Chapter 123: Shirt (1)

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A basement where screams seem to flow from somewhere, a dark place where inside damp and stale air lingered.

With an appearance that felt out of place, a girl walked down the corridor at a steady pace, a small girl with horns that shone like gemstones and emitted a rainbow spectrum of light.

However, despite having such a sturdy material on her head, her entire body was covered in wounds, the soft skin marred with scratches.

It seems she was vented on again today. Yet, the girl opened her eyes and walked silently, as if nothing happened.

A crow flies over and silently perches on the girl’s shoulder.

[How did the task go?]

“I’ve returned. They’re busy hunting demons.”

[Demon hunting, you say? Specifically?]

“Things like fluff birds and steel spiders. They also seem to be collecting rare minerals.”

[It seems like they’re gathering materials.]

“They took the eye, after all. It’s probably related to that.”

[…]

“Should I keep an eye on them?”

[What could they possibly do with an old man’s eye? They probably don’t even know how to use it.]

You’re an old man yourself—the girl swallowed her words.

“Still, I’ll keep an eye on them whenever I have time. You never know.”

[Do as you please.]

Despite his words, he seems subtly satisfied.

‘Honestly, it’s a worrying topic.’ The girl quietly hid her smile. ‘There’s nothing good about showing weakness in front of this person.’

The question, ‘Should I keep an eye on them?’ was just a formality. The thought of facing a mage who can summon lightning or one capable of large-scale bombardment already gave her a headache.

Ouch. Her cheek hurts from suppressing her smile. It’s the spot that got hit earlier.

[It seems your partner is angry again.]

As she rubbed her cheek, the crow quipped. The girl glanced at it once and then continued walking.

There are too many things she dislikes, but conflicts are also part of it.

As always, she endures.

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

Under a clear sky, Steele exuded a peaceful air.

Just after the holiday, zombies seemed to roam around, but after about five days, the students have somewhat returned to their normal selves.

In the midst of this, Sugar, who still hasn’t returned to her normal self, had her face buried in Riley’s thighs. Her hollow eyes and dark complexion clearly showing she’s not in a good state.

“Riley…”

Unlike Sugar’s thigh, Riley’s is firm and probably not the most comfortable to use. Yet, she clings to it.

“What’s wrong with you lately? The holiday ended a while ago, and you still haven’t snapped out of it.”

“I haven’t been sleeping well…”

“Why not?”

“Well…”

Sugar looked up at Riley with a dazed expression. Her sleepy eyes looked hazy.

“Are you curious…?”

“…”

“Riley… are you curious why I can’t sleep at night?”

Rubbing her cheek against the man’s thigh, she smiled sweetly and asked softly. For some reason, it reminded her of her childhood. She blurted it out without thinking, almost provocatively.

If Riley really said he was curious, she would be at a loss for words. Having not slept properly for five days, her words just tumbled out without thought.

“Stop talking nonsense and close your eyes.”

“Ehh.”

Riley closed Sugar’s eyes for her. A clean response. Well done.

“…Are you not going anywhere today?”

After the holiday, the man has been disappearing every evening, saying he had business. Sugar’s plan of ‘Let’s cuddle and sleep together at night!’ has never worked out.

If it had, her condition might have been slightly better than it is now.

“Sorry. I have to go later today too.”

“…”

Her expectations were shattered.

During the day, she can’t sleep because of classes. At night, he disappears for his own business.

“Ugh… Aww…”

Overcome with frustration, she rubbed her face against Riley’s thigh until it turned red.

‘I want to sleep. I want to sleep.’

‘Riley seems fine, so why is it just me?’

‘He said he didn’t want me to leave his side, yet he leaves every evening. Lately, s-s-s-skin contact has decreased too. What’s this? When did he ever sweet-talk me?’

Sugar was frustrated in many ways. It seems like she’s the only one who can’t sleep because there’s no one by her side. Riley, who coldly leaves, is also frustrating. The situation of not being able to sleep is frustrating too.

“I hate the world… I hate it… I’ll curse it… May it perish…”

“When you say it, it doesn’t sound normal.”

Riley covered Sugar’s mouth. With the same hand, he gently stroked her cheek.

“…It’ll be over soon.”

He soothed her like a child. His voice, gentler than usual, was filled with sticky desire. Unaware, Sugar closed her eyes and enjoyed his touch.

Beneath her eyelids, her eyes were also filled with desire.

Riley didn’t notice this either.

.

.

.

Riley took Sugar to the girls’ dormitory and then left.

Left alone, Sugar went into her room and pondered deeply.

She can’t go on like this. Even if Riley’s business ends, they can’t stay together all night. That’s just how dorm life is.

Even if she naps in the evening, it’s still far from the average amount of sleep she needs.

‘I need to come up with something…’

She can’t kidnap Riley and keep him on her bed. She needs to get used to sleeping alone.

‘Sleeping alone… sleeping alone…’

With her hazy mind, she tried her best to keep thinking.

Then, suddenly, her gaze turned toward the balcony.

As if entranced, Sugar walked over and opened the balcony window. When she reached out her hand, she felt an invisible barrier. A sensation as if someone was thoroughly scanning her. The boundary between the dorm room and the outside. It was due to the security system installed there.

If someone other than the room’s owner crosses that boundary, an alarm will sound, and security personnel will be summoned immediately.

After staring at the security system for a while and sensing its presence, Sugar turned her head.

“Aww…”

She waved her hand dismissively and went into the shower. Being sleepy makes her think all sorts of things. When people can’t sleep, their minds tend to break. There’s even torture that involves sleep deprivation, so it must be terrifying.

‘Let’s wash with warm water. Then, drink some warm tea. That should help me fall asleep quickly.’

Sugar carefully massaged her scalp as she washed her hair, then used a subtly scented body wash to lather her body. The warm water and the sound of it pouring down felt good.

After washing, she applied lotion and massaged her entire body. The idea was to relax her muscles and get a good night’s sleep.

First, she gently rubbed her neck, then moved down to the area between her armpits and chest. She carefully pressed the lymph nodes and after massaging her upper body, she slowly moved her hands down to her abdomen and waist.

“Eek…”

When her hands reached her lower abdomen, she felt something strange and quickly pulled them away. N-no, let’s not go there.

Huff, exhaling, Sugar then massaged her thighs. Starting from the slightly firm outer part to the soft inner part. Her fingers slid smoothly over her lotion-covered skin.

“Ahh…”

Amidst the coolness and a strange pleasure, her small hands made it quite tiring, leaving her panting heavily. Sitting naked on a chair, massaging her body, it felt a bit ridiculous.

‘I heard massaging the glutes is good too…’

The gluteal muscles, an important area that supports the lower back. Getting up from the chair, Sugar pressed firmly on the area connecting her waist and buttocks.

‘Mmm, feels good.’

After showering, with her body heated up, Sugar fiddled with her lower body and finally massaged her calves and soles to finish.

Huuuh. After finishing, a sigh naturally escaped. Her muscles and tension relaxed, and her body felt limp.

‘This feels good…?’

With this, it seems like she can fall asleep comfortably.

After finishing the massage and putting on her pajamas, Sugar drank some sleep-inducing tea and read a book. It was an encyclopedia filled with dense text and to create a sleep-friendly environment, she turned off the lights and placed a mood lamp emitting a dim light beside her.

Her body, already relaxed from the full-body massage, felt even more so under the warm orange light. As her perception simplified to ‘white is the background, black is the text,’ Sugar closed the book.

Now, let’s sleep. Everything is perfect. I’ve really done all I can.

She drew the curtains and lay down on the bed. The bedding, freshly washed, smelled nice and felt cozy.

“Goodnight, everyone…”

Greeting the world, she closed her eyes.

.

.

.

3 a.m.

Sugar smashed the clock.

The sound of the second hand was driving her crazy, making it unbearable.

Biting her lip, she hugged her pillow and wrapped herself in the blanket like a Kimbap. Yet, the emptiness remained.

Her body was relaxed, and her consciousness was hazy. It felt like she could let go any moment, but it just wouldn’t happen.

‘Why can’t I sleep? Why can’t I sleep?’

‘It’s been six days now. I can’t take it anymore.’

With her eyes wide open, Sugar quietly sat up. In her small head, various hypotheses and plans were forming.

If nothing works, then she’ll have to rely on magic.

Sugar immediately headed to the drawer. She waved her wand to unlock it and took out a metal box inside.

A lifeless gray eye stared at Sugar. Soon, they rolled around inside the box.

The reason is unknown. It could be the will of the sleep-deprived saintess, or it could simply be that the box tilted.

The direction it gazed toward was where Sugar had placed a lantern. A dream lantern. A strange lantern with no mechanism to light it.

She vaguely understood how to use it.

Sugar opened the lantern’s lid and rolled the eyeball inside.

The lantern began to emit light.

Yet, the surroundings remained dark. Even under the lantern’s light, everything seemed even darker.

Sugar directed the light toward her body. Then, in the darkness, she saw a flow of white smoke or liquid.

The flow of magical energy within her body. Realizing this, Sugar immediately took the lantern to the balcony and exposed herself to its light.

The concealed security barrier became clearly visible to the naked eye.

The moment she confirmed it, Sugar’s grand yet trivial plan began. A plan that wouldn’t bother the other party but would certainly fulfill her desires.