The Omurice Dilemma

Zhuang Xun’s hand delved into her pocket, fumbling for her house keys.

The moment she inserted the key into the lock, a weight settled behind her. A clear, melodious, and softly lilting voice whispered into Zhuang Xun’s ear, “Why is your home so far away, Little Zhuang Xun~”

The words had barely left Shen Xian’s lips when Zhuang Xun felt her ears burn, and the key in her hand nearly slipped. Feigning composure, she stammered, “S-Senior… I’m opening the door. You might fall when it opens.”

“Mmm… but I don’t want to move. Didn’t Meng Miao say that staying together is the only way to alleviate my current condition…?”

Shen Xian’s voice held a hint of languor. Zhuang Xun stared at the lock, momentarily speechless. Back at the hospital, Senior Meng Miao had called her aside specifically to discuss this.

The monster’s toxins had intensified due to absorbing Senior Shen Xian’s pheromones, and now a portion of those toxins lingered within her senior’s body. The pheromones inside Senior Shen Xian were currently highly unstable. If she and Senior Shen Xian remained together, Zhuang Xun’s presence would help stabilize her, and the toxins would gradually dissipate.

Of course, at that time, Senior Meng Miao had also suggested another method…

“Little Zhuang Xun, the door’s open. Aren’t you coming in?”

Shen Xian’s face suddenly appeared magnified before Zhuang Xun’s eyes. Zhuang Xun jolted back to reality, taking a half-step backward.

“S-Sorry. Senior, you go first. I’ll find you some slippers.”

Shen Xian grinned mischievously. “Why are you so nervous? Are you hiding some embarrassing secret in your room?”

“No…” Zhuang Xun crouched down, found a pair of pink slippers, and placed them at Shen Xian’s feet. “Senior, please don’t tease me.”

Thankfully, she had thoroughly tidied her home before leaving. She absolutely could not let Senior Shen Xian discover the large posters she’d bought of her senior’s magical girl form…

“Eh? I wasn’t teasing, Little Zhuang Xun~ You’re just too jumpy.” Shen Xian tapped her lips with a finger, feigning innocence.

“……”

That statement held absolutely no credibility. Zhuang Xun’s gaze fell upon the tail behind Shen Xian. At that very moment, it was wagging joyfully.

Before she could take another look, Shen Xian realized what was happening and seized her own tail. She pouted with feigned anger. “Don’t look!”

Zhuang Xun rubbed her neck. “I understand…”

Shen Xian grumbled as she walked toward the sofa. Zhuang Xun watched her retreating figure, her heart aching. Why is Senior Shen Xian so adorable even at a time like this! I like her even more!

Contradicting her inner turmoil, Zhuang Xun regained her composure and addressed her guest. “Senior, please sit first. I’ll check the fridge.”

“Okay~”

As Zhuang Xun walked to the kitchen, she remembered the pudding in her bag. She set it aside, then returned to the living room and stood behind the sofa. “Senior, this is the pudding you like. Please have this first.”

Receiving no reply, Zhuang Xun looked over the back of the sofa to see Shen Xian curled up in a corner, stroking her own tail and then her ears, an expression of pure bliss on her face.

I… I want to adopt her!

A few minutes later, Shen Xian suddenly noticed her. “L-Little Zhuang Xun! W-When did you get here?” The tail in her hand drooped in fright.

A faint smile hung on Zhuang Xun’s lips. In this situation… there was no way she could admit she’d been standing there admiring her for five minutes.

“I just walked over. Here’s the pudding,” she said, placing it in front of Shen Xian.

Shen Xian looked deeply suspicious. “You really didn’t see anything?”

Zhuang Xun avoided her gaze and nodded with practiced certainty. “Really.” (‘Actually, I saw everything clearly,’ she thought.)

“You clearly saw it!” Shen Xian suddenly stood up, pointing at Zhuang Xun with exaggerated seriousness. “Little Zhuang Xun, lying is a very bad thing!”

“……” (‘Senior is always particularly sensitive at times like these.’)

Zhuang Xun said sincerely, “I apologize. It’s just that Senior seemed to prefer I didn’t see, so I said I didn’t.”

Shen Xian couldn’t refute that logic. Finally, she made a completely unthreatening threat: “You’re not allowed to tell anyone about this.”

Zhuang Xun nodded with a slight smile. “I understand.”

“You really can’t tell anyone.”

“Really.”

“Really?”

“Mm.”

“Pinky promise.”

“…Alright.”

Zhuang Xun walked over to the sofa. Shen Xian extended her pinky finger. Zhuang Xun bent her head slightly and linked their fingers. “Is this okay, Senior?”

Shen Xian nodded, satisfied. Upon receiving permission, Zhuang Xun quickly withdrew her hand and turned away, her face burning. “I’ll check the fridge for food. Is there anything you’d like to eat, Senior?”

Her steps were swift, and she vanished into the kitchen. She leaned against the fridge with one hand, the blush on her face refusing to fade. The sound of her heart pounding echoed in her ears.

She took a deep breath. Was it because the shock of being hugged at the hospital was too great? Even just linking pinkies makes me this excited… I barely held it together until I got to the kitchen. Can this be considered progress?

As she reached for the fridge handle, Shen Xian’s voice drifted from around the corner. “Little Zhuang Xun, I want to eat omurice…”

Zhuang Xun turned her head. Shen Xian was peeking around the wall, revealing only half of her body. Her ears and tail twitched intermittently.

Zhuang Xun blinked, then immediately said, “Ah, okay.” She had run off earlier without waiting for an answer. “Let me see… Hmm…”

She pulled open the fridge door and fell silent.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Xian strode over, peering at the contents. “It seems we need to make a trip to the supermarket. But your fridge is a bit too empty, isn’t it?”

Zhuang Xun felt a little embarrassed. After school or work, she usually just grabbed something from a convenience store; she hardly ever had time to cook a real meal. She closed the fridge. “I apologize, I forgot I hadn’t restocked. I’ll go buy ingredients now. Senior, besides omurice, is there anything else you’d like?”

“Mmm…” Shen Xian looked up, meeting Zhuang Xun’s gaze directly.

Zhuang Xun tilted her head slightly. Was there something on her face?

“Shall we go together?” Shen Xian said, then nodded decisively. “Yes, we’ll go together.”

“W-Wait a moment!” Zhuang Xun instinctively reached out to stop her as she headed for the door. “Senior, you can’t go out like this…”

“I just saw a cat-eared hoodie hanging on your balcony. Wearing that should be fine, right?”

It was an outfit Zhuang Xun had won in a mall raffle and had never worn.

Shen Xian blinked, her ears and tail drooping in sync with her expression. “Or… Little Zhuang Xun, do you not want me to wear your clothes?”

“N-No, it’s not that…” Zhuang Xun covered her face, her voice barely a whisper. “It’s just… Senior, are you really okay with it?”

“What’s the problem? Meng Miao said we have to stay together.” Shen Xian paused, then continued unhurriedly, “You have to take responsibility for me now.”