Yin stood beside Bai Zhiqiu, her eyes fixed intently on the dishes laid out on the plate before him.
“Brother! Who is she?”
Bai Yue’s eyes narrowed slightly. She noticed the phone in Yin’s hand, recognizing it as Bai Zhiqiu’s spare device.
“She is little Yin! The one I just told you about!” Yan Qingzhu finished, then gently nudged Yin with the tip of her foot.
Feeling Yan Qingzhu’s nudge, Yin puffed out her cheeks. However, upon seeing Bai Zhiqiu offer a shrimp to her mouth, she decisively took a bite.
The sweet, fresh taste filled her tongue, causing Yin to happily squint her eyes.
“Is she the one who’s going to live with us?”
Watching Bai Zhiqiu feed Yin, Bai Yue couldn’t shake the feeling that this so-called magical girl seemed rather unreliable. And to think, she was holding her brother’s phone. Bai Yue herself had never even seen Bai Zhiqiu’s phone.
“Can she really…”
Bai Yue trailed off, her words left unspoken. Although she was fond of the white-haired loli, this concerned her brother’s safety. Could such a small creature truly be of help if something unexpected occurred?
“Don’t you believe me? I’ll scare you if I tell you! Even Jasmine can’t beat me!”
Having said that, Yin puffed out her small chest proudly.
“That’s certainly true! Xiao Yue, even the Little Witch has to use her full strength to defeat her!”
To convince Bai Yue, Bai Zhiqiu chimed in with his agreement.
“I can totally beat her! If you don’t believe me, just wait until you recover… Mmph!”
Before Yin could finish her sentence, Bai Zhiqiu quickly shoved another piece of food into her mouth, silencing her.
“My little ancestor! Speak less! Bai Yue still doesn’t know I’m Higanbana!”
Bai Zhiqiu whispered, his voice low, into Yin’s ear. He genuinely feared Yin would blurt out everything with just a few more words.
If that happened, there would be no need to wait three days; he’d be utterly humiliated today.
“Understood! Understood!” Hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s words, Yin nodded, comprehending that Bai Zhiqiu needed to keep his identity hidden for now. “But what were you two just talking about?”
“About you staying at my house! Don’t you read minds? Didn’t you know?”
“Mind-reading consumes a lot of energy, you know!”
“Remember, just behave yourself when we get home… Oh, and whatever you do, don’t eat anything Xiao Yue cooks!”
Bai Zhiqiu genuinely feared Yin eating Bai Yue’s cooking. After all, the sight of bubbles floating in the tomato and scrambled egg soup was simply too horrifying.
Observing Yin’s puzzled gaze, Bai Zhiqiu offered no further explanation.
“So Xiao Yin is really that strong! Come here, let older sister give you a hug!”
Bai Yue clapped her hands at Yin, her face beaming with an excited smile, her eyes scanning Yin’s entire form.
‘Her figure is quite similar to the Little Witch’s,’ she thought. ‘All those little dresses I painstakingly made, bought, and picked out will finally be put to good use!’
“Can I not be hugged?”
Yin looked up at Bai Zhiqiu. For some reason, she had a nagging feeling that being hugged would lead to something unpleasant.
“It’s fine! Just let her hug you! Nothing bad will happen.”
After speaking, Bai Zhiqiu took a sip of cola and gently nudged Yin towards Bai Yue.
Bai Zhiqiu had a small ulterior motive for inviting Yin to stay. He reasoned that once his secret was inevitably revealed in three days, Bai Yue would have already started treating Yin like a dress-up doll, making things much easier for him.
By then, he would be free, Bai Yue would be happy, and Yin would have new clothes. Everyone would be content!
“So cute! Xiao Yin, how old are you?”
Only when Bai Yue pulled her into a tight embrace did Yin realize something was amiss. ‘She’s hugging me too closely!’
“F-four…”
“Fourteen? So young! Can Xiao Yin really defeat Chief Jasmine at such a tender age?”
“I said four…”
“Oh, I get it! Fourteen, right? Come on, call me older sister!”
Yin was speechless. This human’s imagination was running wild. She had actually meant four hundred years old.
Yet, seeing Bai Yue’s eager gaze, Yin reluctantly uttered, “Older sister!”
Though Yin’s tone was clearly impatient, as if simply trying to appease her, it still made Bai Yue incredibly happy.
‘A white-haired loli is calling you older sister!’
“Alright! Xiao Yin and Xiao Yue, please stay here for now! I have some matters to attend to with Zhiqiu. Shall we go?”
With that, Yan Qingzhu elegantly dabbed her mouth.
“Bai Zhiqiu! Your phone, I still want to…”
“Play with it! It’s yours now! And don’t forget the instructions I gave you!”
Bai Zhiqiu gathered his belongings and followed Yan Qingzhu out of the restaurant. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to remind Yin, genuinely fearing that her gluttony might lead to unfortunate consequences.
Outside the restaurant, the wind brushed against his face, feeling rather cool.
“What’s wrong?”
Bai Zhiqiu touched his face, feeling a touch of confusion. Why had Yan Qingzhu called him out at this moment, especially when he hadn’t even finished eating?
“I’m taking you back to headquarters!”
“Haven’t we already been back?”
Hearing Yan Qingzhu’s words, Bai Zhiqiu felt a surge of bewilderment. They had just left headquarters to eat.
“I wasn’t clear! I meant for you to transform into your Little Witch form!”
“Transform into my Little Witch form?”
Bai Zhiqiu tilted his head slightly. Although his powers were currently lost, he still complied with Yan Qingzhu’s request, transforming within the car.
He appeared just as before, though the single antenna-like strand of hair on his head, usually perky, now lay flat with the rest of his hair due to Yin’s absence.
“What exactly are we going to headquarters for?”
“You’ll know when we get there!”
With that, Yan Qingzhu started the car.
However, Bai Zhiqiu soon realized that this road didn’t seem to lead to headquarters at all.
“Where are you going? This isn’t headquarters!”
“I told you, you’ll know when we get there!”
As the car traveled further and further, it gradually began to move away from the city.
Suddenly, a dreadful thought surfaced in Bai Zhiqiu’s mind.
‘She couldn’t possibly be planning to silence me, could she?’
A sense of foreboding settled in Bai Zhiqiu’s heart as he frantically tried to recall if he had offended Yan Qingzhu recently.
“Yan Qingzhu… Sister Qingzhu… I haven’t offended you recently, have I?”
Bai Zhiqiu swallowed hard, speaking cautiously as he looked at Yan Qingzhu.
“No, not at all! Don’t worry! We’re just heading to the suburbs, where there are very few people. Oh, and you don’t have your phone now, do you? I saw you gave it to Xiao Yin!”
As she spoke, Yan Qingzhu turned the steering wheel, veering onto an unfamiliar side road.
Hearing Yan Qingzhu’s words, Bai Zhiqiu grew even more terrified.
‘Why do her words sound so much like someone planning a murder to silence me?’
‘Why did she ask me to transform into the Little Witch?’
‘Is it so my identity won’t be easily recognized?’
‘No! It could also be… first, then kill!’
Instantly, a terrible image flashed through Bai Zhiqiu’s mind.
As the surroundings grew increasingly unfamiliar, Bai Zhiqiu’s heart sank further.