X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the Server“Ow, ow, ow~ That hurts, sis, can’t you be a little gentler?”
I was currently sprawled on the bed, having Zhao Qingxia help me apply medicine. However, this unreliable sister of mine had absolutely no sense of delicacy in her touch, which shamefully caused me to let out such an embarrassing sound.
“You have the nerve to complain!”
“Ouch?!”
Instead, Zhao Qingxia gave my spine a hard rap.
“Even if Lan Xinyue told me you were protecting her good friend, couldn’t you have used a bold and romantic ‘princess carry’ instead? Now look at this pathetic state you’re in, and you still dare to complain?”
“If I could have done that, would I be in this sorry state now?”
While it was undeniable that we were siblings, with our thoughts on this matter being astonishingly similar, she was truly being unreasonable.
“Tsk~ I’m telling you, you’re just too out of shape.”
“That, I can’t deny…”
“But when you pushed that girl away directly, did she not get hurt?”
“Hmm, while I did try to control my strength at the time, I honestly had no confidence. It turned out she wasn’t injured, which was a genuine relief.”
Actually, before I passed out, I saw Nina at the time… well, it would be more accurate to say she sat down abruptly because she couldn’t maintain her balance. What made me feel even worse was the school doctor’s report that she had cried her eyes out. Having known each other for less than half a month, yet she worried about me to this extent—she truly was a good friend.
“You really are a foolish little brother, always overestimating yourself. There, all done.”
“Oh!~ Thanks, sis. It would’ve been even better if you hadn’t slapped me at the end. Also, the school doctor told me it’s best to wash this off in an hour, so you should go wash your hands now.”
“I know that without you telling me! What do you usually think of me, anyway?”
“Someone who’s been stealing my toys since childhood can’t exactly inspire much trust, can they?”
“Tsk, you stingy brat, still holding a grudge? You’re utterly ridiculous.”
“Well then, why don’t you return my donut from the day before yesterday first?”
“First of all, Lan Xinyue brought that, and your failure to eat it was entirely your own problem.”
‘That still wasn’t a reason for it to end up in your stomach.’
I had no intention of continuing our bickering, but after lying there for a few minutes, I realized she was still in the room.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean, ‘What am I doing?’”
“I’m asking *you*. Weren’t you going to wash your hands? You’ve been standing there for almost five minutes.”
“…Oh, I just wanted to ask, in your current state, can you still go to work tomorrow?”
“About that… probably not. I was told not to do strenuous exercise and… lift heavy objects…”
‘Hmm? Was my memory playing tricks on me? The school doctor didn’t seem to say that. Ah, no, if I try to think too hard, my head starts to spin. It seems the concussion isn’t as mild as she claimed.’
“Hmm… well, if I can cover your shift tomorrow, could you ask about it?”
“Eh? But don’t you have a part-time job tomorrow too?”
I looked over in surprise, only to see a rather gloomy expression on her face. ‘What on earth happened?’ I admit I often say she’s scatterbrained, but when it comes to work, particularly jobs where she has part-time experience, anyone who claims my sister is incompetent would truly be nitpicking.
“Ah… well… hmm~…”
She agonized for a while, unable to articulate an answer.
“Did you get fired? No way? Or did you quit yourself?”
‘Could it be that she found a better part-time job?’
“It’s not quite like that… Oh, whatever! Just tell me if you can do it or not!”
“I haven’t even asked yet, so how would I know if it’s possible?”
True to her nature as my unreasonable sister, she was the one who launched the attack first.
“Well, hurry up and ask then!”
“Go wash your hands first. By the time you come back up, I should have finished asking.”
“Tsk!~”
Whack!
“Ow!”
By the time I turned to look, she was already gone, vanished without a trace. That’s just how it is with siblings, you see. If you tried to say our relationship was good, we’d be bickering every three days and arguing every five, constantly getting physical with each other. Yet, if you claimed it was bad, we’d unfailingly think of each other whenever something good happened, and actively show concern during bad times. And just like that, over a decade had naturally slipped by. Perhaps this dynamic would only change once one of us settled down and started a family.
****
The moment I finished inquiring with the manager of my workplace for tomorrow, Zhao Qingxia, who must have been waiting right outside the door, immediately appeared.
“You heard that, right? Only the evening shift is possible. Are you sure you want to cover for me?”
She was well aware of the nature of my part-time work. On Saturdays, I had two part-time jobs. From eight in the morning until five in the afternoon, I worked as a cashier at a noodle shop called ‘Evergreen’ in District 17. This shop was always bustling on Saturdays, with a significantly higher customer flow than usual, though this was only true during the daytime. Hiring full-time staff specifically for this was clearly not cost-effective, which often led to understaffing on Saturdays. However, most of those willing to take part-time jobs in District 17 were high school students, resulting in high turnover. Moreover, before me, the part-time cashiers responsible for Saturdays often made mistakes, preventing the manager from focusing on the kitchen. Perhaps I was quite adept at this, as I hadn’t made a single error in two consecutive shifts, and my schedule was relatively fixed. Consequently, the manager hoped I could specifically handle the Saturday daytime cashier duties. With daily pay that was slightly higher than others, I had been working this job since my third year of junior high, right up until now. Considering all this, the manager, while understanding my predicament, only granted me sick leave and urged me to rest properly, ultimately not agreeing to Zhao Qingxia’s request to cover my shift. In the evenings, I worked as a cashier at a used bookstore called ‘Knotweave Jade’ in District 10, starting at six and finishing by nine. Most of the time, there wasn’t much to do, so the pay wasn’t high. However, for me, it was a place where I could quietly read, much like visiting the Sunday coffee shop on Sundays. Since this job had started only a week after the Evergreen Noodle Shop, I had become quite familiar with the manager. As a result, I could occasionally pick out one or two books I liked from the piles destined for disposal or donation and take them home directly. Thanks to this, a third of my bookshelf was filled with truly fascinating popular novels and literary works that were now almost impossible to find on the market. This particular job, however, would likely be a struggle for Zhao Qingxia. After all, she found it very difficult to sit still.
“In that case, never mind…”
Truly, there was no surprise at all. Even her dejected, gloomy expression failed to surprise me, leaving me deeply irritated.
“So, what exactly happened? This isn’t like my idiotic sister at all.”
“…None of your business!”
“Ow!”
Honestly, this person! If she was angry, she could just be angry, but why did she have to stomp on me before leaving? I had no choice but to contact the bookstore manager again, informing him that no one would be covering my shift and I would be there on time. While the noodle shop required dealing with all sorts of customers, potentially leading to unforeseen issues given my current condition, the usually tranquil used bookstore would naturally pose no problem as long as I avoided lifting heavy objects. I then got up, intending to find a book to read until it was time to wash off the ointment. However, when I laughed out loud at something amusing, a sharp pain shot through the back of my head. Left with no choice, I reluctantly gave up, feeling quite disheartened. Fortunately, there was still the option of pre-studying, a task that evoked neither joy nor melancholy in me. Yet, it was still a mental task, and it continued to make me feel dizzy. I resigned myself to lying back on the bed, opening a game. Since there were no limited-time events, I quickly depleted my stamina, and after closing the game, I soon drifted off to sleep out of sheer boredom. When I groggily awoke, I glanced at my phone, realizing almost three hours had passed. The area on my back where the medicine had been applied felt surprisingly comfortable. Gathering my resolve, I quickly went downstairs, grimacing through the washing process. As I went back upstairs and instinctively turned off the lights, I noticed Zhao Qingxia’s door was ajar. Light spilled onto the dim hallway floor, impossible to ignore. I had intended to simply remind her, but as I walked past, I heard her murmuring softly. Driven by curiosity, I cautiously peeked in. I saw her sitting on the bed with her back to the door, clutching a large, round, blue-and-white plush toy—something I’d long forgotten the name of, a hybrid between a cat and a dog, she was muttering something under her breath. I longed to get closer and listen intently, but then I remembered that she was still my sister, three years my senior. Even if she often seemed scatterbrained, she actually possessed better judgment than me in most matters. If she truly had a problem she couldn’t solve alone, she would discuss it with me, even if I were reluctant. With that thought, I dismissed the idea and raised my hand to knock on the door.
“Whoa?!”
Her reaction, practically leaping into the air, was quite astonishing to me.
“That actually scared you?”
“It was *you* who scared me! It’s one thing for you to still be awake at this hour, but why did you have to knock?!”
“I just wanted to remind you that your door wasn’t closed. Or were you planning to go downstairs later?”
Her expression stiffened. Then, clutching the plush toy tightly, she pressed her chin against its top, squeezing it into a rather peculiar expression, and glared at me, puffed up with indignation.
“I suddenly feel quite sorry for your plush toy.”
“Hmph! Mind your own business! Close the door for me.”
“Alright.”
At times like these, she truly behaved like a spoiled child. Back in my room, just as I was about to go to sleep, I discovered that Nina had sent messages in the group chat.
[Nana: Qiuqiu, are you asleep?] 01:13
[Nana: Looks like you’re asleep. That’s good. Sweet dreams, but remember to contact me when you wake up tomorrow, okay?] 01:20
This adorable little goofball, still awake at this hour. Though I had no right to say that, especially since the messages clearly indicated she was still up because she was worried about me. Still, were girls particularly keen on creating a separate group chat, even if it was just for two people to talk? And the group name, ‘Nana and Qiuqiu’s Secret Tea Party ♪~’, filled me with an undeniable sense of embarrassment.
[Nana: Qiuqiu, you’re actually still awake!] 01:35
[Nana: Is your head still hurting?] 01:36
These messages, sent immediately after the ‘read’ receipt appeared, came so quickly that I couldn’t help but wonder if she had no intention of sleeping at all, and had simply been staring at her phone. If I had a choice, I would prefer her to go to sleep obediently, but now, I couldn’t *not* reply.
– Qiuqiu: Sorry, Nana, I was just washing off the ointment.
– Qiuqiu: Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt anymore.
– Nana: Really? But you’re still awake right now.
– Qiuqiu: Yes, really. I’m awake because I already slept once, so now I feel quite energetic.
– Nana: I don’t believe you, unless you let me see you!
“Eh?”
Before I could even comprehend what she meant, Nina’s video call came through. I froze completely for a moment. Not to mention the fact that, based on my chat app usage, I had never video-called anyone else. At this particular time, it was already self-evident what I would see on the screen if I pressed the answer button. However, the video call sound effect I’d heard from other people’s phones wouldn’t fundamentally change based on who was calling. So, while it should have been the same monotonous sound, I could somehow imagine Nina on the other end, probably looking impatient and puffed up with indignation. Unfortunately, the current situation didn’t allow me much time to think. As if possessed, I pressed the answer button. Nina’s expression was just as I had imagined, except—
“So… so cute…”
This was my immediate thought about her current outfit, and I couldn’t help but have it. I had, in that brief moment, imagined many possibilities, but a pink bunny suit? That was just too unfair, and its destructive power was simply too strong.
“Eh?… Ah?… Ugh~~ Ugh~~~~ Ah!~ You’re cheating!!”
Nina quickly turned red and flusteredly ended the video call.
[Nana: Qiuqiu! You’re so mean! That’s so unfair!]
[Nana: I don’t care! I don’t care! You have to wake up at eight tomorrow morning and contact me immediately, no matter what!!]
“Eh?…”
‘Wasn’t your original purpose just to confirm I was okay?’
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read The Phantom of the Library! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : The Phantom of the Library
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂