Chapter 120: It’s Better to be an Older Sister, Right?
“I say… why do I have to dress like this?”
“Finally a day off, of course you should wear something comfortable, right?”
The morning golden sunlight bathed the white-haired girl, surrounding her with a warm golden glow, while another black-haired girl stood beside her, gently combing her hair.
Yes, this is Luo Shuangyue and Xia Mo, but Luo Shuangyue has once again been forced by Xia Mo to wear female clothing.
In Xia Mo’s words, I’ve been holding it in for so long, you must wear this female outfit today!
Faced with Xia Mo’s fierce demand, Luo Shuangyue had no choice but to comply obediently.
The family’s hierarchy is evident.
As for Luo Shuangxing, she sat nearby with a face full of jealousy, grinding her teeth while watching Xia Mo and Luo Shuangyue interact intimately.
Hey, why isn’t it me that gets treated like this by Sister Xia Mo! I envy and hate it so much!
Regarding Luo Shuangxing’s envy and jealousy, Luo Shuangyue just wanted to say, if you want it, come and take it, since she couldn’t move at all right now, fearing that any slight wrong move would trigger Xia Mo’s pent-up emotions, dragging her into the room to do things that only girls do.
Though it wasn’t that she couldn’t accept it, but… how to put it, accepting it easily isn’t a simple matter.
This level of interaction is fine, but if it gets any closer or more intimate, Luo Shuangyue would feel a sense of incongruity…
After finishing Luo Shuangyue’s hair, Xia Mo sat next to her, wrapping her arm around Luo Shuangyue’s shoulder and whispering, “You don’t have to be so reserved.”
“Isn’t that inappropriate? There are others watching, you know.” Luo Shuangyue was sweating profusely, Xia Mo obviously did not want to perform in front of Shuangxing.
Isn’t this a bit much?
Then she saw her dear younger sister somehow pull out an eye mask and put it over her eyes, while giving her a thumbs-up.
The meaning was clear: you two go ahead, I can’t see anything.
“Now no one is watching.” Xia Mo smirked, then pushed Luo Shuangyue down onto the sofa, burying her head next to Luo Shuangyue’s neck and taking a deep breath, “You smell… so delicious, I want to eat you up.”
Today, Xia Mo was more aggressive than usual, it seemed that over the past ten days, the pent-up feelings had resulted in some not-so-good changes in her mentality.
“Is that so? Hahaha.” Luo Shuangyue could only let out an awkward laugh, “Well… how about you try?”
Xia Mo, invited by Luo Shuangyue, chuckled twice, then unapologetically accepted the invitation.
She had intended to do just that.
At this point, Luo Shuangxing had quietly lifted the eye mask just a little, watching the two entangled on the sofa, her face once again turning the color of a ripe apple.
Just pretend I don’t exist! Wow, my beloved senior is having affectionate exchanges with my sister, and here I am, sitting alone and hearing their sounds.
This is too pathetic!
One is an older sister and the other is a sister-in-law, which made Luo Shuangxing feel extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable.
Clearly, both are people she likes, clearly she is so close to them, but why does it feel like there is a thick wall separating her from them now?
Is this the dividing line between single dogs and couples?
Wow, I can’t stand it!
Luo Shuangxing suddenly also wanted to experience what love feels like!
Bang!
Reapplying the eye mask, this time Luo Shuangxing also put on earplugs, so surely she wouldn’t hear those strange sounds!
But why is it that whenever she closes her eyes, those images she just peeked at keep appearing in front of her…?
Damn it!
…
A day soon passed, and during this day, Xia Mo literally played to her heart’s content, while the two sisters from the Luo family were physically and mentally exhausted, coming together to be completely drained.
Of course, Xia Mo wasn’t that much of a lecherous fiend; after getting back all the intimate interactions that she missed over the last few days, she took Luo Shuangyue into her room and started a dress-up game.
Luo Shuangyue was like a dressing doll, stiffly letting Xia Mo try on various outfits on her, of all styles and colors; some outfits she thought weren’t suitable for her even if she didn’t wear them.
After each outfit was tried on, Xia Mo would pull Luo Shuangyue out to show Luo Shuangxing, who was curled up in the living room watching cartoons, to get her opinion.
Starting from “So pretty!” “Sister Xia Mo has a good eye” to later “Not bad” “This works too,” Luo Shuangxing felt quite drained.
She felt like she developed a kind of PTSD towards female clothing in just that one day; she had previously looked forward to seeing Luo Shuangyue in female attire, but after seeing so much today, she felt like she had developed resistance.
After so many styles of her older sister in female clothing, she no longer had the urge to force Luo Shuangyue to wear female outfits for the last few days.
“Brother, Sister Xia Mo is really scary.” Upon returning home, Luo Shuangxing said with a sad face to her somewhat dazed older sister, Luo Shuangyue.
Your married life probably won’t be easy.
“She’s not in her normal state, she doesn’t act like this usually.” Luo Shuangyue weakly defended.
Today’s Xia Mo was an explosive state after a long period of repression, making her seem so fearsome. Normally, Xia Mo was quite normal, and their interactions were similar to those of regular lovers.
At most, Xia Mo was a bit more assertive than usual, while Luo Shuangyue appeared more passive due to her guilt and discomfort.
In the relationship, it turned out that it was Xia Mo, who was always the girl, being more proactive, occupying more of the dominant role, while Luo Shuangyue was the one accepting passively.
Faced with this situation, Luo Shuangyue wasn’t inclined to switch from defense to offense; it was still somewhat difficult for her to actively flirt with Xia Mo.
What? You ask why she dared to act flirtatiously when she was Dark Butterfly before?
That was only because Xia Mo didn’t know who Dark Butterfly was back then, which gave Luo Shuangyue the courage to do so.
Ultimately, Luo Shuangyue was a rather passive person in emotional matters, especially when facing Xia Mo, she appeared particularly clumsy.
Often unsure of what to do, once Xia Mo initiated the offense, she thought, this isn’t bad either, and just went along with it.
“Brother, I now even suspect that your relationship with Sister Xia Mo is reversed. Look at the other boys, which one is as bullied as you?” Luo Shuangxing patted Luo Shuangyue’s back hard, with an expression of disappointment.
Sis, you need to get it together! Don’t forget that you used to be a man!
Now you remind me that I’m a man?
Luo Shuangyue chuckled, feeling truly sorry; now she couldn’t feel any elements that connected her to manliness.
As for her sister’s suggestion to stand up and counterattack Xia Mo… Luo Shuangyue did have that idea in her heart, but unfortunately, her courage fell short, and when she faced Xia Mo’s eyes, she hesitated to say anything against her.
There were various reasons for this, but the most critical one was the many things she had done before that made her feel like she couldn’t hold her head high in front of Xia Mo.
Having made mistakes and feeling guilty, her attitude naturally couldn’t stand strong.
“I’m happy to be here, who cares what you think!” Luo Shuangyue replied fiercely.
I’m quite happy being submissive; why should I counterattack?
“Eh?” Luo Shuangxing elongated her voice.
Unexpectedly, Sister Xia Mo has actually trained that previously scheming Dark Butterfly into this state, she’s really impressive.
“Eh? What eh, go do what you have to do, what do you know about matters of the heart, you little kid!” Luo Shuangyue gently tapped her sister’s head, this is called the little couple’s banter, understand?
It’s hard to come by, you know?
“Got it, my wife-controlling brother~”
“Hey, stop right there! Looks like I must let you know who’s in charge in this house today!”
…
“What do you think about the Magic Department?”
Standing in the vast starry sky, looking at the fortress in the distance that already had a vague outline, the Soul Guide asked Monise beside her.
“They are serious, gathering all available forces to resist the enemy from the depths of the starry sky.” Monise replied non-committally, “I don’t mind cooperating with them, but they shouldn’t think about taking away my rights to freedom.”
Under the current situation with a formidable foe looming, Monise certainly wouldn’t stubbornly refuse to collaborate with the Magic Department; as long as there were common interests, she generally didn’t mind collaboration.
But collaboration is one thing; if the Magic Department wants to interfere with her other actions through this, forget it; she wouldn’t give them that chance.
“It’s something you would say; they probably wouldn’t feel comfortable keeping you there permanently. Let me guess… the Magic Department will likely have you send Dark Butterfly here.”
“Naturally, even if the Magic Department doesn’t say so, you would still request this, wanting her to adapt to the battle environment here before combat begins.”
“What? Don’t want her to come here?”
“As long as you can persuade her, I won’t have any objections.” Monise shook her head, indicating that she isn’t the type of strict parent, and while Dark Butterfly is nominally her subordinate, their relationship certainly doesn’t adhere strictly to a top-down hierarchy.
If Luo Shuangyue truly wants to do something, Monise actually can’t impose much intervention.
“Speaking of which, if that child can eliminate the magical beast consciousness within others, it would be very beneficial for your research, wouldn’t it?” The Soul Guide reminded.
The problem facing Monise boils down to the fact that the deeper the transformation a transformed person has undergone, the more their thinking is influenced by the magical energy’s awareness of magical beasts.
Such transformed individuals are dangerous and practically useless.
But with Luo Shuangyue around, these issues would be easily resolved; after all, Luo Shuangyue can absorb the consciousness of magical beasts, so there’s no need to worry about the transformed ones being affected by the consciousness of magical beasts, right?
Monise shook her head expressionlessly, indicating things aren’t that simple.
“Even if there’s no awareness of magical beasts in the magical energy, transformed individuals still have inherent tendencies and desires toward destruction; it’s the intrinsic nature of magical energy. Unless something is done to the magical energy itself, it can’t be changed.”
“Moreover, I hope to find a method that can be used by ordinary people, rather than a solution that depends on any specific magical girl.”
The future too is a key point that Monise needs to consider; she cannot guarantee that Luo Shuangyue will always be by her side or that every transformation surgery will have Luo Shuangyue around to assist.
Technology that cannot operate without Luo Shuangyue is meaningless.
“It sounds like your wish is going to be hard to realize.”
“On the contrary, I’ve already grasped a bit of a clue; previously, I was fixated on magical energy, but now I’ve found a safer alternative to magical energy. After a few more experiments, I might be able to apply it.” Monise clenched her fists, a hint of confidence flashing in her eyes.
Yes, she was talking about the method of making enhancing stones; relying on the magical powers of magical girls, the chaotic aspects of magical energy will be gradually purified, and the remaining parts will be transformed into something similar to the magical powers of magical girls.
Using those for transformations will undoubtedly be much safer than using things from magical beasts.
Monise’s intuition told her that this time she had certainly found a viable path!
“Just wait and see, I will prove that my choice is the right one very soon!”
…
“Brother! My shampoo has run out!”
The bathroom door slammed open with a bang, and Luo Shuangxing, wrapped in a white towel, poked her head out of the bathroom, unabashedly asking the news-watching Luo Shuangyue.
Raising her head to glance at her sister with wet hair, a hint of redness on her face, and giving off a faint aroma, Luo Shuangyue remained as calm as a Zen master.
“Ran out? How could it be so fast…” Luo Shuangyue thought, considering Luo Shuangxing’s daily usage, there shouldn’t be any way she could have used all the shampoo this quickly, right?
Then she suddenly realized that the bottle of shampoo wasn’t just used by her sister; she had also been using it in secret.
Couldn’t the rate of consumption not be fast? Especially over the previous ten days when she hadn’t paid attention to which bottle of shampoo she was using while showering, just picking one at random.
Thinking about it, it seemed she had been using her sister’s bottle every time.
After all, Luo Shuangxing’s shampoo was significantly better than hers, and it felt much nicer after washing; Luo Shuangyue had unknowingly gotten used to borrowing her sister’s things.
They are sisters, right? It’s not a problem to share some things, right?
The result was that it led to Luo Shuangxing’s shampoo consumption doubling, and it just happened to be emptied today.
“Yeah, how could it run out so quickly?” Luo Shuangxing stared at Luo Shuangyue with a gloomy expression, as if her eyes were saying, you little thief, are you trying to act innocent?
Seeing that there were only the two of them at home, and knowing her own recent consumption hadn’t changed, the reason for the shampoo running out so many days early was obvious, wasn’t it?
“Brother, you’ve been secretly using my shampoo, right?” Luo Shuangxing grabbed the shampoo bottle and threw it hard at Luo Shuangyue, “Go buy me a new bottle this instant!”
…
“Well then, explain yourself.”
Dressed in white pajamas, Luo Shuangxing sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, glaring at Luo Shuangyue like she was examining an insect.
So you’ve been sneakily using your sister’s things, huh? Not just the shampoo, you’ve been using other things too, haven’t you?
She had just carefully weighed her other items, and they were noticeably lighter than when she used them herself.
While Luo Shuangyue’s items were considerably heavier, as if they hadn’t been used much at all.
It was clear, the case is very straightforward; her dear older sister had secretly been using her things to wash up.
“Oh brother, are you actually a big pervert behind my back?”
Luo Shuangyue stood there like a post, looking quite embarrassed.
How should she respond to this question?
“It’s just that I’ve been too tired these days to pay attention…” She could only make such a defense.
And she was also speaking the truth; Luo Shuangxing’s things were indeed a bit more comfortable, and smelled a bit better, so she had gotten used to using them, and when showering later, she casually took them.
Unexpectedly, upon doing so, she was caught red-handed by her sister.
“Sigh~” Luo Shuangxing sighed exaggeratedly, “Actually, I’m not too concerned about the money, but dear older brother, you’re using girls’ items; don’t you feel the least bit self-conscious about it?”
Borrowing shampoo and shower gel from Luo Shuangyue wasn’t a big deal for Luo Shuangxing; after all, they were family, and there was no need to be so strict.
But that didn’t stop her from holding this over Luo Shuangyue and severely criticizing her.
So you had a great time at Sister Xia Mo’s house, right? You think it’s fine to leave me on the side, right? Tonight, if I don’t give you a good talking to, I’m not even taking your surname!
“Ahem!” Luo Shuangyue’s expression grew even more awkward.
She hadn’t really considered those aspects while using them; after all, during the few days prior, she hadn’t maintained the brother identity at all, how could she afford to care about these trivial matters?
It was only when both of them were free today that there was time to continue discussing these things.
“Brother, how about I just call you sister instead? I see you’re no different from a sister now.” Luo Shuangxing continued her teasing.
This time, Luo Shuangyue did not immediately show a look of rejection but instead, after pretending to think for a moment, made a small cross with her fingers in front of herself.
Such things should be taken slowly; I can’t just change what I call you based on your whims, that would make me seem too frivolous.
“I’m your brother!”
“Really? It doesn’t feel like you have the slightest bit of masculinity.” Luo Shuangxing made a gesture with her fingers, gauging the masculinity value on Luo Shuangyue.
Hmm, so small it’s almost invisible, just like the masculinity Luo Shuangyue claimed to have only exists in words.
Except for occasionally bringing it up when being teased by her sister, Luo Shuangyue never really showcased any masculinity.
“Isn’t it still your fault?” Luo Shuangyue glared at Luo Shuangxing, but her aggression was so low that it instead felt like she was pouting.
Her sister really is a beauty, Luo Shuangxing thought to herself; no wonder she can attract Sister Xia Mo so firmly.
Even she sometimes finds herself wanting to take a bite out of her older sister.
“Got it, it’s all my fault, okay~ But sister, you really look super super pretty in female clothing. Just look, Sister Xia Mo likes to see you in female clothing too.” Luo Shuangxing cheerily stood up, wrapped around Luo Shuangyue’s waist from behind.
“Actually, you don’t have to hide your true self~”
“What true self? I don’t understand.” Luo Shuangyue quickly pulled away from her sister’s embrace, straightening her face as she shoved Luo Shuangxing into the room, “I need to take a shower!”
Having said that, she shut the door, locking Luo Shuangxing inside.
“Oh wow, feeling guilty, are we?” Though forcibly locked in the room, Luo Shuangxing’s mood was unusually good.
Luo Shuangyue’s performance just now was quite different from before; the emotional resistance she had was noticeably lessening, and if she just keeps this up a few more times, her sister will eventually admit her true identity.
In fact, Luo Shuangxing suspected that Luo Shuangyue already knew everything; she just hadn’t come clean yet because she hadn’t figured out how to interact with her new identity.
Even if she doesn’t care whether Luo Shuangyue is a brother or a sister, an ordinary person or a magical girl.
But just because she doesn’t care, doesn’t mean Luo Shuangyue is also indifferent.
Her brother had always been quite perceptive, and especially after their parents vanished, as the pillar of the family, he had become even more so.
“Actually, sister, you really don’t have to keep pretending; your little sister has grown up long ago.” Gently resting against the door, Luo Shuangxing quietly said in a voice only she could hear.
…
Warm water streamed over her fair skin, washing away the fragrant bubbles.
Luo Shuangyue stood under the showerhead, letting out a heartfelt sigh.
“Indeed, there’s no turning back now.”
Her relationship with Luo Shuangxing was starting to change; these changes may have seemed insignificant at first, but now, looking back, she could see how vastly their relationship had deviated from before.
Some of these changes happened to Luo Shuangxing, while others happened within Luo Shuangyue herself.
She realized she seemed no longer fixated on interacting with Luo Shuangxing through the identity of an older brother; sometimes, she even felt that the brother identity wasn’t suitable for her communication with her sister.
Her sister would prefer her as an older sister, and Luo Shuangyue also felt that using the identity of an older sister might be much more comfortable.
Without constantly restraining herself and trying to imitate her former self, she could freely do what she wanted; that would be far better than this awkward situation now.
“Ha… I should find an opportunity soon to talk things through with Shuangxing.” Luo Shuangyue exhaled a long breath, silently thinking.
What she had agreed with Xia Mo was to gradually shift her identity from Brother Luo Shuangyue to Sister Luo Shuangyue, and now, that transformation was on the verge of completion.
Just waiting for the right opportunity, and Luo Shuangyue would be able to tell her sister about her secret, completely transforming her identity.
As for when that opportunity would arrive, Luo Shuangyue was not certain; all she could do now was wait.
And her intuition told her this moment wouldn’t be far off.
“Finally, it can come to an end…”
…
“Ah? To the moon?”
“No, not to the moon, but to the moon.” Monise shook her head, correcting Luo Shuangyue’s misunderstanding.
She extended her right index finger toward the sky; it was daytime now, and the moon couldn’t be seen, but that didn’t stop her from getting Luo Shuangyue to understand her meaning.
Luo Shuangyue blinked, then slapped her ear in disbelief.
What’s going on? How come just a few days ago I was on the ground, and now I’m going to the moon?
This doesn’t make any sense!
“The Magic Department has decided to transform the moon into a frontline base to resist the assault of cosmic magical beasts, and for this, they need to gather a large number of magical girls to the lunar base for deployment and adapt to the combat environment in space,” Monise succinctly explained.
This is straightforward; the Magic Department wants to fend off enemies from afar, and the best fortress in their eyes is the moon.
Since they can’t bring the wolves into their home planet, they can only fight on the moon, right?
But the battlefield in space is a very unfamiliar place for magical girls; without training, it’s uncertain how much power they can unleash in battle.
So before the real battle begins, the Magic Department has decided to let the magical girls who can participate in combat go experience the battlefield environment.
Not only the magical girls from the Magic Department but also those not affiliated with the Magic Department have received invitations… or rather, demands.
To sum it up in a single sentence: the planet we stand on is in imminent danger; regardless of any past conflicts, we must put aside our differences and help.
Those conflicts can be resolved after defeating the magical beasts!
“We from Polar Night also need to send a magical girl up. I have my research and can’t leave, so it has to be you.” Monise patted Luo Shuangyue’s shoulder, with an expression that said, ‘I have no choice.’
However, she did provide Luo Shuangyue with some good news… or at least, it could be considered good news.
“Your two friends will also be going with you this time, Rosemary and Linglan; they have also been selected.”
“Eh?”
Luo Shuangyue could understand that Xia Mo was chosen, considering she was a competent Initial Bloom Magical Girl and possessed one of the world’s only Spirit Tools to assist her.
In the future battles against the magical beasts, she couldn’t expect to sit this one out.
What Luo Shuangyue couldn’t understand was, why was Luo Shuangxing also bringing along?
In terms of strength, Luo Shuangxing hadn’t yet broken into the Initial Bloom level; she was still in her preparatory phase. As for the others, the Magic Department in Xinghai City only had three magical girls total, and they were taking the two most powerful ones and leaving only Siam. Wouldn’t that cause problems?
“Linglan? Why is she going? With her strength…”
“Originally, she wasn’t supposed to go, but the trainers for you thought that since you were going, Linglan, who trained with you, couldn’t be left behind either, so they approached the Magic Department and requested to take her along.”
At first, the Magic Department didn’t plan to take Luo Shuangxing; they calculated that the combat power of budding magical girls in space was negligible. Instead of sending these little chicks to space, they’d rather have them stay on the ground and help out.
But a few senior magical girls together approached the higher-ups of the Magic Department to request personnel, giving reasons that couldn’t be refuted, and the Magic Department didn’t mind doing them a small favor.
After all, Linglan was a magical girl of the Magic Department, and someone was offering her special training to enhance her strength; they would be glad rather than hinder her.
In fact, when they reviewed Luo Shuangxing’s data, they exclaimed in surprise that they hadn’t noticed this precious gem before.
What a pity, but there’s no remedy for regret; however, knowing that Luo Shuangxing was being catered to by so many Blooming level magical girls, the Magic Department didn’t feel too unbalanced.
After all, judging by the numbers, weren’t these Blooming levels effectively working for free for the Magic Department?
“I see… what about Yi? Is she going to the moon or staying on the ground?”
“She indeed wants to go, but her current strength is still too weak. Instead of having her combat close quarters with the magical beasts in space, I’d prefer for her to remain on the ground to provide support.” Monise shook her head; although Xiaoyi became the unique alien magical girl, her value didn’t rest on being a magical girl.
Her value lies in the advanced technology of the elves that she brings to the Magic Department, which is enough high-tech from a civilization capable of traversing the starry seas. Even if she remembers only a portion of it, it is sufficient to elevate current human civilization to a new level.
“The personnel sent by the Magic Department are working around the clock to obtain the elf’s technology from Yi, and quite a lot of new technology has already been employed in the lunar base.”
Without the existence of magical girls, even if humanity obtained this technology, they wouldn’t be able to implement it in a short period; after all, reality isn’t a game, and you can’t just start using a technology as soon as you acquire it.
You haven’t even attained the prerequisite technology; how could you possibly use this high technology later?
But now, humanity possesses some unreasonable existences; magic holds unimaginable power.
What preceding technologies or theoretical foundations? Not needed!
Right now, we don’t care about those; we just need to get things done!
And coincidentally, among the Blooming level magical girls, there exists one with the ability to create from the void; she takes the technical information from Yi and, using magic, starts bringing those items into existence one by one.
Although mass production isn’t feasible, and this all hinges on the powers of magical girls, having it is undoubtedly better than not having it, right?
If there hadn’t been that technology provided by Yi, building a lunar fortress alone would have posed quite a challenge for the magical girls.
“Yi’s power is somewhat peculiar; until we fully understand what her abilities truly are, neither I nor the group from the Magic Department will allow her to go to dangerous places.”
Playing in the mud by wrestling with ordinary magical beasts on the ground isn’t a problem, but engaging in close combat with vicious armies of magical beasts in the sky can be avoided.
Only when Yi remains at the back can she发挥出最大的作用.
“Okay, when do I depart then?” Luo Shuangyue nodded in acceptance of this arrangement.
There’s nothing wrong with accepting it; after all, Xia Mo and Luo Shuangxing would accompany her to the sky, so there’s no need to worry about loneliness.
“You should wait here if there’s nothing to deal with; the Soul Guide should come to take you up around noon.”
“Eh? So soon?!”
Luo Shuangyue thought she would leave tomorrow or the day after; unexpectedly, they were telling her to leave immediately?
This is a bit urgent, isn’t it?
“It’s a matter of great importance; there’s no time to waste. The current Magic Department is as anxious as ants on a hot pan, and we certainly can’t afford to act too casually, can we?”
