Chapter 86: Family Is the Most Important

The afternoon sun in District F spilled lazily across the bustling streets.
Lin Yu felt like a tiny skiff, pushed helplessly along by her little sister’s overwhelming aura, drifting through this ocean of luxury.
Every single step took immense effort.

So many people…
Are they all… looking at me?
Is that an illusion?
…Probably not.

She had no idea what to do with her hands or feet.
Sure, people dressed strangely weren’t uncommon these days, but clearly, the outfit she wore as a “disguise” had completely failed its intended effect.

“Ge— no, Lulu.”

Lin Xue happily hooked her arm around hers, eyes sparkling with a gleam that screamed I’ve found a new toy to play with.

“Don’t be so stiff! Chin up, chest out. You’re a textbook beauty right now, okay? Be confident!”

Confident your head!
Lin Yu screamed internally.

If it wasn’t for Luo Shaotian…
I…
Ugh. What a damn chore.

“Anyway,”
Lin Xue eyed the uniform curiously, finally voicing the question she had been holding back,
“why is your company’s default combat outfit a school uniform? Does it have some kind of special function? Like, I don’t know, a ‘cuteness bonus buff’ or something?”

“…”

“No.”

Lin Yu answered gloomily, voice as thin as a mosquito.

She only wanted this public execution to end as fast as possible. She had zero energy for discussing company culture with this little demon.

“It’s just… a matter of cost,” she muttered.
“The higher-ups think a high-school girl wandering around the city is less alarming than a soldier in a combat suit. Basically, it’s the cheapest and most efficient disguise.”

“Oooh, I get it. Sounds like something straight out of the cartoons I watched as a kid. Capitalists really do know how to calculate.”

Lin Xue nodded thoughtfully, then grinned.

“But I think it’s cute. Really suits you.”

“…”

Lin Yu gave up resisting.
If her sister wanted to compliment her, whatever.
After being teased verbally for so many years, she was practically immune.

“Hey, how about that mall up ahead?”

Lin Xue pointed at a glittering commercial complex not far away.

“Let’s go check out the women’s clothing floor. I remember some dresses that would match your current vibe perfectly.”

“Do whatever you want…”

Lin Yu replied weakly.

Clearly, she had no interest in picking out “cute outfits.”
If anything, she would rather throw on a tracksuit and walk out the door.
Comfortable, simple, and not eye-catching.

Being stared at by so many people was stressful.

But just as she lifted her foot to follow her sister—
a sharp, constricting pain tightened across her chest.

“Mm—”

She stopped, letting out a small involuntary sound as her brows knitted tightly.

What the hell?
Did my heart act up?

She instinctively raised a hand to press the area—
but the moment her fingertips brushed the tight contour beneath the shirt…

No.
Not the heart.
It’s… that thing…

She suddenly remembered.

When transforming, any part of this body requiring close fit was constructed by the Persona Protocol, which built them with psychic-synchronization according to preset templates.

And that goddamn preset template…
was based on the measurements of someone not fully developed.

This was… bad.

“What’s wrong?”
Lin Xue immediately caught her abnormal reaction, leaning in with genuine concern.

“Your face looks awful. Are you feeling sick?”

“N-no! No problem!”

Lin Yu practically snapped to attention, forcibly suppressing the discomfort and squeezing out a stiff smile.

“I just… walked a bit fast. Got out of breath. That’s all.”

“Really?”

Lin Xue looked doubtful and reached out, seemingly wanting to check her forehead—

“I’M FINE!”

Lin Yu jumped back like a startled rabbit, dodging the hand, her voice cracking at least eight octaves higher from panic.

“L-let’s go already! Didn’t we come to shop!?”

“…Don’t pretend. I can see you’re suffering.”

Her sister grabbed her before she could flee, checked briefly, and—

“Ah! Your bra is way too tight! No wonder you’re uncomfortable.”

“Ugh—!”

Lin Yu wanted to dig a hole and bury herself.

“T-that’s because… when I transformed before… I think… my chest wasn’t this… big…”

“Oh. That so.”

Lin Xue pondered for a moment.

“Well, guess we’re adjusting today’s shopping plan.”

“Eh?”

Lin Yu’s head shot up.

“Dresses can wait.
The top priority is getting you a new bra.”

She winked, wearing an expression full of “big-sisterly care.”

“Come on. I know a good lingerie boutique nearby.”

And so, Lin Yu was escorted to a nearby shop called Girl’s Secrets.

The interior was drenched in soft lighting, plush carpets,
and the air carried a lavender fragrance.
Lin Yu had never stepped foot in a place like this.

Her eyes darted around in panic, trying to avoid looking at… anything… yet everything in view was some form of soft, lacy fabric.
There was no escape.

“Welcome~”

A friendly shop clerk approached with a warm smile.
Her gaze paused briefly on Lin Xue, then naturally slid to Lin Yu—
eyes lighting up with appropriate admiration.

“This little sister has such a unique aura,” she said sincerely.
“Are you here to pick out something that fits you better?”

“Yes!”
Lin Xue answered cheerfully before Lin Yu could even breathe.
Then she nudged her stiff-as-stone sibling and told the clerk:

“This is my sister. She, uh… grew a bit too fast. Her old underwear doesn’t fit anymore.”

Who’s your sister!?
Lin Yu screamed internally, but her mouth refused to open.
Her facial muscles twitched into something uglier than crying.

“And,”
Lin Xue grabbed her hand, voice shifting into a doting tone,
“it’s her first time in a place like this. She’s clueless and shy.
So we’ll need you to carefully measure her and recommend a few pieces.”

“No problem at all!”

The clerk’s smile softened further as she looked at Lin Yu with gentle, almost motherly affection.

“Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll take care of everything.
The first time is very important—wearing the right size is good for your development.”

She raised a measuring tape.

“Come with me to the fitting room.”

Lin Yu’s feet rooted to the floor.
She grabbed Lin Xue’s sleeve like a drowning child, whispering with trembling desperation:

“X-Xue… t-this is… really not necessary… maybe I should just—”

“Be good.”
Lin Xue squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled like an angel.

“It’s just measurements. Super fast.
Or do you want to keep wearing that suffocating bra and crush your poor boobs?”

In the end, Lin Yu was half-dragged, half-pushed into the fitting room.

The small space was warm and softly lit, but to her, it felt like an execution chamber.

She stood like a lamb waiting for slaughter, back to the clerk, clutching her shirt with white knuckles, trembling.

“Relax, sweetie. It’s okay,”
the clerk soothed,
“Now—take off your shirt. Yes, just like that…”

Then—
the cold measuring tape touched her back.

Every nerve in her body fired at once.

She felt the tape glide along her curves inch by inch.
Shame washed over her like a tsunami, drowning every sane thought.

She squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip, burying her face in her arm.
She wanted to evaporate from existence.

“Underbust—mm, very standard.”

“And now overbust—lean forward just a little…”

Time dragged like a century.

When Lin Yu finally emerged from the fitting room, she was pale and hollow-eyed, a shell whose soul had been extracted.

Lin Xue, flipping through a lingerie catalog on the sofa, perked up instantly when she saw her.

“How was it? Did we get the size?”

The clerk held a small notebook with the measurements, glancing at Lin Xue with professional astonishment and admiration.

“Your sister’s figure is outstanding. I measured her height and weight too.
Height: 155 cm.
Weight: 44 kg.
Waist: only 55 cm—very slender.
But…”

She paused, then announced the final numbers with a tone mixed with envy:

“Her bust is 79 cm. The difference between upper and lower calculations…
She should be an E cup.”

E…?

Lin Yu stood frozen, brain grinding to process that unfamiliar letter.

She remembered… the further the alphabet goes… the bigger…

“Woah.”

Lin Xue let out a sincere gasp.

Her gaze drifted—uncontrollably—to the fullness stretching Lin Yu’s white shirt, and her lips curled in fascinated admiration.

“Damn… Lulu, you’re pretty stacked.”

“Heh…”

Lin Yu no longer knew whether to laugh or cry.

Was this… supposed to be something to be proud of?

She was forced to try on multiple styles while the two “devils” gleefully discussed things like “cute,” “sexy,” “suits her,” and “support.”

By the end, Lin Xue triumphantly paid for several branded bags like she had won a glorious victory.

Lin Yu, meanwhile, was completely burnt out.

Side by side, they walked home through the evening glow.
The sunset painted the steel city in warm orange.

Lin Yu kept her head down, silent, like a small, pitiful bird.
Today drained more of her mental energy than fighting ten pollutants.

Sigh…
“Shopping with girls is such a hassle.”
“Why didn’t Xue just pick one bra and leave? Why did I have to change again and again? So annoying.”
“The new bra is more comfortable…”
“But buying so many? What’s the point? I could just ask Manager Qian to adjust the parameters…”
“Or does she… just enjoy dressing me up?
Did she treat me like a doll…? That brat…”

Suddenly, a warm hand patted her head.

She turned—
Lin Xue was gently stroking her hair.

“Alright, alright,”
her voice carried clearly through the noisy street, softer than usual.
“Thanks for today. I know being a girl is tough sometimes.
But… you did great.”

The unexpected comfort stunned Lin Yu.

What…
Is she trying to comfort me?

Her eyes shifted, finally focusing on her sister’s face—
a clean, delicate face glowing softly in the evening light.

Come to think of it…
It’s been a long time since she’s looked this genuinely happy…

Seriously…
All this just for shopping?
Is she that happy?

Or…
Is it because it was with me?

Lin Yu didn’t really understand, but…

“Hmph.”

She snorted.

“Just remember your brother works hard. And don’t forget to help me research that dust!”

“Yeah yeah, I got it, little sister~”

“Ugh—who’s the little sister here!?”

They bickered, but inside Lin Yu…

…well…

Fine, fine.
If it makes her happy, then being her sister for a day isn’t a big deal.

Family is more important than anything.