Ch. 84 Their Respective Dorms
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 84: Their Respective Dorms
After school, they gathered, finished cleaning, got trapped in the labyrinth and by the time they escaped, it was already evening. They immediately went to the assistant, handed over the lost items, and completed their report.
‘Sometimes the ghosts band together and unite. It was good that I left a warning.’
‘…’
Sugar and Riley stared at him intently, as if to say, “You gave a warning, and we got out safely, so isn’t that enough?” Feeling slightly guilty, the assistant offered to handle the rooms they hadn’t cleaned yet.
‘By the way, looking at the map, there are rooms we can’t actually enter. What’s that about?’
‘Huh? That’s… what was it again? Probably just a necessary space in the design. Steele has many overlapping spaces. I think it’s just left as extra room.’
They also heard some interesting stories.
And so, the prison cleaning came to an end.
Today, Sugar and Riley successfully earned 60 merit points!
‘Wow!’
On top of that, they had just finished moving the plant pots requested by the Herbology professor.
[Today’s Merit Points: +30]
Sugar giggled and headed to the shower. After sending Ian and Leon ahead, she finished moving the pots with Riley, had dinner together and then parted ways.
Now, after washing up and lying down, the day’s tasks would be over. It had been a long fifth day since enrollment.
“Ah… this feels good…”
As the shower water hit her, Sugar let out a sound like an old man and suddenly remembered the public bath.
The public bath was said to be underground. She hadn’t been there yet.
Should I go sometime?
‘It would be perfect if Ian were there. It’s a shame we can’t go together.’
‘But Ian can’t use the public bath here…’
Here, the spaces are divided by gender, and Ian is in male disguise. It’s a bit unfortunate. She likes soaking in baths.
Each room has a shower, but it’s just a basic shower booth.
Moreover, now that they’re using double rooms. Will she be okay?
‘Huh? You’re sharing a room with Leon?’
‘Haha… yeah. That’s how it turned out.’
But Leon isn’t a bad guy.
Sugar recalled the way he had acted in the underground prison corridor.
-It’s… something I should do.
Clearly, there’s still good in his heart.
In a situation where he could have turned a blind eye and run away, not knowing what was coming, stepping forward like that is proof of his righteousness. He took a step closer to Sugar’s expectations.
Sharing a room with such a man is somewhat reassuring.
Ian may look delicate, but she’s still a ‘man.’ Who would dare question the gender of His Holiness?
As long as no one sees her overwhelming chest, there shouldn’t be a problem.
‘…There won’t be a problem, right?’
Sugar shook her head, letting out a sigh as she stopped herself from having ‘strange thoughts.’ It would be rude to both of them.
After finishing her shower with all sorts of thoughts running through her mind, Sugar used magic to dry herself off and put on her pajamas.
Next was tool maintenance time.
First, she cleaned her wand. She wiped it with a soft cloth, then with a cloth soaked in a special solution, and let it sit for a while.
In the meantime, she cleaned her headband. Since she wears it every day, it gets exposed to a lot of dust. She wiped it down with a cloth.
Once that was done, she returned to her wand and wiped it with a new cloth to remove any excess solution.
And there it was—a shiny wand!
Sugar pressed her cheek against the wand and placed it on the nightstand. Next to it, she placed her headband.
They were all precious gifts from Riley. So, so precious.
After staring at them for a while, Sugar lay down on the bed and flicked her fingers to turn off the light.
‘…I wonder if Riley is going to bed now.’
Under the window where moonlight seeped in. In the quiet darkness of her single room, various thoughts crossed her mind.
Mostly about the blond young man.
The fact that the joint magic they used earlier had succeeded without a hitch made her feel particularly good.
Magic, in general, gives a sense of elevation the more you use it. As magical energy flows fiercely through your body, you feel a rise in temperature, your senses sharpen, and naturally, you feel a sense of awe.
It’s quite different from pleasure. Of course, some people interpret it as pleasure, like battle maniacs who feel exhilaration in combat. But in this world, there are countless people, and their tastes and ways of living are truly diverse.
Sugar isn’t the type to prefer fighting, but she still enjoyed using magic with Riley.
The joint magic they tried after years. Without needing to practice beforehand, without needing to speak, just holding hands was enough to succeed. It was…
“…”
Sugar tightly hugged her extra pillow.
Her heart felt strange. It felt like someone was hammering her heart, a feeling of being pounded relentlessly. Then Sugar would melt and become soft.
His image kept coming to mind.
His soft, refreshing scent mixed with nostalgia. His low voice that had been bothering her ears lately. His breath.
His thick arms that always grumbled but still hugged her.
His hand gently stroking her waist.
His Adam’s apple that stood out when he spoke or drank water.
‘…Wait. Something’s off.’
Somehow, everything she’s recalling feels a bit… physical.
No, no.
‘This is all gaslighting…’
‘Since everyone around me keeps calling me ‘perverted Sugar.’ Is it true? Am I perverted?’
Bad people. Ian and Riley too. ‘Huh? I’m not thinking anything. It’s just that they’re perverted, so that’s all they see.’
Sugar grumbled inwardly but hugged the pillow tighter.
It’s just a man’s body. The body of a sturdy younger brother, there’s no need to be conscious of it. It’s not lewd.
I’m not perverted. I’m normal. She kept repeating it to herself.
Even so, she fiddled with her thigh. She often enjoyed the sensation of her stockings and would touch them out of habit.
But now, she wasn’t wearing stockings, just her smooth bare legs. It wasn’t particularly fun but they were soft and squishy, so they were nice to touch.
‘Why didn’t I grow taller and just gained weight here…’
Ian grew so tall. She’s taller than the average adult woman.
‘Does cross-dressing make you taller? No, Ian isn’t just tall, her chest is also…’
Sugar thought of Ione in the capital. She recalled the mature silhouette that the white saint’s robe couldn’t fully hide.
‘Is everything about the saint’s lineage superior?’
As she started to drift into sleep, her thoughts and fantasies before falling asleep. Sugar dozed off under the starry sky.
*******************
As Sugar’s day was coming to an end.
Something else was happening in the male dorm.
It started because he couldn’t sleep. His mind was in disarray, so Riley went to the dorm lounge to have a light cup of tea.
The cozy lounge with a soft carpet and a warm yellow light.
“…”
“…”
There, he saw a combination he really didn’t want to be part of.
He wasn’t on bad terms with one of them. With the other, well. He didn’t particularly like him, but there was no need to be hostile.
But why are they like this?
Both of them were sitting at the same table, not saying a word and just sitting there.
Is it some kind of ritual? Do things related to saints involve stuff like this?
Riley, with a slightly annoyed expression, was about to take a step back with his cup.
“R-Riley.”
Oops. He got caught.
Ian, who made eye contact, immediately gestured.
‘Is she asking me to join them now?’
That gesture felt like a summon from the devil. It might be disrespectful to think of a descendent of the Saint like that but Riley was far past caring.
When they’re in a group, they’re just normal, friendly friends. But when it’s just the two of them, the endless silence and awkwardness.
That’s the kind of relationship Ian and Riley have. Being called into such a terrifying situation by someone in that situation is like being summoned by the devil; not to mention the addition of Leon.
Riley isn’t usually good at conversation. He sometimes jokes around with Sugar, but that’s just with Sugar. Generally, he’s a mage who values silence as an aesthetic.
But her Holiness was waving her hand enthusiastically. What could he do? She must be worried about the double room situation, he should probably join for a bit.
“…Sigh.”
He pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.
A bizarre combination of two men and one cross-dressing woman.
“What are you two doing here…?”
When he asked quietly, Ian’s face brightened.
“Ah! That! I was just resting here before going to my room! And then I ran into Leon!”
She forced enthusiasm into her voice, which only served to emphasize the pitifulness.
Riley then looked at Leon.
“…Me too. I came to rest a bit, and Ian was here.”
So, to interpret it, both of them came out here because they didn’t want to go to their rooms and then they ran into each other.
Whether they disliked the awkward atmosphere or whatever. The thought of being alone together must have been uncomfortable.
Ian is in truth a woman, so it makes sense for her to feel uncomfortable but why would Leon feel awkward?
Of course, it would be awkward to be with someone of such a higher status, but they seemed to get along fine earlier in the prison.
Whatever it is, the atmosphere is tough.
Why? Because the conversation has already died.
“…”
“…”
‘Ah, the sunny woman. It’s been a while since I’ve missed her so much. Even though she often talks nonsense, she’s good at keeping a conversation going.’
Unfortunately, this is the male dorm. Riley’s Sugar isn’t here.
“It’s getting late. Maybe we should head back…”
Then there’s the best solution. If you don’t like the gathering, just disband it.
“Ahaha… that’s true.”
“…Yeah.”
But their responses aren’t very convincing.
He doesn’t know why they’re not going back even though they’re feeling awkward. Maybe it’s more suffocating in a closed space. But they can’t stay here like this forever.
With that in mind, Riley looked at Ian.
Seizing the opportunity, Ian began to plead with her eyes.
‘Riley! What on earth are you supposed to do when two men are alone in a room?’
‘…Just act normally, isn’t that enough?’
‘I’m not normal, so that doesn’t work.’
‘How about just washing up and going to bed right away today?’
‘That’s exactly what I can’t do.’
‘Then… how about sending him in first and you going in later?’
If someone from the female dorm had seen this exchange of glances, they would have been shocked.
Ian decided to accept Riley’s suggestion.
“Le-Leon. Why don’t you go in first? I have something to talk about with Riley.”
“…”
“Go ahead and shower first…”
The nuance was a bit off, but anyway, Leon quietly got up from his seat. Then he trudged out of the lounge.
After he left.
Just as the suffocating air seemed to dissipate a bit, Ian suddenly stood up.
“What do I do? He doesn’t seem to like me… Did I make a mistake in the prison?”
“Ian… he’s just feeling awkward. Guys aren’t usually that friendly with each other.”
“But you and Sugar are!”
“She’s a girl.”
“But, earlier in the prison… I hugged him while thinking about what Sugar usually does, and his reaction wasn’t too bad…”
“…Huh? You hugged him? You hugged him?”
“Yeah. He seemed to be thinking a lot because of the Saint’s Staff… so I wanted to comfort him.”
Riley was struck speechless by the shock of what he just heard.
Is it Sugar’s fault?
Or is it his fault for not stopping such behavior?
‘I don’t know what kind of man hugs another man to comfort him. I don’t know why he’s imitating the behavior of a woman he usually scolds for being perverted.’
Does everyone lose a screw when they live in the holy city? Is it because it’s such a peaceful place?
With his mind in turmoil, Riley spat out just one sentence. He had a lot to say, but what’s the point of saying it to this innocent person?
“…Guys don’t do that kind of physical contact.”
“What! Really?!”
Ian’s face started to flush, then turned bright red. Then she started making strange noises, hopping around.
Riley just quietly shook his head.
The two people here don’t know about Leon’s feelings—how he felt a bit of doubt and slight disgust towards himself after the hug, which made him oddly self-conscious.
They can only guess.
LegoMyEggo
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