Chapter 68: Reunion

Ｒｅａ​ｄ​ ｏｎ ​Ｋａｔ​ＲｅａｄｉｎｇＣａｆｅ

‘Just how much, how dearly, and how long had I missed you? How many days had I counted down, longing for the day I would see you again?’

There were so many things Sugar wanted to say when they finally met, but she instantly forgot them all.

Mostly because Riley was pressing down on Sugar’s head with his thick arm, burying her face against his chest.

Even if she tried to speak, all that came out was muffled sounds.

When she squirmed from difficulty breathing, only then did he loosen his grip slightly.

“Riley… Is it really you?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking?”

His deep voice resonated in his chest, where Sugar’s face was still buried. It felt strange.

The last time she saw him, they were fourteen. Years had passed since then, so yes, this was definitely him, but… it felt unfamiliar.

The boy had become a man. The part of his chest that touched her cheek was firm.

‘Muscles. Whoa.’

This was weird.

Nestled perfectly in Riley’s broad embrace, Sugar let out a small sound.

Still, it was Riley. Even after all this time, he still had a way with words.

The golden hair she saw from afar and the familiar magical aura—it had to be Riley but she hadn’t gotten a good look at his face yet. Sugar lifted her head.

“…Too high!”

His face was way up there, she couldn’t even see it properly. Sure, Sugar was a bit on the shorter side, but Riley had also grown a lot. He had to be in the 180 cm range.

“Lower yourself a little, okay? I want to see your face.”

Just like in the old days, her words carried warmth and affection. Riley flinched slightly but still leaned down as she asked.

“Wow…”

He really grew up well.

Unlike the soft-looking Sugar, his jawline was sharp. His nose was high, and his eyebrows were thick. His slightly wavy bangs partially covered his mysterious blue eyes.

A man. A man’s face.

Sugar, her cheeks strangely flushed, reached out to touch his face.

She had seen this before. A distant memory from a past life, the game’s illustration. Maybe even once or twice in a dream.

Of course, it was different from the Riley of that world—the one with a twisted smile full of resentment toward society. This Riley had a slight frown but was mostly expressionless.

Still, as Sugar poked and prodded his face up close, that neutral expression slowly started to crumble.

No doubt about it. This was her Riley.

“Riley, you grew up way too well. You’re going to make a lot of girls cry.”

“…”

‘How does she say things like that so casually?’

She clung to him so naturally, without a hint of shyness; it was just like her, nothing had changed. Riley, a bit dumbfounded, took a closer look at the woman in front of him.

She had matured… a little. Was she always this pretty? She fit so perfectly in his arms—wasn’t she a bit too small?

Soft pinkish-white hair framing clear gentle eyes. That sweet, familiar scent subtly filling the air and she was still wearing the headband he gave her. That touched his heart, he reached out and patted her head.

“Riley…”

Sugar looked up at him.

His hands were big. Unlike in their childhood, they were now large, calloused, and slightly rough.

Even as he ruffled her hair, his hands trailed down to cup her cheek.

‘Ah.’

Sugar froze.

A large, warm hand held her face. The touch of someone much bigger than her—whoa, whoa, what was this? Compared to when they were kids, the impact was overwhelming.

Riley gently pulled at her cheek, then pinched her nose, then lightly ran his fingers over her eyebrows. Almost like he was mimicking what she had just done to him.

And then, his thumb grazed her lips.

Soft. Small. Full.

The lips that often spouted nonsense but also whispered affectionate words.

He slowly brushed his thumb over them before finally letting go.

“…”

Sugar’s face turned a color that needed no description.

“R-Riley.”

“What.”

“You’re being too bold.”

“What are you even saying.”

Riley smirked.

A grown man’s expression. When she got up close earlier, he barely flinched. He didn’t look the least bit embarrassed.

As if this was nothing more than child’s play; something about that irked Sugar.

‘You didn’t even send a single letter all this time…’

He had grown so tall. So big. He had become a man.

‘How arrogant!’

Sugar had tried her best to grow taller, eating diligently, but she was still much shorter than Ian, her fellow female friend.

Meanwhile, Riley had grown into a broad and strong adult.

It frustrated her.

She was happy for him, sure. It was great that he grew up well, but still; he hadn’t visited in years and he never wrote.

Annoyance and resentment mixed together.

The joy of reunion and at the same time, a mischievous urge.

A little payback. A little pride. A little dominance.

Sugar suddenly pressed herself against Riley’s chest.

Her soft curves pressed into his solid torso but Sugar didn’t care. She only pushed herself closer.

“…”

Riley silently picked her up and peeled her off.

“Aww, come on. Stay like this a little longer.”

“I’m sweaty. Get off.”

“Is it the heat? Or the smell? I don’t mind.”

She pounced on him again, pressing herself closer. This time, she buried her face against him, taking in his scent.

Sniff sniff.

The mix of his cologne and his natural scent, A faint trace of sweat, nothing bad enough to ruin the moment.

If anything, it was… nice?

With her face still buried in his chest, Riley suddenly gripped her waist and lifted her off the ground.

“Enough… You really haven’t changed one bit.”

Wait. Maybe something had changed. His eyes widened.

She was lighter than he expected, her waist was slender. The realization that she was, without a doubt, a woman struck him hard.

But the biggest shock?

Her outfit.

His gaze finally registered it.

“Hey… What the hell are you wearing…”

“Oh, Lady Ian picked it out for me. What do you think?”

Sugar pinched the fabric of her stockings and stretched it slightly before letting go.

Snap. The elastic bounced back, pressing into her plush thigh.

“…”

What… What the…

His mind went blank.

Meanwhile, Sugar’s lips curled up.

This was it.

Slipping out of Riley’s grasp, she landed lightly on the ground. Then, as if to show off, she pressed her thighs together.

The soft flesh pressed against itself through the semi-transparent black stockings emphasizing her plump thighs.

Maybe all the food from the capital had gone straight there.

“This fiber is amazing. It’s thinner than spider silk but way stronger.”

“…”

“It’s smooth… but kind of rough at the same time.”

She stroked her thighs, running her hands over them as if flaunting them. Gripping. Stroking up and down slowly. Baiting him, waiting for his reaction.

“Look.”

Completely forgetting they were outside, she swayed, wiggled. As if she had no idea what she was doing.

Maybe she thought she was just teasing him like when they were kids. But they weren’t children anymore.

And yet, here she was, doing something so dangerous.

“From the back, it looks like this.”

She twirled, moving her long hair aside. The absurdly short shorts revealed the round swell of her lower curves.

Her plump rear. The way her thighs curved inward to meet it, the sheer stockings outlining everything.

It wasn’t revealing, yet somehow, it felt overwhelmingly scandalous.

“…Want to touch?”

The final blow.

‘Come on, get flustered. Get embarrassed.’

And yet…

“Sure.”

“…Huh?”

“Come here. Let me feel it.”

“…Eh?!”

Riley calmly curled his fingers, beckoning her over.

Sugar had been sure he’d yell something like, “Stop talking nonsense, idiot!” or, “What the hell are you saying?!”

“A-Ah, um, R-Riley?”

“Not coming? If you don’t come, I’ll go to you.”

Riley strode forward.

Startled, Sugar hesitated and stepped back.

“Uh… well… I didn’t mean it seriously…”

Yet Riley continued approaching in silence, his expression unreadable. As Sugar kept retreating, she soon found herself backed up against a large tree. Riley had deliberately guided her movements.

“It was just a joke. Like the ones we used to play as kids…”

No matter how much she tried to explain, Riley blocked her path without a word. He was too big. Bigger than when he hugged her earlier. It felt like standing in front of a wall.

With one hand, Riley rested against the tree to prevent her escape. His other hand lightly touched Sugar’s hip.

“Ah…”

Sugar flinched, trembling.

Then Riley withdrew his hand and reached for her thigh instead.

That hand—those large hands—far bigger than Sugar’s. His fingers spread wide, looking as though they were about to greedily grasp her.

Overwhelmed, Sugar blankly stared at the scene before her. This isn’t right. She never expected this. The sheer difference in their size surprised her, and his unexpected reaction caught her off guard.

What should she do? Should she stop him? Or just let him touch her already? Honestly, if she were him, she wouldn’t be able to hold back either. But still… How did he grow up to be an adult who touches a woman’s body so carelessly?

She was the one who had teased him, yet here she was, thinking all sorts of things.

Meanwhile, Riley’s hand was almost there.

Close enough to feel its heat. Barely brushing—was it touching? Had it already touched?

“Ah… ah…”

Her mind went blank. The absurdity of the situation erased all thoughts she had just moments ago.

Right then, just before he actually grabbed her—

Just before things became indecent—

“…”

Riley withdrew his hand.

Instead, he gently pinched Sugar’s cheek.

“Sugar.”

“…”

“Sugar.”

“…”

Hearing her name called in a composed voice, Sugar looked up at Riley with a dazed expression.

She met the eyes of the young man, who was slightly frowning.

“Boundaries. We should keep them, right?”

“…”

Sugar silently nodded, just once. Up and down.

Then Riley stepped back.

The scent of the man grew distant.

Only then did Sugar, who had been too shocked to even breathe, take a deep gasp of air. Clutching her wildly thumping chest, her flushed face turning even redder, she let out a series of strange noises.

“Heuh… Euh…”

Still, she sneaked a glance to the side.

Riley stood there with his arms crossed, looking down at her. He had been frowning since earlier, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

Feeling a little guilty, Sugar hesitated.

“…Are you mad?”

“I’m not.”

That was the answer when she asked. Well, he had always walked around with a frown since they were kids.

Still, knowing she was in the wrong, Sugar started mumbling an excuse. She was only now realizing just how shameless she had been.

Right. Now that he’s grown up, a joke like that must have been uncomfortable for him…

“Oh, I was just upset because you didn’t contact me all year. I got stubborn. So I was messing with you… Sorry.”

Fidgeting with her fingers, she spoke hesitantly, tasting embarrassment.

Riley let out a sigh before replying.

“I told you, I’m not mad. And… there were circumstances.”

“…Yeah? Then you could have at least said something, like you were busy and wouldn’t be able to talk for a while… I worried a lot, you know…”

Bringing up the topic of missed contact made Sugar pout again.

“…Sorry, Sugar.”

However, with just that single apology from Riley, her heart softened. Her unnecessary pride and the embarrassment of being thoroughly outmatched all melted away.

Or maybe she just needed an excuse to move on, to forget what had just happened.

“It’s okay.”

In any case, Sugar smiled brightly. Her face was still flushed from earlier, making her look shy.

“I’m just really happy you came back safely. I want you to know that.”

Her voice was filled with warmth, and hearing it, Riley uncrossed his arms.

As if that were a signal, Sugar suddenly lunged forward.

Not playfully, not to tease, but a pure, heartfelt embrace—just like when they first reunited today.

“I really missed you.”

Nestled into Riley’s arms, Sugar nuzzled against him. Riley stroked her hair and murmured, “I missed you too…”

Enjoying that, Sugar snuggled closer, radiating affection.

That was when Riley made a face he had been holding back.

Eyes shut, brows furrowed, teeth clenched—

‘I almost died holding it in!’

Holding Sugar, smelling her, Riley couldn’t help but recall what had just happened. His face turned red.

He had been trying so hard to act cool. He deserved an award for his patience.

‘This, this, this, this, damn little minx. Seriously. Is she crazy? Her thighs—damn it.’

If this is how it is the moment we reunite, then what about next time? And the time after that? What is she planning to do?

For Riley, who had dreamed about Sugar even in his sleep, there was no way he could suppress his desire.

But first, they had to graduate.

How many years had he spent trying to get into Steele?

This walking embodiment of indecency—he needed to make sure she graduated no matter what.

So he had to get a grip, at least until then…

“Riley…”

Oblivious to Riley’s inner turmoil, Sugar sweetly called his name.

“Sugar…”

Riley responded just as tenderly, then took off his outer coat and wrapped it around her.

They seemed different, yet not much had changed at all.

Their close bond remained the same, and at that moment, they were enjoying their sweet reunion in peace.

“Hmm, hmm.”

That was when a deep cough was heard.

Looking back slightly, they spotted Cedric shaking his head, having appeared from who knows where.

Behind him, Ian was muttering, “Indecent… indecent…” with a red face, while Ione leaned to one side, looking bewildered. Other people had followed, watching the two with interest.

They had run off in the middle of a ceremony, so, naturally, someone had come to fetch them.

“…”

“…”

Sugar and Riley quietly stepped away from each other.

Then one step. Two steps. They put distance between them.

“Well, it’s been a while. We’re childhood friends. Close friends. It’s just… something like that. We’re close, so hugging is fine, right? It’s just… you know… just that.”

Sugar stammered, putting her all into explaining.

But no one answered.