Translator Note

this one is… kinda lewd…

Chapter 76: Because It’s Me, I’ll Accept It

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Around the time Ian was starting to harbor a vague, inexplicable fondness that was slightly different from friendship.

Sugar, who had been sitting in the café being consumed by dark thoughts, suddenly stood up.

Earlier, she had been able to maintain some control over her emotions because she was focused on the goal of “figuring out Leon’s true intentions.” But now, left alone, with neither Riley nor Ian by her side, she was left to her own thoughts.

After thinking and thinking and thinking some more, she finally came to a conclusion.

She needed to filter.

She couldn’t just let anyone approach him.

A sense of mission burned within her. I have to do this. I have to protect my precious person from those sly foxes.

The desire to protect someone is strong. Especially when it comes to family, that feeling knows no bounds. Like a mother bear willing to do anything for her cub.

The girl had grown into a woman and her feelings for the boy who had always been precious to her had only grown stronger over the years of separation.

Her first childhood friend. Someone she cherished and who cherished her in return. Sugar’s Riley.

The thought of him warmed her heart, but at the same time, it made her feel like she was falling. The image of him leaving her made her stomach churn.

Then, she just needed to find a woman who wouldn’t make her feel that way.

A woman who wouldn’t make her feel uncomfortable even if she saw her by Riley’s side. A woman who was beautiful, kind, gentle, strong and outstanding.

Those who were only interested in his looks were useless. They wouldn’t be any help. Riley had the grimoire, who knew when the bad guys targeting them would show up? He needed a woman by his side to protect and support him.

With her eyes wide open, the potential Saintess of the Evil God set out. Slowly, lightly. The ambient magical energy vibrated in tune with her emotions. With each step, the magical energy hummed, causing the surrounding students to glance at her before quickly looking away.

Lost in thought, she soon found herself on the rooftop of a building in the shopping district.

Sugar wasn’t good at detecting magical energy. The constant whispers of the surrounding magical energy made it hard for her to focus. She could see the forest, but finding a single tree was difficult.

But there was one exception. There was one presence she could immediately detect within a certain range; a presence she had memorized with her entire being.

“…Sugar.”

Riley, sitting on a structure on the rooftop, looked down at Sugar. It was a good spot to keep an eye on the café where Sugar had been.

“Riley. Why are you here? This isn’t the time.”

“Why am I here? Obviously… I need to make sure nothing happens to you.”

His promise to protect her wasn’t just for show. He had left Steele and immediately followed her.

“What could possibly happen? Ian is here, and so is Leon.”

“They’re not here now. And that Leon guy. You’ve only seen him yesterday and today, and you already trust him?”

“He has the saint’s staff. I trust the saint’s choice.”

“…What are you thinking? Why are you so interested in him?”

“I can be interested if I want. The school’s been in an uproar because of him. And… he might be able to help us.”

“Help us how?”

“We have a lot of enemies.”

“What does someone we just met know about the cult?”

Riley frowned.

She hadn’t listened to or believed him since yesterday and now she was trying to rely on someone she’d just met. It was frustrating.

Sugar, who had been maintaining a blank expression, also frowned. She was annoyed by Riley’s jealous behavior.

He was the one surrounded by girls earlier.

“Why are you jealous…?”

“You’re the one who’s been spacing out since yesterday, saying weird things. Talking about me getting a girlfriend. You’ve been acting strange ever since.”

“It’s just your imagination. I was just feeling a little down because you said you wanted to keep your distance. It’s fine. I don’t care if you get a girlfriend or not.”

“…Really? You really don’t care?”

Hmph. This is the perfect time to ask.

“Yeah. So you can go. You can stay away, being around me would just ruin your reputation. But because you’re precious to me, I’ll watch over you from afar. I’ll filter out the women who approach youl I’ll find the best one for you.”

“What? What are you even saying? What kind of nonsense is this?”

Riley’s head was spinning.

What does she even think of me? It’s a big question. From the way she clings to me, it’s clear she has feelings for me but every time she talks, it’s about being siblings, friends, or something else. It feels like her way of thinking is different from normal people.

She gets jealous if I even talk to another girl and now she’s talking about me getting a girlfriend and her filtering them out?

I don’t know what to do with this. Will she even understand if I explain? He sighed involuntarily.

“Sigh… Hey. Come here. No, I’ll come to you.”

Riley jumped down from the structure and approached Sugar.

When Sugar took a step back, Riley, with his much longer legs quickly closed the distance.

“…What?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’? Stop being so touchy. You said you didn’t care, so why are you about to cry?”

“…I wasn’t.”

“You’re really weird, you know that?”

“I’m not weird.”

“You are. Your head’s weird. The way you think is weird.”

“Why are you saying such mean things all of a sudden… That’s too much.”

“Because it’s true. You keep bringing up reputation, but you’re talking about my reputation, not yours. You’ve been hanging around Ian all the time in the Holy Land, so maybe you don’t know, but if a woman gets too close to a man, people talk.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Riley stumbled over his words, and Sugar looked up at him with a sly expression.

“I’m only ever close to you. And I’ll only ever be close to you. What does other people’s opinions or reputation have to do with anything?”

“…”

At her genuinely confused question, Riley swallowed hard.

It’s starting to get scary. How can she not realize this?

“Let’s… put that aside for now. What about the penalty points? Does it make sense to get 30 points in one day?”

“We can just earn merit points.”

“It’s obvious that we’ll accumulate penalty points faster than merit points… It’s like pouring water into a broken jar. But we still have to graduate, right? We promised. We said we’d come to Steele together. Now that we’re here, we have to graduate. Getting in isn’t the end.”

“…So, it’s not because of a girlfriend?”

“Hey, I’m seriously asking… Why do you keep thinking that I want to get a girlfriend? What made you think that way?”

“…You’ve been training all this time, so you haven’t been able to meet people freely… You’re so handsome… You’re an adult now… So, as a man, of course you’d want to have a girlfriend…”

“Why would I leave you…”

Riley trailed off and sighed. Sugar’s expression softened slightly.

“…You don’t?”

“I’m not getting one, I don’t need one. I’ve told you so many times.”

“Really?”

“Please believe me, Sugar.”

Have I ever broken a promise?

That’s what his expression seemed to say.

He had returned to Sugar’s side as promised since childhood. They had enrolled in Stiel together. Riley had always listened to Sugar. He had always put her first.

So, how could he possibly get a lover?

Sugar felt restless. Seeing Riley’s firm attitude, her anger began to subside.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked.

“…Forget about other people’s opinions or penalty points. Do you like being close to me, or not?”

“What…?”

“I like being close to you… What about you?”

“…”

“You don’t dislike it, right?”

As if confirming his feelings, hoping that he felt the same way she did.

Her timid question was fragile, worried that he might give a negative answer.

She wanted to fill the loneliness in her heart, her emotions swirling out of control. She clearly wanted something, but she didn’t know what it was.

Riley pulled Sugar into a tight embrace. Instead of answering, he wrapped his arms around her slender body and held her close.

Sugar’s expression melted, looking like she was experience a dream. She pressed her chest, abdomen, hips and thighs against him, clinging tightly. She buried her nose in his chest, savoring his scent. After just one day apart, she was like this.

“…Will you stay the closest to me?”

Riley didn’t answer immediately. Memories of the past came flooding back.

They had fought like this before and made up and how had the girl responded to the boy’s jealous feelings back then? She had done something incredibly embarrassing.

This was revenge, revenge on the girl who had teased and bewitched him since childhood. The wish he had made as a child: “When I grow up, you’ll see.”

She loves being held like this, yet she talks nonsense about me getting a girlfriend. Honestly, it’s annoying. What does she even think of me?

“Hey, Sugar.”

“…?”

Riley pulled back slightly, then bent down and brought his lips close to Sugar’s ear. Feeling his presence, Sugar stiffened.

Hoo—

“Ah…!”

Her shoulders jerked in surprise. Riley held Sugar’s body firmly, not letting her escape. He held her tightly and blew warm breaths into her sweet-smelling ear.

“Ah, wait, Riley, stop…”

Riley’s breath, originating from deep within him, entered Sugar’s ear gradually turning it red. Her body trembling slightly.

How does it feel to be on the receiving end? Riley mercilessly ignored Sugar’s protests, overwhelming her with his much larger body.

The occasional rough breaths. The deep, raspy sounds that Sugar could never make with her own throat reached her ears.

Every time the man’s breath, mixed with his scent, reached her, Sugar trembled from the strange pleasure that shot directly to her brain through her eardrums.

Something felt off. Each time he blew softly, her mind went blank and all the dark thoughts and emotions she had been harboring were painted over by Riley’s scent gradually dyeing her in him.

“Ah… Haa… Wait…”

Even as she tried to say “stop,” her resistance ended with her clutching his back. She gripped his shirt, bit her lip, and stifled her voice.

She could probably escape if she used her magic, but she didn’t.

Instead, she simply felt his body heat, soaked in his affection, and let a faint, blissful smile creep onto her face.

“Hoo… Sugar. Listen carefully.”

“Huh… Mm…”

After the warm breaths kept coming, his deep voice suddenly reached her. Her eardrums vibrated, sending shivers all the way to her stomach.

Riley whispered into her ear.

“My most precious… childhood friend. Stop worrying about weird things. I won’t get close to any other girl like I am with you.”

–My most precious childhood friend. Don’t worry. I’ll follow your wishes.

Sugar had once said something similar. Riley, recalling those words, pressed his lips to her ear.

Just like the girl had imprinted herself on the boy long ago. Chu.

Once wasn’t enough, so he did it again. Chu.

Her ears turned red, and it was so cute that Riley couldn’t help but press his lips to them again, slowly tracing the soft, delicate area.

He traced the curve of her ear, then gently moved to her earlobe, and finally to her ear canal.

His hot lips tormented Sugar. Stimulated by the breaths escaping between his lips, Sugar could only let out pitiful sounds. “Ah… Ah…”

“Riley…”

Her voice, calling his name as she slowly wrapped her arms around his back, was filled with longing. The combination of her actions and voice was so dizzying that he almost lost his mind.

“Hoo…”

Let’s stop before things get too dangerous.

Riley exhaled and pulled his face away. When he looked at Sugar, he froze.

Her eyes were glistening with moisture. Her gaze was slightly unfocused and her red cheeks were heaving as she breathed heavily. Her chest rose and fell roughly.

Her eyes couldn’t quite meet his. At a glance, she looked like someone who had been drinking.

“Ah… Haa…”

A sweet scent wafted from her small, plump lips as she exhaled. Her breath soon mixed with Riley’s, creating a warm, thick air between them.

‘Did I go too far?’

As he panicked at her dazed state, Sugar muttered something.

“Riley… You’re so indecent…”

“…”

“You’re too indecent, Riley… You told me not to cross the line, but…”

“Th-this is… you know… revenge for when we were kids—”

“You said we’re not kids anymore… that we’re adults now…”

He had no retort and closed his mouth.

“What if you make someone’s ear feel so… so… embarrassed like that… with your big body… and thick arms… making me unable to move… and just… just…”

Sugar trembled as she spoke, then pulled her cloak over her head. In other words, she hid.

Even though she was the so-called “Perverted Sugar,” that was only when she was the one doing it. When she was on the receiving end, she became utterly helpless. She had no resistance.

“Indecent… perverted… perverted Riley… perverted Riri…”

Thus, she bestowed Riley with a dishonorable nickname while trembling.

Riley felt this was unfair. Blowing on her ear and kissing her ear—he had done all that when they were kids.

No, if it’s like this, there’s no end.

He closed his eyes tightly.

He had definitely crossed a line. He had only just resolved to keep his distance a few days ago. In fact, he had told her to keep her distance just yesterday. He couldn’t do the same things he did when they were kids.

If I knew it would be like this, I would’ve done it more when we were younger—no, no, that’s not it.

With a repentant heart, Riley spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“…Did it feel bad?”

Instead of answering, Sugar peeked her face out from under her cloak. Her slightly unfocused eyes turned toward Riley.

Feeling a strange sensation, Riley swallowed hard and Sugar hid back under her cloak.

“It’s not that…”

Her small, whispering voice was so cute that Riley clutched his chest, coughing slightly.

As he did, Sugar, still under her cloak, squirmed.

“You know, Riley…”

“…Yeah.”

“Don’t do this to other girls…”

“…”

“I’m only accepting it because it’s you. Got it?”

Though she probably meant it as a warning to keep his distance, the possessiveness in her words was palpable.

Riley immediately hugged her. This d-d-d-damn girl. Just, just, just—damn it!

He suppressed the urge to pick her up and carry her away somewhere.

Sugar, under her cloak, enjoyed the hug with a relaxed smile. She loved the words Riley had whispered in her ear. Her heart melted at the affection he showed.

‘I shouldn’t be doing this. I should be stricter. How dare he do th-th-this kind of thing to a girl so casually. I should scold him.’

Her pride as an older sister began to rise, but…

–Squeeze.

‘Well, maybe I’ll let it slide for now.’

Sugar closed her eyes gently, entrusting herself to Riley.