“What’s the matter, Xingling hasn’t replied to you yet?”
Yi Shiyue looked at the girl who was anxiously clenching her little fists and asked with concern.
“Yeah… She still has a few minutes before her class ends. I’ll give her a call later.”
Ye Xingyao nervously stared at the phone lying on the bed, unconsciously kicking her legs up and swaying them restlessly.
‘Ugh, how do I tell Ye Xingling so she can accept it more easily?’
What troubled Ye Xingyao wasn’t just whether Ye Xingling had received the message—it was also having to explain to her the identities of their parents, their father’s research, her own current status as a Hunter and Star Elf, that Yi Shiyue was a Moon Elf, and a whole bunch of things about the secret factions in Satellite City.
What to say, what not to say, what would help Ye Xingling, what might be too hard for her to accept or pose some risk…
Being a big brother… ‘Ah, big sister. Anyway, there’s just too much to consider.’
Ye Xingyao propped up her small face and stared blankly at the girl beside her, who wore a serious expression. She licked her lips and sighed.
“Xiao Yao is thinking about how to explain things to Xingling, right?”
Yi Shiyue saw her gloomy face and could easily guess what was on her mind after a bit of thought.
To her, Ye Xingyao was someone easy to read—back then, an easy-to-read mysterious boy, and now, an easy-to-read mysterious girl.
“Xiaoyue guessed it again… Do you have any good ideas? My head is so messy right now…”
Ye Xingyao pouted and, as if giving up, flopped face-first onto the bed. Her raised legs lost support and dropped onto the mattress, and her voice came out muffled through the blanket.
Seeing this, Yi Shiyue couldn’t help but find it amusing.
This girl always had things hidden in her heart that she didn’t know about, but after that incident, she honestly started to rely on her.
‘Guess my plan was successful after all.’
“Well, maybe wait and see what Xingling has to say? If she’s already noticed something without you knowing, then explaining will be much easier. If she doesn’t know much about these secrets, just tell her the essentials.”
Yi Shiyue extended her long, fair index finger, gently poked through the girl’s scattered hair, and tapped her forehead.
“Huh? That’s true… But can my little sister really notice anything? She seems to play video games all the time.”
Ye Xingyao propped herself up and sat back upright.
“You never know? Just like you—maybe our Xingling has some unknown identity too, hm? Look, you’re a Star Elf, I’m a Moon Elf, so how could our little sister be ordinary?”
Yi Shiyue opened her arms and pulled Ye Xingyao’s shoulders. The latter resisted a little but then followed the motion and lay sideways on her lap, shamelessly nuzzling.
“You can’t count it like that! That’s just confirmation bias from your own surroundings!”
Ye Xingyao patted the soft thigh under her head in protest.
“Fine, fine, I’m using confirmation bias. I’m just reminding you.”
Yi Shiyue showed a doting smile and started combing the girl’s hair while she lay on her lap.
“By the way… Xiaoyue, how did you get around those checks back then? I remember they weren’t too frequent, but they happened every few years, right?”
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Ye Xingyao opened her eyes and looked up at Yi Shiyue’s beautiful purple eyes from her position.
“Mm… Those checks weren’t very strict. And when we were kids, Uncle Ye took us both. I don’t have any particularly strong memories… The last census was before Uncle Ye left.”
Yi Shiyue took the opportunity to cup the soft little face, pressing her thumb against the cheek and gently kneading it. She pulled the face into a funny expression, then squeezed her lips to make them pout.
Seeing the dissatisfied expression, the girl couldn’t help but give a soft peck on the cheek.
“Be serious!”
Ye Xingyao pushed Yi Shiyue’s face away, her cheeks slightly flushed.
She had imagined before, lying on Shiyue’s lap and kissing her… but definitely not in this kind of situation.
After messing around for a while, they called Ye Xingling just before her next class started.
“Hey, little sis, did you see what I sent you?”
Ye Xingyao spoke eagerly as soon as the call connected.
“Yeah… I saw it…”
Ye Xingling’s voice came through the phone, sounding weak.
“Good. Remember, when you go to meet them, don’t reveal too much about your uniqueness. Keep the contact as discreet as possible. The person in charge over there will take you to the special passage.”
Hearing her sister’s voice, Ye Xingyao breathed a sigh of relief and continued to remind her.
“I know. And, big brother…”
Hearing that address, Ye Xingyao paused for a moment. Ye Xingling almost never called her “big brother” in that tone.
“What is it, Xingling? If you have questions, I’ll tell you when you get home.”
Ye Xingyao realized her tone might have been too anxious. She softened her voice and asked gently, while also reminding her not to discuss these things at school—if someone overheard, there might be trouble.
She was always cautious about matters concerning her close ones.
Yi Shiyue gave a light pinch on the girl’s waist, and when Ye Xingyao looked at her puzzled, she gestured for her to hand over the phone.
“Um, Xingling, first do as your brother says. When you get back, we’ll explain everything properly. Don’t worry, it’s not some huge earth-shattering secret. We originally planned to tell you when you came of age, just a bit earlier now.”
“No matter what, your brother and I will always be by your side. Don’t be scared. Be sure to come back safely.”
Watching Yi Shiyue, Ye Xingyao suddenly realized her sister’s voice had sounded strange. What her sister needed right now probably wasn’t “stern older brother’s orders”…
Luckily, Yi Shiyue was there to take over the part of “gentle older sister’s warm advice.”
Though the content was roughly the same, the difference in tone and delivery made all the difference to the listener.
That was something Ye Xingyao had to admit.
“Mm, it’s okay. Have you and my brother got things sorted over there?”
“Of course. If Xingyao could get an identity code for you, she could certainly get one for herself.”
“Good… Ah, I have class now, I’ll hang up!”
“Okay, take care of yourself, Xingling!”