A Bumpy Ascent to Aileen’s Home

“You’ll know when we get there.”

Aileen initially gave a perfunctory reply.

After a prolonged silence, she added, “I have a younger sister who’s in elementary school.

She’s home for the holidays today, so I need to go back and cook for her.”

“You can cook?”

Xi Yao asked, her voice alight with surprise.

“How good are you?”

Aileen let out a cold huff.

Proudly, she puffed out her ‘Great Snow Mountains’ (TL Note: A humorous euphemism for large breasts), declaring, “You’ll know once you’ve tasted it.”

‘Emmm, when you say ‘you’ll know once you’ve tasted it,’ do you mean the food you cook, or…’

Xi Yao gazed at Aileen’s ‘Great Snow Mountains,’ not daring to voice her full thought.

“Where are you looking?”

Aileen noticed Xi Yao’s gaze and pursed her lips.

“Sit properly.

Don’t look around so much.

If you’re bored, take a nap; I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

“I won’t look anymore, I won’t look,” Xi Yao said, pulling her phone from her pocket.

“I’ll play a game.”

‘Since I have nothing else to do, I might as well finish my dailies.’

Playing a game silently wouldn’t disturb anyone nearby.

Yet, the moment Aileen turned her head, she could see the fair-skinned, long-haired girl skillfully controlling a Level 90 character, wreaking havoc across the open world.

‘Should I ask her to help me clear the weekly boss?’

Aileen felt a slight temptation, but ultimately resisted.

‘That would affect my authority.’

She silently shifted her gaze, moving from Xi Yao’s phone screen to the neckline of her top.

‘Better to just look at the ‘Snow Mountains’ in front of me, folks; this is far more entertaining than any game.’

‘Wait, didn’t that busty girl just stare at my ‘Snow Mountains’ a moment ago?’

Aileen decided she would stare back fiercely, refusing to be at a disadvantage.

“Phew—”

Xi Yao finished her dailies, then her weekly boss, then farmed artifacts, and finally gambled on artifacts, only to achieve zero improvement—what a truly fulfilling day.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been playing, only that she felt a little tired.

Stretching languidly, she let out a soft yawn.

“Aileen, haven’t we arrived yet?”

Her voice was soft and sweet, just as it had been yesterday.

It seemed that whenever she grew tired, she would utter sounds akin to a kitten’s sleepy murmurs.

“Almost,” Aileen replied, her beautiful eyes closing.

“Two more stops.”

Her home was quite far from the academy.

This was because it wasn’t located in the main city district, where housing was prohibitively expensive.

Xi Yao checked the time; it was almost eight o’clock.

They had boarded the bus at seven, meaning they had been traveling for nearly an hour.

“We’re here.”

“Got it!”

Tucking her phone back into her pocket, Xi Yao followed Aileen off the bus.

They had arrived at the city’s outskirts, where the roads between the narrow alleys were somewhat dilapidated but bustling with life.

Breakfast stalls stretched from one end of the street to the other.

Aileen led her to a modest guesthouse.

There was no elevator, and the old staircase in the stairwell was barely wide enough for two people to walk abreast.

“I apologize, the conditions are rather limited,” the girl stated plainly.

“Young Miss Xi… no, Second Young Miss Xi might not be accustomed to this.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Xi Yao retorted, a hint of defiance in her voice.

“I used to live in places like this; I’m quite used to it.”

Aileen’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.

“Before?

I remember the Xi family was…”

She recalled that the Xi family was a declining wealthy household, the type that only regressed further.

Surely, their previous living conditions must have been better than these.

“Oh, I’m not from that Xi family,” Xi Yao clarified.

“I was adopted by Sister Xi Ruo’s parents.

It’s just a coincidence that we both happen to share the surname Xi.”

Aileen’s footsteps paused slightly.

“Is that so?

No wonder.

I actually thought you were really… well, that.”

‘Of course not! That would never pass censorship!’

Xi Yao trudged up a few more steps, huffing slightly, and then sighed.

“You weren’t wrong about one thing, though; I really am not used to this, especially going upstairs… it’s not very friendly to either of us.”

The old-fashioned staircase had uneven steps, making it impossible even for Aileen to maintain her elegant stride.

With every few steps upward, her ‘Great Snow Mountains’ would bounce twice in tandem.

It was as if the snow-capped peaks themselves were about to rise anew from the ground.

Aileen fared a little better, having grown accustomed to it.

Xi Yao, however, was clearly suffering, her ‘Great Snow Mountains’ shaking as if caught in a massive earthquake, a veritable upheaval.

Before long, she was panting heavily.

“Haven’t you walked up stairs like these before?”

Aileen inquired.

“When I used to live in places like this,” Xi Yao said, pouting slightly in exasperation, “my chest wasn’t this big.”

Aileen glanced at Xi Yao’s chest.

“Then you must have grown quite quickly.”

Taking out a key, Aileen unlocked the iron gate.

A loli stood at the doorway, greeting them with a clear, crisp voice: “Good morning, Sister, and pretty big sister.”

The little loli bore a slight resemblance to Aileen.

Dressed in bloomers and long socks, with golden twin ponytails adorning her small head, she was utterly adorable.

Though still petite, observing her sister’s ‘Great Snow Mountains,’ one could surmise a promising future for her.

“Hello, hello,” Xi Yao greeted with a gentle smile.

“Little sister, what’s your name?”

“My name is Ai Xiaoxue, and what about you, big sister?”

“I’m Xi Yao.”

“Sister Yao Yao!”

“Aiy~”

Aileen poked Xi Yao’s waist.

“What are you chattering about?

Go inside first.”

Then, crossing her arms, she looked at Ai Xiaoxue.

“What’s gotten into you?

You even got dressed up and tied your hair into twin ponytails?”

‘At school, you’re usually so well-behaved, with pigtails and all.’

“Because Sister said a very pretty big sister was coming,” Ai Xiaoxue stated righteously.

“There aren’t any big sisters this pretty at school.”

‘Good heavens,’ Aileen thought, rolling her eyes.

She retorted irritably, “What are you thinking?

She’s your sister’s; don’t even bother.”

Ai Xiaoxue puffed out her cheeks.

“Really?”

“What, you don’t believe me?”

Aileen called towards the inner room.

“Xi Yao, come out.”

The fair-skinned, long-haired, busty girl emerged from the room, blinking in confusion.

“Didn’t you tell me to go in?

Now you want me to come out… Eek!”

Her ‘Great Snow Mountains’ were assaulted once more, and this time, it was even more intense than last night.

“Aileen, what—what are you doing?”

“Nothing much.

Didn’t you say it hurt when they bounced going upstairs?”

Aileen said, her expression utterly serious.

“I’m just giving them a massage to ease the discomfort.”

‘As if anyone else couldn’t make a logical argument.

Before Xi Yao made her mark, I, Aileen, was Wenlu Academy’s foremost master of reasoning.’

Xi Yao dared not resist.

After all, in a sense, her visit to Aileen’s home today was precisely to give her a ‘reward,’ given that she had been caught with a handle.

‘Of course, it could also be called a ‘punishment.”

A few minutes later, Aileen finally released her.

“Alright, go inside and rest.

Come out for lunch later.”

“…Oh.”

Xi Yao, her face flushed, entered the room.

Aileen, hands on her hips, stood with an air of triumph.

“See that, Ai Xiaoxue?

Your sister always keeps her word.”

‘Last time, I said I’d knead the dough; this time, I kneaded it right in front of you.’

Ai Xiaoxue clicked her tongue in regret.

“Impressive.”

‘Such a beautiful big sister finally came to visit, only to be claimed by my own sister.

What a pity.’

“And you too,” Aileen continued, seizing the opportunity to lecture her.

“Right now, the most important thing is to focus on your studies.

Don’t spend all day thinking about things children shouldn’t be concerned with, and don’t let your classmates lead you astray.”

Finally, she asked, “What do you want for lunch?”

After asking her sister, Aileen walked into the inner room and asked Xi Yao, who was sprawled on the bed playing with her phone, “And you?

What do you want for lunch?”

“Anything’s fine, I’ll eat whatever,” the ‘Foodie’ (TL Note: A slang term for someone who loves to eat, often voraciously) immediately replied.