(1)
The computer screen flickered with a fluorescent glow. Zhu Ying held a bean rice cake wrapped in a napkin, took a tiny bite, and then secretly held it up to An Jing’s lips.
An Jing, who was busy replying to messages from her group members, didn’t even notice. She naturally opened her mouth and took a large bite, her cheeks bulging as she typed away with a rhythmic clatter.
“What are you doing?”
“I told them I’m a guy, but they don’t believe me.”
“Is that so? You seem to be enjoying yourself quite a bit, though.”
“No, I’m not!”
“You like the feeling of being the center of attention, don’t you?”
“N-No! If that were the case, why wouldn’t I just play a female character in the game?”
“Actually, aren’t you sometimes jealous of the female character I play? You say her clothes look nice and all that.”
“Cough!!” An Jing quickly closed the chat window and opened the browser. “Let’s just watch a movie… What did you want to watch again?”
“How about an anime?”
“Sure. Did you watch *Natsume’s Book of Friends* like I recommended?”
“Not yet — but I want to watch your favorite one first.”
“Which one?”
“That one. The beautiful girl on the poster… *Yosuga no Sora*?”
“Eeeh!?”
“Why such a big reaction?”
“Cough… That… well, that one… might, might be a little…”
“A little what?”
“Not for children?”
“We aren’t children anymore.”
“…But that one isn’t really suitable to watch together…”
“How is it not suitable? Hurry up, hurry up! Saying that just makes me want to watch it more!”
“Ahhh… fine…”
“I want to watch it. Now. Absolutely!”
“…I get it.” An Jing pouted weakly. “You absolutely can’t scream or anything, and you can’t tell my cousin or the others…”
“Pffft… Little Jing, you don’t think I’m completely inexperienced with this stuff, do you? Some of the manga I’ve read before had plenty of explicit scenes, you know.”
“Anime… anime is different, after all…” An Jing closed the browser and opened Storm Player. She didn’t need to go online to find the full series of *Yosuga no Sora* because she had downloaded it long ago and kept it saved on her computer.
Although she had only watched it once and never touched it again, she felt a strange sense of satisfaction from collecting the things she liked.
“Here… want to watch?”
“Watch it. Oh, right, eat your rice cake; it’s going to get cold.”
“Mhm…” An Jing instinctively glanced toward the door. “Wait a second, I’m going to lock the door first, and then… pull the curtains.”
“Is there a need to be so mysterious?”
“Of course there is. I don’t want to be caught. That—that would be too embarrassing.”
“You little rascal.” Just as she spoke, the door was suddenly pushed open. An Jing let out a startled yelp and quickly switched the screen back to the desktop.
“What’s with the huge reaction?”
“Huh? Nothing…”
“I cut a fruit platter for you two. Take your time eating it tonight.”
“Sister Fei cut this?”
“Yeah, why are you looking at me with that weird expression? It’s just a fruit platter. It’s not like I don’t know how to cut fruit.”
“Cough… It’s nothing. I’m just a little surprised that you’d actually entertain guests…”
“Surprised my foot. No matter how you look at it, I work in sales at the company. I have to deal with clients all the time. If I couldn’t even handle this much, how would I have lasted so long?” Yu Mingfei placed one hand on her hip in annoyance and held the fruit platter out. “Hurry up, take it.”
“Oh, r-right…”
(2)
An Jing sat stiffly, unmoving, while Zhu Ying watched with wide, curious eyes. The light reflecting from the screen shifted as the scenes changed. Even though the volume had been turned down very low, the sound remained clear.
“The animation for the movement is actually done quite well… It’s so bouncy.”
“…Cough!”
“I feel like every family in Japanese anime has a bathtub, right, Little Jing? When are we going to a place with a bathtub to bathe together? Hot springs are nice, but I feel like a bathtub is a bit more romantic.”
“Ro-romantic…?”
“Don’t you think so?”
“It’s just lewd…”
Zhu Ying rested her small hand on An Jing’s thigh and gently scratched with her fingertips. “That’s only because you’re thinking of those kinds of things, Little Jing! Don’t you think it’s a particularly romantic thing to be completely honest with each other, stripping away the subconscious defenses of the heart to have a deeper exchange? You can understand the other person better.”
“I-Is that so…”
“Boys really only think about strange things, don’t they?”
“Hmph!” An Jing pouted in dissatisfaction. “Are you saying you haven’t thought about it?”
“But that’s not the most important part! Whoa, don’t tickle my stomach, it’s itchy!”
“Little Jing, do you want to try feeling it?”
“Feel what?”
“My stomach.”
“N-No, I shouldn’t…” An Jing struggled to refuse. Even as she said it, a wave of regret washed over her heart, but she insisted on pretending to be unmoved by feminine charms. “I hope the love between us isn’t—isn’t because of that sort of thing.”
“Love naturally includes both affection and desire. If you weren’t interested in my body, how could you say you like me?”
“That… makes a lot of sense…”
“So, want to feel?”
“N-No! Let’s talk about that after—after high school!” An Jing pulled her small hands into her sleeves.
“Why?” Zhu Ying rested her chin in her hand, propping her elbow on the desk. She listened to the strange sounds coming from the speakers and tilted her head toward An Jing. “You’re always so resistant, Little Jing…”
“It’s—it’s not you… I’m not… it’s just… I have to wait until I’m a bit more mature. I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself, and then I’ll fall… Okay…”
“Would you?”
“To be honest, back when I was still a boy… when I first learned about that stuff, I did it every day… Anyway, I just couldn’t control myself. I couldn’t hold back at all.” An Jing let out a long sigh. “I’m not the kind of person with particularly strong willpower. So, before I’m strong enough, it’s better not to do anything strange.”
“Pffft…” Zhu Ying covered her mouth and let out a light giggle. “Your face is completely red, Little Jing.”
“…Do you want to keep watching?”
“Yes. But the plot feels a bit strange. Why is the male protagonist sleeping with so many girls?”
“That’s actually because there are different routes in the game. You… you have to look at them separately.”
“What do you mean by ‘route’?”
“It’s like… an ending? No, or rather, a possibility?”
“Like how we wouldn’t be sitting here together if it weren’t for the meteorite?”
“Right… that’s basically what it means.”
“I see.”
“Actually, if you want to understand the story, playing the game is the most appropriate way. But anime is more comfortable to watch, after all. The games are mostly illustrations; they don’t move.”
“Send me a copy of the game later!”
“Eeeh — “
“What? I want to properly understand the things you like.” Zhu Ying blinked playfully. “Right, Little Sister An Jing?”
“Cough!!”
(3)
The box of bean rice cakes was empty, and only a few longans remained on the fruit plate. Two toothpicks lay in the residual fruit juice, swaying slightly in the gentle breeze.
The final frame froze on Sora, dressed in her western-style outfit. The camera slowly pulled back, revealing the vast blue sky beyond the two of them embracing in a kiss.
Then, the ending theme played for the last time.
“Little Jing?”
“Mhm…?”
“Oh…” Zhu Ying reached out her slender finger in surprise and gently wiped away the wet tear on the other girl’s cheek. “Mmm… it’s salty…”
“Wh-What are you doing…”
“Are you crying, Little Jing?”
“Cough… I didn’t even cry the first time I watched it. Is it because a girl’s body cries more easily?”
“I’ve never been a boy. Without a comparison, how would I know such a thing!”
“Cough…” An Jing messy-handedly wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Anyway, that’s basically the story. The one where he stays with Sora is considered the main route.”
“Mhm. Even though it’s a bit messy, I can more or less figure it out.” Zhu Ying nodded slightly. “Watching the later parts, I actually felt it would have been better if they hadn’t added those suggestive scenes.”
“Right, right! I think so too. In fact, by the end, there was no feeling like that at all — only heartache.”
“Your favorite is Sora, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I prefer Amatsume Akira, that Little Shrine Maiden.”
“I quite like her too…”
“And she has a great relationship with Sora. For a moment, I even thought the three of them would end up together!”
“Pffft… Sora isn’t generous enough to share Haru like that.”
Zhu Ying pursed her lips and smiled. “Alright, it’s getting late. Time to shower and go to bed.”
“Did you bring a change of clothes?”
“No. Since our figures are about the same anyway, can’t I just wear yours?”
“W-Wear mine?”
“The wardrobe — is it this one? Let me see… what kind of clothes are in here…”
“Uh, some were bought by Sister Huihui. There are a few I haven’t even worn yet.”
“I don’t want those. Since we’re going to sleep anyway, I’ll just wear your old clothes.”
“Old clothes? Those are all men’s clothes…”
“That’s what makes it interesting!”
“You really want to wear them?” An Jing looked suspicious. “They might be a bit loose.”
“You’re supposed to wear loose clothes when you sleep.”
“Uh — ” An Jing sat cross-legged on the bed, one hand touching her toes and the other pointing at a drawer. “The boxers are in there. There’s a box inside with brand new ones that haven’t been worn.”
“I want the ones you’ve worn, Little Jing. I like your scent.”
Faced with such direct words, An Jing’s face flushed instantly. “What kind of scent could I possibly have…”
“I don’t know, but it smells very sweet. Like spring water? The kind of spring water that’s a bit sweet.”
“Do you take me for a bottle of Nongfu Spring?”
“Hmph! You aren’t romantic at all, Little Jing!” Zhu Ying picked out a pair of flowery boxers. “These are nice. You actually have pants with such a flashy pattern?”
“Those are beach-style graffiti shorts.” An Jing scratched her cheek. “As for shirts, the other drawer is full of short sleeves. Pick one yourself. If you’re afraid of the cold, pick a long-sleeved one from the hangers.”
“Short sleeves are fine. I don’t like wearing too much to sleep — I’ll take this one! A graffiti t-shirt. It’s so big… Were you really that big before, Little Jing?”
“…Of course I was!”