Gulp…
Ye Xingyao swallowed hard. Yi Shiyue’s words seemed like a simple statement of fact, but they successfully stirred up a miserable memory she didn’t want to face—being pinned down and kissed roughly, her body completely unable to muster an ounce of resistance.
She realized with some sorrow that against this almost provocative speech, she was just like she had been in that bed—completely powerless to fight back.
Ye Xingyao shot the white-haired girl a vicious glare.
‘Hmph, I’ll deal with you later.’
‘This tactic is called retreating to advance.’
“Forget it, let’s just leave it like this.”
With all this back and forth, the anger in Ye Xingyao’s heart had completely dissipated. She plopped down onto a chair, carelessly crossing her legs.
“Xiao Yao, you’re flashing.”
Shiyue’s warning echoed in her ears.
Only then did Ye Xingyao realize how unrestrained her current posture was. It was probably a leftover habit from when she was male.
Having been a girl for just over a week now, Ye Xingyao found it incredibly awkward—from washing up to sitting and moving, to dressing and making herself up, everything had to be learned anew.
Oh, makeup was an exception.
Ye Xingyao’s makeup skills even earned continuous praise from the professional makeup artist hired for the banquet preparations. That was thanks to her time cross-dressing back in the day…
Wait—didn’t her little sister realize that when she was still male, she had already met her seniors under the identity of “Ye Xin”?
Ye Xingyao eyed her little sister suspiciously, but no matter how she looked, the other girl seemed just as dense as ever—she couldn’t see any change.
Instead, a loud gurgle came from the younger girl’s stomach.
“…Big Sis, I’m hungry. Food.”
Ye Xingling was also a bit flustered by her own stomach, but luckily, right now she wasn’t her brother’s little sister—she was her big sister’s little sister. She could shamelessly play cute to get away with it.
She suddenly felt that the traits her big sister had, which might have seemed a little cocky on her brother, actually felt strangely fitting on her big sister.
As if her big sister was naturally cut out to be an older sister.
That was quite a novel discovery for her.
Most importantly, her big sister cooked well.
“Alright, little sis, go play in your room for a bit. Let me see what we have in the house that’s edible. I haven’t been grocery shopping in a long time.”
After thinking it over, Ye Xingyao decided her little sister’s stomach was more important.
“Yay!”
Ye Xingling cheered and scampered off to her room.
Now only the standing black-haired girl and the seated white-haired girl were left at the dining table, staring at each other.
“Xiaoyue?”
“…”
“Xiaoyue, Xiaoyue? What do you want to eat?”
“…”
“Hey, don’t just stay silent!”
Shiyue’s reaction left Xingyao baffled. What was up with her today? First she said things that made her shy, then she got handsy, and now she just stared at her with a smile in her eyes, not saying a word.
Why were girls’ minds so hard to understand? If only most girls were as easy to coax as her little sister, or as well-behaved as Fumier.
“You think I’m a hassle?”
Shiyue raised an eyebrow, as if she could read her mind.
“No!”
Ye Xingyao declared with righteous indignation, her solemn expression making it look like she was about to swear a terrible oath.
“Hmph~ It’s right that you think I’m a hassle.”
Shiyue didn’t buy it easily. Instead, the amusement in her eyes deepened. It was because of that expression that Xingyao realized she had already fallen into her trap.
“Hmph.”
Ye Xingyao turned her face to the right and gave a light snort, putting on a “I’m not talking to you anymore” look.
“Alright… I admit I went a bit overboard this time. But if I let Xiao Yao think I’m an easy girl to handle…”
Shiyue stood up, reached out gently, and cupped Xingyao’s cheeks. With a tender motion, she made her meet her eyes and explained quite seriously, then gave her a meaningful “you know what I mean” look.
Gulp… Was she some kind of flirtatious girl?
Ye Xingyao silently complained in her heart. Was unreasonable jealousy from a girlfriend something you just had to go through in a relationship?
“A-Anyway, let’s cook first. My little sister is going to get really hungry!”
The black-haired girl blushed slightly, flustered, and slapped the other’s hand away. She had just realized how close they were—so close it felt like they were about to kiss.
It wasn’t just Xiaoyue who was acting strange today. Her own reactions felt a bit off too. Wasn’t this what she had been looking forward to? Why was she being so sensitive?
Just as she was about to head for the fridge, she felt her hand grabbed by the girl beside her.
“Wh-What is it?”
Startled by the sudden move, Ye Xingyao halted mid-step and turned to look at the white-haired girl.
“And after dinner? Does Xiao Yao have anything else planned?”
Shiyue’s violet eyes fixed straight on the hickey barely hidden by the hem of Xingyao’s hoodie, and she revealed a seductive smile.
“…”
Ye Xingyao followed her gaze and instantly understood her meaning. Her already flushed cheeks grew even redder.
Actually, she didn’t really mind that kind of thing. Even if it went further, as long as Xiaoyue wanted it, she’d be willing to go along.
What had made her a little angry was that Xiaoyue had been too impatient, hadn’t even closed the door, and her little sister had seen her being pinned down and kissed…
Overwhelmed by shame, Xiao Yao finally exploded.
“Don’t worry. This time, I’ll definitely close the door properly. Everything about Xiao Yao belongs to me!”
Shiyue promised earnestly. The Star Elf girl gave a stiff nod—and by the time she realized what she had agreed to, it was already too late.
“Did Xiaoyue just say something really heavy?”
“Nope.”
Shiyue smiled, let go of the girl’s wrist, and turned to the fridge, enthusiastically starting to look for tonight’s dinner.
Ye Xingyao watched her, so full of energy, and didn’t know what to say.
The thought that the reason she was moving so quickly and efficiently was so she could later go back to the room and kiss and cuddle with her… left Xingyao feeling an odd mix of… shyness? Excitement?
She couldn’t tell what emotion it was. Even when they did those things, her memories of Xiaoyue’s eyes and movements weren’t all that clear.
But precisely because of that haziness, when she looked at Xiaoyue, who was tying on an apron and getting ready to cook, her heart swelled with another kind of feeling.
“Wait, Xiaoyue, what are you planning to make? Let me help!”
Is this love? she asked herself silently.