Ding-dong!
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong!
The newly installed doorbell at Xia Xi’s house kept ringing.
Xia Yue, who had already used snacks to soothe the sorrow and indignation in her heart, was the first to run and open the door.
“Good afternoon, Xiaoyue~ This is a gift for you~”
Liu Yiyi handed a “Hatsune” series figurine blind box to Xia Yue. She knew that Xia Yue’s favorite was this virtual singer.
“Thank you, Yiyi-jie! Come in and sit down, Yiyi-jie~”
After receiving the gift, Xia Yue’s little mouth was smiling so wide it was hard to describe.
While inviting the guests inside, she openly sized up the two friends Liu Yiyi had brought.
Mm… one was a big sister dressed provocatively, and the other was a young lady dressed simply. Both were total beauties.
“Yiyi, long time no see.”
Lin Xuening was studying the recipes on her phone with An Xiaoyu and Luo Xinyu. She looked up and saw Liu Yiyi entering.
“Yeah, yeah, Xuening, you’re getting prettier and prettier.”
Liu Yiyi had learned a lot from her older sister. Things like bringing gifts when visiting someone’s home—she had mastered the essence of that.
Almost every gift she gave was something the other person quite liked.
Except for “Xia Xi”…
Luo Xinyu stared at the girls’ love manga in her hands and fell into deep thought.
What on earth made the other person think Xia Xi liked this kind of thing?
“What’s wrong? Xia Xi, don’t you like this gift?”
Before Luo Xinyu could speak, Xia Yue—who had just led Tachibana Rin and Natsukawa Mirai inside—snatched the manga away.
“Ahem, Yiyi-jie, my brother really likes this gift, but he’s a bit shy, so I’ll take it to his room for him first~”
So that’s how it was! ×2
“Little Mirai, you’re about to meet the author in person. Are you excited?”
“Of course I’m excited! That’s my idol!”
“Yo yo, aren’t you studying computer science? How come your idol is a literary one?”
“None of your business!”
Tachibana Rin and Natsukawa Mirai whispered to each other.
Luo Xinyu’s figure was blocked by Liu Yiyi, so they couldn’t see her face for a moment.
“Yiyi, aren’t you going to introduce us to your two friends?”
In the end, it was Luo Xinyu who brought it up with a smile.
“Oh, right, right, right, I almost forgot.”
Liu Yiyi slapped her forehead and quickly shifted aside, linking arms with Natsukawa Mirai.
“Xia Xi, this is Natsukawa Mirai. She has the same surname as you—Xia! And she’s also a shrine maiden at a shrine in Sakura Province! I feel like you two are destined to meet~”
When Natsukawa Mirai saw Luo Xinyu’s face, she was already stunned.
“So, like, is there any chance that Miss Natsukawa’s surname is actually Natsukawa?”
As for Liu Yiyi, Luo Xinyu didn’t even know what to say. If you said she was uneducated, well, she had become a famous author. If you said she was educated, well, she wrote novels about Sakura Province but didn’t even know that the other person’s surname was a compound one.
“Ahaha, is that so? No big deal.”
Liu Yiyi felt a bit awkward.
“Xia Xi-dage… I never expected that the person we were looking for was you…”
Natsukawa Mirai now had a complicated expression.
Of course she knew Xia Xi. He was that young lady’s future boyfriend, and a friend who had climbed a mountain with them.
“See, little Mirai? I told you there was something off about Xia Xi-dage’s identity!”
Tachibana Rin put her hands on her hips, looking smug.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re the best.”
You didn’t guess that he’s the author of “Dragon Clan” either…
Natsukawa Mirai complained inwardly.
“Haha, I didn’t know you were looking for me either. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have needed to take a plane all the way to Yu City.”
Luo Xinyu knew that the other party was only pretending to look for Xia Xi. After all, Xia Xi had told her what they were asking about. It was just that Xia Xi didn’t want to reveal his identity, so he had asked her to keep it a secret.
“But, since the author of Dragon Clan is you, then why did Miss Xinyu…”
Tachibana Rin wanted to say something, but Natsukawa Mirai tugged at her sleeve.
That young lady probably just didn’t want other girls getting close to her crush. Fame brings trouble, and being too outstanding attracts attention—she understood that logic, so they didn’t blame the young lady for hiding it from them.
Liu Yiyi watched for a long time and finally blurted out, “After all that, it turns out you guys already knew each other?”
In response, Luo Xinyu and Natsukawa Mirai just exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.
…
Meanwhile.
Inside Luo Xinyu’s private room.
Xia Xi held a paintbrush in his hand, sketching lifelike manga on the paper.
And then…
[The host’s identity has been discovered. Mission failed. Failure punishment is being issued.]
Xia Xi: “?”
What’s going on!
Why did the mission suddenly fail?
He was staying in his room and hadn’t gone anywhere. On what grounds did the mission fail!
He refused to accept this!
Wait!
Luo Xinyu!
Timid Young Lady: “Xinyu, did you reveal your identity to Natsukawa Mirai and the others???”
Summer Dawn: “Eh? Little Xixi, how did you know? They’re visiting at home right now. Yiyi brought them.”
Seeing the reply, Xia Xi’s world collapsed.
He, Xia Xi, had gone through countless missions, and in the end, he still fell at the hands of those closest to him~
“But this absolute choice in my head doesn’t seem like much. I don’t even feel anything.”
A failed mission should, logically speaking, feel like the last time he was pulled into the game as punishment—there should be a real sensation. But Xia Xi felt no different from usual right now.
“Big sister, guess what I bought? Limited edition chocolate! Hehe, you try it first~”
In front of his sister, Luo Xingchen seemed silly and childish, completely different from the domineering, imposing, and reliable image he had as the boss on campus.
Xia Xi was just about to agree when a thought suddenly popped into his head.
[Option One: Refuse to taste the chocolate. Punishment: Being held down by Luo Xingchen and force-fed.
Option Two: Agree to taste the chocolate. Punishment: Luo Xinyu gains ten jin of weight.
Option Three: Set the chocolate aside and trick Luo Xingchen into putting on women’s clothing. Punishment: The host personally takes photos for him.]
Oh boy, so this is the so-called absolute choice in my head?
Options one and two were absolutely impossible to choose. If he chose option one, he couldn’t imagine being held down by Luo Xingchen and force-fed. That would really make him the timid young lady!
As for option two, if Luo Xinyu’s body inexplicably gained ten jin of weight, he would definitely be beaten to death! Definitely!
So… sorry, my foolish little brother. Women’s clothing only has zero times and infinite times. Accept your fate!
“Ahem, Xiaochen, come here a bit. Come, sit down. Take a look at how big sister’s manga is coming along.”
Luo Xingchen was obedient and sat down on the chair Xia Xi had vacated.
“Is this the manga you’re planning to publish, big sister? It looks pretty good.”
Luo Xingchen looked at the manga without noticing at all that his dear big sister had secretly slipped to the door and, with a click, locked it.
“Xiaochen, you don’t want your little brothers to see those pictures of you in women’s clothing from last time, do you~”
