Secret

The overhead light became a spotlight for the two protagonists, shining down on the silver-haired girl and the black-haired girl sitting opposite each other. Both remained silent, occasionally turning their heads to steal a glance at the other; whenever their eyes happened to meet, they would quickly look away.

Uncle Shui and Xiao Xuan had gone to submit the reports, leaving Xu Feng alone with her sister—and as far as Xiaoyu was concerned, she was with “Wei Jiu.”

I am the “older brother” after all! I should be the one to take the initiative and start the conversation!

Gulping down her resolve, Xu Feng spoke slowly.

“When did you join the Dream Protection Bureau?” The siblings spoke almost in unison, their voices overlapping perfectly.

Xu Xiaoyu looked at the “Wei Jiu” in front of her and offered a faint smile, being the first to reveal her start date.

“About two years ago. And you?”

Xu Feng was momentarily stunned, her pupils widening, though she quickly regained her composure.

“I joined a few weeks ago,” Xu Feng answered, her hands resting primly on her skirt.

“So, based on seniority, I’m actually your senior, aren’t I?” Xu Xiaoyu said jokingly, her wand resting lightly against her smooth thigh.

“I suppose so…” Xu Feng felt a twinge of guilt; she had been completely unaware of her sister’s experiences, yet Xiaoyu had been in contact with the Dream World for so long.

“To be honest, I’ve felt like something was off with you for a while. I didn’t expect us to be from the same world.”

“I felt the same way about you,” Xu Feng replied.

“When you came here, were you tracking me? Big Brother didn’t wake up, did he?” Xu Xiaoyu asked with concern, terrified of her family finding out.

“He… was sleeping soundly. I got up in the night and saw you were gone, then noticed the blue trail outside, so I followed it.” Xu Feng used Wei Jiu’s persona to explain, though her mind was crystal clear.

“Phew… thank goodness.” Xu Xiaoyu breathed a massive sigh of relief, her entire expression relaxing.

“Are you very afraid of your family knowing what you do?” Xu Feng asked, her hands clutching her skirt as she looked up at Xiaoyu.

“Aren’t you?” Xu Xiaoyu countered.

“I am, too.” Xu Feng forced a smile.

“Sigh… I don’t want my family to worry about me. The world they know is mostly science and a bit of religion; there’s no room for this bizarre dream power.” Xu Xiaoyu stated her stance clearly—she absolutely did not want her family to know.

However, Xu Feng already knew, but she had to act as if she “didn’t.”

“What if your brother finds out?” Xu Feng asked tentatively.

“There is no ‘what if.’ If he does, I’ll just have to make his memories disappear.” Xu Xiaoyu finished by miming a karate chop, looking as if she were truly capable of knocking someone into amnesia.

“Being your brother sounds quite exhausting,” Xu Feng muttered, venting a piece of her true heart.

“What about you? You’ve lived with my brother for so long… has he not noticed anything special about you?” Xu Xiaoyu asked, staring at Xu Feng’s silver hair.

“I don’t have many special abilities, so it’s not easy to notice. Besides, he and I… perhaps we share a bit of a ‘kindred spirit’ connection,” Xu Feng explained, fingering a strand of her silver hair.

“Kindred spirits?” Xu Xiaoyu felt a bit surprised.

“Mm. The hair color, and some painful past experiences…” Xu Feng didn’t want to elaborate, and Xu Xiaoyu didn’t press her, shifting the topic instead.

“My abilities are centered around ice, snow, and flight. What about yours?”

“Um… I can fly too. My race is a converted Vampire.” Xu Feng didn’t reveal too much, but the moment Xu Xiaoyu heard “Vampire,” she instinctively shrank back.

“A Vampire? You’re not joking, are you?!”

“I’m not. But please don’t worry, I’m not the kind of vampire from movies. I only need a tiny bit of blood to sustain my life. I can bask in the sun and eat normal food.”

“Then where does the blood come from?” Xu Xiaoyu couldn’t help but think of her brother. Surely his neck isn’t riddled with holes already!

“Don’t misunderstand, I don’t bite people. Besides, I was originally human,” Xu Feng hurriedly explained, her blood-red eyes blinking hard to prove her innocence.

“Really?” Xu Xiaoyu touched her own neck, suddenly remembering she had slept in the same room as this girl that night.

“Please believe me. The blood I drink all comes from the Bureau.” Xu Feng pulled out the phone Uncle Shui had given her, showing the digital proof of her blood bag rations to Xu Xiaoyu.

“Oh… it’s true.” Xu Xiaoyu looked at the evidence, still a bit skeptical. “But Big Brother’s body has been weak lately. Does it really have nothing to do with you? You haven’t been… secretly draining him dry at night, have you?”

Xu Feng: [・_・?]

What kind of wild terminology is that? ‘Draining him dry’?! Is that a proper way to describe a vampire? I’m not a succubus!

“Hmph!—” Xu Feng glared at Xu Xiaoyu, who took a moment to realize her slip of the tongue.

“Sorry! I said some things you probably didn’t understand! I misunderstood!”

“Forget it… I’m already like this anyway,” Xu Feng said, lowering her head with a double meaning.

Xu Xiaoyu thought she had touched one of “Wei Jiu’s” sore spots and quickly clasped her hands in apology. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have thought of you like that!”

“Then what am I like in your eyes?” Xu Feng turned her head to ask.

“This…” Xu Xiaoyu paused to think. The girl in front of her was very cute, her cheeks flushed and round like… a cute steamed bun? “Cute?”

“Why is that a question…” Xu Feng deadpanned.

“Uh, it’s just a very obvious trait.”

“Never mind then. In your eyes, what is your brother’s image? Be honest!” Xu Feng finally raised the point she cared about most, hoping her sister would reveal her true opinion of him.

To her surprise, Xu Xiaoyu blurted out several descriptors without hesitation.

“Withdrawn, a loner, not fat, likes listening to anime songs, and a bit of a pushover.”

Xu Feng felt herself turn to stone on the spot. That’s my image?! As expected, the words of a biological sister cut the deepest.

“Is there… anything else?” Xu Feng asked, clinging to a shred of hope.

“Mm, that’s about it.” Xu Xiaoyu nodded with certainty, and thinking she had given a good answer, she tilted her head up proudly.

Xu Feng’s heart was bleeding; she silently clutched her chest.

You’re so cruel, sister! Talking about your brother like that in front of an outsider!

“However,” Xu Xiaoyu added, sounding nostalgic, “Brother was actually quite brave once. He protected me when we were very little.” She looked back at “Wei Jiu.” “Since we are both members of the Bureau, can we make a promise?”

“A promise for what?” Xu Feng asked, looking up.

“Let’s not tell anyone about this, okay? Especially not my brother. Let’s keep it in our hearts as an eternal secret.” Xu Xiaoyu held out her right pinky, signaling for a pinky swear.

“Okay.” Xu Feng gave a simple response and extended her own pinky.

The two fingers hooked together, sealing their vow of secrecy.

In the distance of the corridor, Uncle Shui and Xiao Xuan observed the two sitting there.

“See, Uncle Shui? I told you, if you give girls some private time, they become friends very quickly.”

“Mm. However, there’s one thing we need to clear up. Why is it that both of their addresses… are exactly the same place?”

Uncle Shui narrowed his eyes as he looked at the report in his hands.