Li Jia sniffled, wiping away the tears that clung to her cheeks, a picture of aggrieved innocence. “I only wanted to give you a surprise,” she murmured.
“To show you that I haven’t squandered the power you bestowed upon me.”
“I… I truly can be of help to you.”
While her initial tears might have been a performance,
at this moment,
Li Jia’s feelings were undeniably genuine.
For the most flawless acting, one need only play oneself.
Aya Tone’s hand froze mid-air, her words catching in her throat.
‘Could this be my fault?’
She longed to offer comfort, yet found herself utterly clueless as to how.
Having never even had a girlfriend, how was she supposed to know the proper protocol when a woman wept?
….
Gazing at the unmoving Aya Tone through her tear-filled eyes, Li Jia’s sobs intensified, making her seem even more utterly helpless and deserving of pity.
‘Stupid Aya Tone, can’t even offer a word of comfort!’
Unable to bear it any longer, Li Jia finally prompted, her voice thick with tears, “Are you just going to stand there and watch me cry?”
“Huh?” Aya Tone tilted her head, utterly bewildered.
Li Jia: ….
Aya Tone’s adorably bewildered expression was so exasperating, it practically sucked Li Jia’s tears back into her eyes.
“Comfort me, you idiot!”
With a belated realization, Aya Tone finally snapped to attention, rummaging through her bag to produce a piece of candy.
“Don’t cry,” she offered, “here, have some candy.”
She might not have a girlfriend, but she certainly had a daughter.
Aya Jiu, whenever she threw a tantrum, was always easily placated with a delicious treat. Surely, adults weren’t so different.
‘Mhm,’ she thought.
Yet, even as Aya Tone reveled in her own cleverness, she completely failed to notice the sudden darkening of Li Jia’s expression.
‘A piece of candy?’
‘Does she take me for a child?’
‘If this blockhead insists on being so oblivious, then she can’t blame me for being a little forceful.’
In a single instant, Li Jia’s face became devoid of all emotion, the tears in her eyes vanishing as quickly as they had appeared.
Only the lingering redness at the corners of her eyes hinted at the emotional storm that had just passed.
Her hands slipped beneath Aya Tone’s armpits, and with a swift motion, she lifted her, bringing their gazes level.
Her eyes fixated on those cherry-red lips she had so ardently yearned for.
Her body moved with the impulse of her heart.
Startled by the sudden embrace, Aya Tone’s senses jolted back to reality just as a kiss was aimed her way. She swiftly turned her head, narrowly evading it.
Their lips crisscrossed precariously, missing by a hair’s breadth, ultimately landing on her cheek instead.
Missing the familiar warmth she desired, Li Jia inwardly lamented the near miss.
Her first attempt having failed, she swiftly retreated.
“What was that for?”
Having been inexplicably kissed, Aya Tone wrinkled her nose in distaste, wiping the lingering moisture from her cheek.
‘All that for a piece of candy? Seriously?’
‘If I weren’t in a female body right now, I’d almost believe Li Jia had a crush on me.’
Not sensing the anticipated resistance, Li Jia’s heart swelled with an unexpected joy.
‘Does this mean Aya Tone can accept me?’
She probed cautiously, “Do you think girls can… be together?”
“It’s alright, I suppose. Cuddling can be quite sweet,” Aya Tone replied.
Having watched her fair share of yuri anime, she wasn’t particularly fazed by the idea of girls kissing.
‘Of course, that’s provided it’s in an anime.’
‘In reality, girls being intimate… well, it’s not entirely out of the question…’
‘As long as *I’m* not one of them, then it’s fine…’
‘After all, she was a ‘1’.’
“Really?” Li Jia’s eyes sparkled, and the magic within her body surged, circulating with renewed fervor.
The already cramped space constricted even further.
It transformed from what was barely a double bed into a mere single.
“Awooo!”
Her chest was suddenly pressed against by two soft, pillowy mounds. Even with her ‘little brother’ having gone on an extended vacation, Aya Tone felt a tumultuous rush of blood through her entire body.
‘So soft— *ptooey!*’
‘So… *large*…’
‘Wait, no.’
“Men and women should not touch!” she blurted out.
Aya Tone frantically recited a calming mantra in her mind, forcefully reining in the turbulent emotions swirling within her.
The sudden contraction of space was, of course, Li Jia’s handiwork.
Her sole intention was to press herself against Aya Tone.
A faint tingling sensation, born from the pressure and friction against her chest, subtly teased her nerves, stirring an almost uncontrollable excitement.
Her entire being thrummed with involuntary exhilaration.
A glistening string of saliva began a tentative exploration beyond the corner of her lips, but perhaps sensing the perilous nature of the outside world,
it retreated back into its cavernous refuge in a mere instant.
“Can you *really* not control this spatial cage?”
Having silently recited several calming mantras, and with no ‘little brother’ to cloud her judgment,
Aya Tone, now in a state of ‘sage mode,’ couldn’t shake the feeling that Li Jia was deceiving her, yet she lacked any concrete evidence.
The frequency of this spatial contraction was far too peculiar.
“Mm, I can’t control it,” Li Jia affirmed.
No matter what, Li Jia would never admit that this supposed ‘loss of control’ was entirely her own meticulous design.
Aya Tone: ….
After a moment of profound silence, she ultimately arrived at a difficult decision.
‘I don’t know if Aya Jiu is awake yet. I hope not!’
“Hold me tight!”
At her words, Li Jia’s face lit up with delight. This was the first time Aya Tone had ever been so proactive.
“Hey, don’t go touching randomly!”
After a gentle reprimand, Li Jia sheepishly placed her reddened hand, which had just been slapped away, onto Aya Tone’s slender waist.
Aya Tone slowly closed her eyes, allowing her spiritual power and the magic within Big White to gradually resonate with each other.
Li Jia had indeed shielded all external spatial nodes.
Yet, Big White was a miraculous being, an anchor in the world, forever guiding Aya Tone back home.
At this very moment, Big White, who had been meticulously arranging kitchen utensils, suddenly felt an inexplicable surge of intuition. Her five fingers splayed slightly as she whispered to the space before her.
“Space! Teleport!”
****
Her spiritual connection was successfully established.
A flash of silver light flickered in Aya Tone’s beautiful eyes, and simultaneously, she whispered, “Spatial Teleportation!”
As spatial channels opened in two distinct locations, both their figures vanished instantly from the black hole space.
The black hole space, now devoid of its master’s magical support, dissolved in the very next moment, transforming into pure magical energy that returned to nourish nature itself.
All returned to a profound stillness.
“Wow! I’m finally out! I nearly suffocated in there!” Aya Tone gasped, taking deep, ragged breaths after finally escaping the confines of those ample breasts and seeing daylight once more.
‘That was terrifying.’
But then, a soft, sugary voice from behind her sent her heart plummeting from the heavens straight into the abyss.
“Wow! There are two Big Whites!”
‘Oh, no!!’
The one thing she had hoped wouldn’t happen, had, inevitably, come to pass.
—Aya Jiu was awake!
As if sensing her master’s sudden panic, Big White, with an understanding glance, quickly covered Aya Jiu’s eyes.
“Is Little Master happy?” Big White asked. “Do you want to see me perform an even more amazing magic trick?”
“Yes, yes, yes~”
“Then how about I make Master appear for you?”
“Okay, okay!”
Even with her eyes covered, Aya Jiu’s excitement remained undimmed; in fact, it only intensified.
When she had woken up, she hadn’t found Daddy anywhere. So, Big White had hidden him!
Her daughter’s joyful voice made Aya Tone’s heart clench.
She turned, subtly winking at Big White.
[What do you mean? You want me to revert to my male form right now, in front of Aya Jiu?]
Big White responded with a firm, affirmative gaze.
Her lips subtly formed a word.
[Magic!]
‘Tsk!’
At this point, there was no better alternative.
“Little Master, are you ready?”
“Oh! I’m ready~” Aya Jiu exclaimed, raising her small hands high.
Once Big White released her hands, Aya Jiu eagerly peered towards Aya Tone.
“Wow! It’s Daddy~ Big White is so amazing~”
Aya Tone, still in her pajamas, smiled and opened her arms to Aya Jiu.
Aya Jiu took tiny, quick steps, rushing directly into her father’s embrace.
“Daddy~ Do you know? Big White can do magic—oh, and just now there was another Big White, a shadow clone!”
As she spoke, her two small hands moved, one held vertically and the other horizontally, forming the hand sign for a shadow clone.
Her rosy lips passionately provided sound effects.
Though her words were a bit muddled, that earnestly serious little expression was so adorable it melted Aya Tone’s heart.
“Oh, right, right! Big White even made Daddy appear! She’s super—duper—amazing!”
“Mhm, Big White is super—duper—amazing,” Aya Tone echoed.
Aya Tone, mimicking Aya Jiu, made an equally exaggerated gesture.
Father and daughter played on, utterly lost in their joyful reunion, having completely forgotten about Li Jia.