Chapter 71: Clear Eyes

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After having a late lunch at a restaurant near Steele, Ian decided to go back to her room to rest. Although she didn’t show it, it seemed like the stress of being in an unfamiliar place had worn her out.

‘Don’t forget what I said… absolutely not.’

She pointed at them sternly before leaving, especially emphasizing her words to Riley, who at least pretended to listen unlike Sugar, whom she didn’t trust at all. With that, she quickly retreated to her room.

Sugar and Riley also returned to the annex, partly to escort her and partly to let Riley rest after rushing to the Holy City earlier. There would be plenty of time to explore the school later.

Unlike earlier when they had wandered around following Mel, this time they were able to find their way back just by looking at the school map and after walking for a while, they found themselves at the dining room table.

“Riley, Riley.”

“What?”

Hug—

“You know, what were you so busy with that you couldn’t contact me? What was that ‘situation’ you mentioned?”

Sugar asked warmly.

Now that they were alone, it was time to talk about the things they hadn’t been able to discuss.

“It’s just… something came up.”

“Can’t you tell me?”

“Hmm.”

“Huh? Is it hard to explain?”

“Not exactly.”

His evasive attitude didn’t sit well with her. Sugar pressed her cheek against his shoulder, the fabric of his shirt rustling softly.

Then, she widened her eyes and looked up at him.

“By any chance… did you get a girlfriend outside?”

“…What?”

“You keep avoiding the question.”

A girlfriend.

No matter how she thought about it, the only reason he’d hesitate to talk about it was if it was something like that.

Given his looks and his seemingly rough but kind personality, it was the only explanation.

It was one of the worries—no, not worries!—she had while she was in the Holy City.

If Riley, who had grown up so well, had found a girlfriend outside… how should she react?

Logically, she knew she should be happy for him, but her heart didn’t feel that way.

It’s just that, you know, he might have met some strange woman. He could have been seduced by one of those bad women! That’s why she felt this discomfort, born out of concern.

So, if he really did have a girlfriend, she needed to investigate thoroughly.

She was asking out of concern for her younger brother.

She was asking to find out what kind of woman was targeting her precious friend.

Her clear eyes were sharp.

Of course, to Riley, this was madness. The question itself was one thing. What? A girlfriend?

The real problem was what Sugar was doing right now.

The dining room table. Among the several chairs placed in front of it, only one was currently in use.

That one was occupied by Riley, so where was Sugar sitting?

Squish squish—

“Huh? You can tell me honestly. Really.”

The soft, almost translucent fabric pressed against him, and with every word, Sugar shook her body, making the weight shift back and forth, making the situation all too real.

“You… you climbed up here so naturally, without even a drop of water spilling. Why are you sitting on me?”

Instead of sitting on a perfectly good chair, she had climbed onto Riley’s lap.

If Riley was facing forward, Sugar was facing to the right, her plump legs resting on his.

A faint scent wafted from her. With Sugar sitting on his lap, their faces were almost level, and the fragrance mixed directly with his breath.

“The chair’s cold. I’m only wearing one layer of stockings, so if I touch something cold suddenly, I’ll be startled.”

“Then wear more clothes, you idiot, or I gave you a cloak, didn’t I? Sit on that.”

“Why… I’m already here. It’s warm and nice.”

“…”

“It’s not crossing a line, right? I’m not joking, really. Anyway, forget that. What’s the situation? Did you get a girlfriend or not? Answer me.”

Instead of answering, Riley sighed.

“Huh? Riley. As your older sister, I’m curious.”

Sugar pressed on, her tone pleading.

She was still going on about being his older sister. Riley had so much he wanted to say, but he held back.

“…Hey. Think about it logically. How could that happen? I was out for training… What do you even think of me?”

“But what if you met someone by chance… and hit it off…?”

Riley closed his eyes tightly.

There was a woman sitting on his lap, rubbing her body against him, and she was asking why he would go out and do something like that.

Was she unaware? Had staying in the Holy City made her oblivious to the world? Did she hit her head?

No. She’s always been like this since she was young.

Hugging people without a second thought. Sharing candy, splitting ice cream, holding hands, kissing foreheads, even blowing into ears.

Thinking about it now, it’s insane. She was just born like this.

It’s a miracle that young Riley managed to endure her and now, he felt sorry for himself for having to endure her even more.

“Forget it…”

Since Riley kept denying it, Sugar decided to believe him and buried her face in his chest. As she did, her soft thighs rubbed warmly against him. The changing shades of her skin depending on the angle kept drawing Riley’s gaze.

He quickly regained his composure and looked down at the top of Sugar’s head.

“…Sugar. I’ll tell you about the situation after the exams are over. After I pass and get admitted, and things settle down… I was planning to bring it up myself even if you didn’t ask.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

It was an important matter related to Sugar, so he wanted to avoid causing unnecessary worry for now.

Sugar lifted her head slightly and smiled brightly. She had sensed Riley’s concern for her in his words.

Then, as if remembering something, she let out a small “Ah” and opened her mouth.

“You know what? Now that I think about it. Do you remember?”

“What?”

“Before you left the Holy City. You gave me a wand as a gift, right? And in return, I gave you something.”

“…The wish coupon?”

“You remember.”

Of course he remembered. He had even used a preservation spell on it and kept it safe. The phrase ‘Only Riley can use this’ had struck a chord in him, and he had even lost sleep over it.

“That. Of course, it’s still valid.”

“…”

“Is there anything you want lately? I’ve saved up some money in the Holy City. I got an allowance from Ian, and I earned some from being in the choir. So don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“I have money too…”

Riley had often taken on tasks under Cedric’s guidance and had saved up a decent amount. In fact, he wanted to buy something for Sugar.

“Then, aside from that. Is there anything you want from me?”

“How far does it go?”

“As much as I can do?”

“For example?”

“Hmm… Cleaning? I can do that without the wish coupon… Cooking? I can do that too. A massage? If you want. Studying? You’re much better at that than me…”

As Sugar shook her small head back and forth.

Riley gently wrapped his arms around her waist and asked.

“…Even things you might dislike?”

“Things I might dislike?”

Sugar blinked.

“Of course, it’s a wish coupon… I’ll do my best. There’s so much I want to do for you.”

“…”

“But Riley. What are you trying to ask of me?”

“…”

“Huh? Hmm? Something I might dislike? What is it?”

Sugar’s face moved back and forth, looking at Riley’s left and right, her lips curling up confidently.

She rubbed her thighs and hips against him subtly, facing him directly.

Even after being scolded earlier, she still hadn’t come to her senses.

Riley spat out just one word to her.

“A kiss.”

“…Huh?”

Blink blink.

Sugar opened and closed her eyes repeatedly, doubting what she had just heard.

“What… huh? Uh… what did you say?”

“A kiss.”

“…”

His low, resonant voice clearly and firmly uttered that one word.

There was no mistaking it.

Soon, Sugar’s cheeks began to flush. The smug expression she had been wearing disappeared, replaced by a flustered look. She wanted to say something but didn’t know how, so she just closed her mouth and fidgeted. She lowered her head and rolled her eyes around.

“Hey, you know…”

Finally, as if making up her mind, she spoke.

“Riley. As your older sister, as your friend… that’s… something… lovers do… you know… um… so…”

As she stammered, Riley let out a small sigh.

“…On the cheek.”

“Ah, if it’s something like that, I can do it right away.”

Trying to salvage the situation, Riley added that, and Sugar immediately planted a kiss on his cheek with a soft chu.

Then, as if embarrassed, she giggled and fiddled with her long hair, holding it tightly.

“…”

Riley silently pulled her into his embrace.

His sigh was long—languid, melancholic, and frustrated.

“Riley?”

“The wish coupon… I’ll think about it and use it later…”

Sugar, feeling so comfortable in his arms, closed her eyes happily, savoring the joy of their reunion.

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

The practical exam took place.

It ranged from basic physical tests like long-distance and short-distance running to measuring magical aptitude, such as sustained mana output, target practice, and using magic appropriate to scenarios presented by the examiners. There was even a one-on-one mock battle between candidates.

Scores were tallied, and those who ranked within a certain percentile received their acceptance letters.

Sugar was confident in physical activities, so even though the results weren’t out yet, her score was high enough that passing was almost guaranteed. She was in high spirits.

Running was a given and thanks to her constitution, which allowed her to gather ambient mana, sustaining mana output was a breeze. For target practice, she simply shot one large spell and destroyed everything at once.

Next was using magic appropriate to the situation. On one side of the exam hall was a humanoid figure about to catch fire, and on the other was a figure submerged in a water tank. The task was to save both with a single spell.

There was no single correct answer. Candidates could cast a levitation spell on both figures to lift them into the air or use the water from the tank to extinguish the fire. The test evaluated creativity, decisiveness, time taken to solve the problem, and magical proficiency.

As soon as Sugar heard the task, she recited a flight spell and personally rescued both figures. If her body worked hard, her mind could rest. However, her lack of creativity here meant she didn’t score as high in this section.

Finally, the mock battle.

The goal was to incapacitate the opponent within a protective barrier to prevent injuries.

Sugar’s opponent was a girl her age.

As soon as they faced each other, the girl asked, “Who’s your master? Where are you from?” Her demeanor suggested a strong sense of pride as a mage. So, as soon as the match began, Sugar leaped forward and struck the wrist holding the wand.

Most mages adhere to the principle that “a mage must elegantly demonstrate everything through magic,” so they rarely move their bodies much. While there are exceptions like Sugar, her opponent clearly wasn’t one of them, so Sugar took advantage of that fact.

Thus, she won easily.

She recounted all this to Ian, who had just returned from her exam; Ian had taken her exam in the afternoon, unlike Sugar and Riley, who had taken theirs in the morning.

“…Sugar.”

“What about you, Ian? How did your mock battle go?”

“I won, but… listen…”

“Wow! As expected! Ian!”

While Sugar clapped and cheered, Ian’s expression remained grim.

After all, it was a sunny afternoon. They were in a café in a bustling shopping district.

And there was Sugar, sitting comfortably on Riley’s lap, her plump thighs pressed against his legs. The outfit she was wearing wasn’t what he had picked for her.

Meanwhile, Riley, seemingly resigned, was gently combing Sugar’s hair with his fingers.

Passersby glanced at the two as they walked by.

“How… how can you call yourselves friends while acting like that…”

Ian clutched her head, feeling a headache coming on. Sugar looked at her with concern.

“What’s wrong, Ian? Are you hurt? Did you get injured during the mock battle?”

“…You perverted Sugar.”

Huh? Why all of a sudden?

Even Riley nodded subtly from behind, leaving Sugar utterly confused.

“Never mind… I think I’m starting to get used to you two after spending a few days together.”

“That’s commendable.”

“It’s not a good thing…”

Ian sighed.

Just then, she felt someone’s gaze on her.

Turning her head, she locked eyes with a black-haired man.

“…Ah. My apologies.”

The man’s eyes widened briefly before he bowed his head in apology.

Perhaps he was startled by the color of Ian’s eyes. Ian smiled bitterly.

“It’s fine.”

Accepting the apology, the man turned and left.

Witnessing the scene, Sugar’s mouth fell open.

She had expected to see him during the entrance ceremony, but encountering him this early was surprising.

Curious, she watched his retreating figure, then turned to see Ian staring intently at the man’s back.

“Ian?”

“…”

“Ian.”

“Ah. Yeah.”

“Are you okay? Did it upset you?”

“Hmm. I’m fine. That’s the first time someone apologized after seeing my face. If anything, it’s refreshing.”

She seemed intrigued as she watched for a moment before finally turning away.