Chapter 21: The Quadruple Date Dilemma

“So, big sister, is your greatest concern truly just wanting to open a coffee shop?”

“What, is there some reason I shouldn’t?”

Zhao Qingxia struck a pose brimming with confidence, yet she failed entirely to deceive my discerning gaze.

After all the years we’d spent living together, I knew instinctively that something was amiss.

“Hahaha, while I admit to some suspicion upon hearing the name, I truly never imagined Qingxia would be your sister; you two simply bear no resemblance whatsoever.”

“Sister Qi, this is hardly a laughing matter, and surely you haven’t left Kexin alone at the shop, have you?”

The elegant woman who now held the floor was Cao Xueqi, proprietress of the Sunday Cafe. She was clad in a simple yet refined knee-length black dress, complemented by sheer stockings and silver-grey high heels, her chestnut curls cascading softly down her back.

Kexin, the child I had just mentioned, was indeed her daughter, Cao Kexin, the unofficial, much-loved mascot of the Sunday Cafe.

There was no peculiar circumstance beyond the fact that her husband, also surnamed Cao, held a profession that kept him exceptionally busy on weekends. To this day, I had only encountered him four times, and each instance had been a full family outing. This was precisely why I harbored a nagging fear that she might have left the little girl unattended at the shop.

As an undeniable regular at the Sunday Cafe, I was also quite intimately acquainted with Cao Kexin herself, which accounted for the rather familiar, yet subtly delicate, nature of our current relationship.

“How could I possibly? Even with trustworthy staff, my precious daughter has surely gone to visit her grandparents after far too long! You truly are a master of needless worry. Oh, and let me make this clear right now: I absolutely will not be giving Kexin to you.”

“Please don’t spout such nonsense in front of my sister; she’s prone to taking things literally.”

“Oh? So, you genuinely intend to vie with me for my daughter?”

“Sister Qi, I earnestly implore you not to exacerbate this situation, or I am quite certain I’ll age a decade by the end of today.”

That figure might even be a conservative estimate.

“Wow~ So, Qiuqiu, not only do you possess a sister, but she’s also incredibly beautiful! Ah, that’s truly unfair of you to keep her hidden.”

“Oh~ What a resplendent lady! Elegant, intellectual, and utterly captivating. Might I be so fortunate as to invite you to share a meal with me?”

‘…………Please allow me to advocate for environmental protection!!’

I was truly at my wit’s end.

Why, for heaven’s sake, were they all crowding around? The entire coffee shop had now fixed its attention squarely on us!

“Qiuqiu,” Nina whispered, leaning in close, “may I greet your sister?”

“……Mm, there’s no need to be so formal, nor to be nervous; she’s quite informal.”

I had initially intended to dissuade her from adding to the commotion, yet as my close friend, it was perfectly understandable that Nina would wish to offer her greetings upon meeting my sister for the very first time.

While I yearned to describe my sister with terms like ‘easygoing,’ I knew my family best, and believed my assessment to be remarkably accurate.

In this particular situation, however, it seemed more fitting for me to facilitate the introductions between them, wouldn’t it?

Nina, however, had already stepped forward, and with an air of utmost elegance and natural grace, offered a curtsy as she greeted Zhao Qingxia.

“Hello, Qiuqiu’s sister,” Nina began, her voice poised and clear, “it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Qiuqiu’s good friend, Lloyalt Nina Samino. You may simply address me as Nina.”

‘Ah?’

‘There’s no need to be quite so formal, is there?’

‘And did my ears deceive me? Why is the middle part her actual given name?’

“Oh, oh… Hello, Nina,” Zhao Qingxia stammered, “I am Zhao Qingxia, Qiuqiu’s older sister…”

‘Don’t be so easily swayed, can you please try to be a little more grounded?’

“Then, may I directly address you as Sister Qingxia?”

“Little brother!” Zhao Qingxia exclaimed, her eyes gleaming, “May I simply sweep her up and take her home with me?”

“Eh?!”

“Of course not! Nana is hardly a doll! Perhaps you should seriously consider what exactly you’re saying to a young woman you’ve only just met for the first time?”

‘I know you’re utterly thrilled, but a modicum of restraint is surely in order.’

“But just imagine,” Zhao Qingxia countered, her enthusiasm bubbling, “if you placed little Nana and little Xinyue side-by-side, the sight would be utterly captivating! Ah!~ How could anyone possibly resist such a vision! Hup!~”

“Wah?! Eh?~ Yahaha, Sister Qingxia, that tickles so much~”

Zhao Qingxia, true to her word, scooped Nina into a tight embrace, swiftly burying her face in Nina’s neck and nuzzling her relentlessly.

‘Ah, it was certainly a delightful sight, but couldn’t she possibly spare a thought for the impact on her immediate surroundings?’

‘Furthermore, by doing that, hadn’t she completely thwarted Nina’s original intention to continue her greetings to Cao Xueqi?’

‘It was already somewhat improper for Nina to bypass the elder and address you first.’

Cao Xueqi, seemingly discerning my apprehension, merely offered a gentle shake of her head and a reassuring smile, indicating she held no objection.

Still, the situation couldn’t possibly be allowed to persist in such a manner.

“Alright, alright, I understand your intentions, but, ah…”

‘Blast it all.’

‘How could I have possibly forgotten that this woman simply cannot hold her tongue?’

As I observed others casting glances of mild confusion towards my sister, having noticed her affectionate nickname for Lan Xinyue, I involuntarily halted my impending reprimand for Zhao Qingxia. While I was still fumbling for a way to smooth things over, Lan Xinyue, with a serene smile, interjected:

“Hehe, though we’ve only had the pleasure of a single, chance encounter, it appears Sister Qingxia has taken quite a liking to me. I am truly honored.”

‘As expected of you, your timing is impeccable.’

“Ah… after all, I confess I possess little resistance to beautiful young women, especially… oh…”

Zhao Qingxia, it seemed, had also recognized her misstep, but her gaze swiftly settled upon Su Yuanyi.

‘I had quite forgotten that there was more than one beautiful young woman of such caliber present.’

‘Hmm? Could it be, then, that the general standard of beauty among the young women at our school has always been this remarkably high?’

“You… hello…”

Given the already considerable crowd, this level of interaction was likely the absolute limit of Su Yuanyi’s social endurance.

Following this, I watched as Zhao Qingxia’s gaze drifted towards the other young women present, pausing momentarily on Lin Shurou. However, Lin Shurou appeared to be even more flustered, instinctively retreating behind me and offering no response whatsoever.

Zhao Qingxia’s gaze finally settled upon the young woman whom I had only previously registered by her white bow hair accessory.

This young woman, clad in a monochromatic short-sleeved dress and matching high heels, stood with her hands gracefully clasped before her, offering a composed bow and a gentle smile.

“Greetings, Sister Zhao Qingxia,” she began, her voice perfectly modulated. “My name is Ye Ning, and it is a distinct pleasure to make your acquaintance. As this is my inaugural meeting with classmate Zhao Wangqiu today, I confess to having harbored certain reservations, which prevented me from proactively offering my salutations. I humbly request your understanding.”

‘Oh, so this is her—the young lady from St. Ezebuga whom Li Pengcheng had specifically mentioned.’

“Eh? No, no, not at all. On the contrary, it was my own undue forwardness that caused you such apprehension, and for that, I sincerely apologize.”

My sister, clearly unaccustomed to interacting with a true young lady of high society, was visibly flustered.

“You speak too highly, madam. To receive such sincere and forthright admiration is truly my honor.”

Ye Ning concluded, her smile unwavering, then turned her gaze to the young woman beside her, who was clad in a bright yellow top.

I noticed a sudden glint of mischief flicker in her eyes.

‘……Mm, whatever shall I do?’

“Eh? I have to as well… *Sigh*, alright, I understand. Hello, my name is Tang Feiyu; please extend your care and guidance.”

Tang Feiyu appeared quite reluctant, yet her demeanor remained acceptably amiable.

At this juncture, Lin Shurou unexpectedly peeked out from behind me.

“H-hello,” Lin Shurou stammered, “m-my name is L-Lin Shurou. It’s a p-pleasure… to meet you… P-please, p-please take care of me…”

Despite her halting delivery, she managed to complete her introduction.

She likely felt that, having witnessed everyone else introduce themselves, her prior reticence had been somewhat impolite.

‘But why, pray tell, did you choose to hide behind me?!’

“Oh~ So that’s the game, is it? Allow me to participate! Hello, Sister Qiu,” Li Pengcheng announced with a grin, “My name is Li Pengcheng, and I am Qiuqiu’s absolute best friend~”

*Slap!*

“Absolutely not.”

“Wow, Qiuqiu, you’re so heartless.”

“My mood is currently quite volatile, you know.”

That scoundrel actually intended to sling an arm around my neck, and what in the world was ‘Sister Qiu’ as a form of address?

“Hello, Sister Qingxia, I am A-Cheng’s girlfriend, Bai Yingwan. You can just call me Wanwan.”

Bai Yingwan stated, her arm entwined with Li Pengcheng’s.

My sister’s face beamed with delight, while Lan Xinyue’s expression instantly soured.

This childhood friend truly was formidable.

‘Wait a moment, are you all planning to introduce yourselves one by one?’

‘And to do so while explicitly disregarding Cao Xueqi, an elder present?’

‘Please, no! My sister will undoubtedly become insufferably smug! And I’ll be utterly mortified!’

In the end, everyone did indeed take a turn.

Even Cao Xueqi, beaming, joined in the merriment, and a momentarily distracted Lan Xinyue, still reeling from the shock, drifted along with the current, performing a gesture that was utterly unnecessary.

Frankly, I felt today’s massage had lost all meaning; Nina’s kind gesture had been entirely wasted.

“Now, everyone knows each other, don’t they?~ Oh yeah!~”

“Oh yeah!~”

Li Pengcheng and Ye Wenxuan exchanged a high-five, chortling all the while.

‘This is bad. If this continues, we’ll undoubtedly be dragged into some bizarre rhythm, and by then, extricating ourselves will prove exceedingly difficult.’

‘Had it not been for the pressing issue of Su Yuanyi being entangled, Nina and I would have long since turned tail and fled.’

Upon closer reflection, however, if I were to truly escape, I would need to take at least four people with me from this gathering.

Su Yuanyi, Lan Xinyue, Nina, and Lin Shurou.

Cao Xueqi, of course, was beyond question. Aside from Ye Ning, the young lady of high society who might still put up some resistance, the combined cunning of everyone else wouldn’t amount to hers.

As for my own sister, she was just as much a social butterfly. I would let her fight fire with fire for now and interrogate her thoroughly once we were home.

‘Mm… no, that won’t do. In the current circumstances, my capacity for handling this situation is probably only half a star. A four-star difficulty is simply too high; I need to streamline this.’

‘Lan Xinyue should be able to manage herself competently; allow me to be heartless and temporarily abandon her.’

‘Nina… although my sister still hasn’t released her, if she stays any longer, things might develop in an odd direction. However, today was an invited outing, and this isn’t an emergency. Abandoning my host like this is absolutely out of the question.’

‘Lin Shurou… what exactly is she doing here?’

‘Without clarifying that, I truly don’t know if I should take her with me to escape this situation, which feels like a tsunami about to engulf us. Moreover, she doesn’t seem familiar with anyone else here, and Lin Shujuan did mention that she needed to continue showing sincerity. Therefore, she would most likely express a desire to come along when we leave, and refusing her then would make me seem unreasonable.’

‘This means I can only reduce the difficulty by at most one star?’

‘How in the world am I supposed to clear this stage?!’

“Oh!~ I just realized, with this number of people, things could get quite interesting!”

Li Pengcheng suddenly had an idea.

‘No! No!! No!!!’

‘I need to think of something quickly!!!!’

“Is that so? Let me see~”

‘Ah~ Ye Wenxuan!’

‘Go to hell!!’

It seemed my emotions were beginning to spiral out of control.

“Ah! I see! We could totally form three groups for quadruple dates!”

“Why the hell would we do that!!! Ouch!…”

I couldn’t help but shout, and a sharp pain immediately shot through my head, causing me to instinctively raise a hand to cover it.

“Qiuqiu!?”

Nina instantly broke free from Zhao Qingxia’s embrace, gently rubbing the back of my head.

“Are you alright? Don’t get so agitated… does it hurt much?”

“I’m fine…”

I admit, my temper was genuinely frayed at that moment.

‘Did these two truly not consider anyone else’s feelings?’

‘Quadruple dates and three groups standing in opposition? Should I add some gossip for you too, just to complete the Five Elements?’

“Eh?… Xinyue, what’s going on?”

Realizing something was amiss, Li Pengcheng cautiously asked Lan Xinyue, who was closer to him.

He just didn’t realize that at such a proximity, anyone could actually hear.

“Nothing, I just accidentally bumped my head yesterday, so I’m not really suitable for going out and having fun.”

Lan Xinyue’s tone was cool and detached, the deliberate aloofness and implied anger evident to anyone listening.

“Ah haha, I see… I’m sorry, Qiuqiu, I didn’t consider your physical condition. I’m truly very sorry.”

With Li Pengcheng’s apology, Ye Wenxuan could only grin awkwardly and avert his gaze.

“Little brother, let’s sit down and rest first.”

Zhao Qingxia gripped my arms with both hands, her eyes filled with concern as she offered comforting words without reservation.

“No need, sis, I just got a little too agitated earlier.”

Zhao Qingxia gently shook her head.

“No, if you feel uncomfortable, then let’s just go back and rest. Come, I’ll help you… What is it?”

I stopped her, however, composing myself as I looked at Ye Wenxuan.

“My apologies, Student Ye, I was actually just trying to be playfully sarcastic earlier, but it went awry. I hope you don’t misunderstand.”

“Not at all, I should be the one apologizing. I’m truly sorry for making a decision without considering your condition.”

“No, I actually think that suggestion is quite good, don’t you agree, Sister Qi?”

“Oh?~”

Upon hearing this, Cao Xueqi’s smile became subtle as she subtly raised an eyebrow.

“Qiuqiu!?”

“Little brother?”

Nina and Zhao Qingxia exclaimed in surprise simultaneously.

I merely shook my head gently at them.

Cao Xueqi would surely understand my intention.

Lan Xinyue remained silent, likely having also grasped it.

As for Su Yuanyi and Lin Shurou, you two should just continue to panic; that’s all you need to do.

Frazzled emotions and the anger that followed them solved nothing.

I simply couldn’t adapt to the behavior patterns of these social butterflies and party animals, which was why I had lost my composure for a moment.

Considering that Ye Wenxuan had even gone so far as to stake out Su Yuanyi’s home, he certainly wouldn’t give up easily.

If he were to once again act without restraint and block her door, even if we could rely on security to handle it, the school didn’t have such strict limitations. Should he continue to pester Su Yuanyi, leading to rumors, all of Su Yuanyi’s efforts to date would be for naught.

At the very least, I needed to make him suffer his own headaches now, without dragging Su Yuanyi into it.

After all, she was our vice-president. I would let him witness the extent of my protectiveness.

“Mm~ Indeed, forming three groups for quadruple dates would certainly be a rare experience, but I would completely raise your average age, wouldn’t I? I fear no one would be willing to be in the same group as an older sister like me.”

“Oh!~ Beautiful lady, how could you utter such words? If you would not mind, I would be absolutely delighted to embark on a wonderful journey with you!~”

Perfect! Exactly the move I had anticipated.

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