A House Tour and Hidden Secrets

“Could you possibly show me around? I’m quite curious about Chloe and Senior Tia’s daily lives,” Night Moon asked Chloe after they finished eating.

“Uh… well… that depends on what Senior Tia thinks. After all, this is her home,” Chloe said, not daring to take such a liberty. Forget showing Night Moon around; even on ordinary days, without Tia’s explicit instructions, Chloe herself wouldn’t venture too far, fearing she might step on a landmine and incur Tia’s wrath once more.

Chloe glanced at Tia, who was sipping her after-dinner tea, attempting to solicit her opinion.

“Then let Chloe show you around. There’s nothing much to see anyway.” Tia continued to drink her tea, her eyes not turning their way, her expression unreadable.

“Are you really sure?” It wasn’t Night Moon who asked this, but Chloe. She worried there might be places holding precious memories of Tia and Yilan, places no one else was allowed to touch. All the suffering Chloe had endured at Tia’s hands thus far stemmed from her connection to Yilan’s death. Hence, extreme caution was required for anything involving Yilan—a survival rule Chloe had painstakingly learned.

Tia turned her head, a look on her face as if she had heard something utterly unbelievable.

“Why wouldn’t it be? Chloe has lived in my house for so long; my home is your home. Could it be that Chloe still feels we are strangers? That would truly wound me.”

The gentle tone sounded incredibly heartwarming, like sweet, sugary honey, melting into the ears and sweetening one’s very core.

“Wow~ Senior Tia is so good to Chloe! If only my sister were like that! Chloe, you absolutely cannot let Senior Tia down!” Night Moon whispered with a laugh, leaning into Chloe’s ear, her words brimming with envy.

Hehehe… This woman, who commits all sorts of evil, speaks so sweetly in front of outsiders. Who knows, the moment Night Moon leaves, the tentacles might just slither out.

Chloe pressed her lips together, saying nothing, silently leading the way for Night Moon.

“Follow me.”

The house was quite expansive; otherwise, there would be no need for a dedicated tour.

“This is my room. You can take a look, there’s nothing special.” Chloe pushed open the exquisitely crafted wooden door.

Night Moon immediately darted inside, touching everything as if she had never seen the world before.

“Chloe’s room is so soft!”

“Who describes a room as ‘soft’!”

“It really is!” Night Moon exclaimed. “The rug on the floor is soft, the bed is soft, and there are all sorts of plush toys everywhere; it really suits Chloe’s personality—all soft and squeezable, no matter how much you pinch.” Night Moon’s fingers traced along the wall, feeling its fluffy, high-quality texture.

“It’s not soft at all!” Chloe puffed out her cheeks, hands on her hips, her two golden eyes wide and round.

“See! You look so soft right now, it makes one want to keep teasing you~” Night Moon gazed at Chloe’s slightly puffed-up cheeks, resisting the urge to pinch them. If she did that, Chloe might genuinely get angry.

But an angry Chloe is also quite cute~

“What are you talking about! If you keep this up, I’ll ask you to leave!” Chloe’s face flushed slightly, as if something had hit home, and she instinctively lowered her head.

“Yes, yes, yes~” While humoring her, Night Moon observed a small gap in the wall. Her keen eyes immediately detected that there was space behind the gap.

So she turned and asked Chloe, “Chloe, is your wardrobe a hidden type?”

“What hidden type? My wardrobe is right here.” Chloe pointed to the wooden wardrobe standing beside the bed.

“Then what’s inside here?”

Chloe looked at the gap Night Moon was pointing to. She had always assumed it was just a seam where wall materials met; could it be something else?

“Step aside for a moment.” Chloe walked to the gap and carefully pried at it with her finger. It was loose! It seemed to be a secret compartment. But Tia had never told her about it!

Chloe suddenly felt a bad premonition. She used her small body to block Night Moon’s view, then pried open the secret compartment at a tiny angle, cautiously sticking her head slightly inside. They were flat, rectangular objects, one after another.

Photos, perhaps?

Chloe squinted, observing closely. After seeing the content of the photos, her head hit the compartment wall with a ‘bang,’ and without time to cry out in pain, she quickly sealed the compartment shut again.

Oh no! How could those be photos secretly taken after I collapsed from exhaustion that night! Only a pervert would take such pictures without someone’s knowledge!

Chloe cursed Tia silently in her heart, but the blush on her face was impossible to hide. Thinking about it now, her legs still felt a bit weak.

“Was there something inside?”

“Nothing at all!”

How could that be? Her face is so red; how can she say there’s nothing? It must be something particularly private.

“I see~” Night Moon pretended to believe her, but only out of respect for Chloe’s privacy. However, this is something in Chloe’s room, yet Chloe herself seems completely unaware of it? Could it be some little romantic game with Senior Tia?

Night Moon’s sense of smell was extremely keen, not just on a physical level, but also on a slightly metaphysical one.

“That’s enough! Time to go to the next place!”

Chloe, knowing her acting was poor, hurriedly pushed Night Moon out of the room. After all, this was her home; she was the one in charge!

“This is the study, where all the books Senior Tia has collected are kept.”

Seeing the room filled with books, Night Moon’s reverence for Senior Tia surged once more. Previously, she had only admired Senior Tia’s renowned combat prowess, never imagining that Senior Tia, busy punishing monsters, could have squeezed out so much time to read so many books. Many magical girls believed that as magical girls, they only needed to fight; why read? Night Moon did not agree with this view. She was greatly pleased that Senior Tia’s thoughts aligned with hers.

Tia’s collection of books was encyclopedic, encompassing everything from science to literature to philosophy. Chloe, of course, rarely came to this study. The sight of the overflowing bookshelves made her head spin. It wasn’t that she had an aversion to reading, but there were simply too many books, and she had no idea where to start.

“Have you read any of these books, Chloe?” Night Moon asked, casually taking down a novel from a high shelf.

“I’ve read a little bit, but not the one in your hand. It’s placed too high; I can’t reach it.”

“Pfft~” Night Moon almost couldn’t hold back her laughter, and Chloe, seeing this, could only sulk helplessly.

“It would be so much better if there was a ladder here!” Chloe unconsciously pouted, her eyes filled with resentment towards the books on the high shelves.

As soon as Night Moon opened the book, she immediately sensed that it was no ordinary novel. Some novels would have a few illustrations inserted between the pages, and this one was no exception, but the problem was… why were the two girls in the pictures not wearing clothes?

Seeing Night Moon suddenly fall silent and engrossed, Chloe curiously craned her neck to peek, wondering what novel was so captivating. Unfortunately, the observant Night Moon quickly turned her body, not wanting Chloe to see. She quickly flipped through a few pages before putting the book back, her face turning crimson.

“Take me to the next place,” she said, feigning composure.

“Hmph, I’ll look at it myself later! Follow me.” Chloe glanced defiantly at the book on the upper shelf. What kind of book could make Night Moon’s face turn red? Could it be some kind of erotic novel? Never mind, I’ll just get a stool and take a look later; then I’ll know.

Chloe silently memorized the book’s location.

Meanwhile, Night Moon’s heart remained unsettled. She hadn’t expected Senior Tia to collect such books; the entire content described how one girl could pleasure another. If one had to categorize it, it was almost an ‘educational’ book.

But why would Senior Tia need to learn such knowledge? Could it be…

“What are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that?” Chloe, walking ahead, suddenly felt a burning gaze on her back. Turning around, her eyes met Night Moon’s.

“Nothing…”

“Hmph… if you don’t want to say, then don’t.”

Once Chloe turned her head back around, Night Moon’s eyes quietly shifted once more to Chloe’s feet, clad in little fox slippers. They were fair and tender, each toe as enticing as a sweet glutinous rice ball. The book had said that such small feet were of the highest quality, very sensitive…

What am I thinking!

Night Moon vigorously shook her head, trying to shake off the scenes her brain had conjured.

This is a betrayal of Senior Tia! I must stop immediately!

The final spot was the backyard, where many flowers were cultivated. The constant scent of chamomile wafting through the house originated from here.

“Did Senior Tia plant all these flowers?” Night Moon asked curiously; growing so many flowers was no easy feat.

“No…”

“So, some of them are yours then?”

Chloe didn’t know how to answer, only offering a strained smile in silence. Night Moon merely took it as an affirmation and continued to wander around the small garden. She discovered a spot where no plants were growing and, curious, she went over to look, finding the sealed entrance to a basement. There wasn’t much soil on the seal, and it was quite clean, clearly having been opened not long ago.

Chloe, catching up and seeing the entrance, stated that she wasn’t sure what was stored inside.

“Perhaps seeds and some gardening tools?” Chloe guessed; what else could it be?

“Probably. After all, taking care of this garden oneself isn’t easy.”

A gentle breeze swept through, carrying wafts of floral fragrance, while the shovels and watering cans used for planting lay quietly in the shadows of the yard’s corner.