Sugar Sweet
Translator: Reo
Editor: Cale
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Part 5 – Lemon Candy Magic
Chapter 17 – Onwards to Negotiations
After breakfast, Sui changed out of his pajamas and headed to the living room. Red was there wearing a dapper suit. There was something not quite right about that image. Was the suit giving off a weird vibe? Did it not go well with Red’s long, white hair? Or, maybe, it was because of the blindfold?
“You want to say that it doesn’t suit me, don’t you?”
“Eh… um?”
“Your hesitation is already an answer…”
“Why are you wearing a suit?” Sui asked hastily to cover for his previous hesitation, and Red turned his back to him with a snort.
“That guy will think it’s funny because it doesn’t suit me. If it helps us gain some fun points, I can at least dress up like this.”
“Is it like a comedy competition?”
“You’re not totally wrong. It’s just that he won’t listen to anything that’s boring.”
Since they were going there to negotiate, Sui too had worn something suit-like – a hand-me-down shirt, a black jacket, and pants. However, it certainly didn’t match Red’s outfit.
Will this really pass the mayor’s judgment? He doesn’t seem to hate normal humans, but…
After some time,1 the two headed to Akebi. Walking past Kasa’s store, the street they were following got less and less crowded, and at the end of the road was a large building. Its tiled roof was painted blue and the walls were yellow – quite a tricky combination of colors.
Standing in front of the door, a jumbled voice could be heard.
“Password please.”
“Password?”
“She sells…?”
“…seashells.”2
“Gufufufu, correct! Ahahaha come in.”
Cheerful laughter sounded and then the door opened.
Stepping inside, there were counters much like the kind seen at a town hall, but there was nobody in sight. They passed by the empty counters until they reached a room labeled ‘Reception Room.’ Red knocked and the door opened.
“Long time no see, Red-kun. Wait, you’re wearing a suit? Intentionally? Mnfufufu it really doesn’t suit you. This is the best.”
The eyes narrowed in mirth turned to look at Sui.
“Oh, I haven’t seen you in a while. I’m Yizul, Red-kun’s uncle~”
It was a face Sui often saw at the library. The strange person who visited once every few days, flipping through the books with a grin on his face but never borrowing any. The other day he’d given Sui a curry-flavored candy.
“Um, thank you for your continued patronage.”
“Ahahaha, so cuuuuute~”
Sui didn’t understand what was cute, but Yizul laughed heartily and slapped his knee.
“Gufufu, now now, come sit.”
The reception room had a large, wooden desk and in front of it was a sofa that went around the circumference of a low, glass table. The shelves along the wall were decorated with stuffed animals and strange paintings in eccentric colors.
Does he collect such things as a hobby?
Red and Sui sat down on the sofa facing Yizul, the table sandwiched between them.
“There weren’t any people out front.”
“Since such important guests were coming, I gave them allll a day off.”
“…acting like Kasa,” Red muttered.
Yizul did seem to have a personality similar to Kasa’s.3 Kasa had said that he couldn’t deal with him but maybe that was just because the two were so similar.4
“Ne, ne, how was today’s password? Was it funny? It’s so silly it’s the best, isn’t it? Though I did have another one lined up for you…”
“Can we cut to the chase?”
“Wellll, I guess. Being a genius and all, I already have a general idea of what’s going on. It’s about Azul-ani,5 isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Mmm, honestly, I don’t care either way. Well, it would be more fun if Red-kun stayed in Akebi, especially now that you have the added bonus of Sui-kun.”
Sui listened in anticipation, hoping that the negotiations could still go in their favor, but…
“Bu~ut, the scenario where a nervous Red-kun has to follow Azul-ani’s orders and Sui-kun is shocked is kinda good too, don’t you think?”
He said it cheerfully but the actual words were terrible. Sui’s brows furrowed.
“I don’t think so.”
“Ahah, don’t be mad~ Your face is a teeny tiny bit scary, hm? Well, no, actually it’s almost expressionless. But that’s cute too! I like normal humans. How fun!”
Sui took back his earlier statement – this guy and Kasa were nothing alike.6
“Yizul-san.”
“Wah, Red-kyun’s scary too~” Yizul still had a grin on his face.7
“Anyway, since I’ve decided to choose the one that’s more fun, I need to hear both sides, don’t I?”
Yizul snapped his fingers and the door opened.
Red gulped and Sui’s eyes opened wide.
Standing there was Red’s father.
