Chapter 33: A Late-Night Call Before the Sea

The rain was cold, sliding down her cheek to her chin.

After standing in it for a few minutes, Jiang Ciqiu reached up and wiped the rain from her face, along with the lingering dampness at the corners of her eyes.

It was getting late. If she didn’t go back soon, even her aunt and uncle, who usually paid her little attention, would start wondering why she had stayed out all night.

The Administration would coordinate a reasonable excuse with her school, but “stayed up tutoring until dawn” was a flimsy lie to anyone normal.

“Let’s go back. Shower, sleep. Tomorrow I’m going to the beach with Lin Xia.”

She said this to herself. Thinking of her promise with her friend, her steps finally found some strength.

If she was going to the beach, she had to bring sunscreen. A swimsuit… should she bring one? Right now her closet probably only had the ugly one-piece the school handed out for swimming class.

Inside she was a corporate drone worn out by society, but to keep up the high school girl disguise in front of that guy, she would have to pack these essentials honestly.

As she thought that, a scene from a few minutes ago flashed through her mind.

The testing look on Lin Xia’s face when he asked her to stay.

It held a teenage boy’s poorly hidden feelings, mixed with cautious hesitation, as if he was afraid his invitation would come off as condescending charity.

Whatever that feeling was, in Jiang Ciqiu’s eyes it carried a precious warmth.

“Lin Xia…”

She chewed on the name. Suddenly her eyes stung again.

“Honestly. I can’t go soft just because of him. That’s not what a hero does.”

She said that out loud. When she came back to herself, she found her phone screen had somehow already opened to her chat with Lin Xia.

Looking at the Houtarou Oreki avatar that was always shown as online, an odd sense of relief washed over her.

It was like coming home late after overtime, looking up to see the warm yellow light still on in the kitchen window, the relief of knowing a wife was busy inside.

‘Sinful. How could brothers have such a weird thought?’

Jiang Ciqiu shook her head hard, trying to fling away the bizarre image of Lin Xia in an apron, cooking soup for her.

“I’ll bother him a little. He’s a night owl, so he’s definitely awake at this hour.”

Her slender white fingertip tapped the cracked screen. The call rang only twice before it was picked up.

– Hey? What’s wrong, Aqiu?

Lin Xia sounded a little breathless. He couldn’t be out running this late, could he?

– Nothing. I just wanted to call you. Is that not allowed?

Silence on the other end for a few seconds.

– Have you been crying?

Jiang Ciqiu bit her lower lip without thinking, her brows twisting in panic.

‘Does this guy have some kind of superpower? He can tell over the phone?’

– No way! I shed blood and sweat, not tears. How could I cry?

She retorted with her neck stiff.

– That’s for professional soldiers… Aqiu, tell me the truth. Your voice is shaking, and you called me first. Did something really happen?

Lin Xia seemed unhappy with her obvious brush-off. His voice rose slightly at the end.

Jiang Ciqiu opened her mouth, but no words came.

‘Should I tell him the truth? But Lin Xia is just a strong ordinary person now. He can’t teleport to my side and beat that thug until he kowtows and begs for mercy.’

‘With his temper, if he knew what happened, he’d just get angry. It wouldn’t mean anything.’

‘Brothers don’t need to complain to each other. It’s like posting sad quotes on Moments during puberty. The next day everyone laughs and says, “Here comes Brother XX.”‘

‘Besides, I’m a magical girl protecting the city. I shouldn’t show weakness in the first place.’

“Ah, really, it’s nothing. I just… fell.”

She held the phone between her shoulder and ear as she spoke, her gaze sliding to her forearm. It was still bruised purple from struggling with the thug earlier. She tugged her sleeve down to cover it.

The moment the words left her mouth, a rapid-fire barrage exploded from the phone.

– Where are you hurt? Is it serious? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?

– I’m fine. Just cracked a corner of my phone screen. Bit of bad luck.

– Then… are we still going to the beach tomorrow?

Hearing that she wasn’t hurt, Lin Xia clearly let out a breath. But soon he caught himself and started worrying about their promised beach trip.

“Of course.” A glimmer of expectation rose in Jiang Ciqiu’s crimson eyes, one she didn’t even notice herself. “I’ve wanted to see the sea for so long. I finally got a chance. How could I miss it?”

Going to see the sea with Lin Xia was a wish she had buried deep for a long time. In past years, because of her friend’s frail health, it had never come true.

– Then… good night?

– Good night.

She paused, then remembered something.

– Don’t be like an elementary schooler before a field trip, so excited you can’t sleep all night.

– I won’t!

On the other end, Lin Xia’s face flushed slightly. He hung up in a fluster.

The phone screen dimmed. He stared at the dark screen, his heartbeat slow to settle.

Aqiu would never admit it, but if a boy and a girl agreed to go to the beach, wasn’t that basically a date?

At that thought, the boy’s ears burned hotter.

Still, when he had first picked up the call, Jiang Ciqiu’s slightly trembling voice had startled him.

She insisted she hadn’t cried, only said lightly that she “fell.” But Lin Xia couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t that simple.

The exhaustion and forced strength in the girl’s voice couldn’t be explained by a fall.

But if she didn’t want to talk, he had no right to keep pushing.

After all, Lin Xia had plenty of secrets he couldn’t say out loud either, didn’t he?

The boy took a deep breath and pressed the worry down for now.

“The beach… Speaking of which, will Aqiu wear a swimsuit?”

Once that thought appeared, it ran like a horse out of control. There was no pulling it back.

In the boy’s mind, an image formed without permission: Jiang Ciqiu in a swimsuit, standing in the sunlight and smiling at him.

She was flat-chested, but if she wore a school swimsuit or something cute, the contrast with her usual tomboyish self wouldn’t be bad at all.

The next second, Lin Xia raised his hand and felt something warm on his nose.

He shot up from the sofa and stumbled toward the bathroom.

The faucet ran with a rush. Cold water slapped his burning cheeks.

“Lin Xia, Lin Xia, fantasizing about your best friend’s swimsuit is not something you should be doing!”

The boy splashed cold water on his face and cursed himself out internally.

But no matter how he cursed, his restless heart wouldn’t calm down.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Land of the Phantom Flower

BLEastern FantasyHistorical

Read Now →
Not interested