Chapter 37: Xiao Yao Is Such a Fool!

“Xiao Yao, you didn’t used to say things like that,” Yi Shiyue teased with a half-smile.

“Well, does Shiyue like the old me more, or the current me better?”

Ye Xingyao maintained the sweet smile on her face, stood on her tiptoes with her small face uptilted, and lightly pressed her cheek against the girl’s.

“Hmm… I feel like the current Xiao Yao is much bolder than before. Could it be that you’ve wanted to be a girl for a long time?” Yi Shiyue pouted as she looked the girl up and down — a girl who was vastly different from the boy in her memories — curiously asking.

“No way! I was a top-tier honor student back in Satellite City! It’s just that I’ve fallen on hard times now, and I have to make some compromises for this change in identity…” Ye Xingyao spread her small hands and smiled. She then obediently helped Yi Shiyue pick up the various ingredients from the floor, opening the refrigerator to organize them as she always did.

“But I feel like the current Xiao Yao is much more authentic,” Yi Shiyue said seriously as she joined Ye Xingyao in tidying up the kitchen, putting the ingredients into their respective compartments.

“Why do you say that? I’m standing right here in front of you. Is there really a difference between being authentic or not?” Now it was Ye Xingyao’s turn to be curious.

At some point, they had developed a deep rapport. With just a glance or a small movement, they could guess what the other wanted to do or how they were feeling. Instead, they rarely sat down to talk seriously like this. Sometimes, the conversations both of them had with Xingling were more frequent than the ones they had with each other.

“Xiao Yao, before you knew I was a Moon Elf and I knew your identity as a Hunter, how long had it been since we talked like this?”

“It has been a long time…”

Ye Xingyao fell into a brief silence. She understood what Yi Shiyue was trying to say.

‘Opening up and talking like this… it really has been a long time…’

Well, not necessarily. At least, they had started communicating like this since they learned about each other’s hidden sides.

“So, after finding out you’ve been a Hunter for a long time and even dressed in women’s clothing in front of others, I felt like I didn’t quite know you anymore.”

The ingredients were quickly organized. Yi Shiyue picked out a portion to prepare for today’s lunch, then walked over to Ye Xingyao, looking seriously at the girl who was slightly taller than herself.

“I — “

Yi Shiyue reached out her index finger and gently pressed it against her lips, interrupting the words she was about to say.

“Let me finish first, Xiao Yao. Did you know that before all this happened, I was always considering whether or not to confess to you, or how I should respond if you confessed to me?”

“I am a Moon Elf. Before knowing the identities of my uncle and aunt, I had never seen an elf capable of being with a human. Not to mention you, in my eyes at the time, were a gentle boy who left early and returned late to help Xingling and me live in Satellite City while maintaining excellent grades.”

“As a Moon Elf, would being with you really be allowed? Wouldn’t I affect the life that was supposed to be comfortable for you?” Yi Shiyue’s gaze turned a bit lonely.

“And behind all that, you were a seasoned Hunter, fighting in places Xingling and I didn’t know about, taking risks we were unaware of… even now, you’ve become a girl because of me…”

“That’s just the difference in our ways of thinking, Shiyue.”

Ye Xingyao reached out and pulled the girl into her arms from behind, her voice gentle. At this moment, she seemed to radiate a certain brilliance.

“To me, whether you are a Moon Elf or not doesn’t matter at all. In my life, only you and Xingling are the most important. Even if someone told me now that Xingling was a magical girl or something like that, I wouldn’t think it was important.”

“That night, after finding out you were a Moon Elf, if Sister Hongye hadn’t helped us settle the matter, I was already prepared to take you and Xingling away overnight to live in the West. Regardless, my status as a Midnight-rank Hunter would have allowed me to succeed anywhere.”

“And don’t say those self-blaming things. If Shiyue hadn’t obtained the Star Elf Stone, I would have turned into rubble along with our old house. Then, how sad would Xingling be without her brother and sister?”

Ye Xingyao rested her chin on Yi Shiyue’s head, feeling the softness of her hair.

“Just like how we’ll always talk like this from now on. After learning each other’s secrets, it’s natural to feel unfamiliar. Can’t we just continue to get to know each other? We are lovers, after all.”

As she spoke, a certain image suddenly flashed through Ye Xingyao’s mind — an image of her being pinned to the bed by the girl in her arms, kissed until she was breathless. Her pretty face instantly turned red.

Yi Shiyue broke free from her embrace with a slight nudge. Seeing her slightly flushed face, she looked into her eyes with deep affection.

“Fine, you pass.”

After a moment, Yi Shiyue reached out and poked the girl’s belly.

“Ow! Is your mood better?”

Ye Xingyao jumped. Being poked in the belly felt ticklish and a bit uncomfortable.

“I suppose so. Next time you say such sappy things, remember to just kiss me directly, okay?” Yi Shiyue looked at her girlfriend, who had only recently become a girl, with a somewhat resentful gaze. She couldn’t help but sigh again — Ye Xingyao was right about one thing: their thought processes were different.

Honestly, the atmosphere was so good just now…

‘Xiao Yao is such a fool, a fool, a fool!’

“I feel like I missed something important!”

Ye Xingyao wasn’t exactly sensitive to these things, but she wasn’t stupid. How could she not hear what Yi Shiyue was implying?

“Hey, Shiyue~”

Ye Xingyao opened her arms, putting on a pitiful expression as she begged for a hug. Her clear eyes were filled with something sweet.

“Fine, fine.”

Yi Shiyue reached out her hands and pulled the girl into a doting embrace.

“Mmm… so soft…”

Like a kitten that had found a warm nest, Ye Xingyao rubbed against her lover’s chest to her heart’s content, a triumphant smile appearing on her face.

“I suddenly realized that Xiao Yao’s personality is a lot like a girl who jumped out of a two-dimensional story. Did you learn your cross-dressing skills from those things back then?” Yi Shiyue asked casually, ruffling her hair.

“Maybe some of it… I’m not really sure myself. I’ve almost forgotten what I was feeling when I dressed up as a girl and went to the Hunter Union to register, only for the receptionist to say minors weren’t allowed to be Hunters, until Sister Hongye finally bailed me out.”

“As for this… maybe it’s just natural talent? Hehe!”

“What exactly are you so proud of…”

“Ouch, don’t knock my head. Alright, stop overthinking. Why don’t you think about what delicious food you’re going to make for your cute little girlfriend?”

“Hey… you’ve already put yourself in the role of the cute little girlfriend? Clearly, I should be the one acting spoiled, right?”