Chapter 94: Only For You

R​​e​&a;ｄ​ ​on​ Ｋáｔ&R;ëad̈ίn‌ｇCa​&f;ｅ

Sugar was frowning.

Why was she frowning? She had been out over the weekend and returned safely to Steele on Monday, so why is she frowning?

The answer lies in the bandages plastered all over her neck.

The answer is also found in the fact that she’s walking about five steps away from Riley, when she sticks to his side like glue.

“Hey, guys! You’re back… Did you fight?”

Ian greeted them cheerfully but immediately changed her tone.

“You didn’t fight, did you?”

“But why are you walking so far apart…? Wait, hold on. Sugar, your neck… and your thighs…”

Ian’s cheeks turned bright red. Well, the bandages were covering it, but it made it even more obvious. It looked like a clear advertisement saying, “I’ve got something to hide here.”

Her thighs were covered with bandages as well. The stockings wrapped around them, but the difference in texture between her skin and the fabric was instantly noticeable.

Of course, this was because she had gotten a wound there. But due to the placement of the injury, Ian’s assumptions quickly spiraled.

“Wait, wait. Hold on. Are you… did you…?”

Dozens of simulations were running through her mind. It was like something straight out of an adult romance novel.

“You did it! You did! You stayed out overnight and—!”

“Calm down, calm down! Lower your voice! That didn’t happen!”

Sugar quickly rushed over and covered Ian’s mouth. Riley crossed his arms and watched the scene unfold.

“No! But why the neck…? And the thighs…”

“The thighs got scratched, so I wrapped them up. As for the neck… does it show?”

“I can see it!”

This time, Sugar’s face turned red. She was rubbing her neck nervously, then stomped her foot in frustration.

The ground shook.

“Ugh… Ian, please don’t call me ‘perverted Sugar.’ If you want to use that kind of nickname, give it to that blonde guy over there.”

“Hold on… if we’re saying that didn’t go that far… did you mess around and end up being the one who got punished?”

Ian was the type to observe their relationship closely, always watching through her fingers when she tried to look away.

Reflecting on it, Sugar usually provoked Riley, and Riley was the one to punish her.

“Ian… saying that really hurts my feelings. All I did that day was speak my mind. But then things went wrong… it just went wrong and suddenly…”

Sugar seemed to recall that day and lowered her head in embarrassment. She bit her lip, hesitating as she looked down.

Even from the perspective of another woman, she gave off an adorably shy vibe, almost as if she had a mischievous air about her. It made her heart swell with affection.

But still, there were things to address.

“Riley. Come here.”

Ian spoke sternly, radiating an authoritative aura, and Riley obediently walked over.

“Why did you make Sugar like this?”

Riley glanced down at Sugar, then, in a perfectly calm voice, spoke.

“Because she’s my most precious friend.”

“…”

There was nothing to argue with.

Well, friends—lovers—can do that, right? It doesn’t matter outside of school, does it?

Ian had seen them sticking together closely every day at school. She had grown used to it, and her tolerance had risen. Though she still felt uneasy since they weren’t even married yet, Sugar had insisted that “nothing like that” had happened.

“Well… if that’s the case…”

Ian, who had backed down easily, allowed Sugar to leap in triumph.

“That’s not fair! Hey, Riley! Can I do that too? Can I, can I do that to you too?”

“Yeah.”

“What?”

“Do it. It’s fine.”

Riley stepped closer to Sugar, intending to hug her. Sugar quickly hid behind Ian, shivering and breathing heavily, looking like she might pass out from the tension.

“H-H-How could I…?”

Even with her refusal, Riley frowned slightly.

Since yesterday, he had been acting strangely dissatisfied. He would touch her and stare at her intensely. Sugar wondered, Am I making him unsure…?

She started to doubt herself, wondering if she was just making things more complicated. So, she opened up her heart again.

“Even so… I’ll treasure you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Even though you’re weird and mischievous, I’ll treasure you… I’ll let you have this because it’s you. You’re the most precious to me… I can give you this much, just for you.”

“… Sugar.”

A strange atmosphere settled between them. Their gazes softened, slowly turning into something tender, almost with a pink glow.

In the middle of that moment, Ian was on the verge of losing her mind.

“Go do that outside Steele, just the two of you!”

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

After a long day, it was finally over.

As for the distance with Riley—today, Sugar made sure to keep at least five steps away from him.

Every professor she met commented on it, asking if they fought or if they’d fallen under some curse that activated when they were too close, or if they were suddenly getting gold stars for good behavior. It was bizarre, but Sugar and Riley kept walking through it.

[Today’s Points: +35 Points]

It was a bit nice, but something felt off.

None of them commented on her neck. Since she had wrapped a scarf around it over the bandages, it was fine.

That suggestion came from Ian. When she bumped into Leon by chance, even he teased, “Aren’t you even trying to hide it anymore?” So, Sugar quietly went to buy it. Since it was still spring, she figured it would work if I pretended to be sensitive to the cold.

Naturally, Riley followed her along.

While she was choosing a scarf, he had sneakily picked up a choker that looked like a leash.

In the end, he took what she bought and carefully placed it around her neck himself.

It felt a little strange, but she had bought it, so that was fine.

This guy… has some weird tendencies.

Since that night, Sugar had no idea why he was acting like this.

‘Is it because he’s as obsessive as me?’

If that’s the case, she almost understood. Obsession. Obsession.

Sugar blushed as she looked at her neck in the bathroom mirror.

She slowly traced the red marks on her neck, and the heat from that night surged back into her memories.

‘I want to die just thinking about that day when I was beneath Riley, and the sensations he gave me made me moan, “Ah, ah.”’

‘Oh my… I’m so embarrassed…’

Is it because of obsession? Or is it simply because mischief got the better of her? Or maybe it’s a manifestation of his desire to conquer as a man?

She once tried to think back when she had the same gender as Riley, but she doesn’t know. It feels so distant, from a past life. How many years ago? It’s all but a distant memory.

‘I’ve lived, and am living, and will continue to live as a woman. I am certain of my awareness of my gender.’

Even so, occasionally, she found herself thinking, “Am I only half of myself?”

The thought of dating a man is deeply unpleasant.

“Then a woman should date a man, right? Who else would she date?” Even as she argued with her own thoughts, when she applied that to herself, a feeling of disgust rises within me.

‘I would never get married like this. I have no intention to, in the first place.’

‘… But…’

Sugar looked at herself in the mirror. The traces of a man were unmistakably visible.

She quickly turned her gaze away.

At least when it comes to Riley, there’s no feeling of disgust from the physical affection he gives her. She didn’t feel that way at all that night either.

But that very point made her embarrassed, which is why she turned her eyes away.

“That must be proof that I cherish him that much. So why do I keep feeling embarrassed…?”

She had decided to embrace it all. She had to accept it.

Is this just a weakness in my heart?

Her chest and everything below it ached, throbbing intensely.

Unconsciously, she started to run her hand over her waist and lower abdomen, but then she quickly pulled her hand away, startled.

“W-What am I doing?!”

She immediately turned on the cold water from the shower and pressed her head against the wall. She needed to clear her troubled thoughts. She had to stop these distractions.

She pretended not to notice how her small hands made her feel wistful in contrast to others.

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

Around the same time in the men’s dormitory basement, having finished showering in the public bath made of white marble, Riley was getting dressed.

His brow was furrowed, deep lines appearing on his face.

“Someday, I’ll be strong enough so that I won’t need you.”

“I’ll get rid of this weak desire to depend on you…”

A deep sigh escaped him.

Hearing those words that day made it feel like something was suddenly severed. Knowing that was wrong, he had touched on it anyway.

The nonsense annoyed him. He wanted to shake his mind and stop thinking those strange thoughts. In fact, he had successfully done so.

He wished she would rely on him more. The things Sugar had done since coming to Steele? It wasn’t particularly bothersome. He was just worried about graduation. As long as she stayed within certain boundaries, he was fine.

Suddenly, the image from yesterday popped into his mind. Sugar, lying beneath him, crying sweetly. Every time he touched her waist, she trembled and didn’t know what to do, just calling out “Riley, Riley-” Her voice. When their gazes met, her gaze was full of subtle expectation, without any resistance.

For someone like her…

She wanted him to depend on her more, to obsess over her, to love her blindly—

“Hah…”

He shook his head. After holding back so long, his desires were starting to bubble up in strange ways.

No matter how much he suppressed the physical reactions, he couldn’t control his mind. He was holding on with his unique mental strength, but he didn’t know how much longer he could last.

Riley quickly packed his things. He decided to go back to the dorm and meditate for a while.

At that moment, someone casually approached and stood beside him. A man with black hair, if looked at quickly.

“…”

Riley turned his head to ignore him, but the man spoke first.

“Student Riley.”

“Just call me by my name, no ‘student’.”

“It feels uncomfortable for me.”

“Do whatever you want. But what’s up?”

“I have a question I’d like to ask you.”

Riley responded in silence, signaling he could ask. Leon, sensing the cue, opened his mouth.

Why was he taking so long?

As Riley mentally expressed his annoyance, the question finally came.

“Does Ian like men?”

Without saying a word, Riley grabbed his things and quickly left.

“Wait! Don’t misunderstand! I’m not saying I do!”

Leon’s words, from the weekend that had passed without either Sugar or Riley present, were finally unleashed.

Translator Note

Poor Riley, Poor Leon, Poor Ian. The only one I do not feel bad for is Sugar… she brought this on herself that mischievous girl…