A Demon’s Revelation and a Brother’s Dilemma

“What’s there to be surprised about?” The horned girl spread her hands with an air of exasperation. “Isn’t it perfectly clear? The reason you’ve been transformed into a little girl is, naturally, so you can be confined. That way, you’ll be too weak to resist.”

“Wait, wait, wait…” I sputtered, my voice thick with disbelief. “Why would I be locked up? Surely, I’m owed an explanation!”

True, while my relationship with Chen Si Yi could hardly be described as close, we had, at the very least, coexisted under the same roof for a considerable time. Surely, my own sister wouldn’t be so merciless!

Though her usual demeanor toward me was one of detached indifference, I would occasionally make overtures, hoping to improve our dynamic.

Furthermore, in recent times, aside from our brief encounters at the dinner table, Chen Si Yi and I hadn’t even exchanged a handful of words, let alone engaged in an argument.

Consequently, I was utterly baffled, unable to conceive of any valid reason for Chen Si Yi to imprison me. To my recollection, I had done nothing amiss.

“Hey, this is all your machinations, isn’t it?!” I bellowed, my finger jabbing accusingly at the girl suspended above me. “You’re the one who cunningly deceived my sister into imprisoning me, aren’t you?!”

“Oh? Are you referring to me?”

As my finger singled her out, the girl suspended mid-air blinked, a bewildered expression gracing her features.

Then, gesturing to the horns adorning her head, she clarified, “No, no, I’m not human; I’m a demon.”

“Who gives a damn what species you are!”

Confronted by the alluring gaze the girl directed my way, I was instantly rendered speechless.

‘Horns sprouting from her head, a black tail extending from her backside—such blatant characteristics. Any rational person would recognize you as a demon. Having already calmly accepted my own transformation into a loli, what possible reason could I have to be astonished by your relatively minor revelation of being a demon?’

Furthermore, and most crucially…

“Don’t you dare try to change the subject, you scoundrel! Look at me and answer my question, you little wretch!”

“Oh my, have I been discovered?”

Upon seeing me point at her once more, the girl covered her mouth, emitting a delightful, wind-chime-like peal of laughter.

Following that, she gently grasped both of my ears, slowly pivoting my head to face Chen Si Yi.

“Consider it yourself,” she prompted. “Do your sister’s actions at this very moment… do they truly suggest she’s under my control?”

‘…………’

Chen Si Yi, who was currently pinning me down, pursed her lips in a distinctly unnatural manner, her face flushed so crimson it appeared on the verge of dripping blood.

Yet, in stark contrast to her bashful expression, her gaze was unyieldingly resolute, so firm that when our eyes met, not a single flicker of evasion could be detected.

Gazing at my sister’s face, positioned directly above mine, I found myself involuntarily frozen in surprise.

With one bizarre scenario after another, straight out of a novel, unfolding around me, I was momentarily at a loss for how to react.

While I remained uncertain as to what precisely had upset Chen Si Yi, as an elder brother, the gradual chilling of our relationship over the past two years was undeniably my responsibility.

Very well, if this is the situation, then it’s high time I asserted some brotherly authority and engaged my sister in a serious, heartfelt discussion!

Just as this thought crystallized, I prepared to speak, only to be sharply cut off by a sudden reprimand from Chen Si Yi.

“Hey, Serena, why are you daydreaming?” Chen Si Yi snapped. “Hurry up and pin Lin Yan’s hands down for me!”

Chen Si Yi’s sharp words struck like a peal of thunder, jolting Serena, who had been silently observing the unfolding drama, back to her senses. With a quick affirmative sound, she extended her demonic claws, launching a swift assault toward my delicate wrists.

Yet, I couldn’t possibly allow her to succeed so effortlessly. The instant her demonic claws were poised to make contact, I exerted a burst of strength, twisting my wrist mid-air, only to find myself—still captured by her grip.

“Hehehe,” Serena chuckled, a triumphant gleam in her eyes. “To challenge me in speed, you, a mere human, are still far too inexperienced~”

Serena, having deftly secured both my wrists, one in each hand, proudly tilted her head back. She then favored my grimacing face with an utterly captivating wink.

“Wait, wait, wait,” I began, “why are you helping that Chen Si Yi?” With both my hands and feet utterly immobilized, and realizing that any further struggle would be utterly futile, a cunning idea suddenly sparked within me.

“What did Chen Si Yi offer you?” I pressed Serena. “I’ll give you double! No… if you switch sides, even ten times that amount is acceptable!”

“Hmph, you truly underestimate me, Lin Yan.”

To my surprise, Serena merely clicked her tongue in disdain at the price I’d offered. “You ought to understand,” she declared, “our demon race, even if we’re utterly pulverized, will never betray our contractors!”

‘Well, I’ll be damned. I never would’ve thought demons possessed such a strong sense of contractual integrity.’