Chapter 111: The Day the Day the Former Big Brother Became a Certified Scaredy-Cat

Something felt off.

After all that lovey-dovey fluff, something was definitely off.

Her mood was off.

It was supposed to be comfortable and happy like they’d promised, yet right now her stomach was tied in knots of tension and regret.

Su Xiaoxiao stared ahead with the lifeless expression of a corpse, gazing at the vast blue sky and the blue pool far below while the roller coaster crawled upward like a leisurely cable car through the mountains.

This slow ascent felt like the calm before the storm.

The very next second her face froze solid.

The coaster plunged down the drop, turning her body into a stretched streak of light.

In the same row, Su Xiao Zi screamed her lungs out in pure bliss, perfectly in sync with the chorus of shrieks behind them.

Su Xiaoxiao turned paper-white, unable to even squeak. Her tiny hands clutched the safety bar for dear life, eyes wide as saucers as the world blurred into chaos.

I’m gonna die I’m gonna die I’m gonna die I’m gonna die…

Back when they were buying tickets, the staff had almost refused them because Su Xiaoxiao looked way too young and Su Xiao Zi wasn’t legally an adult yet.

Only after some serious pleading were they finally allowed on.

From the moment she sat down and the coaster began its slow climb, regret had flooded her soul.

She should’ve just stayed on the ground and waved Xiao Zi off.

Going from the gentle carousel straight to this was emotional whiplash.

Turns out Su Xiaoxiao was unexpectedly bad with thrill rides. Even as a kid, the mildly rocking pirate ship used to make her burst into tears while her big sister teased her mercilessly.

Yet Su Xiao Zi was the complete opposite; the more extreme, the more she loved it. Zero fear visible.

When the ride finally ended, Su Xiaoxiao stumbled off, face the color of steel, body still trembling like a frightened kitten.

“Phew~ Wasn’t that fun? I feel totally fine; it was awesome! I kinda wanna go again.”

“N-No way… If you wanna go again, be my guest. I’ll wait down here… my head is spinning…”

Su Xiaoxiao surrendered instantly, waving a limp hand as she dragged her heavy body toward the nearest bench.

“Hehe, looks like you’re not great with these. Let’s go to the café next door and get something warm; you’ll feel better.”

“Mmm.”

The rest of the day was pure, carefree amusement-park bliss, exactly like when they were little and came here together as a family.

Bumper cars (crashing wildly), the haunted house (constant screaming), water orb walking; the two girls went wherever their feet took them.

And surprisingly, the one yelping the loudest was almost always Su Xiaoxiao. Especially in the haunted house; she got scared the entire way through.

According to her, she wasn’t afraid of scary things per se, but her nerves were just overly sensitive; sudden loud noises made her jump no matter what.

Her brain screamed “it’s fine, it’s fine,” while her body went full fight-or-flight.

Every single time she got startled, Su Xiaoxiao instinctively clung to Su Xiao Zi like a koala.

When they finally emerged, everyone else looked pale and drained; only Su Xiao Zi was flushed and deeply satisfied.

“Thank you for the meal~”

As evening fell and the sky darkened, they even had a mini comedy skit.

Su Xiao Zi suddenly noticed Su Xiaoxiao had vanished and panicked, thinking she’d gotten lost or kidnapped. She actually made a park-wide lost-child announcement.

Turns out Su Xiaoxiao had been standing in front of the takoyaki stand the whole time, happily eating. She’d only stepped away for a minute to buy a drink.

Hearing her own name over the speakers, Su Xiaoxiao stood there frozen, piping-hot takoyaki in hand, toothpick still stabbed into one.

When they reunited, Su Xiao Zi tackled her with teary-eyed bear hug.

“I-I was just standing here eating takoyaki…”

No wonder Xiao Zi had disappeared to the bathroom for so long; she’d actually run all the way to the broadcast room.

Before heading home, Su Xiao Zi insisted they ride the Ferris wheel one last time.

At night the wheel glowed with rainbow lights; at the very top you could overlook the entire park’s sea of neon.

The two sat across from each other, leaning against the glass, quietly watching the night scenery as the wheel slowly turned.

Distant, dazzling lights poured unreservedly over Su Xiaoxiao’s body, multicolored specks dancing across her silver hair.

Su Xiaoxiao gazed at the tiny children far below, while Su Xiao Zi gazed only at her.

“May you one day be reunited with the person most important to you.”

The words slipped out suddenly, triggered by the view.

Su Xiaoxiao felt a massive wave of déjà vu and retorted,

“Are you Ayla now? Don’t drop such melancholy lines out of nowhere!”

“Hehe~ I just suddenly remembered it while sitting here. For us, it should be ‘May we always stay together with the person most important to us.’ Did you have fun today?”

“Mhm. The fullest day I’ve had in forever. I guess I’m officially half a normie now? We rode almost everything and ate tons of good food.”

“Good♪ I seem to recall someone this morning refusing to even leave the house~ Who could that have been?”

Su Xiaoxiao sneaked a sneaky little smile; super cute.

Su Xiao Zi puffed her cheeks and looked away silently.

‘Onii-chan, you were seriously adorable today. You’ve got full loli energy now.’

“Wha—!? For real? No way! Inside I’m still the same old me! You mean just my appearance, right… right?”

“Who knows~”

“Hey! When I’m seriously asking, don’t tease!”

“I really do like the current Onii-chan, though. At least I don’t have to see that lonely, brooding back anymore. You don’t need to act all cool and distant now; you’re a lively little girl. You’re allowed to be as happy as you want; selling meng is totally permitted.”

“But we already have one super cheerful, energetic girl like Xiao Zi at home; two would be chaos, wouldn’t it?”

“Onii-chan… do you want to keep living this happily forever?”

“Of course.”

“You said anywhere I am is paradise, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Ehehe~ Then if Onii-chan becomes my wife from now on, we’ll never be apart, and we’ll be happy our whole lives♪”

Su Xiao Zi grinned like a lovestruck (cat) girl, hands clasped in front of her chest, eyes sparkling like stars as she stared expectantly.

“…I’ll… have to think about it…”

Su Xiaoxiao calmly rested her chin on her hand, pretending to ponder.

“WHAAAAT!? You’re not outright rejecting; you’re actually considering it!?”

“Hold it hold it hold it! The one who just casually asked her own brother to be her wife has zero right to be shocked!!”

—This was their special, private kind of joke.