A Sister’s Reluctant Concern

“Don’t be sad, I’m perfectly fine. There, there, don’t cry, don’t cry.”

Given the strained relationship I’d had with Chen Si Yi over the past few years, seeing my sister sobbing in my arms momentarily flustered me. I instinctively resorted to comforting her as I had when we were children, gently patting her back.

However, Chen Si Yi was clearly displeased with my approach.

“Wh-what are you talking about? I wasn’t crying…” Chen Si Yi lifted her head, swatting my hand away with a disdainful snort. “Who’s sad? I was just… just a little bit concerned about you, that’s all.”

“If you had stayed asleep and never woken up, how would I have explained that to Mom and Dad?”

As she continued speaking, she seemed to solidify her stance, adamantly refusing to admit any genuine concern for me.

“Exactly! Who, who would be sad over *you*? I’m merely afraid Mom and Dad would be upset, that’s all.”

“If something truly happened to you, they’d undoubtedly question me, and then the blame would once again fall squarely on my shoulders, hmph!”

Chen Si Yi averted her gaze, her cheeks flushed as she mumbled to herself.

Despite her incredibly unforthcoming behavior, I had no particular reaction. Instead, a warmth bloomed in my chest. After all, even if my sister wasn’t forthright, she still cared about her older brother.

Shaking my head, I offered a helpless smile, then turned to face the third person in the room, Serena.

“Hey, Chen Si Yi’s lackey, how long have I been asleep this time?”

My sister’s cries seemed to jolt my brain, and with it, my memories returned. I recalled everything that had transpired before I fainted: encountering Su Xiao Yu at the lingerie shop, and the overwhelming wave of sleepiness that had engulfed me in my final moments. A cold sweat immediately broke out across my body.

Having already slept for an entire day before, and now suddenly collapsing while shopping for clothes again, I couldn’t help but suspect that something was seriously wrong with my body.

“W-well, actually… you haven’t been asleep for very long.”

Serena, upon hearing my question, offered an awkward, lopsided grin before replying in a voice barely above a whisper, “You… you only slept for… hmm… wait, let me just calculate…”

Serena began counting on her fingers, performing mental arithmetic.

“Yesterday, when you were buying lingerie, it was twelve noon. It’s now seven in the morning. So… twenty-four minus seven, hmm, you’ve only slept for less than eighteen hours.”

‘Less than eighteen hours’? Even with that ‘less than’ tacked on, seventeen hours is still an incredibly long time, you know!

‘And another thing, was your idiotic demon math taught by a PE teacher? From twelve noon yesterday to seven this morning, I clearly slept a full nineteen hours! Even a ‘white pig’ can only sleep eighteen hours a day. Are you trying to turn me into some kind of pig loli?!’

“My deepest apologies, deepest apologies! I promise I’ll resolve this issue!”

Serena, standing before me, clasped her hands together and bowed repeatedly, offering a torrent of apologies.

‘But was she apologizing to the right person?’

‘Logically, I was the victim here. Why was she constantly apologizing to Chen Si Yi?’

“One day. I’m only giving you one day.”

Chen Si Yi rose from my waist, smoothed the creases from her skirt, then extended her index finger, fixing Serena with a serious gaze. “You have one day. If you fail to discover the reason for Lin Yan’s excessive sleepiness within that time, then this week… you’ll receive no pocket money!”

‘Hold on, hold on! That’s it? The punishment is far too lenient! With that solemn expression, I thought she was about to kick her out of the house!’

Yet, to my utter surprise, the moment Chen Si Yi’s words left her lips, Serena’s expression instantly shifted, her face contorting into a mournful grimace of extreme sorrow.

“W-w-woah, let’s talk this out! Please don’t cut my pocket money!”

Serena clung to Chen Si Yi’s arm, pleading:

“Without money, I’ll literally die! Please don’t deduct my pocket money, Si Yi! I barely get enough each week as it is, and I have to scrimp and save just to make it last!”

‘Good heavens! I never would have thought you, a demon, would be so obsessed with money! To grovel like this for mere cash—you’re practically shaming the entire Demon Race!’

“Oh, stop it, stop this act.”

Confronted by Serena’s relentless pestering, Chen Si Yi sighed, her delicate brows knitting into an involuntary frown.

“Let me tell you, that ‘cute’ act no longer works on me.” Chen Si Yi tapped Serena’s forehead, then deftly withdrew her left hand, which Serena had been clutching to her chest.

“If you want me not to dock your pocket money, then stop dawdling! Go and find out the cause for me, quickly!”

“I… I understand.” Seeing her pleas were ineffective, Serena sadly lowered her head. “I-I’ll go consult the Demonic Archives right away…”

With that, she stuck out her tongue, then slowly turned, her head drooping as she shuffled towards the door.

No sooner had she stepped into the corridor, however, than Serena’s disgruntled murmur echoed clearly into Chen Si Yi’s ears.

‘Hmph, a new favorite, and the old one is cast aside…’

“What did you say?!”

“N-nothing, nothing at all! I’m going to consult the archives now!”

Then, with a faint ‘creak’, Serena slipped into the adjacent room, swiftly closing the door and vanishing from both Chen Si Yi’s and my sight.