A Peculiar Confession and a Hidden Observer

“You don’t remember anymore?”

“It seems I don’t.”

“What a pity.”

Bai An An had sought me out to inquire about how we first met. Though it was a peculiar question, I earnestly tried to recall. However, the passage of time had completely erased it from my memory.

To have forgotten such a moving first encounter, I felt a wave of self-reproach. Meeting the Goddess was a glorious moment! Why would I erase it from my mind?

*Could that memory have been embarrassing?*

Determined not to disappoint the Goddess, I clapped my hands, deftly changing the subject.

“Oh, right. I just ran into Ling Chen.”

“Ling Chen came to school too?”

“He told me he’s in the same class as your sister, Bai Yu.”

Bai An An looked somewhat surprised. “Really?”

I nodded. “Yes, isn’t that quite a coincidence?”

Bai An An smiled. “Indeed. Bai Yu actually mentioned before that she really wanted to meet Ling Chen. It seems her wish has come true.”

“Her wish has come true?”

Bai An An cleared her throat, then adopted a delicate, almost childlike voice. “‘Sister, Ling Chen is so handsome! I want to meet him! Next time, can you take me to play with Sister Ling Jiu?'”

“That’s what she said,” Bai An An finished, glancing at me. “Bai Yu is quite fond of you two siblings and has always complained that I never bring her to play with you.”

My spirits soared. *My sister-in-law likes me?*

*Hehe, this is a highly advantageous situation! If the Goddess’s family all approves of me, couldn’t I eventually…*

However, since I was currently a girl, such feelings should probably remain limited to mere fondness.

“I’d also like to meet little… Sister Bai Yu.”

Bai An An sighed helplessly. “Bai Yu and you are simply a match made in heaven, in every sense of the phrase. Do you remember the game you used to recommend to me?”

“Was it ‘Girls Fall in Love with ○○’ or ‘The Etiquette of the ○○ Girl’?”

Bai An An’s gaze turned peculiar. “I know you used to want to pull me into the fandom, but the games you recommended were always a bit strange.”

I lowered my head, daring not to speak. Now that An An brought it up, I was practically dying of embarrassment!

I’m so sorry! I’m a terrible otaku! What was I thinking back then, recommending a pure maiden a Galgame only otakus play?

I recalled it was during the summer vacation after junior high. An An once asked what I was doing, and I told her I was playing a game. She became interested and asked for the game’s name.

At the time, I was in a state of extreme excitement. In a moment of madness, I recommended a pile of “masterpieces” to her. After guiding her through the entire process, from finding resources to playing the game, I suddenly regretted it.

I actually forgot that these games had R18 content…

To this day, I don’t know if the Goddess ever finished those games. But since then, An An seemed to have “opened up,” transforming from a pure girl who completely misunderstood male-female relationships into a seasoned “old driver” who could tell dirty jokes more freely than I could.

An An’s coming-of-age enlightenment came through erotic games; I truly deserved to die a thousand deaths! *Could it be because of those games that An An started to believe all men think with their lower bodies and are obsessed with lewd thoughts?*

I strongly suspected An An became the “ice queen” in the eyes of boys precisely because she was so disappointed in men.

Bai An An chuckled, then continued, “Still, the plot of the games you recommended was quite good. Sometimes, I was genuinely moved.”

“Later, Bai Yu moved in with me, and occasionally she’d use my computer to play games. That’s how she discovered the games you recommended to me.”

I could already picture the scene unfolding—wasn’t that the site of a tragedy? If her own sister played erotic games, wouldn’t An An’s perfect Goddess image crumble?

“And then?” I asked nervously.

“And then Bai Yu was pulled into the fandom by you.”

“Huh?”

I was stunned. I had braced myself to be branded the culprit behind the destruction of their sisterly bond, but “pulled into the fandom”? What in the world was that?

Bai An An explained, “I always thought Bai Yu was a good girl, until she found me playing these games and excitedly told me her secret.”

At this point, Bai An An seemed to struggle for words. “I never imagined she had been reading ‘boys’ love novels’ all along.”

I nearly choked to death. *Boys’ love novels?* My sister-in-law was that bold?

“So she fell into the Galgame pit?”

An An gave me a reproving look. “To be precise, she became an otaku.”

“This… I’m sorry… Your sisterly relationship wasn’t affected by this, was it?”

Bai An An shook her head. “No, our relationship actually grew stronger. After knowing each other’s secrets, we both let down our guard and became true sisters. Perhaps I should even thank you.”

This feeling of open honesty… where have I encountered it before? Right, it’s when men discuss their unusual hobbies! Humans cannot truly understand each other, except in the comment sections of certain comics.

This interesting sister-in-law, I’m increasingly eager to meet her.

“That’s why Bai Yu always calls you ‘Master.’ She says if you hadn’t introduced those games to her, she wouldn’t have known how much she loved beautiful girls.”

Doesn’t everyone love beautiful girls? But to awaken a strange attribute in my sister-in-law… Indeed, I am still a deeply sinful person.

“But An An, why didn’t you let me meet her sooner?”

Bai An An spoke earnestly. “Ling Jiu, Bai Yu has become quite strange. If she continues to learn from you and turns into a weirdo like you, how am I supposed to explain that to Father?”

I feigned tears, pretending to wipe them away. “Wuwuwu, An An, you’re actually looking down on me. I really am a weirdo, aren’t I…”

Bai An An gently stroked my face. “It’s alright. Even if you’re the strangest person in the world, I’ll accept you. Because…”

Her gaze flickered elsewhere before returning to my eyes, her voice soft. “You belong to me.”

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

The air was practically thick with the scent of oranges! Oh no, my girlish heart was overflowing. What was she suddenly saying? Was this a declaration of ownership?

She bit her lip, a playful smile gracing her features. “If that little vixen Bai Yu mesmerizes you, I’ll get jealous.”

Cough, cough, cough… I was truly going to die.

My heart suddenly raced, and I stammered, “An An… what are you saying…”

My face burned; I felt as if ice applied to it would instantly melt.

Seeing my extreme discomfiture, Bai An An let out a giggle. “Haha, just kidding. Look how flustered you are now. That child Bai Yu is very clingy. If she latches onto you, you won’t be able to live your energy-saving life anymore.”

“I see.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Being jealous because of her own sister—that excuse really scared me. Thank goodness, I thought…”

Bai An An’s lips suddenly brushed my ear, and she whispered, “But I really will get jealous, you know.”

Before I could react, a mischievous smile bloomed on her face. Then, she said with a bright grin, “I have something to do, so I’ll be going now.”

I felt as if my soul had been drained, and I responded woodenly, “Oh.”

Something still felt off. What was I trying to say?

Oh, right, the rumors about An An and me. I had meant to tell her not to act too intimately with me at school, but it seemed to have had the opposite effect?

“You belong to me…”

The thought made me instantly cover my face. Ahhh, how embarrassing! So embarrassing! What kind of line was that? Even as a joke between best friends, it was a bit much! What was with that possessive tone?

I looked up to see An An’s rapidly retreating figure, a little unsteady, as if she was equally embarrassed. Even she must feel awkward making such a joke.

I clutched my chest, trying to calm my racing heart. Seriously, she made my heart flutter a little. She should really stop making such jokes. What if I actually took it seriously?

“Grumble…”

I was so hungry. I took out the chocolate Ling Chen had given me, noticing a few sparrows fly in from the window and land on the table in front of me. They tilted their heads curiously, seemingly unafraid of this strange human.

But I wouldn’t share my chocolate with them! “I didn’t have breakfast! And you can’t digest caffeine!”

“Chirp, chirp, chirp…”

The sparrows seemed displeased with me, chattering loudly. Even these animals weren’t afraid of me. Was I really that meek? It was as if anyone could bully me.

Ignoring them, I turned my head to look out the window. For a moment, my vision blurred, and beyond the dazzling curtain of light that met my eyes, lay a world of undeniable reality. The sun was bright, the sky cloudless—such a beautiful day left no room for dark thoughts.

I couldn’t help but sigh, “Youth…”

****

The library was not entirely deserted; occasionally, it received unexpected visitors.

After Ling Jiu departed, a purple-haired girl emerged from the shadows of a bookshelf. She held a camera, and a school press club ID hung around her neck.

The girl slowly walked to the spot where Ling Jiu had been sitting and turned on her camera. She brought up the photos she had just taken. The pictures were somewhat blurry due to overexposure, but one could faintly discern two girls intimately close, their postures ambiguous.

The girl chuckled self-deprecatingly. “As expected of her, I suppose? To be so perceptive, she actually startled me.”

As she touched the screen, a fiery glint seemed to dance in her eyes. She looked at the golden-haired girl in the photo and coldly snorted,

“Ling Jiu…”