Chapter 222: I like you

After getting out of the car and receiving the driver’s friendly reminder, the two little ones held hands as they stepped up to the venue entrance. 

The moment they arrived outside, they both froze in surprise.

There were… so many people.

Plenty of them wore all kinds of cosplay outfits, while a few were even decked out in full-body suits as tokusatsu warriors.

For An Yu, who had never been to a place like this before, the impact was overwhelming.

In an instant she turned into a curious little kitten, blinking her amber eyes.

To her, every place felt brand-new, and for the first time she actually wanted to get up and move around.

The long queue still made her hesitate, though.

At that moment, Ning Dongli beside her smiled and poked her cheek, just the way she loved to do.

“Mm… Ning Dongli?”

She looked so different from usual. It was really cute, but An Yu still felt a little unaccustomed to it.

“We’re not queuing over there. Let’s go this way!”

Ning Dongli pointed to the other side. There was a line there too, but far fewer people. “Because I bought VIP tickets~”

“Mm, why?”

“How could I not prepare everything perfectly for a date with An Yu?”

Ning Dongli had absolutely no intention of letting An Yu suffer even a little. 

The shoes she had prepared weren’t even cosplay shoes—they were comfortable ones to wear.

The tickets were VIP passes that let them use the fast lane.

She had thought about this day for a long time.

She had been really, really looking forward to it.

Even so, she had chosen to give the chance to Ning Wanciu, simply because she was a good little sister who loved her older sister.

That was all.

It was just that both Ning Wanciu and An Yu had refused the offer, so the day had turned into a date between the two of them instead.

“Oh, I see.”

An Yu’s eyes brightened. 

For the first time, she became the proactive one.

She pulled Ning Dongli toward the direction she had pointed, already impatient to get inside and play.

An Yu had only ever heard about places like comic conventions but had never been to one.

She had never had the money or the time.

It was different now. Ning Dongli was handling everything, so An Yu didn’t have to worry about anything—she could just enjoy herself.

The colorful one followed behind An Yu while the white-haired little girl excitedly headed for the VIP channel. 

Although this was the place Ning Dongli had wanted to visit, seeing An Yu this happy made a faint sense of satisfaction bloom inside her.

Making An Yu happy really was important!

After a short wait in line, the two little ones quickly entered the venue.

Inside, the place was packed with all kinds of cosplays and booths. 

Most of them were things An Yu had never seen before—or rather, nearly all of them.

But a few still looked familiar.

For example, there were lots of characters from the game she had played.

And some that looked similar to what they were wearing…

Mm… Over there was one that looked a bit like An Qing—long black hair, red eyes, a little fierce yet kind of cute.

But An Qing would never wear clothes like that… right?

Even if she wouldn’t, she would probably look better in them than that person, wouldn’t she?

It was just… the aura… more fitting, that sort of thing.

An Yu blinked dazedly, unsure why she would think of An Qing at such a happy moment.

Sure enough, the reborn heroine was too wicked. Her looks were way too high. She even shared a face with a game character.

Beside her, Ning Dongli nervously poked An Yu’s arm.

“Um… An Yu, I’ll go buy you a drink. What would you like?”

An Yu turned and saw Ning Dongli’s face full of tension.

“Mm? No need. Want me to go with you?”

The drink stall was only a few steps away.

Did Ning Dongli want to train herself and prove something to herself?

“N-No need! I can do it!”

Ning Dongli got a little excited and her voice unconsciously grew louder, but she quickly covered her mouth and glanced around in embarrassment.

She was still the same socially anxious girl, but to show herself in front of An Yu she had chosen to go alone.

“Okay… I’ll wait right here for you.”

Seeing her like this, An Yu nodded and agreed to let her go by herself.

Last time she had hidden behind An Yu the moment she saw a clerk. Now she could handle things on her own?

Little pillow, not bad.

In An Yu’s sight, Ning Dongli left her side and trotted over to the drink stall.

But the moment she arrived, she suddenly realized An Yu hadn’t told her what she wanted to drink.

Ning Dongli turned back, looking at An Yu who was watching her with complete trust, and felt a little stumped.

“Miss, what would you like to drink?”

The clerk smiled warmly, looking very friendly. When Ning Dongli didn’t answer, she spoke up first.

“Ah!”

Ning Dongli jumped in surprise. Under the clerk’s gaze she couldn’t run back to ask An Yu.

Think, think, think!

Ning Dongli, use your brain!

Last time…

Ah… she couldn’t remember.

Ning Dongli’s face flushed bright red, but she still couldn’t recall what flavor An Yu liked.

The clerk nearly laughed out loud.

This little one was really adorable.

She had the courage to cosplay but not the courage to speak?

Was she… good friends with the one over there in the distance?

The two of them matched so well.

“Then, miss, would you like me to recommend two of our signature drinks?”

“Uh?”

“There are two flavors. You can switch between them later, okay?”

The clerk smiled and pointed at the menu, seemingly hitting exactly what Ning Dongli was thinking.

“Okay, okay, these two!”

Since Ning Dongli only wanted to finish buying quickly and get back to An Yu, she didn’t notice why the clerk had mentioned switching flavors.

Seeing this, the clerk’s smile grew even brighter.

“Come over here to scan the code~”

“Okay.”

Ning Dongli timidly took out her phone, finished the payment, and then began anxiously waiting.

Meanwhile, on the other side, An Yu—who had been left alone—didn’t completely turn into a solo state.

Thanks to her outstanding looks and the highly accurate cosplay, quite a few people came over one after another to ask for photos with her.

To be honest, An Yu didn’t quite understand what this was about.

“Please, just strike this pose!”

Beside her, a black-haired, red-eyed girl struck a pleading posture, asking the girl to pose the way she wanted to see before taking the photo together.

An Yu blinked silently, then raised the writing board in her hand.

She didn’t quite get it, but she would follow along.

Because this person didn’t seem to have any ill intentions.

Although she looked a bit like An Qing, she was fundamentally a different person from An Qing.

She picked up the pen and quickly wrote on the board.

“I like you.”

Although An Yu couldn’t understand the reason for their request, she still wrote it.

Maybe the character was supposed to do this. She didn’t understand it.

The moment she raised the writing board, camera flashes went off as multiple people began taking photos.