After dinner, it was already close to seven o'clock. Chu Chu originally wanted to cling to Chu Lian and bathe together, but was promptly kicked out by her—who still hadn't cooled down—so she had no choice but to quietly go bathe with Tina, who now stuck to her like glue.
Ever since Chu Chu came home, Tina had completely abandoned her former flat-chested loli master and defected into Chu Chu's warm embrace. Now, unless she was too busy or it was inconvenient to bring Tina along, Chu Chu carried her everywhere. And Chu Chu's ample bosom had completely become Tina's favorite resting spot. Even during baths, girl and cat were always together.
That said, Chu Chu didn't mind Tina at all. In fact, she adored the white kitten named Chu Ling. She admitted, at first it was just because Tina carried traces of Chu Lian's scent—especially the faint aroma from her chest—but before long, she genuinely grew to love the little cat.
The reason was simple: Tina seemed to completely understand Chu Chu's thoughts. Every time they were near Chu Lian, she'd purposely snuggle into Chu Lian's arms and rub her face against her flat chest for a long while, then return to Chu Chu carrying a trace of that faint fragrance. This gesture made Chu Chu feel like she was one step closer to her beloved big sister, so she immediately accepted Tina sleeping on her chest as natural.
In Chu Chu's own words: "It's about blending Big Sis' scent with mine, a divine and beautiful fusion… Just thinking about it makes me melt."
The two—girl and cat—kept their little scheme well hidden. Even Chu Lian merely thought Tina had finally missed her enough to want affection again. She never imagined Tina was just trying to win over Chu Chu.
For Tina, it was no trouble at all. Though her flat-chested master's chest couldn't compare to Chu Chu's, snuggling into either was still a blessing. And as a being made of pure spiritual energy, her body would never carry the filth of this world—unless she willed it. So acting as a scent courier was perfectly suited to her. As for eating and drinking, those were just simulations of a normal cat's lifestyle—nothing meaningful.
Right now, Chu Chu was lying in the bathtub, gloomily splashing at the water and muttering, "Big Sis is so mean… She used to bathe with me all the time, but ever since Grandpa and Grandma passed away and she got really sick, she won't bathe with me anymore… Ahhh, I miss hugging her soft, tender body so much..."
Even in the bath, this girl's fantasies never stopped. Hopeless. Meanwhile, Tina, playing in the water nearby, gave a small nod—as if she understood Chu Chu's words. No need to ask which part she agreed with—it was obviously the last sentence.
For some reason—perhaps natural—Chu Lian's body always emitted a faint, natural fragrance. It wasn't like wine, nor was it intoxicatingly sweet. It was more like a subtle floral scent, gentle and elegant, akin to orchids. Not overpowering, but enchanting in its own way.
One big reason Tina liked lying on Chu Lian was that subtle fragrance. Now that Chu Chu had said it aloud, Tina recalled it and found herself feeling nostalgic. Even though she had just left Chu Lian's embrace not long ago...
"Mhm, Tina, you truly are a comrade-in-arms. Too bad you're into big busts while I'm all about Big Sis. Otherwise, we could've formed a united front. But I believe Big Sis will develop wonderfully in the future—then, we'll be natural allies."
"So go on, work hard to rub up against Big Sis' chest and help her grow faster..." Chu Chu reached out to pet Tina's little head, speaking words that would absolutely make Chu Lian explode if she ever heard them. Thankfully, she wasn't around—otherwise, Chu Chu would likely be spending the night in the hospital.
Considering Chu Chu's abnormal resilience, deep love for her big sister, and her extraordinary constitution, even if Chu Lian knocked her out cold, she'd probably be up and bouncing again by the next morning. And if it meant getting Chu Lian's tender care in the process—well, that was totally worth it! Even ten days in the hospital would be a fair trade…
Meanwhile, this outrageous back-and-forth between girl and cat didn't disturb Chu Lian, who was soaking quietly in another bathroom. Though both were bathrooms, hers was much larger than the one Chu Chu used. It wasn't favoritism during design—there were five bathrooms on the second floor, each with a unique layout. Chu Lian just happened to favor the one Chu Chu used and this larger one.
This tub was more like a mini hot spring pool, nearly ten square meters in size. Filled to the brim with gently steaming warm water, Chu Lian lay submerged within, her bare body hidden beneath rising mist and rippling waves—revealing nothing to the eye.
"Let's pause the novel for tonight and finish up Inori's song first. After all, Chu Chu and I are going on that school trip Monday, and she'll probably be all alone then…" Chu Lian looked at her blurred reflection in the water and cupped a handful to pour over her face.
"She's just arrived here. She doesn't know anything, doesn't understand anything. Even though Mom's around, she won't be home much… And because this field trip overlaps with several mission triggers, I absolutely have to go. Still, I'm so, so worried…" She covered her face with both hands, her voice muffled.
"She's dull, expressionless, and emotionally numb… She doesn't know how to communicate, can't tell good from bad. Even though Mana and Eve are inside her body, I still can't relax. What if—what if something happens and neither of them can switch in time? And Mana probably has no powers left now, right? The only one who still has strength is Eve… but she might still be asleep…"
Chu Lian kept speaking, completely slipping into the role of older sister—worrying for Inori as if it were her sole duty. She was so immersed, she didn't even hear the sound of the bathroom door opening.
"Emotionless?" A soft voice suddenly whispered in her ear. Chu Lian flinched, instinctively pulling back her concern as she asked lightly, "Inori… when did you come in?"
"To bathe," Inori said quietly, looking at her back.
"Th-Then you could've waited until I was done… Or I can leave instead…" Chu Lian panicked. The only thing in her head was escape.
"I want to bathe with Lian…" Inori didn't leave. Instead, after a brief silence, she spoke softly.
Hearing the hope in her voice, Chu Lian's tense body slowly relaxed. "Alright… then let's bathe together."
As soon as she agreed, a whirlwind of emotions rose inside her. "Why can't I say no to her? Last time was like this… and just now… and now again… She's the second girl I can't bring myself to refuse. What is wrong with me?"
She felt the water rise slightly and knew Inori had stepped in. Turning her head to look, she saw that Inori was wearing a white bathrobe, treating the bath like a hot spring.
"Hm? Inori, did you use to like hot springs a lot?" Chu Lian watched her for a moment, unable to suppress her curiosity.
"Used to? I forgot… I just know this feeling is very nice," Inori replied after thinking hard, gazing into Chu Lian's eyes.
"Ah… so it's the body's memory. That explains it…" Even though Inori wasn't very clear, Chu Lian understood what she meant and felt her doubt disappear.
"I only remember that in Nihon, it's common to bathe with big towels… Is it not like that here?" Inori's next question, however, made Chu Lian freeze on the spot.
"Ehehe, not at all—this is totally normal in Huaxia too…" Chu Lian laughed awkwardly, covering her bare body with an arm. But deep down, her mood sank a little. "I forgot again… this is a bad habit… My old memories are slowly fading away…"
After that, the two didn't speak anymore, simply soaking in silence.
A little while later, Inori stood up and began gently rubbing Chu Lian's flushed back with a towel. Then she quietly turned around and presented her snowy-white back to Chu Lian—it was now her turn to help.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Lian forced her racing heart to settle down, squeezed some body wash into her palm, and started softly lathering it over Inori's back. She spread it evenly over her smooth skin before picking up the towel and gently rubbing in slow circles.
Thankfully, Inori didn't fidget or say anything else. That allowed Chu Lian to stay focused and finish the task in peace. If not, she wasn't sure she could resist the temptation and might have bolted from the bathroom entirely.
Once they had scrubbed each other's backs, the two girls re-entered the bath to rinse off the remaining bubbles together…
When Chu Lian finally stepped out, it was nearly eight o'clock—they'd been in there for over an hour. If not for the pool's auto-refreshing water system, even with her strong constitution, soaking for so long in May's weather could've made her sick.
As soon as she opened her room door, she saw a pouting Chu Chu sitting on the bed, glaring at her and Inori. She turned her face away with a huff. Clearly, this little brat had found out about the shared bath and was sulking alone.
Considering how much Chu Chu had helped today, Chu Lian figured she shouldn't be too hard on her. Besides, this was still her little sister. No matter how shameless or pervy she acted, Chu Lian couldn't bring herself to truly be cold toward her. So with a sigh, she said, "Don't be mad. For the school trip, I'll ask the teacher to assign us to the same room, alright?"
"I knew Big Sis loved me best!" Chu Chu instantly lit up with joy and began jumping on the bed, already fantasizing about a romantic trip with just the two of them.
But Chu Lian's next words cruelly shattered her dream: "Even though we're staying in luxury hotels, we still have a budget. So it'll be four people to a room. Besides you and me, Xiu'er and someone else will also be there. So… your romantic duo trip is impossible."
"Huh?! Don't tell me I said all that out loud again?!" Chu Chu panicked. How had her sister known what she was thinking?
"Very obviously, yes," Chu Lian rolled her eyes and decided to ignore her, letting the girl bounce around on her bed like an excited rabbit.
Chu Lian motioned for Inori to sit beside her, then opened up her video editor and got to work.
It took nearly half an hour, but she finished compiling the CG artwork, synced the audio and subtitles, then logged into M Station using Inori's account and uploaded the video.
To top it off, she created accounts for Inori on MySong and Weibo, and then followed her from her own Weibo account.
Soon, many of Chu Lian's followers noticed that her "Following" count, which had always been zero, suddenly turned to one. Naturally, many of them clicked in curiosity to see who could possibly earn Chu Lian's attention.
There, they found a Weibo page named "Egoist / Inori." And on that page—a video link:
"[Twin Lotus Blooms—Inori & Chu Lian] Japanese Original Duet: 'Euterpe.'"
At the same time, Chu Lian also reposted Inori's video on her own Weibo...
The buzz around the new song began spreading like wildfire, and with it, the name of the mysterious girl called "Inori" slowly began to trend higher and higher...