eyes and tilted her lips into a sly smile.

“You… If you see my ch-chest and stomach… You’ll definitely get excited…”

“…”

Being too honest would ruin her image.

She’d seem like a pervert—getting turned on by her friend’s body, or worse, getting turned on just from showing herself to him.

So she decided to at least avoid the latter. Instead, she turned the tables on him.

“Y-You… You love touching my chest, don’t you…? Always groping me… Squeezing when we kiss… Nngh… Hah… Do you really think you won’t get excited…?”

You’re the one who seems excited right now, Riley thought calmly.

“And then you won’t be able to hold back… You’ll just… go wild… Ah… Nn… Haaah…”

Yeah, definitely you.

“Anyway…! No s-sex today… If we do it, you’ll waste energy… You need proper rest. You’ve been busy and tired lately. School’s starting again soon too…”

Sugar had her reasons. She wasn’t just being difficult.

Despite her reputation as Lewd Sugar or Horny Sugar, she was capable of rational thought.

All her past shameless actions stemmed from pent-up frustration—before she’d admitted her feelings.

Now that she had, that frustration was gone. Whether alone or with Riley, she took care of her urges just fine.

“So… Absolutely… Ngh… No…”

Of course, her nature didn’t just disappear.

“Riley needs to sleeeep tonight… I’ll clean your ears, sing you a lullaby… Nn? I’ll hug you tight like a mom…”

“…”

Her earnest plea made Riley exhale slowly.

What’s a lion to do when the rabbit he loves begs, “Don’t eat me, don’t eat me”?

He hadn’t even been hungry, but the request just made him want to devour her more. That tiny, adorable rabbit he’d played with as a kid—still so small and tempting even as an adult.

Sigh. With a resigned shake of his head, he let her go and stepped into the tub.

Having narrowly avoided disaster, Sugar melted into a relieved puddle as she quickly washed her front. Wrapping herself in the towel again, she finished her preparations and stepped into the bathtub after him.

The sound of flowing water ceased.

Sugar sat across from Riley in the tub, facing him.

“…”

“…”

“…Ehehe.”

It was an unfamiliar sight—sitting face-to-face in the bath, each with only a towel draped over them. They’d shared a bed countless times, but bathing together was new, and it felt strangely intimate.

There was an awkwardness in the air, perhaps because she’d refused his offer to wash her earlier.

‘Come to think of it, we never bathed together as kids either.’

Well, they’d almost done it once.

Sugar scooped up some water in her hands and playfully squirted it at her childhood friend. After all, what were childhood friends for if not this kind of mischief?

“Eek!”

Oops.

She’d been aiming for his chest, but it hit his face instead.

“Sorry… Accident…”

Retaliation came swiftly.

“Eek, eek, eek!”

“Whaaa—!”

Riley grabbed her and mercilessly tickled her underarms. He’d originally planned to splash her, but considering her fear of water, this was his twisted way of being considerate.

Before she knew it, she was pulled into his lap, trapped in his arms as they continued their bath.

“Ngh… I’m caught…”

“Caught you.”

Then, they fell quiet. After the playful chaos, only tranquility remained.

Feeling the water’s warmth, breathing in the steam, sensing each other’s presence—it was a precious, fleeting moment.

Soon, they’d have to return to the dorm. No more shared baths or nights together for a while. They both knew it, and they both regretted it.

So for now, they savored the time they had. Sugar closed her eyes, relaxing against Riley’s broad chest, her head resting on his shoulder.

And then, she remembered what he’d given her earlier.

The wish coupon.

At first, she’d been overjoyed, her mind flooding with dark desires—”Can I wish to lock him up?” or “Can I wish for him to date me?” But the more she thought about it, the less comfortable she felt.

Do I even deserve this?

Should I really be rewarded by Riley?

She was lacking in so many ways. There was so much she hadn’t done for him. And yet, he hadn’t even used a single wish coupon for himself.

The thought made her a little gloomy. To Sugar, Riley was far too good for her.

The Evil God’s Saintess—just the title alone was enough to make people flee in terror. And yet, he’d willingly chosen to stay by her side. How kind was that?

That was why she couldn’t bring herself to make a wish so easily. Was someone like her really in a position to ask for things?

All Sugar wanted was to become a woman who wouldn’t embarrass Riley just by standing beside him.

So she’d made small plans for the new semester—study hard, behave like a model student, refine her knowledge, work on her personality. (Her looks were fine as they were.)

‘And… there’s one more thing bothering me…’

She cracked her eyes open slightly and glanced down.

Her chest, barely concealed by the towel, rose in a modest curve. Just looking at it made her sigh.

Some might call it a childish worry, but to Sugar, it was a serious concern.

Riley’s all grown up. Tall, broad, and… well-endowed.

But what about me?

Every other girl around her (which, by extension, meant every girl around Riley) was well-developed. And since Riley was a guy, he’d definitely notice.

‘…I wish he’d only look at me.’

No matter how much he praised or touched her, she couldn’t shake the insecurity.

A sense of inferiority.

The frustration of not being able to fully captivate him.

She sighed, wishing even a fraction of the fat from her thighs could migrate upward, and absentmindedly poked at herself.

Squish. Squish.

‘It’s not bad… It’s not completely flat, at least. Just smaller than others… Maybe I should look into supplements…’

She was so engrossed that she forgot Riley was right behind her until—

“You…”

“Ah! Riley! Now that I think about it, I wanted to ask you something!”

Cutting him off, she quickly changed the subject.

“…What?”

“Well, earlier at dinner, that book suddenly appeared, right…?”

“Ah.”

“I was wondering if something went wrong…”

She’d been meaning to ask about it—the grimoire that had materialized during the conflict between Ian and Leon.

Riley seemed to consider it for a moment before answering.

“When I touched the book earlier, I saw a vision.”

“Huh? A vision? What kind?”

It had only been a brief moment. When Riley touched the book, he’d frozen—was that when it happened?

“A vision of the Saint and his disciples.”

“Whoa…”

She hadn’t expected that. Her mouth fell open.

“I don’t know if it was something that actually happened, but… I think the book showed it to me on purpose. Have you ever heard the name ‘Calard’?”

“Calard? Hmm…”

“In the vision, the Saint referred to him as his final disciple. But there’s no record of anyone by that name among the Saint’s Twelve Disciples.”

I’ve never heard that name before either.”

“Right? But remember what Louveci said before—one of the Saint’s disciples founded the cult.”

“Ah…”

“I think that person might be the founder.”

Sugar blinked silently.

“And… at the same time, the author of the grimoire.”

She turned her head slightly to look up at Riley.

“Wait. Hold on. I feel like I just stumbled onto some huge secret.”

What was supposed to be a distraction from her earlier chest-groping had turned into something far more serious.

“So… you’re saying this ‘Calard’ person is both the founder of the Shadow Cult and the author of the grimoire?”

“That’s my guess. A disciple erased from history… and the fact that touching the book showed me that vision. It adds up.”

“Should we ask the Guardians or Her Holiness about it later?”

“They might already know. The Professor never mentioned the book much, but… it feels like they’re aware of the author.”

Sugar nodded, idly playing with the water’s surface.

It was fascinating.

So is that how the original Riley was able to summon the Evil God with the original Sugar? The cult’s Saintess and the mastermind holding the founder’s book—they were connected like that.

“Speaking of which… If Cedric had been at the meeting yesterday, he would’ve defended me, right?”

“Obviously.”

His disciple answered without hesitation.

‘Sadly… he didn’t appear in the nightmare.’

Of course not.

Because in that dream, his funeral had already happened.

Sugar’s expression darkened briefly.

Both the original Sugar and the nightmare Sugar had led tragic lives—ending because of Riley, or left completely alone.

Am I just lucky?

Her struggles to break free from the original story could’ve easily gone wrong. Thinking about those possibilities made this moment feel all the more precious. Even if she couldn’t live like a normal person, she was grateful for this ordinary life.

Her friends. Those who’d shown her kindness. She cherished them all.

And most of all, the one she loved the most.

“…Riley.”

She turned and hugged him, unable to hold back the surge of affection. Water sloshed gently with the movement.

“You worked hard today too…”

“You were dodging me all night, and now this?”

Despite his words, the arms holding her were tender.

“It’s just… Thank you for staying by my side, even though I’m lacking.”

“…”

Instead of answering, she pressed a light kiss to his lips before pulling away.

“Thought we weren’t doing anything lewd.”

“This doesn’t count. It’s just kid stuff…”

“Oh-ho…”

Sticking out her tongue playfully, she grinned—and Riley smiled back.

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

A notification woke her.

Her private communication device with Ianne, carelessly left on the nightstand, was buzzing.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains as she groggily rubbed her sore back. Her childhood friend, also roused from sleep, reached over and handed it to her.

“Yeees… Ianne…?”

[Sugar… I’m really sorry, but you’re the only one I can ask about this…]

“Mm… Go ahead…”

What’s this about so early? Is it related to yesterday? There’s nothing to apologize for between us.

Yawning, she listened as Ianne cautiously asked:

[Are men… not able to open their eyes if they have sex for too long…?]