Seeing their intimate display, Bai Yue longed to interject, yet found herself utterly speechless. She could only stare blankly, observing their overtly affectionate exchanges.
Though the two weren’t truly doing anything untoward, from Bai Yue’s perspective, they appeared on the verge of kissing!
“Qingzhu-jie! I’ve always been incredibly curious about something: how are you able to enter the Magical Girl headquarters with such ease? You even have connections with Chief Jasmine and Commander Peony…”
Bai Yue had certainly not forgotten the day Peony and the Little Witch had shared a meal with her.
To this day, the group photo of the three of them remained carefully tucked away in her personal treasure box, only to be secretly retrieved and gazed upon late at night.
“The reason is quite simple, actually. I am Peony!”
With that, Yan Qingzhu scooped a mouthful of cake and, under Bai Zhiqiu’s astonished gaze, gently put it into his mouth.
“This cake is truly delicious, you must try some!”
As she watched Bai Zhiqiu slowly chew, a satisfied smile graced Yan Qingzhu’s face.
“Qingzhu-jie! You… you’re truly Lady Peony…”
Bai Yue’s breath hitched. Though she had encountered Peony twice before, each time had left her with an indelible image of power, confidence, and beauty. Despite her approachability, Peony always carried an air of slight detachment.
Yet, to be told now that the legendary Magical Girl was not only by her side but also her brother’s girlfriend? Bai Yue’s mind reeled, utterly overwhelmed.
“Of course! Why would I ever lie to you? We even ate together last time, didn’t we? Oh, and Little~Witch~ was there too!”
With a playful glint in her eyes, Yan Qingzhu then pulled out a handkerchief and gently dabbed at Bai Zhiqiu’s mouth. “Oh, and Xiaoyue, it won’t be long before you might get to see the Little Witch every single day!”
The mere mention of ‘Little Witch’ sent a jolt through Bai Yue, as if something had detonated within her mind.
Little Witch! Idol!
The thought of being so close to her idol, right here, sent a surge of excitement through Bai Yue, making her breath quicken with anticipation.
“When… when can I finally… see the Little Witch?”
Witnessing Bai Yue’s fervor, a sudden premonition of disaster struck Bai Zhiqiu, stirring a strange apprehension within him.
‘If I can’t set Bai Yue straight in time,’ he thought, ‘I’ll likely face endless trouble later on…’
“Hehehe! I never would have guessed that Big Brother is the Little Witch!”
Holding a particularly embarrassing piece of clothing, Bai Yue slowly advanced on Bai Zhiqiu, who was kneeling by the window.
“Will you put it on yourself, or shall I help you? You have two minutes!”
“Crying? Crying also counts towards your time limit!”
“Absolutely not! Under no circumstances!” Bai Zhiqiu vehemently shook his head, addressing Bai Yue. He simply could not permit such a thing to occur!
“Brother! What’s gotten into you? What do you mean, ‘not allowed’?”
Witnessing Bai Zhiqiu’s sudden outburst, Bai Yue pouted, a hint of displeasure on her face.
Everything had been perfectly fine just moments ago…
“What’s wrong? Zhiqiu?”
Even Yan Qingzhu gently nudged Bai Zhiqiu, clearly puzzled by his sudden behavior.
Seemingly realizing his lapse in composure, Bai Zhiqiu hurriedly scrambled for an excuse.
“What I mean is, while we now have the chance to stay at the Magical Girl headquarters and meet all those heroes anytime, anywhere, if we actually live there, wouldn’t we risk disturbing them? Especially the Little Witch! Sister, you wouldn’t want the Little Witch to be disturbed and then suffer a disadvantage in battle, would you? So, let’s just go home!”
‘Never mind anything else,’ he thought, ‘it’s most important to educate my sister properly! We absolutely must go home!’
“Brother! The Little Witch won’t suffer any disadvantages… but what about your injury, Brother?”
“Don’t worry! It’s nothing! Qingzhu is Magical Girl Peony, after all! With our relationship, is there truly anything to be concerned about?”
Having said this, Bai Zhiqiu subtly nudged Yan Qingzhu, his unspoken request for her assistance undeniably clear.
Yet, Yan Qingzhu feigned complete ignorance, instead posing entirely unrelated questions to Bai Zhiqiu.
“Oh, Zhiqiu! I recently discovered a wonderfully effective cooling oil. Do you think if I offered to give the Little Witch a massage with it, she’d agree?”
With a knowing smile directed at Bai Zhiqiu, Yan Qingzhu’s message was unmistakable: she was willing to help, but compensation was expected!
“I don’t think the Little Witch would appreciate cooling oil, would she?”
Bai Zhiqiu pressed on, his resolve firm. He refused to believe Yan Qingzhu would reveal her identity at such a critical moment.
“Xiaoyue! I actually think it would be better if we stayed here for a few days! According to reliable sources, the Little Witch will be resting at headquarters tonight!”
“Really?”
At Yan Qingzhu’s words, Bai Yue’s eyes immediately sparkled with excitement.
“Of course it’s true! So, what do you say? Want to stay here?”
“Yes! Oh, yes! Thank you so, so much, Qingzhu-jie!”
“‘Sister?'”
“Sister-in-law!”
“Aye!”
****
Upon hearing the two words ‘sister-in-law,’ Yan Qingzhu nodded with evident satisfaction.
“What kind of scheme is this? Can’t I just agree to your terms?”
Ultimately, Bai Zhiqiu conceded to Yan Qingzhu’s conditions. He hadn’t even applied cooling oil before, he realized, nor did he even know what the substance truly was.
“But Xiaoyue already called me ‘sister-in-law’! I can’t possibly give her nothing, can I? You have a secondary QQ account, don’t you? Make sure to send her one then!”
Finally, only after Bai Zhiqiu had humiliatingly agreed to Yan Qingzhu’s terms did Yan Qingzhu consent to help with the persuasion.
“Alright, how about this, Xiaoyue! Since Zhiqiu wants to go back, then let’s head home for now! What if I send a Magical Girl to stay at your house? We’ve actually already checked Zhiqiu multiple times, and his body is perfectly fine!”
“Okay then!”
In the end, Bai Yue nodded in agreement, a slight regret lingering that she hadn’t met her idol as she’d hoped. Nevertheless, her brother’s well-being was clearly more paramount.
Hearing Xiaoyue agree, Bai Zhiqiu let out a sigh of relief and took a sip of water. However, before he could even swallow, the ensuing words from the two nearly made him choke.
“So… sister-in-law, which Magical Girl will it be?”
“Why, it’s the Little Witch’s best friend—Yin!”
At Yan Qingzhu’s words, the water in Bai Zhiqiu’s mouth instantly caught in his throat, sending him into a fit of continuous coughing.
“Brother! Are you alright?” Bai Yue asked, tenderly patting Bai Zhiqiu’s back, while even Yan Qingzhu offered him tissues.
“No… nothing…” Bai Zhiqiu waved a dismissive hand.
“Well? I’ve successfully resolved the dilemma of how Yin can stay at your house! You’ll certainly owe me compensation for this, won’t you?”
With that, Yan Qingzhu hooked Bai Zhiqiu’s foot with her hand, a silent gesture conveying volumes.
“Oh, so you’re eating here! Bai Zhiqiu, I’m hungry!”
Suddenly, a remarkably pleasant voice drifted from beside their seats.