Sweet

It’s been a full three days since I made the island. During that time, I steadily went to the underwater city with Ellie to collect items, focusing on decorating the island. On my island, a well with impossible (due to the structure of floating on the sea) underground water sprung up, and flowers and trees of various colors were gradually growing.

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Of course, Ellie’s island was growing even faster than mine. Trees and plants grew enough to be harvested, and there was even a house made of wooden planks collected from the well and the city. Well, the truth is, I gave most of what I collected from the city to Ellie so she could build a house first.

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The island’s area had increased so much that it was now possible to move around with spatial magic, so we decided to build a house on Ellie’s island first and use it together. Until now, we had laid leaves on the floor for safety and slept in our respective sleeping bags next to each other, so sleeping in the same house with a wall between us was actually better than before.

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There was a time in the novel when a storm suddenly appeared and troubled Roel. If a storm appeared this time as well, we wouldn’t be able to withstand it without a ‘structure’ like a house, so prioritizing building Ellie’s house was also a factor.

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It wasn’t just our islands that underwent changes during that time. Islands gradually started to appear in the distance. As time passed, more and more people were entering the 3rd floor. Still, no islands have appeared near us yet.

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…Looks like that last adventurer was just incredibly unlucky.

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I was a little worried about whether the other members of the rescue team were doing well, but I thought that Lamine, the master of survival, and the smart Eunice would be ahead of everyone else thanks to the memories they received. I wasn’t worried about Raellan at all, who would obviously be plundering other people’s islands by now.

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“Are you done?”

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Ellie, who had been lost in thought and staring at the sea, came up to me and asked. I cleared the random thoughts from my head and moved my hands quickly. Today was the day to serve Ellie the snacks from Jin Shian’s world that she had specially requested.

“Just wait a little bit.”

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I wondered what would be appropriate, and after thinking about it, I decided to make tanghulu using the fruits I got from Ellie’s island and the ingredients in my spatial storage. I had enough ingredients, and I had even worked part-time making it before, so it wasn’t difficult. In my memory, most of the customers were women, so I thought Ellie would definitely like it.

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As I took out pretty dishes from the spatial storage and arranged the tanghulu nicely, I felt Ellie’s gaze fixed on me. Recently, Ellie had been staring at me blankly more often. I didn’t know the reason, but I pretended not to notice because the emotions in her gaze weren’t impure.

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“Here, this is tanghulu.”

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I turned around and placed the dish full of tanghulu on the table where Ellie was sitting, and Ellie’s eyes lit up. I even handed her coffee made with expensive beans that I had bought just in case to soothe the sweetness, and Ellie smiled happily and said playfully.

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“Oh my, are you perhaps going to be my husband? With this much, you’d pass with flying colors as my husband material.”

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“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I already have someone I’m going to marry. I look at appearances a lot, you see.”

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“Haa, that’s a shame. Mr. Boss is totally my type, but it can’t be helped. Cool people always have a matching partner.”

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Ellie, who skillfully led the role-playing, smiled and took a bite of the tanghulu. I felt my shoulders puff up for no reason at her reaction. As I waited for her evaluation, Ellie closed her eyes and savored the taste, then quietly smiled.

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“…It’s so sweet.”

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“That’s why it’s delicious.”

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“Yeah, that’s right. That’s why I totally love it. It’s the kind of taste that makes me want to eat the tteokbokki you made last time.”

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“…”

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The words ‘I can make it for you right now if you want’ swirled around in my mouth before disappearing like smoke. Is the setting about Ellie still having a big impact on me?

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Thinking about Luna, Nelson, and Aria, I felt like it was wrong for me to be smiling, and it pierced my heart. But when I’m with Ellie, that pain gradually dulls. It’s not that I’ve lost my goal. It’s not that I’ve had my heart stolen by Ellie either.

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…I’m just feeling a little comfortable. That’s why I can’t bring myself to say anything. I’m afraid that this comfort… no matter what happens, it will make my steps forward, which I must take, heavy.

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I watched Ellie devour the tanghulu and had a pleasant conversation. Time always flew by quickly when I talked to Ellie, who had the ability to lead conversations. Cowardly, I didn’t avoid talking to Ellie.

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Since I made her delicious food, Ellie said she would do the dishes and took out her staff, so I asked, ‘Shouldn’t you be doing it with your hands?’ and lightly flicked her forehead.

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I shouldn’t even be doing such ordinary things… Without realizing it, my old self keeps coming out. The me who could smile happily before losing Luna.

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I came outside and walked along the waterfront, looking around, and Ellie, who had finished cleaning up, was already walking next to me silently, matching my pace. I didn’t put Ellie on my right side. That was Luna’s designated seat, for Luna who had trouble with her left hand.

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“…”

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“…”

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There was no need to force myself to break the silence. Ellie and I were close enough to say a lot without words. We just matched our pace, feeling our shoulders brush as we walked and the smell of the sea mixed in with the wind blowing from somewhere.

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After circling the small island several times, Ellie stopped walking. I was about to use spatial magic to return to the island since the walk was over, but Ellie grabbed me.

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“…You know.”

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With a quiet murmur, Ellie hugged me tightly from behind. My body froze at the unexpected action.

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“I’m definitely going to climb to the 10th floor with you.”

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“…Well, I’d be grateful.”

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I slowly unwrapped Ellie’s arms around my waist and turned around. The moment our eyes met, I had the illusion that Ellie had been crying. But Ellie’s obsidian-like eyes were shining beautifully as always. Why did I have such an illusion?

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“Um, you know… actually….”

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Eeeeeng―!!!

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Ellie, who had been about to say something with her arms hanging limply, suddenly widened her eyes and turned her head in the direction of the sound. Someone had approached the island, and the alarm magic had been activated. Ellie and I immediately put on our masks and tried to see who the intruder was.

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But there was nothing on the sea, no island, no people. Thinking about the possibility that they might have slipped to the side in the meantime, I used spatial magic to look down at the island from above, but there was still nothing around. I pulled my head out of the dimensional passage and asked Ellie.

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“Ellie, is the alarm magic malfunctioning….”

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Ellie, who was checking the magic with her staff, shouted urgently.

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“It’s not above! The enemy is in the sea!”

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At those words, my gaze turned to the sea. Only then did I realize why the transparent seawater looked black. An island several times larger than Ellie’s and my islands combined was submerged in the sea like a submarine and moving. As the island’s shape became clearer, I shouted urgently.

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“The island is rising!”

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At my shout, Ellie pointed her staff at the sea. A moment later, an enormous amount of magic was released, and a transparent barrier-like thing formed around the island. And with a tremendous impact, the entire island floated into the air.

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“Ugh…!”

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“Ellie!”

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I held Ellie in my arms in the air and used spatial magic to move to my island. Ellie’s island, which had floated into the air like a bouncy ball, soon fell again, creating a huge wave. If Ellie, who was in my arms, hadn’t used magic to freeze the wave, my island would have definitely been swallowed by it.

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“Heuh, heu….”

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I held Ellie’s shoulders with concern at her faint groans.

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“Ellie, are you okay?”

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“Yeah, I just used too much magic at once and ran out of energy….”

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I sat Ellie down in a safe place and glared at the island that had risen between Ellie’s and my islands. Could I even call that a island? The island’s exterior looked like a giant rock full of countless holes. Someone appeared from one of those many holes.

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The person with a small stature was wearing a black cat mask. It was definitely Estelle. Estelle, who was turning her head to observe the island, also seemed to have found me and Ellie, and her shoulders flinched in a flustered manner.

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Estelle’s voice echoed in my head.

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[What the hell are you doing here, you pig!]

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I wanted to ask the same thing. Estelle was the one who suddenly appeared from the sea and attacked the island. Just as I was about to ask Estelle if she had any conscience, a voice echoed in my head.

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[Run away! The owner of this island isn’t me…!]

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Before Estelle could finish speaking, someone who appeared from behind naturally placed their hand on Estelle’s shoulder. My brow furrowed naturally. I knew that bastard. I had fought him recently, and he was the person Estelle hated the most.

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“…I never thought I’d meet a yuri here.”

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Confession’s Number 2, the immortal Cassis, revealed himself.