Chapter 181: Just Wait

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Since they were always in close contact, Sugar would have noticed immediately if Riley had shown any reaction during their intimate moments.

But now that she thought about it, there had been none.

Not once had Riley ever reacted.

That weighty presence below had never once raised its head.

It was quite a shock. A massive blow.

Now that she considered it, after their acts, Riley would simply clean up—whether wiping his mouth or dressing Sugar—always composed.

Though his gaze held deep affection and desire, it never seemed to escalate into sexual excitement.

What in the world was going on?

Immediately, an assumption formed in her mind.

‘Could it be… Riley has… a dysfunction?’

The moment the thought crossed her mind, her chest ached.

How pitiful. He must have been carrying that burden alone, unable to tell anyone.

It was a matter of male pride. How psychologically crushing must it be? Ah, so it was a physical issue too.

‘Well, kissing is one thing… But not reacting even while sucking on my breasts…’

She had lain beneath him, moaning wildly, offering her chest, even tangling tongues—yet no reaction.

On top of that, she had even climaxed in front of him. Damn it, damn it all. Just remembering it made her burn with humiliation.

At any rate, right now, chasing after the Saint’s Water wasn’t the only priority—viagra had also become urgent. Was there anywhere skilled enough to help? Could the Holy City’s clinic fix this?

‘…Wait a minute.’

Amidst her spiraling thoughts, a sudden realization struck. It was too soon to conclude it was dysfunction.

This was the kind of thought a woman insecure about her body—if not her looks—might have.

‘What if… Riley’s functionality is perfectly normal…?’

What if she simply lacked the appeal to excite him?

‘No! What does it matter whether I’m attractive or not? We’re just friends and family. What good does it do if Riley finds me sexually appealing? It’s useless. It doesn’t matter. But… back when I wore that revealing underwear, he did call me lewd. So I must have some appeal… right?’

…

What if she really didn’t?

What if that one time in risqué underwear was the only slight reaction she ever got?

What if all this time, he had just been touching her for fun? Playing with her reactions because he found them amusing?

What if he had never felt even a shred of sexual attraction toward her?

What if the marking and caresses were purely acts of possessiveness? Or worse, just him indulging her desires out of obligation?

She was short, with a small chest—a petite, almost childlike frame. Sometimes she was even mistaken for a minor. Though her lower half was plump, her overall image was delicate and small.

Not the kind of body men typically desired.

‘Ah…’

Her heart sank heavily.

It hurt more than it should have.

Not that it mattered. Again, what good would his attraction do? Where would she even use it? What would she even do if Riley got excited? What was the point of being sexually appealing?

Their relationship wasn’t like that. Even if others might see them that way, they were still friends and family above all.

…Still, showing him her bare chest and getting no reaction was a bit of a blow.

Well. Whatever.

“…”

Sugar, who had been kissing him while lost in thought, shifted the angle of her face. She pressed fully against Riley’s lips, slipping her tongue inside.

Her movements were fierce, licking and grinding with a strange, almost desperate sorrow. As if determined not to let him go, she gripped his cheeks and relentlessly tangled their tongues.

Naturally, he grew puzzled.

First, she had been rolling her hips, then her kisses turned lukewarm as if deep in thought, and now she was aggressively clinging to him again.

Women were truly unpredictable. Always so erratic.

After a long while, their lips parted.

“Haah… Haah… Huh…”

Her breath came in ragged gasps as she stared down at him, her eyes glistening. She looked both resentful and upset. Nervously swiping at the saliva on her lips, she glared at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Just wait.”

“For what?”

Instead of answering, Sugar yanked down Riley’s collar and bit his nape. Then, with a huff, she rolled away and retreated to her side of the bed.

She had things to do tomorrow, so she needed to sleep. Urgent matters to settle.

Sugar turned her back on her friend and closed her eyes to sleep—even as her mind meticulously laid out plans for the future.

Riley rubbed his bitten nape, baffled.

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

A Cloudy Morning

A morning shrouded in dark clouds. Disappointing for tourists, but perfect for these would-be criminals.

Four people had gathered in one room to discuss their plans, but perhaps because it was early, they seemed out of it—especially the two who had slept in the room next to Sugar’s.

“…My head hurts.”

“That’s what you get for drinking when you’re on medication.”

“I just… wanted to join in since everyone else was drinking.”

As Sugar and Ian conversed, Leon sat blankly beside them, his head resting against the wall.

“No more alcohol… absolutely no more alcohol…”

His muttering was unsettling.

“Leon… I really did just sleep last night, right?”

“Yes… You slept very quietly.”

His exhausted reply to Ian’s question only deepened the mystery.

“We should check that place out later too.” Sugar clicked her tongue.

“Alright. Now that we’re all here, let’s exchange ideas. Information about Label of the Skin’s director, infiltration methods, and so on.”

As she called for attention, everyone turned their eyes to her.

“The director… a man named Raphael. I know a little about him. He’s a fairly famous water-attribute mage.”

“Oh? Is he strong?”

“I don’t know about strong… People usually praise his perfume-making and potion-mixing skills. They say his precision in measurements and timing is machine-like.”

So not only was he skilled at making perfumes, but there were even rumors of romance tangled up in it. With both talent and a story, it was no wonder he was popular.

Sugar nodded at Leon’s explanation.

“But why would someone like him want the Song of Silence?”

“He must be certain it’s an ingredient for the Saint’s Water. Or he wants to test it as one. Or… he has some other purpose for it.”

“One of those three, then.”

When Sugar voiced her doubt, Riley listed the possibilities.

“But why does it matter? We’re stealing the contract either way.”

Her Holiness casually brought up theft. Just yesterday, she’d seemed shocked by Sugar’s plan, but she’d adapted quickly. Well, she’d have to, if she wanted to keep up with Sugar.

“That’s true, but… if it’s the first reason, it’s kinda creepy.”

“Probably the second one, don’t you think?”

The others nodded in agreement. Sugar decided to drop the topic.

“Then, about infiltration… First, let me briefly explain the building’s layout. It’s a four-story structure. The first and second floors are the casino. The third floor has a cocktail bar and staff rooms. The fourth floor is the director’s office. The staircases are positioned in a zigzag pattern—only one at the far end of each hallway.”

To go up a floor, you had to walk all the way to the opposite end of the hallway, take the stairs, then repeat the process for the next floor.

“What a pain…”

“Probably to deter would be attackers.”

Ian frowned as she spoke, and Sugar shrugged in response.

“Anyway, it’s a members-only establishment, so guards will be posted at the entrance from the get-go. Flying in would be too conspicuous, so we’ll have to break through here.”

“They’d have security measures in place for that, of course.”

“Right.”

“Concealing our identities is the top priority. Suppress your mana as much as possible to avoid having your patterns identified. Even if we’re forced to fight, subdue them with minimal mana usage.”

“That’s gonna be tough…”

Sugar groaned at Riley’s words.

For mages, mana patterns were like fingerprints—unique identifiers. If traced, they could be caught later. And since what they were about to do was a crime, they had to be careful.

“But… you’re good at this, aren’t you? You’ll manage this time too.”

“Good at what?”

“Infiltration.”

“…”

Infiltration of the male dorm.

She’d pulled it off flawlessly. Though she’d eventually been caught by Riley, who recognized her scent.

Ian and Leon, who didn’t understand the reference, tilted their heads in confusion.

“Ahem, ahem. Alright, let’s draft multiple plans. We need to consider different scenarios and prepare accordingly.”

Sugar awkwardly changed the subject and continued.

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

By evening, the four of them set out as if they’d been waiting for this moment.

Among them, one face was particularly grim.

“Can I really do this…?”

“You can, dummy. All you have to do is make some flashy lights. If you fail, it’s over before we even start, so you have to do it right.”

The first step of the infiltration plan:

Cause a commotion at the casino entrance.

Leon had been assigned this critical task. Even if he got dragged away by security, no one was better at talking his way out than him.

If a prophet revealed his identity and said, “I was just walking by when my staff’s power accidentally leaked,” what could they even do? At worst, he’d get a slap on the wrist—”Make sure to control it better next time.” No one would suspect it was a setup for a casino infiltration.

“You’ve gotta draw their attention well so the three of us can slip in unnoticed. Got it?”

“Y-yes…”

Sugar’s words sounded encouraging, but they only added to the pressure. In her hand was the Dream Lantern, now equipped with Louveci’s eye. She’d brought it along to inspect any unknown mechanisms inside.

“But… is it really okay for Ian to come with us? If he’s caught, it’ll be front-page news.”

“It’s fine. I’ll take responsibility. Besides, we just won’t get caught.”

Ian’s voice was oddly excited. Despite appearances, she had a rebellious streak.

“We’re almost there. Time to split up.”

As the casino building came into view, the four pulled up their plain hoods and prepared to take their positions.

“Oh my! Darling.”

A high-pitched voice cut through the air.

Sugar flinched and turned around.

“Fancy seeing you here. Are these your friends? What’s with the hoods?”

A woman in a flamboyant dress approached, her demeanor as casual as if she’d just run into them on a neighborhood stroll. Then, she glanced at the building beside them.

“Ah~ You wanna go in there, don’t you? How cute.”

Sugar’s expression stiffened. The woman—Olivier—laughed brightly, fanning herself.

Then, she said something unexpected.

“Well, since we’re in this city, we might as well enjoy ourselves.”

“…Huh?”

“Want to wait a bit? This place is run by my lover. I’ll pull some strings for you.”

She spoke breezily, her gaze subtly dropping to the lantern in Sugar’s hand. Olivier studied its light, peering intently inside.

Riley slipped between them and pulled Sugar into his arms.

“Oho! Protective of your girlfriend, are you?”

She cackled, then spun on her heel.

“Don’t be so wary, everyone. Relax. Consider this fate.”

With a flick of her fan, she sauntered toward the entrance, leaving the four staring in bewilderment.

“You’ve all worked hard.”

“Welcome, Lady Olivier.”

“Sorry to bother you while you’re busy, but could you all spare a moment?”

“We’re on security duty—”

“Just a little time is all I need. I’ll put in a good word with him too.”

With charming ease, she began redirecting the guards one by one.

At the same time, she shot Sugar a meaningful glance—an unmistakable assist for their infiltration.

A sudden appearance. Inscrutable actions.

And the cryptic glimpse of the lantern’s light.

Sugar, momentarily dazed by the turn of events, let out a slow breath.

“…Let’s go with Plan Z.”

A contingency plan for if all four of them ended up infiltrating the casino together due to unforeseen circumstances.

Whatever her motives, we’ll use this opportunity wisely.

Now wasn’t the time to overthink. The most important thing was stealing the contract and preventing the Song of Silence from falling into the wrong hands.

The four moved swiftly.