“Dinner’s ready! Hmm? You two… why is the atmosphere so heavy?”
Ye Xingyao, wrapped in an apron and carrying steaming dishes, was mentally role-playing a virtuous wife. She walked out of the kitchen with a beaming smile, only to immediately sense the unusual tension.
‘Did Shiyue and Sister Hongye have a fight in the short time I was gone?’
“Hmm? What heavy atmosphere? Nothing happened at all,” Hongye Qiu said with a perfectly innocent expression, though she secretly gave Yi Shiyue a quick wink.
“Yeah, Little Yao, you’re just being too sensitive. Don’t worry about it.”
Catching on, Yi Shiyue quickly followed up, feeling a bit guilty under Ye Xingyao’s suspicious gaze.
“Alright then… I made cumin beef, and I boiled a bit of egg drop soup. We can eat as soon as the rice is finished steaming.”
Ye Xingyao untied her apron and draped it over a chair in the kitchen. She turned and flopped down next to Yi Shiyue, looking exhausted, like a salted fish that had lost all its dreams.
‘Oh… at this time, should I try jumping into Shiyue or Sister Hongye’s arms for a hug? It feels like it would be fun…’
Ye Xingyao hid her face from their view and flashed a devious smile.
“Hey, Shiyue, cooking is so exhausting…”
Ye Xingyao sat up and put on an innocent, adorable smile. With a hint of fatigue lingering on her pretty face, she leaned close to Shiyue and spoke in a sweet, high-pitched voice. She even spread her arms slightly, acting like a little girl begging for a hug.
‘Hehe… this is fun…’
A rare blush crept onto Yi Shiyue’s cheeks. She stammered, unsure of what to say. After a moment of hesitation, she reached out, slid her hands under the black-haired girl’s arms, and pulled her into a gentle embrace.
‘Xingyao… why is she so experienced?! Isn’t she embarrassed at all? There’s… someone else here!’
On the side, Hongye Qiu arched an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
“Oh my, your relationship is really good~”
Hongye Qiu’s teasing made the pink on Yi Shiyue’s face deepen even further. However, Ye Xingyao only doubled down. She pressed her face against the softness and rubbed against it with a blissful expression, looking like a kitten that had just received a treat.
*Ding-ling! Ding-ling!*
Ah, how unfortunate. The rice was finished.
“Little Yao, stop messing around. Go.”
Yi Shiyue gave the girl’s waist a playful, reproachful smack.
“Okay.”
Ye Xingyao stood up, feeling a bit unsatisfied, and went to the kitchen to prepare the meal.
The white-haired girl stiffened slightly. Through her beautiful violet eyes, she stole a glance at Hongye Qiu to gauge her reaction.
“Haha, no need for that. In this day and age, relationships between men and women, or even women and women, have long since been nothing out of the ordinary. Especially for someone like Little Yexin… who basically has the personality of a fairy.”
Hongye Qiu waved her hand dismissively, choosing her words carefully as she laughed.
“I suppose that’s true…”
As they chatted, Ye Xingyao set the table and called them over to eat.
The two shared a knowing look and smiled in unison before standing up and leaving the living room. When it came to matters regarding Ye Xingyao, they shared a strange, unspoken understanding.
“Hey, Little Yexin, what kind of meat did you use for this cumin beef?”
At the table, Hongye Qiu picked up a piece of meat and chewed. Suddenly, her brow furrowed as if she had remembered something.
“Huh? I saw some ready-made meat in the fridge. The quality looked good, so I just used it. Otherwise, I’d have to defrost something, which is a hassle. Besides, meat from those auto-defrosters doesn’t taste as good anyway,” Ye Xingyao said matter-of-factly, taking a sip of egg drop soup.
“Are you an idiot?!”
Hongye Qiu stood up abruptly and reached across the small table. She grabbed Ye Xingyao’s slightly chubby cheeks and began to knead them ruthlessly.
“Mmmph… did’n you say I cou’d make whateve’ I wanted?” the black-haired girl managed to stutter. She swallowed the soup in her mouth so it wouldn’t spray out and reached out toward Yi Shiyue for help.
“That was sent by my sisters in the East District! It’s the highest quality, private reserve beef! Even those guys in the Human Alliance Senate might not be able to find it!” Hongye Qiu growled, emphasizing every word.
“Wahhh, I was wrong! Stop pinching me…”
Ye Xingyao had planned to talk back some more, but the pain in her cheeks reminded her that her face was still in the other woman’s hands. Tears welled up in her eyes as she feigned the look of a bullied maiden and gave in.
After a bit of commotion, they finally began to eat normally.
“I’ll send you the mission location later. In the meantime, contact Qiluo to set a time. That’s all for today. You two can head back afterward.”
After finishing the meal, Hongye Qiu sat back in her chair, feeling helpless. To be honest, Ye Xingyao’s cooking was actually quite good. Combined with top-tier meat, the meal had been very enjoyable.
“Tsk, couldn’t you have just said that over the comms? You only called me here because you were too lazy to cook…” Ye Xingyao pouted.
“You still have the nerve to talk!”
As soon as Hongye Qiu stood up, Ye Xingyao grabbed Yi Shiyue’s arm and bolted for the door. Once they were a short distance away, she turned back and stuck her tongue out at the stationary Hongye Qiu.
“Hee-hee! Thanks for the treat, Sister Hongye!”
The latter couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Hmph, Ye Xin.’
***
After the two walked out of Hongye Qiu’s home, they found that night had already fallen.
“By the way, Shiyue, your Disguise Magic has a form that keeps the white hair but removes the elf ears. Why didn’t you use this look from the start?”
Walking down the street as they waited for the railcar, Ye Xingyao’s restless hands reached for Yi Shiyue’s hair. She gently pinched a few strands and twirled them between her fingers.
It was soft and smooth. She felt it would be very comfortable against her face.
“Hmm… has Little Yao become stupider?”
Yi Shiyue tilted her head as she watched the girl play with her hair, her expression full of pity as if she were looking at an idiot.
“Hey… what’s with that look? I have feelings too, you know!”
Ye Xingyao immediately shifted into a state of grief and indignation. The speed at which she changed her expression was startling.
“Fine, fine, I really can’t do anything with you. When we were kids, I always had black hair. I never showed my white-haired form to you or Xingling. How could I have switched so easily? Besides, you and Xingling might not even like me looking like this, right?”
“Furthermore, the Satellite City is in the central zone… black hair and black eyes are the norm here. If my identity as a Moon Elf were ever uncovered, it would be easy to link it back to the human Yi Shiyue. That would be a huge hassle…” Yi Shiyue explained, reaching out to pat Ye Xingyao soothingly.