Chapter 61: This Afternoon

R̀ẽàd̈ ̃ön̈ ̀K̃â​t̀R̃è​ãd̃ĩn̂g̀C̈áf̃ê

As the two of them exchanged a friendly handshake, Riley, who seemed to be brimming with dissatisfaction, made his presence known beside them.

“…Huh? Ah! You’re that friend, right?”

Ian remembered. The one who made Sugar pour out complaints like she was drunk. She had heard that they were always together, so this must be the one.

“Right, Sugar?”

“Yes.”

“Oh…”

Ian looked Riley up and down, humming and nodding. She had heard descriptions of his appearance before.

“Hi! You know who I am, right?”

“Yes.”

“What’s your name?”

“Riley.”

“I’m Ian. You can call me by my name. If you’re Sugar’s friend, you’re practically my friend too.”

“Yes.”

“Have you two made up now?”

“Yes.”

“How did you two become friends? It seems like you knew each other even before coming here.”

“We just… became friends.”

“…”

Ian, who had been exchanging questions and answers, covered her mouth and leaned closer to Sugar, whispering.

“…Is he always like this?”

No. He’s usually prickly, but he’s not this blunt.

Knowing why he was acting like this, Sugar made an ambiguous expression, somewhere between smiling and not.

She’d have to explain Ian’s gender to him later. Otherwise, this friend would be heartbroken.

“Riley.”

To soothe him for now, Sugar called his name and lightly tapped her right ear.

—Remember what I did?

Riley’s expression twisted for a different reason. He remembered that day. The sweet act coming back to him.

Eventually, he relaxed his expression and muttered, “I got it,” sighing inwardly.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

Seeing his polite apology, Sugar approached and took his hand.

As they held hands, they intertwined their fingers as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“My attitude was inappropriate—”

“No, no. Wait a minute. That’s not the issue… but, um, isn’t that behavior a bit… problematic…?”

“Huh?”

As Riley apologized, Ian, her face red, pointed at Sugar and Riley’s intertwined hands. Ian stammering as she stared at them.

Ah. The two children looked at their hands.

‘But is it really that big of a deal?’ Sugar thought nonchalantly, while Riley, who was more aware of their surroundings quickly realized his mistake. He hadn’t even noticed until someone pointed it out.

“You, you, you’re too… too…”

“Yes, please speak slowly.”

Seeing Ian struggling to catch her breath, Sugar tried to calm her down. Ian finally squeezed out a sentence.

“Hey, you can’t do something so… indecent…!”

What?

“Even if you’re young, holding hands between a boy and a girl is… a bit…”

“…”

Even Riley, who had just realized his mistake, was baffled.

“It’s, it’s scandalous! Yes, scandalous. The Saint is watching, you know? So you shouldn’t do such things, kids…”

Ian fidgeted with her fingers as she lectured them. As their elder and a bearer of sacred blood, she bravely tried to guide them despite her embarrassment.

But would such words reach these cheeky kids?

At least not Sugar, whose lips began to twitch mischievously.

Seeing this, Riley anticipated what was about to happen.

“Ehh.”

He knew it. Sugar, her playful side activated, pressed herself against Riley.

Then Ian let out a “Kyaa!” her face turning red, more embarrassed than anyone else.

The prince—no, princess—in the tower was far too innocent.

“Why are you so embarrassed? You hugged me and held my hand earlier, Ian.”

“That was… obviously as friends… but you two… it’s a bit…”

“A bit what?”

“The atmosphere…”

“The atmosphere?”

As Sugar pressed, Ian, her face red, lowered her head.

“No, no. I’ve only lived in the tower, so I don’t know much… I’ve only read about these things in books.”

“What books have you read?”

“That’s…”

“What books have you read that made you call holding hands between friends indecent? I’m curious.”

“You two don’t seem like just ordinary friends…”

“Right. We’re not just friends. We’re each other’s most precious friends.”

Ian tilted her head. Is that so? Is it okay for the most precious of friends to act like this? Does it create this kind of atmosphere?

“More importantly, what books have you read?”

“Why does that matter…! Forget it!”

“Aww, don’t dodge the question.”

Perhaps because she had found new prey, Sugar persistently pressed on.

Finally, Riley pulled her cheek to calm her down.

“Uweh.”

“Please forgive our rudeness.”

“…It’s fine.”

“We’ll be more mindful of our behavior.”

“No, it’s not that I mind… but the Saint… our ancestor is watching, so…”

“…”

.

.

.

After the commotion died down, the three gathered around a table in the corner of the room. Ian, her face redder than the others, fanned herself and asked a priestess for tea.

“Here, enjoy yourselves before you go.”

The reason Ian had called them here today was because she wanted to thank Sugar and also wanted to become closer to them.

So, she thought they could have a chat.

Mostly, Sugar did the talking, with Riley chiming in occasionally. Ian, having spent her entire life in the tower, didn’t have much to share but she enjoyed listening to stories about the outside world.

Sugar, her throat getting dry from talking, took a sip from her teacup.

‘Ugh, Bitter. Why do people even drink black tea?’

Sticking out her tongue, she added milk and honey to her cup.

Beside her, Ian was elegantly sipping her tea. With her princely appearance she appeared sophisticated, but knowing the truth, her girlish charm was able to shine through. She was a pretty girl who gave off a handsome vibe.

Then Sugar glanced at the other side.

Hmm. He’s definitely extraordinary, our Riley. His looks rival those of the Saint’s bloodline.

His golden hair, like fine threads, covered his slightly furrowed brows. His indifferent eyes looked downward with his lips were firmly pressed together. He was the kind of boy who could make many girls cry.

‘Hmm, hmm…’

Wait, what?

Make many girls cry? Many girls?

Sugar, who had been looking at Riley with pride, suddenly frowned slightly.

In the original story, this friend was quite popular. Handsome, kind, and well-mannered to everyone. Of course, it was all an act, but still. On the surface, who wouldn’t like a blond, blue-eyed gentleman?

Right. So, what’s wrong with that?

Being popular is a good thing.

But… how should she put it…

“…”

Sugar absentmindedly tapped the table.

Tap tap. Tap tap tap.

Thud thud. Thud thud thud—

“So? What do you want to do when you go to Steele?”

Ian suddenly interjected. They had been talking about Steele earlier, and the conversation had naturally led to why Sugar and Riley had fought.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sugar spoke.

“Ah… I just want to learn magic, broaden my horizons, and gain various experiences. That kind of thing.”

“Amazing… Steele… Wow…”

“I’m not old enough yet, and I haven’t even passed the entrance exam.”

“But you have a goal. You have dreams for the future. That’s so…”

Enviable… Ian muttered.

Even though she had been granted permission to leave the city, she originally wanted to go even further.

Did this girl know? What her older sister had done to raise her as a boy?

Sugar didn’t know about the conversation the sisters had that day. She didn’t know how much had been said. So she quietly kept her mouth shut.

“Anyway! I’ll cheer for you. I’ll even pray for you to get in. It’s a place founded by the Saint’s disciples, right? So it’s a place that carries on the Saint’s will. If I, a descendant, pray for you, surely the Saint will be pleased and answer my prayers!”

Her pride in her bloodline was very childlike, but she had a big heart. Her arrogance was adorable in its own way, her way of speaking and acting was refreshing unlike her sister.

“Thank you. I hope you can leave the city someday too, Ian.”

“Right! I will.”

Ian, who had answered cheerfully, glanced at Riley and then asked the two of them.

“But… when is Riley leaving?”

She had learned that Riley was going far away, which was why the two had fought.

When she saw how Sugar had acted before, it seemed like there was a lot of tension but now they seemed quite relaxed, so she was curious.

Sugar and Riley exchanged glances, then turned their gazes back to Ian.

“He’s leaving this afternoon.”

“Yes, this afternoon.”

“Ah, this afternoon…”

This afternoon…

This afternoon!?

“Hey! Then why are both of you still here!”

“You called us, Ian.”

“No! You should’ve told me! If you’d said your friend was leaving today and you needed to see him off, I obviously wouldn’t have called you!”

Then she slammed her hands on the table and stood up, clapping.

As if they had been waiting, the priestesses dragged the two children toward the door.

“Out! Get out now!”

To an outsider, it might look like the two had angered Ian and were being kicked out. But in reality, it was the stubbornness of the young master, who was feeling guilty and overwhelmed.

“No, it’s fine. We can talk more, Ian.”

“Even if I’ve only learned about the world through books, I’m not that clueless…! Aren’t you going out yet? Go spend some quality time together!”

With that, the door firmly closed.

“Ah! Don’t do anything too scandalous! You’ll get punished!”

The last words came from behind the door, and the absurdity of it all made them burst into laughter.

It seemed like everyone living here had some kind of storm brewing inside them.

A strange guardian, a strange saint, and a strange young master.

“She’s an interesting person.”

“Hmm…”

Riley nodded awkwardly.

Having been kicked out of the spire, the two faced each other.

“Well. Shall we walk? Or is there something you want to do?”

“Not really. Whatever you want to do.”

Sugar smiled slightly and took the lead, starting to walk. There was no particular destination. The city was large, so they just walked aimlessly.

In the hearts of these two children, there was a sense of longing and trust in each other.

That was why they could be so calm even though they were parting today.

Because they had promised to meet again. Because they had said everything they wanted to say.

So, they had made an unspoken promise not to show sadness when leaving or sending each other off.

Let’s act like we always do, this is definitely not the end.

As they walked quietly, a loud voice echoed from afar.

“No, Captain! What are you talking about! You took on a disciple, so you’re going to work with that kid now?”

“Ah, Peko. That’s just how it is.”

It was a familiar voice. Sugar and Riley glanced at each other and then quietly approached, crouching down.

Peeking through the bushes, they saw—

“So why are you telling me this on the day you’re leaving? You should’ve told me at least a week ago… What am I supposed to do!”

It seemed like this side was also having communication issues, leading to conflict.

It wasn’t exactly a romantic relationship, but even between a superior and subordinate, there were certain courtesies to be observed.

What a ridiculous old man. He scolded me so much, but look at him. Riley narrowed his eyes as he watched.

“You can come along too.”

“I follow you, Captain, to uphold justice and carry out missions, not to raise a child—”

“Listen. How old do you think I am? I need to take on a disciple before I get too old. I can’t keep dragging you around forever.”

“If you say it like that, it really hurts…!”

“Of course, I’ve thought about you too. I’ve written a recommendation letter for a good promotion opportunity.”

“Have a safe trip!”

“Good grief.”

No matter how you looked at it, this place seemed to be full of nothing but strange people.