Sugar Sweet
Translator: Reo
Editor: Cale
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Part 6 – Milk Cocoa Happiness
Chapter 21 – From Now On
Afterward, Sui returned to his home in Aoimachi, turned down his relatives who had invited him to live with them, and finished doing everything else that needed to be done there.
He stuffed the cooking utensils that his grandmother used, and that looked like Red would be able to use, into his bag and bid farewell to Aoimachi and to the house he was born and raised in.
Roughly two weeks later, he arrived back at Red’s house. After putting away his luggage, the two decided to relax in the living room until it was time for dinner.
“It wouldn’t be possible for you to surprise me in the first place.”
“Did you think I’d never come back?”
“Well, there’s that… I don’t really want to say it…” Red started haltingly, pouting. Soon after, however, he lifted his head, a determined expression on his face. “But I had promised we’d talk after things settled down.”
“Oh yes, you did say something like that.”
Red put his finger to his chin in thought and, after a short pause, words came out of his lips one after the other.
“When you were small, after I left, I’d sometimes use magic to see how you were doing.”1
“Eh? You did?”
“I know I was acting like a stalker and understand if you’re repulsed by me… You can punch me too. It didn’t really occur to me that what I was doing was bad until I talked to you.”
He narrowed his eyes, disgusted at himself, but Sui urged him to continue.
“Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been possible, but my magic is strong and I’d been to your house before, so I somehow managed to make it work. Of course, other than peeking I didn’t do anything else…” He smiled bitterly as he said that. “That time, after your grandmother passed away, I saw how depressed you’d become. I wanted to be there for you. I couldn’t just sit still and do nothing. So, I decided to use your grandmother’s will to call you to Akebi.”
Was it Red back then? Was he the one who made that bell-like ringing come from grandmother’s will?
“In reality, a regular human can’t get into Akebi. One can’t find it unless they have magic. As my uncle said, it’s extremely rare that a regular human finds Akebi and the last time one found their way here was when your grandmother came. Your case was different.”
Following the map in his grandmother’s will, Sui had walked into a forest that was near a serene lake. Thinking back, that lake must have been the place his grandmother had originally gone to visit.
“That forest is a vast, green land that is near a source of water and has stored more magic inside of it than the forest in your hometown. From the moment you stepped foot inside the forest, I used that magic to guide you to Akebi. I also figured that you’d get lost, and when you did, I showed up in front of you acting like it was a coincidence…”
“Waaa, how should I say this? You had a very intricate plan.”
“At first, I just wanted to comfort you, but… after seeing you, I ended up falling in love and not wanting to let you go.” Red hung his head. “I know it’s not fair of me to say that; to say something unfair and stop you from leaving… it can’t be helped if you’re turned off by me.”2
“Hmm. Kasa-san might have a point.” Sui nodded.
“What’s Kasa got to do with this?”
Perhaps Red could read the complex emotions behind Sui’s emotionless voice and expression because he had always been looking at him. It made Sui happy and had saved him more times than Red knew. Also, if Red hadn’t called out to him, he’d still be drowning and still have shut others out. Plus, it allowed him to remember his past with Red.
“I love you, Red-san, but I’m kind of sad that you’re saying stuff like you regret meeting me.”
“Regret?” Red abruptly lifted his head before lowering it again.
Kasa had called Red a wuss.
The reason it took them so long to express their feelings for each other, despite loving one another, wasn’t entirely because of Sui’s thick-headedness.3 It also had something to do with Red’s cowardice. For some reason, he was strangely pessimistic when it came to himself. He hadn’t noticed Sui’s feelings even though he was usually very sharp.
“I’m happy that that chance encounter when I was young made it possible for me to meet you again. I really want to shout – good job past me!”
Sui was also grateful that his grandmother and Hana had been able to meet.
From before he was born until today when Red and Sui could stand side by side, everything was connected. They’d found each other by a miracle, by coincidence, by fate.
Speaking of which.
“Was your magic the reason I didn’t have any memories of you?”
“Yeah. I hid them.”
“Why?”
“It looked like you’d be lonely… No. That’s not it. Truth is… I was scared. Scared that I’d hurt you, scared that you had forgotten about me, scared that, for you, our meeting was something insignificant. I thought it would be better to hide your memories before you have the chance to forget, but you… you got them back on your own. Maybe you were affected by the magic in Akebi, but, whatever the reason, you still took my hand. You saved me again.”4
“To me those memories were precious. The time that I’d spent with Red-san – it was the first time in my life that every day had been so much fun. Please don’t hide them anymore; I don’t want to forget these memories.”
Red nodded and smiled in relief.
“Red-san,” Sui called out to Red who was still looking at the ground, dejected, “I love you.”
“Wha-, why, eh, all of a sudden?”
“I just thought I’d say what’s on my mind.”
Red pouted at Sui’s answer, his cheeks slightly flushed.
“There are still a lot of things we need to figure out, but let’s do our best, ok?”
Following this development, Red asked a sudden question.
“Didn’t you say that there was something you wanted to request from me after everything was settled? What did you want to ask?”
Red tilted his head in question and Sui averted his eyes.
“It’s a bit embarrassing so later…”
“You just told me you love me without blinking an eye.” Red smiled triumphantly, turning the tables on Sui. “What is it that you wanted to ask? Go on, try telling me.”
“You’re being mean.”
“If you do it now, I can even provide you with some service in exchange.”
“S-service?”
Sui let out a small sigh and turned to face Red. “I want to see your eyes.”
“My eyes?”
“I’ve always liked your eyes, from the moment we met – clear eyes that are more beautiful than any gem.”
“That…” Red unconsciously touched the fabric covering his eyes and looked at the ground again. “If I take my blindfold off, you might get hurt again.”
The other day Sui had asked what that meant.
“I’m going to continue practicing how to control my magic. Can’t you wait until then?” Red laughed as if troubled and Sui suddenly pulled his arm.
Red’s face came into Sui’s field of view and he let out a startled yelp. Sui then swiftly removed the blindfold.
Two red eyes, opened wide in surprise, sparkled in the light.
Ah, as I thought…. “Beautiful.”
Coming back to his senses, Red tried to back away.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“You said you were going to give me some service so I tried taking it myself.”5
“Wha-!?”
“Anyway, even when I was with you when I was young, it was fine for about a week, so looking at your eyes for a second isn’t going to affect me. It’s totally fine.”
Sui twirled his arms around and stretched to show Red how healthy he was, but Red had a complex expression on his face – a mix between anger and exasperation.
“Even so-”
“But don’t you want us to be able to talk while looking each other in the eye? Currently, we can’t do that…” Sui clenched his fist in determination, “so let’s both do our best!”
Red’s expression distorted as he held the blindfold back against his eyes. “You, are you really going to go?”
In the end, Red was still against Sui learning magic.
Well, Sui did have some misgivings about becoming Yizul’s apprentice-slash-guinea pig; however, he still nodded firmly in reply to Red’s question. He had a goal he wanted to complete no matter what.
Sensing his strong determination, Red sighed reluctantly.
“Listen, if he does something weird, get out of there. No. If I put some protective magic… but it’ll be bothersome to do it in his territory…” Red mumbled to himself as he often did.
“It’s fine. Probably. He’s not that… that bad of a person. I’d like to assume.”
The sad part was that Sui couldn’t even confidently say that he wasn’t a bad person.
“You have too much faith in people. You should be more cautious,” Red replied with a bitter smile.
As Sui had been told, Yizul judged things by whether they were amusing or not. If he found something fun or thought that it had the potential to be fun, that was all that mattered to him.
Yizul gave off the impression of being quick-witted and well-spoken, so Sui thought that he probably had things other than “fun” on his mind, but they weren’t readily apparent to Sui. He couldn’t see the top, bottom, or sides of Yizul, and with nothing to base it on, it was hard to figure out what kind of person Yizul was. Sui could at least tell that he wasn’t the kind of person you wanted to turn into an enemy.
Sui liked to think that someone from Red’s family couldn’t be bad6, but… just like Kasa, Sui wasn’t good with that type of person.
“Speaking of Yizul-san, what kind of magician is he?”
“In one word… the strongest.”
Sui blinked.
“The strongest?”
“It’s self-explanatory. He’s the most powerful magician in Akebi, of course, and also in Ulshia and probably among all the magicians currently alive.”
Sui was surprised. He had thought that Red’s father held that position.
“He can use all types of magic – healing, knowledge, and attack magic. He’s the kind of person that knows everything and can do everything.” The quiet tone of Red’s voice seemed to indicate that his words were true.
Yizul’s foolish face popped into Sui’s mind.
He found it hard to imagine that god-like knowledge and power hid behind that smiling face.
“I still don’t know why he decided to become the mayor of Akebi, but, in his own way, he’s been taking care of me, and one day I’ll have to repay that favor with interest. Right now, I want to settle all the debts I owe to my family.” Red said in annoyance, his shoulders sagging.
“It feels kind of like a luxury to be the student of someone as amazing as that.”
“Don’t say that! Even if you think it’s true. It’ll go straight to his head. Anyway, he’s just doing it for fun. He just wants to play with his new toy! Listen, if anything happens, make sure to run away.”
“How many times are you going to say that…?”
Red repeated his warning after dinner as well.
Tomorrow, Sui was going to Kasa’s place which he hadn’t been to in a long time, so the two of them were preparing some snacks for the following day.
Since there had been that time when Red had collapsed, Sui tried to convince him not to overwork himself, but Red turned him down saying he didn’t want to stop making snacks. Instead, he proposed an alternative solution.
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“Is that… what you want?”
“Yes.”
Sui asked him again and again, but it didn’t seem like Red would give in so Sui broke first.
“What’s wrong?”
Sui was startled by Red’s voice sounding so close to him. “Nothing.”
He pulled his blanket closer, hoping that Red wouldn’t notice how restless he was.
Well, I mean, it is a way to make sure that Red’s resting, but…
Red had suggested that they sleep together.
The reason why Red didn’t want Sui to go into his room in the first place was that he didn’t want him to find out that he was a magician. Also, the stones Red made for Kasa’s store were prepared through magic, so Red worked on them when Sui was asleep or wasn’t there. That was the number one reason why he didn’t get enough sleep, but now he could openly do his job without Sui finding out.
However, Sui was still worried due to Red’s previous offense, so Red suggested that they sleep in the same room and on the same bed so that Sui could keep an eye on him.7
At first, Sui opposed the idea, but Red refuted him by saying that it was ok since they were engaged and that he’d wear the blindfold throughout the night so that his magic wouldn’t affect Sui.
Sui heard Red’s stifled laughter.
“I didn’t know you could feel shy.”
“It’s normal.”
Arms wrapped around Sui’s waist and pulled him closer.
“Hey.”
“Sui’s warm.”
“I’m not a hot water bottle.”
“Yeah, you’re my fiancé.”
Red sounded so happy Sui couldn’t even object. It was somehow unfair.
“When you weren’t here, I started to wonder if it was all just a dream.” His whispered words echoed in the dark room. “But now that you’re back, I feel so relieved knowing that it was real.”
“I’ve made you wait, huh?”
“Yeah, I waited.”
“I missed you the whole time.”
“That was kind of the point.”
Tomorrow Sui would take the snacks and go to Kasa’s place. Kasa had been extremely happy when he told him he’d be moving to Akebi. He wanted to finish making the picture frame before he came back and Sui wondered if he had been able to. Kasa had also said that they’d throw a welcome party for him and Sui was looking forward to it.
At some point, he’d also have to go give Azul his greetings.
A letter from Azul had arrived right after Sui had left Akebi. Since both Azul and Red were still hesitant to talk to each other face to face, Azul had sent a letter instead. Though Red seemed fed up with his father’s actions, he looked somewhat happy as he glanced down at the letter.
Inside, there was also a message for Sui. Azul had written that he’d try reading Hana’s diary since Sui’s grandmother was also mentioned there, that he was happy to hear her story, that Sui should come to deliver the pendant to Hana, and that the two of them would definitely be reunited on the other side of the sky if they haven’t already done so.
In addition, Red was going to train to control his power and Sui had magic lessons with Yizul. The plan was to start from next week on and Sui didn’t know what would happen during that time. However, if he could build some tolerance to magic, he’d be able to look Red in the eye when they talked and Red wouldn’t have to worry about him. Of course, part of it was because he wanted to see Red’s beautiful eyes, but mostly he just wanted to properly face the person most dear to him.
Sui turned his body around so that he was facing Red, and Red hugged him tightly once again while chuckling.
“In the end, you did grow up cute rather than cool.”
“Eh?”
“Did you already forget again? It was something you once said.”
Sui searched through his memories until he found the right one.
“Even after I started selling my paintings, I had decided that the first color painting I was going to make would be a gift for you.”
“A super colorful painting, was it?”
“It’s going to cost you.”
“Please make it within a budget of 100 million yen.”
Their eyes met and they laughed.
Ah, so this is happiness, Sui thought.
No matter how many things you lose or how many paths you go down, life goes on. And, if you continue living, the chance to find happiness will come to you.
Thanks to his grandmother’s request, Sui had met Red and Kasa and found happiness. The pain of losing her might never go away, it might make his heart ache as he slept, but, if tears started falling down his cheeks, Red would be there to comfort him. And, when tears fell from Red’s eyes, he would be there to wipe them away.
There was still a pile of things he needed to do, but Sui decided to live his life close to the people that were precious to him; loving and being loved.
“Night, Sui.”
“Good night, Red-san.”
Sui closed his eyes, dreaming of the new day that would start tomorrow and about how it would be dyed in his beloved vermillion shade.
Translator’s Note: Dearest readers, thank you for taking your time to read this novel! It was a sweet tl while the fluff lasted and hopefully the cursed last chapter didn’t leave too bitter of an aftertaste in your mouth. Thank you as well to any of you who submitted your version of the missing chapter 20~! And always remember, y’all – don’t give candy to strangers, cause sometimes forest fairies be stalkers. P.S – I’ll miss you umbrella grandpa (;ω;)
Editor’s Note: It was fun to work on this series, and I hope you enjoyed our commentary!! Thank you for reading this sweet little novel~ AND I HOPE WE ALL KNOW THAT THE ONLY PRECIOUS CHARACTER HERE IS KASA (his crush on the Teacher cute, their story when?)