A Sister’s Secret and a World Apart

Jiu Hua sat at the dining table, glaring indignantly at Jiu Hui, who was preparing breakfast in the kitchen. She had initially planned to question Jiu Hui thoroughly about the hickey on her neck once she woke up. However, when Jiu Hui finally did stir, her drowsy, half-closed eyes rendered Jiu Hua utterly speechless; the questions she had prepared vanished without a trace. Perhaps she was simply afraid of the answer.

With that thought, Jiu Hua offered Jiu Hui a sweet, innocent smile.

“You’re awake, Sister.”

“Mmm~, mmm.” Jiu Hui mumbled a response, rubbing her eyes before opening them fully to see Jiu Hua before her.

“Morning, Jiu Hua.”

Her voice was soft, still thick with sleep, and combined with her confused expression and the smooth shoulder revealed by a slipping pajama strap, it sparked an urge in Jiu Hua to simply pounce and kiss her. Chuckling softly, Jiu Hua gently kneaded Jiu Hui’s cheek.

“Alright, Sister, hurry and get ready. Then, please make breakfast; I’m a bit hungry.”

By then, Jiu Hui was mostly awake. Seeing Jiu Hua’s smiling face, and recalling her own disheveled state from moments before, her cheeks flushed with a faint blush.

“Hmph! I know!”

With a soft snort directed at Jiu Hua, Jiu Hui rose from the bed and left the room. Once Jiu Hui was gone, Jiu Hua gazed at the empty room, letting her body fall back onto the bed. She gently embraced the duvet Jiu Hui had been using, inhaling the lingering scent of her sister. Her eyes grew distant, and she murmured softly,

‘Sister…’

****

During breakfast, Jiu Hui ate the food on her plate, feeling Jiu Hua’s gaze upon her, which made her profoundly uneasy. Finally, she couldn’t help but ask cautiously,

“Um, Jiu Hua, did I do something wrong?”

Jiu Hua had been staring at her intermittently since they sat down, and the intensity of her gaze was making Jiu Hui’s skin crawl. Hearing this, Jiu Hua pursed her lips and let out a soft snort.

“Hmph! Nothing!”

She withdrew her gaze from Jiu Hui and lowered her head, focusing intently on the food before her. However, the occasional crunching sounds she made caused Jiu Hui to worry that the plate might simply crack under the assault. Though her mind was filled with questions, she wisely chose to remain silent, observing Jiu Hua’s clearly volatile mood. She decided it would be better to ask later.

After finishing breakfast and clearing the dishes, Jiu Hui returned directly to her room; she had some matters she needed to sort out. Upon seeing Jiu Hui retreat to her room, Jiu Hua also returned to her own, feeling that she, too, needed to clarify certain things.

****

In her room, Jiu Hui sat on a chair, watching the stream of pedestrians moving below her window, her thoughts gradually drifting. Ever since she had transformed into a girl that day, she had been traversing between two worlds, with the timing always perfectly synchronized. Each time she transitioned, the world would turn a uniform gray, and a cursor would appear. When returning to the real world, the message read, ‘[Saving game…]’; when returning to the other world, it was ‘[Loading game…]’.

‘Why does it feel so much like playing a game?’ she mused. ‘Loading, saving—aren’t those gaming terms?’ A thought bubbled up in Jiu Hui’s mind: ‘Could that be a game?’ At this, the image of Lisa Kael suddenly flashed in her mind, and a wave of discomfort washed over her. Shaking her head to dispel the feeling, Jiu Hui continued to organize her thoughts.

Each return to the real world and to the other world always brought her back to the exact moment she had left. This perfectly aligned with the concepts of ‘loading’ and ‘saving.’ Moreover, both times she had returned to the real world were moments when she was on the verge of being assaulted by that lecherous woman. ‘Could that be the trigger point?’ A sudden chill ran down Jiu Hui’s spine. ‘No way?’

Another point was that she spent a long time in the other world, but her stays in the real world seemed relatively short. The last time, she had only been back for a day before suddenly returning at night. While this wasn’t entirely confirmed yet, she could definitely verify it this time. At this thought, Jiu Hui breathed a small sigh of relief. Prior to this, a persistent unease had plagued her: inexplicably becoming a girl, inexplicably arriving in a completely unfamiliar world, inexplicably becoming a personal maid to a queen—who was also a lecherous woman. And on top of all that, she would periodically return to the real world.

All of these events had kept Jiu Hui in a constant state of anxiety. Now, however, she was gradually discerning some of the underlying rules. While she still didn’t understand *why* she had become a girl, *why* she had been transported to another world, or *why* these inexplicable things are happening to her, her current situation was vastly improved compared to her previous state of utter bewilderment. The other mysteries, she felt, would slowly unravel over time. Jiu Hui slowly rose, looking down at the bustling crowd below. Much of the gloom that had long clouded her brow dissipated, and a slight curve touched her lips.

‘Although many things remain unclear, this turn of events isn’t so bad. Compared to those who merely drift along, caught in the immense web of society, the things I’ve experienced are truly fascinating! That world is also far more interesting than this one. Perhaps this is a blessing bestowed upon me by fate!’ The more she pondered, the brighter Jiu Hui’s smile became, and a surge of excitement swelled within her heart. ‘I don’t know who granted me these experiences, but I am truly, profoundly grateful!!!’

****

Meanwhile, in Jiu Hua’s room, Jiu Hua lay on her bed, surrounded by numerous photographs and plush dolls of Jiu Hui. Her mind was entirely consumed by the hickey on Jiu Hui’s neck. The more she dwelled on it, the more distorted her expression became, and fine red veins bloomed in her eyes.

“Who was it?!”

Suddenly, the ferocity on Jiu Hua’s face dissolved, and her body went slack, like a deflating balloon. Her eyes gradually lost their focus.

‘Or perhaps, Sister has truly fallen for someone.’ Imagining Jiu Hui embracing and kissing someone else, a flash of searing pain tore through Jiu Hua’s eyes, like a jagged crack appearing. ‘No, impossible. Sister, my Sister can only be mine!!!’ Feeling the suffocating agony in her heart, Jiu Hua’s pupils constricted sharply, and a glint of determined madness flared in her eyes. Slowly, Jiu Hua rose from the bed, walked out of her room, and stopped at Jiu Hui’s door. After a moment, she pursed her lips and gently pushed the door open.