Chapter 61: The Jealousy of the Nest

Hisaki’s gaze was direct; she rarely tried to minimize her presence.

Sumire, on the other hand, looked at people with a quiet, unobtrusive gaze, as if deliberately suppressing his own existence.

Rinna couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at him. Not for any other reason—this boy was simply too beautiful.

If no one had told her in advance that Sumire was Hisaki’s younger brother, she might have thought he was a slightly aloof, cool-tempered little girl.

‘Xiao Hisaki’s mama really has strong genes.’

Rinna sighed inwardly.

Sumire, like Hisaki, had inherited their mother’s face very well. There was a soft, pliable quality to the siblings’ brows and eyes, different from Hei Luan Yu Si’s hard lines—but Hisaki’s features had a sharp, heroic edge added to the softness, while Sumire took that softness to an extreme, to the point of being androgynous.

If not for the Adam’s apple on his neck… she really would have thought Sumire was a tomboy.

From looks and temperament, Rinna mentally attached a temporary label to Sumire: a child who was taciturn, expressionless, and seemed reluctant to interact with others.

Probably the type that was a bit aloof, sensitive, but not very talkative. He didn’t seem like someone who would start trouble, but not the type to easily open up either.

However, her attention was quickly pulled back by a pair of chopsticks reaching over from the side. She remembered Hisaki mentioning earlier that Sumire often came late to dinner, or sometimes didn’t come at all. ‘He’s punctual today, at least.’

“Rinna, open up.”

Hisaki’s voice came from the left. Her chopsticks held a piece of fish—skin attached, slightly charred from the grill. Her other hand cupped underneath to catch any falling flakes, upper body leaning forward slightly, her dark brown eyes fixed seriously on Rinna.

Rinna opened her mouth instinctively. The fish skin was crispy from the charcoal fire. As she bit down, she heard the faintest crack. The fish fibers separated between her teeth, spilling juice with a hint of sea salt and the fragrance of oil.

She chewed a couple of times, her cheeks puffing out into a small bulge.

Hisaki watched her eat, the corner of her mouth curling up slightly. Then she picked up a piece of radish that had been stewed until soft and flavorful and offered it over.

“Eat this too.”

Then half a spoon of miso soup, blown on a couple times before being brought to Rinna’s lips.

“Careful, it’s hot.”

Rinna was being fed bite after bite by Hisaki, all her attention and thoughts shifting to handling Hisaki’s aggressive feeding.

She had to quickly decide in the interval between swallows whether to take the next bite or not—but before she could make a decision, Hisaki’s next bite was already at her lips.

The timing was perfect: Hisaki never shoved new food into her mouth while she still had the previous mouthful, nor did she make her wait so long that her eyes started to wander.

So she didn’t notice that, on her left side, about half an arm’s length away, a pair of eyes—the same dark brown as the person next to her, but duller and quieter—were watching her steadily, without deviation.

Sumire chewed the rice in his bowl slowly.

Chewing could disguise as focused eating, providing a legitimate cover for his gaze. He ate the grilled fish and pickles before him bite by bite, his movements neither fast nor slow.

The sound of his chopsticks and bowl rim was completely drowned out by the fragments of feeding sounds between his sister and Rinna beside him.

He sensed the occasional furtive glances from Bai Lai sister.

Until those glances vanished.

Then, Sumire shifted his attention from the food in front of him, raised his eyes, and quietly settled them on the white-haired girl who was being fed bite after bite by his sister.

Regarding Bai Lai Rinna, Hei Lai Qi’s understanding went far beyond the surface. Bai Lai sister was sixteen this year, in the same class as his sister. Their families were neighbors, and she’d often come to the Hei Lai house to play since she was six.

Her hair was naturally white—some sort of physical condition prevented melanin from settling normally in her hair follicles. Her parents had been traveling all year round to find medicine for her, which was why his sister had taken her into their house to live…

No.

It was his sister who had actively asked their father to bring Bai Lai sister over.

The things he knew were far more than any ordinary classmate of Bai Lai sister’s should know. Because he committed every detail to memory. All just to study one question: why did his sister’s gaze only ever fall on this girl?

He had poured a great deal of energy into Bai Lai sister, observing her preferences, her habits, her temperament… Then, he turned himself into a collection of those details.

He let his black hair grow a little longer. The casual clothes and accessories he wore outside of school uniform, within that refined aesthetic, also carried that faint, cool aloofness typical of Rinna.

He had dressed himself up as a miniature version of a second Bai Lai Rinna. Trying, in some unguarded moment, to let his shadow fall on the spot that was reflected in the very center of his sister’s pupils.

He didn’t want to replace Bai Lai Rinna. He knew that was impossible. He only wanted that when his sister’s gaze chased after Bai Lai sister, occasionally—just once—it would also sweep over him.

See that he too was wearing a white dress, see that he too had amber eyes, see that he too could be as cute as Bai Lai sister.

The heart that envied Bai Lai Rinna was gathering, little by little, in the deepest part of his chest. The pace of gathering was not fast, but it never stopped.