Chapter 21: A Sudden Shura Field
I opened my eyes in the morning, the first thing I saw was Lan.
My mind wasn’t clear yet, so I groggily reached out to touch her cheek.
Lan showed a surprised expression, then immediately smiled and covered my hand with her own. The cold touch on the back of my hand snapped me awake. Realizing I wasn’t dreaming, my heart leaped, and I almost cried out. Fortunately, I remained relatively calm, or I would have definitely screamed.
I didn’t move, just stayed as I was, cleared my throat, and asked, “Hmm? Is something wrong?”
“No… it’s just… why are you lying here?”
Last night, it was getting late, so we decided to go to sleep. There were two beds and three people, so naturally, Xiao An and Lan would share one bed, and I would take the other. I fell asleep quickly due to fatigue and haven’t fully recovered even now. But why was Lan in my bed?
“It’s nothing, I just wanted to see you sleeping up close.”
No, I’m not confused about how you got here; I’m confused about your motives. I have to clarify this now to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings or further thoughts.
“So, why…”
As a cheerful voice reached my ears, I turned my head and saw Xiao An rushing towards me. She was no longer naked, but wearing a cute dress, which Lan must have put on her. Catching her steadily, I lifted her by her armpits and asked, “Xiao An, are you awake?”
Xiao An nodded vigorously, her long golden hair swaying.
“That’s great, are you feeling okay?”
“No problem!”
I thought the sudden growth might have lingering effects, but it seems there are no issues. She woke up after sleeping for a night and is so energetic; she should be fine. Moreover, she doesn’t feel out of place. Xiao An’s learning speed for the past two months has been incredibly fast, making her seem less like a three or four-year-old child and more like an understanding girl. Although the sudden growth was unexpected, I felt this appearance matched her psychological age better. Wait… could it be that Xiao An’s sudden growth was precisely to align her body with her psychological age?
“This child calls you ‘Dad.’ Is she your daughter?”
“Hmm? Ah, she’s not my biological daughter, she’s more like… my guardian… I actually wanted her to call me ‘Brother,’ but…”
Xiao An overheard our conversation, pouted unhappily, and protested with her hands raised, “I’m not calling you Brother! Dad is Dad!”
“See, just like this.”
At first, I was happy, but later it felt strange. Strangely, she doesn’t call Nana ‘Mom.’ Logically, Nana is the closest woman to Xiao An, so she should consider her as her mother. Nana also seems regretful about this. When she hears Xiao An call her Nana, she gives me a mournful look. She seems to think that because I always call her Nana, Xiao An has learned to follow suit.
“Oh… although I guessed this child couldn’t be your biological daughter, I thought it was your special hobby.”
“Hey, hey!”
“How about we tie her hair in twin tails and give her an English name like Alice…”
Hey, hey, hey, what are you talking about! I absolutely don’t have any such intentions! Lan, you really have an evil mind! Speaking of which, it was also Lan who suggested various plays in the original world. It seems she inherently lacks any sense of propriety. But please, stop it! Don’t teach Xiao An strange things!
Xiao An tilts her head innocently and points to herself, asking, “Alice? Is that me?”
“No, no, no! Don’t listen to your sister Lan; she was just saying there’s a child named Alice who also has twin tails. Xiao An, you should just be Xiao An.”
“Twin tails! I want twin tails!”
“Oh…”
Her focus seems to be on the wrong thing… Xun’er also tied Xiao An’s hair in twin tails before, but they were low pigtails.
“Hehe~ Okay, big sister will tie them for you.”
Seeing my helpless expression, Lan mischievously ruffled Xiao An’s hair and then took her to get her hair done. I got up in a mess, rubbed my shoulders, and was about to go wash up when Lan said, “Your clothes are still wet, so I bought you a new set when I went out earlier. Try them on and see if they fit. I put them on the washing machine in the dressing room.”
“Oh, thanks…” Looking back at the digital clock on the wall, I realized it was almost noon. It seems I slept for a long time. Lan must have gone out shopping during this time; she also bought the dress Xiao An is wearing… I’ve really been taken care of by her a lot… I wonder if I’ll ever be able to repay this favor. After we part ways, I don’t think I’ll have any more contact with Lan, who has become a public figure. I shook my head and walked into the bathroom. After washing up, I put on the clothes on the washing machine. It was a complete set of clothes, with the tags removed. A base layer, a crew-neck sweater with half a heart pattern, thermal leggings, dark plaid pants, a pair of black long socks, and at the very bottom, a long suit coat… It fit perfectly, with no discomfort at all. The word ‘just right’ came to mind. It feels more fitting than the clothes I casually buy myself… Lan, how did she know my clothing size? Did she measure me while I was sleeping! Although I was wearing warm clothes, I felt a chill down my spine. I can’t figure out what Lan is thinking, and that’s the most troublesome thing. I increasingly miss the ability given by the Yata no Kagami. How powerful it is to see through people’s emotions… More useful than foresight! What is she trying to do now! Repay a debt? Tease me? Or does she really have feelings for me? But how long have we known each other? Love at first sight… Oh my god! What is she thinking! Can someone please tell me! I really don’t understand! I roared internally, but maintained a composed appearance. After getting dressed, I walked out of the washroom and found that Lan had already tied Xiao An’s hair in twin tails, a standard twin-tail hairstyle. Loli with twin tails are indeed the cutest… It’s a shame Xiao An isn’t tsundere; she’s the obedient and quiet type, far from being tsundere. Seeing me, Xiao An trotted over, hugged my leg, and looked up at me asking, “Dad! Do the twin tails look good? They’re higher than before! ” “They’re very cute, my Xiao An is the cutest.” “Hehe~ Dad is handsome too~” “Is that so~” I looked up at Lan, who had chosen this outfit for me. Noticing my gaze in her daze, Lan immediately came back to her senses, smiled, and said, “Indeed, clothes make the man. You look much more handsome like this, don’t you think?” It was then that I noticed Lan was also wearing a sweater similar to mine, but the pattern was the other half… The skirt she was wearing was also plaid, just like my pants. I felt like we were wearing couple’s outfits? Am I just overthinking this? This is clearly a couple’s outfit; she wasn’t wearing this yesterday. Except for the black stockings, which remained unchanged (I couldn’t tell if they were new), all the other clothes were new, clearly bought recently. “By the way, your phone got water damaged yesterday, didn’t it? I bought you a new one…” Looking at the brand new phone in Lan’s hand, I was completely bewildered. This is no longer just casually helping a stranger… or someone I just met. I’m not being paranoid; it looks like she has an agenda. “What’s wrong? Do you not use Android phones?” “No, it’s not that, I’m just a bit… uh, overly flattered…” “Hehe, no need to be so nervous. I don’t have any ulterior motives. I just want to express my gratitude. These things are nothing.” “Uh? Gratitude for what? I haven’t done anything you need to thank me for. Rather, you helped me find Xiao An, so I should be thanking you.” “No, you helped me resolve a worry… I went home and confirmed with my aunt this morning. She did lie to me… My aunt never intended to hurt Dad.” “So that’s how it is… But why would your aunt lie to you like that?” “…Probably to make me meet you.” “No, it’s nothing… Anyway, because I don’t know if I’ll have another chance to thank you, I thought I’d give you this outfit and this phone as a token of my appreciation. Please accept them.” There’s no need to be polite. Lan has clearly indicated that she might not have any connection with me in the future, so I should accept them with peace of mind. After leaving the hotel, this connection will come to an end. I don’t know if I’m relieved or regretful; my feelings for Lan are truly complicated. As I walked out of the hotel, I felt all eyes on me… It was uncomfortable. As we stepped out of the hotel, Lan smiled slightly and said, turning her head to me, “It was a pleasant night~” “Don’t say it like something really happened between us.” “Did nothing happen?” Just then, someone walked past me… no, paused. It was Li Nai. Of all times to run into her… “Juncheng? And… Lanhua?” As if confirming if the other person was real, Li Nai looked back at the advertisement playing on the big screen. The person in the advertisement was Lan. “Yes, I am Lanhua. Hello, who are you?” “My name is Li Nai. I’m his… tutor. You…” “Juncheng and I are good friends~” Li Nai shifted her gaze to me, filled with questioning intent. Huh? What is this Shura Field-like atmosphere? But I don’t have any ambiguous relationships with either of them!
