She said she had things to buy, but in reality, Luo Xinyu was simply holding Xia Xi’s hand and strolling through the streets.
Feeling the envious glances from passersby, Luo Xinyu finally understood why people said bringing a beautiful girlfriend shopping made you feel incredibly proud.
Back when she was still a girl, she’d never really noticed. But now that she’d swapped into Xia Xi’s male body, she could finally see just how devastating her own original body was to men.
Heh heh~ But oh well, there was no room for a second man in her heart anyway—having her little Xia Xi was more than enough.
“Hey, Xinyu, how about we grab a cab to the foot of the mountain first? Otherwise, by the time everyone else gets there and we’re still not, it’ll be pretty awkward.”
After they’d wandered around for a good while, Xia Xi finally reminded her to get a taxi.
Being led by the hand by Luo Xinyu felt warm and secure, but it was the middle of summer, so it was actually getting a bit hot.
And she was holding on way too tightly—Xia Xi couldn’t pull free no matter how hard she tried.
“You’re right. Let’s get a cab then.”
…
“Big sis, over here!”
Luo Xingchen spotted the two of them the moment they got out of the car.
“It’s hot out. I got you some ice-cold water.”
He handed Xia Xi a chilled bottle of mineral water, worried that his sister might get too hot or thirsty.
Xia Xi cast a helpless glance at Luo Xinyu beside her.
This treatment should really be hers, but now he was the one enjoying it—and he couldn’t help feeling a little guilty.
Also… why did Luo Xingchen seem so much like a lovesick puppy?
He shook his head.
No, no—he was just caring for his sister. That was family tenderness, plain and simple. How could that be called simping? He must have been watching too many brain-dead short dramas lately.
“It’s fine, go ahead and drink. It’s not your time of the month anyway.”
Luo Xinyu didn’t mind at all. It was just a bottle of water—she could buy one anytime. She wasn’t so petty that she’d get jealous over something like that.
“Hey, Xiaochuan, if I go give Xia Xi a bottle of water right now, do you think his approval rating of me will skyrocket?”
“Give it a rest. You’re not seriously trying to steal someone from the young lady, are you?”
“Hehe, I just want to know what he’s hiding from us. Gotta raise his approval rating first if I want to get him to spill the beans.”
Rikka Tachibana let out a couple of sly chuckles, her mischievous expression a complete mismatch for her cool, handsome face.
“Besides, I’ve already got you. How could I possibly go after anyone else? Am I right, my dear Xiaochuan~”
“Get lost! What do you mean ‘you’ve got me’? Don’t get your orange-scented vibes all over me!”
Mirai Kawahara looked her best friend up and down with disdain, then quickly took a step back to create some distance.
“Ah, so sad—I’ve been rejected by my little Xiaochuan.”
Judging purely by appearance, Rikka Tachibana should be the quintessential cool older-sister type. If she kept an icy expression, she’d probably be called an “ice queen,” with all sorts of weirdos swarming around her chanting, “Big sis is so cool~” and “Step on me, big sis~”
But unfortunately, deep down she was just a total goofball.
“Alright, since everyone’s here, let’s head up the mountain.”
Mirai Kawahara let out a light sigh at the sight of Rikka’s face—one that appealed to both men and women equally—then took a couple of steps toward Xia Xi and the others.
“No problem!”
…
“So, Mirai, why did you guys pick this mountain as our destination?”
Xia Xi munched on a melon-pan bun that Luo Xinyu’s sweet little brother had kindly given him, and asked the shrine maiden with some curiosity.
Luo Xinyu, standing beside him, stared at Xia Xi’s mouth, lost in thought.
“I heard there’s a temple at the top. If you hang a wish slip with your written wish on the wishing tree inside, there’s a pretty good chance it’ll come true.”
Mirai Kawahara’s voice came with a hint of breathlessness—she didn’t have nearly as much stamina as Rikka Tachibana, so climbing the mountain was taking a toll on her.
Xia Xi wasn’t faring much better either.
He was currently using Luo Xinyu’s body right now, and this young lady’s physique hadn’t exactly been put through much exercise. She spent her days running off to learn all sorts of crafts from Lin Xuenin, so naturally her stamina wasn’t great.
Luo Xinyu, on the other hand, was using Xia Xi’s system-enhanced body. Climbing the mountain was a piece of cake for her—she wasn’t even out of breath.
Dammit! That effortless feeling should have been his—Xia Xi’s!
“A wishing tree? Miss Kawahara really does live up to being a shrine maiden. Even though most people would call that superstition, you still believe in it wholeheartedly.”
“Not really. It was Rikka who dragged me here. Personally, I don’t really believe in wishes or anything like that.”
Mirai Kawahara didn’t believe in ghosts or gods.
“After all, there’s no such thing as spirits or deities in this world. Wish slips are really just a psychological comfort.”
Hearing that, Rikka Tachibana couldn’t let it slide.
“That’s not true! Didn’t you see it just last night, Xiaochuan…”
Before she could finish, the red-haired girl pinched her arm, cutting her off mid-sentence.
“See what?”
Luo Xingchen didn’t quite understand what was going on. Curious about what she’d seen last night, he asked.
“Nothing, really. It’s just that Rikka was dressing up as a ghost in the middle of the night to scare me, saying she was possessed or something. As if that’s even possible.”
Mirai Kawahara obviously knew that her best friend had genuinely been possessed last night, but she didn’t want to blurt out everything at once.
Talking about encountering ghosts and spirits would completely shatter people’s worldview.
Luo Xingchen fell silent at the red-haired shrine maiden’s words.
He thought back to yesterday, when his own sister had seemed like a completely different person and forced him to cross-dress…
Could it be that his sister had been possessed by a ghost at that time?!?
Luo Xingchen felt like he’d stumbled onto something huge.
“Big sis…”
He crept over to Xia Xi’s ear.
“Do you remember what you did to me yesterday?”
Seeing Luo Xingchen acting all sneaky, Xia Xi was baffled.
“What did I do to you?”
He hadn’t done anything, had he? He’d just drawn a sketch of the other in women’s clothing—that wasn’t anything weird, was it? Or had he gone too far and the guy was still holding a grudge?
“Exactly!”
Luo Xingchen’s eyes suddenly grew firm after getting his answer.
His sister must have been possessed by a ghost yesterday—she didn’t even remember what she’d done to him!
Dammit, you little spirit! How dare you possess my sister’s body! Don’t let me catch you, or else… or else…
Well, he didn’t really have any way to deal with ghosts.
But that was okay—there was a temple at the top of the mountain, right? He could just ask a master there for a few protection charms and make sure his sister carried them at all times.
With that thought, he suddenly sped up his pace up the mountain, leaving everyone else baffled.
“What’s up with him? Why’s he suddenly acting like he chugged an energy drink?”
Xia Xi was confused.
The guy had snuck over, asked him a weird question, and now he was all fired up. It was hard to make sense of.
Luo Xinyu patted Xia Xi’s head.
“It’s nothing. Kids grow up fast—just let him have his fun~”
