A Meal and a Game

“Senior Sister, dinner’s ready.”

Zhuang Xun, wearing an apron, placed a plate piled high with curry onto the dining table.

Several seconds passed. Receiving no response, she turned her head toward the sofa. Shen Xian was curled up there, fast asleep, with her fox-eared jacket draped over her. Soft moonlight fell upon her cheeks, making her appear incredibly serene.

Zhuang Xun cautiously approached the sofa and slowly knelt down. She knew she should wake her Senior Sister for dinner, but this sight was simply too rare. She didn’t want to disturb this moment of tranquility.

Just a few more minutes… just a few, Zhuang Xun yearned internally.

“Mm…”

Shen Xian’s brows furrowed as she slowly opened her eyes. In her hazy state, she still seemed half-asleep. Rubbing her eyes, she chuckled softly. “Little Zhuang Xun, are you crouching here because you want to sleep with your Senior Sister?”

“I…”

Before Zhuang Xun could finish her sentence, she was scooped into Shen Xian’s embrace. Shen Xian’s strength was a little greater than she had anticipated.

A rhythmic patting landed on her back. Shen Xian’s voice was soft and languid. “Good girl, be a good girl.”

“!!!”

Zhuang Xun’s hands, unsure where to go, stiffly rose above her head.

I can’t let Senior Sister keep sleeping. The food will get cold soon. Besides… this position is truly unbearable to maintain!

“Se… Senior Sister?”

“Hm?”

“Dinner’s ready. Shall we eat first and then sleep?”

“Mm… huh?!”

Shen Xian’s eyes widened as she abruptly snapped back to reality and sat upright.

Her sudden movement caused Zhuang Xun, who was already perched precariously on the edge of the cushions, to fall backward. Just as she was about to tumble onto the floor, Shen Xian swiftly reached out and pulled her back up. Due to the inertia, Zhuang Xun collided with Shen Xian’s embrace once more.

This time, however, she instinctively braced her hands against the back of the sofa, preventing a full impact.

“Oops, my bad. You didn’t fall, did you?”

Zhuang Xun looked up. Shen Xian, whose arms were still wrapped around her, had a faint blush on her face from waking up, and her clothes were slightly disheveled.

Zhuang Xun immediately took a large step back, steadied herself, and averted her gaze, coughing lightly. “No… no, I’m fine.”

Shen Xian remained seated and slowly explained, “I usually like to hug a plushie when I sleep, so I might have mistaken you for one. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

From the corner of her eye, Zhuang Xun noticed Shen Xian’s cat ears drooping slightly in apology.

She sighed inwardly. “No, not at all. The food’s getting cold, Senior Sister. Let’s go eat.”

“Oh… alright.”

Shen Xian put on her slippers and walked past her. “Little Zhuang Xun, you come eat too.”

Zhuang Xun nodded. “Mm. I’ll be right there.”

Shen Xian blinked, smiling. “I’ll be waiting for you at the dining table.”

Zhuang Xun stood rooted to the spot, covering her face, her eyes still tracking Shen Xian. Did she notice me secretly watching her sleep just now? Being this close is really awful… I almost couldn’t control my expression.

“I just realized how amazing your cooking is, Little Zhuang Xun!”

Shen Xian, spoon in hand, scooped up a mouthful of curry and rice, praising it profusely.

Zhuang Xun picked up her own spoon. “As long as Senior Sister likes it.”

After all, she had lived alone since childhood; if she hadn’t learned how to cook when she was strapped for cash, she would have starved long ago.

“How can it be this delicious?” Shen Xian stroked her cheek, a look of pure bliss on her face.

Zhuang Xun was momentarily lost in thought, a barely perceptible curve forming on her lips. “If Senior Sister likes it, I can make it for you again sometime.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Zhuang Xun froze. She was practically pushing her luck. “I mean—”

“Sounds good.” Shen Xian licked the curry from her lips. “It would be such a waste not to cook with such amazing skills.”

“Alright. Whatever Senior Sister likes, I’ll make it for you.”

Shen Xian quickly nodded and added, “You can only make it for me! I absolutely cannot let that Ning Qi get a taste of this delicious food!”

“Okay.”

Zhuang Xun gazed at Shen Xian, noticing a tiny bit of curry lingering at the corner of her mouth. She gently tapped the corresponding spot on her own cheek with a finger. “Senior Sister, right here.”

Shen Xian’s eyes widened. She reached out, somewhat confused, and touched the opposite side of her face from where Zhuang Xun had pointed. “There’s nothing there?”

“Not there… it’s here.”

Zhuang Xun instinctively stood up and reached out, her hand moving toward Shen Xian’s cheek. Shen Xian’s body stiffened. By the time Zhuang Xun realized what she was doing, her hand was already hovering just inches from Shen Xian’s face.

She abruptly sat back down, grabbed a napkin from beside her, and wiped her own fingers nervously. “S-Sorry, Senior Sister… I was out of line!”

“It’s fine, you can just tell me next time.” Shen Xian seemed utterly unfazed by it, yet her gaze no longer met Zhuang Xun’s. She was practically burying her face in her curry rice.

Zhuang Xun handed Shen Xian a glass filled with water. “Senior Sister, drink some water.”

“Little Zhuang Xun…”

“Hm?”

“Your hands are incredibly beautiful, aren’t they?” Shen Xian put down her spoon, quickly took the water glass, drank half, and set it aside. She gently pinched one of Zhuang Xun’s fingers, her face slightly flushed.

Zhuang Xun felt every inch of the touched skin tremble.

“So fair and clean, and your bones are so distinct…” Shen Xian’s eyes were filled with envy.

Zhuang Xun lowered her head, curling her fingers slightly. Shen Xian’s hand traced from her fingertips down to the back of her hand.

“Se… Senior Sister… please don’t touch.”

As soon as Zhuang Xun finished speaking, Shen Xian directly clasped her hand, her eyes sparkling. “After we eat, do you want to play a game?”

“What?”

“One level is incredibly difficult; I always miss a few keys.”

Zhuang Xun stared at the loading screen of the rhythm game on her phone, momentarily speechless.

“Have you played this game, Little Zhuang Xun?”

Zhuang Xun looked up at the sound. Shen Xian was wearing a new set of pajamas she had bought for her. Only…

Zhuang Xun’s breath hitched. She clearly remembered grabbing a complete set! Why was Senior Sister only wearing the oversized pajama top?

Shen Xian sat beside her on the floor, drying her hair with a towel, a cushion (which Zhuang Xun had just brought from her own room) cradled in her lap.

“Little Zhuang Xun, are you so nervous because you’ve never played a rhythm game…?” Shen Xian moved a step closer. “Am I bothering you?”

“No. Senior Sister, I gave you a full set of clothes,” Zhuang Xun reminded her.

Shen Xian pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head against them as she gazed at her junior. “The tail makes the bottoms uncomfortable to wear… do I really have to wear them?”

Shen Xian put on an extremely pitiful expression; even her cat ears drooped. Her tail inadvertently brushed against Zhuang Xun’s thigh.

“N-No… you don’t. I’ll go find Senior Sister some shorter pajama bottoms!” Zhuang Xun practically shouted. She had completely forgotten about the tail when she picked out the clothes earlier.

“Wait a moment.”

Zhuang Xun’s shirt hem was gripped tightly by Shen Xian. “Can we play the game first, instead?”

“……” Huh?

Shen Xian blinked, using her usual coaxing tactic. “Because this event ends today, so time is really tight… can’t we, please?”

Zhuang Xun quickly turned her head away. Is it because she’s transformed into a ‘cat’ that she’s so much more prone to acting spoiled than usual?

She had absolutely no resistance to it.

Zhuang Xun gripped the phone in her hand. If it had been a physical object with give, it might have been crushed by now. She maneuvered her stiff body back to her original position, forcing her expression into one of deep seriousness. “Senior Sister, which level do you want to play?”

Shen Xian subtly shifted closer, pointing at the screen with her finger. “This level.”

Before her voice even registered, the fresh citrus scent from Shen Xian enveloped Zhuang Xun completely.

Zhuang Xun forced herself to concentrate entirely on the game. She nodded and began adjusting the control settings.

Minutes later, the moment a perfect ‘Full Combo’ flashed on the screen, Zhuang Xun was suddenly tackled onto the carpet.

The phone fell softly onto the rug, unharmed. Seeing that the phone was fine, Zhuang Xun immediately looked up at Shen Xian, who was now straddling her.

Shen Xian propped herself up on either side of Zhuang Xun’s head, her eyes filled with immense admiration. “Little Zhuang Xun! You’re so amazing!”

Zhuang Xun’s heart pounded faster than a rhythm game’s judgment line.

No sooner had she spoken than Shen Xian’s cat ears and tail vanished from sight with a sudden ‘pop’.

Shen Xian heard the sound too, and immediately reached up to touch her head. “Huh? They disappeared?”