A Wish on Christmas Eve

“And so, on that Christmas Eve, Sister made this wish.”

Ling Chen finished recounting the story. I couldn’t help but throw off my covers and retort:

“Confessed to by a girl? Are you sure something like that happened last Christmas Eve?”

Even though I had no recollection of the event, I found myself unable to refute it.

Considering the psychological description of the protagonist, the embarrassing individual on that Christmas Eve was undeniably me.

I also had some vague memory of the beautiful girl named Bai Yu, yet I couldn’t recall anything specific related to her.

An eerie strangeness permeated every aspect of the situation.

Ling Chen shrugged. “That night, Sister went back and pulled an all-nighter playing games. The next day, she had another exam, but halfway through, she lost consciousness and collapsed in the examination hall, completely losing her memory. It would be stranger if Sister, with her dense brain, could still remember it after all this time.”

As the reigning champion of all-nighters, I refused to believe I would ever stay up so late that I’d lose my memory.

“I don’t believe it. How could such a thing happen after just one all-nighter?”

Ling Chen said slowly, “At the time, Sister had been sleeping no more than four hours a day for an entire week. It’s a miracle she didn’t suddenly die.”

“Really?”

I pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered I had been busy grinding game events and preparing for exams back then. I was constantly overworked, which blurred my memories from that period.

“Alright. But what does this have to do with you?”

“Of course, it has something to do with me. Didn’t Sister make a wish? A shooting star happened to flash across the sky, and even though Sister didn’t see it, her wish came true.”

My eyes narrowed with suspicion, certain Ling Chen was trying to fool me. How does a shooting star get involved?

Ling Chen cleared his throat. “Ahem, how Sister’s wish came true isn’t important. What matters is that Sister made a wish. Sister yearned for my existence, so I answered her expectations and came to fulfill her wish.”

“But I wanted a sister similar to Kasugano Sora, not a cunning, muscular shota!”

While I had indeed considered having a younger sibling, Ling Chen’s constant teasing over the past two days left me feeling utterly undignified, as if he were leading me around by the nose.

As the saying goes, an elder brother is like a father. As a senior, how could I possibly be beneath someone else?

I had a host of bad habits, but above all, I was arrogant. Ling Chen being even more audacious than me simply wouldn’t do!

Ling Chen pondered for a moment. “It wouldn’t be impossible for me to cross-dress and act as Sister’s younger sister.”

I quickly interjected, stopping Ling Chen’s dreadful idea.

“Stop! I was just kidding around. Isn’t playing with my body enough? Do you want to give me psychological trauma too?”

His lip twitched. “When did I ever play with Sister’s body?”

Like a tragic white lotus heroine from a family melodrama, I tearfully accused him:

“You made me play dress-up, you saw me naked, and you even orchestrated it so that I’d bleed! What am I supposed to do? Waaah, I’ll never get married…”

“Is that so?”

Seeing me fully immersed in my act, Ling Chen smirked. With the domineering aura of a CEO, he pulled me closer, casually placed a hand on my shoulder, and whispered into my ear:

“That’s right. I’m craving Sister’s body.”

Goosebumps instantly erupted across my skin, my hairs standing on end. I instinctively pushed Ling Chen away.

This guy… he actually wants to play for real.

“Then how do you explain not using your omniscience and omnipotence to directly change my terrible personality?”

Ling Chen smiled, a reminiscent look gracing his face.

“Sister once said you enjoy high-difficulty games. For example, when you used to play XCOM 2, you often had soldiers die because of your terrible luck, yet Sister would rather use the save/load trick to repeat battles countless times than ever switch difficulty or give up on a no-damage run.”

“Such a stubbornly masochistic Sister, who repeatedly accepts abuse, makes one simply unable to resist bullying her a little.”

My face flushed, and I snapped, “Who’s a masochist? It’s precisely because the difficulty is high that it’s worth the challenge. Games that you can easily clear by just spending money offer no sense of achievement.”

Ling Chen nodded. “So, Sister and I think alike. Reality is nothing but a terrible game. From the start, everyone’s attributes, equipment, and environment are unequal, with no balance whatsoever. The only equality in this terrible game is that everyone will clear it through death, no matter what rank they reach.”

“However, in this game, most players will at best become insignificant numbers in big data. Only a few players, using extremely hardcore methods, challenge high-difficulty scenarios to clear the game and leave their names in history.”

“And Sister, in this game, has neither resources nor skills. To be blunt, Sister, you’re a noob.”

I retorted irritably, “Yes, yes. To be called a noob by my own younger brother, I might as well just go die.”

“I’m merely stating facts. Sister can’t even handle that, yet this is Sister’s own assessment of herself.”

“My self-deprecating jokes don’t sound good coming from someone else’s mouth.”

“Am I not a part of Sister? How am I ‘someone else’?”

I covered my ears. “I don’t care! You’re not allowed to say bad things about me!”

“Alright.”

Ling Chen continued, “But even though Sister is a noob, her mentality is excellent. This is rare. The biggest taboo in playing this terrible game, Earth OL, isn’t being a noob; it’s losing the courage to clear it before even trying. Sister persistently acts like a loyal dog, never giving up even when knowing her chances of success are pitifully small. This is a quality a player should possess.”

“However, Sister, you can challenge high-difficulty games repeatedly, but you dare not challenge reality. Why is that?”

I answered as a matter of course, “Because games can be restarted, but reality cannot be replayed. In games, I can figure out all the routes and clear them with existing guides, but in reality, if I make one wrong move, I lose everything. I don’t dare to take risks.”

“So Sister just escapes?”

Ling Chen’s gaze seemed to pierce through my inner cowardice. Meeting his eyes, I spoke my true feelings.

“Yes, what choice do I have? Life cannot be replayed; past regrets will always remain regrets. The night before last, I heard that the Goddess’s ex-boyfriend wanted to get back together with her, but he was rejected. I didn’t feel secretly pleased; instead, I felt even sadder.”

“That man is truly excellent. One look and you can tell he’s from a wealthy family. His status is equal to the Goddess’s; he can shamelessly pester her to reconcile. I can’t. I’m already giving my all just to maintain my current relationship with the Goddess. I don’t have a single chance to fail.”

“Ling Chen, you must know how much effort I put in to be in the same class as the Goddess. I have good innate talent, but my self-control is too poor, and our class happens to be one of the two best in our grade. I have to rank in the top eighty of the entire grade every time to stay in this class.”

“It’s too difficult for me. Balancing games and life is truly like trying to have both a fish and a bear’s paw – you can’t have both. What else can I do but escape?”

Ling Chen retorted, “Sister, can’t you just give up games?”

“Give up games?” I rolled my eyes at him. “Indeed, to some people, those addicted to games are ridiculous, sacrificing their entire lives. But in my life, what little remains that brings me joy are games. When I first played Dark Souls, I was crushed by Iudex Gundyr and became withdrawn, but later, the joy of backstabbing and plunging into their asses—can women and studying give me that?”

“Yes, they can. Isn’t Sister someone who gets beaten to death by studying and exams, yet fights even harder with each defeat?”

I was momentarily speechless. “Uh, I actually have no words. Am I really a masochist?”

Ling Chen explained, “The reason Sister feels more determined with each battle is because she stimulates dopamine by strengthening her reward and crisis awareness. Every time Sister gets good grades, she rewards herself with microtransactions, and the Goddess praises Sister. Under such motivating conditions, Sister feels happy.”

“Sister, your transformation from the old you to the current you is equivalent to starting a new save file, and you possess a cheat that others do not. You are an apostle blessed by a god; you don’t need to hesitate. You have the opportunity to make mistakes. I am Sister’s strongest backing.”

Ling Chen’s tone was sincere, and he looked at me expectantly. “Let’s perfectly clear this terrible game together!”

The pain in my stomach made me look down at my abdomen; the flabby excess skin had long disappeared, leaving only a healthy and flat belly.

Now, I was a perfectly real, completely beautiful girl, not the unpopular shut-in I used to be.

So, was this like changing to a female character mid-game?

Restart. I had clicked this option in game menus countless times.

It was an escape, but also a refusal to admit defeat.

This time, could I perfectly clear it on hellish difficulty?

Ling Chen was grinning foolishly beside me, and I suddenly forgave him.

Yes, losing one’s original body and being forced to experience the painful experiences of a girl—this should have been a terrible thing.

But…

I said softly, “Ling Chen…”

Ling Chen leaned closer, asking with concern, “Does Sister have any instructions?”

“I want to play games…”

“Sister, are you feeling better?”

“No, playing games distracts me.”

“Alright, I’ll turn on the computer for Sister.”

I tugged at his sleeve, my voice unconsciously taking on a slightly spoiled tone:

“No, I want to play with you.”

“…”

Ling Chen, as if enchanted, stroked my head, then opened his phone camera.

“Sister has actually become soft and cute! I need to record this quickly.”

I swatted his hand away, taking his phone in the process.

“A gentleman doesn’t take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state.”

“Haha, then I’ll get the PS4.”

“Street Fighter V, Ling Chen, don’t you dare cry if I beat you, okay?”

“No problem. This is our first time playing games together. Sister, remember to go easy on me.”

“Hehe, I knew you weren’t my match.”

Ten minutes later.

“This is too ridiculous! I’m not playing anymore, I’m just a noob!”

“I already went easy on Sister.”

“Anyway, let’s stop playing this trash game. Let’s play Resident Evil 5 instead.”

“…Whatever makes Sister happy.”