Chapter 20: A New Day Begins
Seeing Xinran’s expression, I instinctively opened my mouth, ready to utter words of apology and compromise. The inertia of my long-ingrained habits was difficult to change. In the past, to avoid being completely disliked by my indifferent sister, I would always adopt a submissive stance.
But not now! If I let her lead me by the nose again, I would gradually fall into a mire of violating morality and ethics. In the end, getting lost in forbidden emotions would only lead to a series of terrible consequences.
Things were not as simple as imagined, nor as romantic as depicted in TV dramas. The burdens to bear were too great.
So, I had to draw a line! Brother and sister are brother and sister! Although Xinran had already broken through many of my defenses, putting me in a high-risk situation, the final line must be held.
It was fine that I had no memory of what Xinran did in my dreams before. But if Xinran continued to act the way she did when I was awake… I couldn’t guarantee I could restrain myself.
After all, I am a man, and even a sage mode has its limits.
For me to remain unmoved like a saint, it would only happen if I were truly impotent.
However, what happened in the restroom just now was telling… Well, it seemed my **was much stronger than I thought…
“E-even if you make that face, I won’t back down! This is not something I can compromise on!”
Xinran looked at me for a moment, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly, her expression softening considerably.
What was going on? Was she happy all of a sudden?
I really don’t understand how women think…
“You’re different from usual, Brother. Very assertive.”
“Because I didn’t know you had special feelings for me before. Rather, I thought you particularly disliked me. You never even call me Brother, always ignore me, and treat me with indifference…”
“…It’s embarrassing to call you Brother to your face. And also…”
Xinran paused, clasped her thighs tightly, pursed her lips, and, with a shy expression I had never seen before, said, “Well, seeing you with that long face looked a little… exciting.”
A sadist!
I was right!
Xinran really treated me coldly out of interest!
“Besides, I’m not good at smiling, and my facial expressions are rather limited. Aren’t you the same, Brother?”
“Ah, that’s true. We were both influenced by Dad…”
Now that she mentioned it, I realized I was the same. No matter how internally shaken or excited I was, it wouldn’t show on my face. It was the so-called ability to remain calm even when Mount Tai collapsed before me.
Phew, now that all the important matters have been discussed and it’s almost dawn, I should just get up.
I walked to the window and pulled open the curtains, letting the morning light flood into the room. Xinran, however, lay back down on my bed, hugged my comforter, and squinted her eyes, looking like she was about to go back to sleep.
“Are you going to sleep more? Then remember to fold the covers when you get up.”
As for me, I couldn’t sleep anymore. Firstly, I refused to voluntarily get into bed with my sister. Secondly, after learning such shocking facts, all my sleepiness was gone.
Since I was up so early, I’ll make breakfast first and pack my own bento. After yesterday’s incident at Ji Lianbing’s cafeteria, I no longer wanted to go to the cafeteria. I didn’t want to be stared at like a monkey in a zoo while eating.
I opened the window and took a deep breath of fresh air before stretching languidly, feeling much more energized.
“Brother.”
“Hmm? Oh, are you cold? I’ll close the window right away.”
I couldn’t leave the window open for ventilation for a long time today. Xinran was still in the room, and it wouldn’t be good if she caught a cold.
“Brother.”
“Hmm, what is it?”
“Brother.”
“What is it… Just say it.”
Every time Xinran called me Brother, I would react a beat slower. Her suddenly using this address caught me a bit off guard.
“It’s nothing. I just finally got a response. You never used to.”
Of course, you didn’t get a response because I was asleep! The only one who would respond to you was this body that had already formed a conditioned reflex!
“Ah… I’ll respond to you from now on too, so don’t get into my bed while I’m asleep again.”
“Mm.”
Just as I was about to leave the room, I suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask Xinran, “Right, Xinran, where’s the jacket I came back in? Where did you put it after you took it off for me?”
That jacket wasn’t mine. I had to return it to Lili today.
But Xinran didn’t answer directly. Instead, she asked me a question.
“Brother, where’s your school uniform? Why are you wearing a tracksuit jacket? And you’re not wearing anything under the jacket…”
“My school uniform was accidentally torn, ruined along with my shirt. This jacket was lent to me by someone.”
I deliberately concealed the reason for the tear and the identity of the person who lent me the jacket, all to avoid revealing Lili’s involvement.
Mainly, Lili’s matter was also connected to various mysterious events, such as Lili being a succubus, and my abilities… These were not things that could be easily spoken aloud.
If it wasn’t necessary, I didn’t want to tell anyone about these things. Especially my family. It would be bad if they got caught up in these messy affairs.
However, Xinran’s keen intuition immediately grasped the key point. She shot a sharp gaze at me, got out of bed, and stood before me, staring intently. After a moment of strange silence, she asked, “…………Whose jacket is it?”
Though I couldn’t articulate the feeling, my intuition told me it was better not to reveal everything. So, I rubbed my nose and said, “Uh, it’s a friend’s…”
“Liar. You don’t have any friends.”
“Uh…”
I was seen through instantly. I even thought my excuse was too lame myself. What could I do? I’m just not good at lying!
“And this jacket smells like a woman. Do you have a girlfriend, Brother?”
“Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t interfere with my life?”
“This is concern from family. Your girlfriend could become your wife, and your wife would be my sister-in-law. If someone wants to become part of our family, they need my approval.”
With each sentence, Xinran took a step closer to me, and I was forced to retreat a step.
Her face was abnormally close, exuding an immense pressure! Under this pressure and my ingrained habit of making way for Xinran, I blurted out the truth.
“It’s the teacher’s! The librarian, Teacher Yang Lili! Just like you said, since I don’t have friends, I had to ask the teacher for help. She lent me the tracksuit jacket…”
“Librarian Teacher Yang Lili… I see.”
For some reason, Xinran didn’t press further. She lifted the hem of her nightgown and took out the jacket she had been holding between her thighs, handing it to me.
She was hiding it there! No, how could she hide it so well! Are women’s skirts interdimensional spaces!
Truly mysterious and desirable… No, no, what am I thinking!
“Brother.”
“Hmm? What else is there?”
My hand was on the doorknob, and the attic door was half-open. I turned back to look at Xinran.
Xinran tilted her head slightly, looked at me with slightly moist eyes, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed me on the cheek.
“I love you.”
“……”
I was silent for a moment, then naturally smiled, stroked her cheek, and kissed her forehead.
“I love you too.”
Though it was brotherly love, of course…
A new day began with my sister’s good morning kiss.
