"Hey, Big Sis, do you know who the Mother of Mount Li is?" During a rest stop midway up the mountain, Chu Chu sidled up to Chu Lian to ask.
"Lady Nuwa," Chu Lian replied, having already removed her gauze veil. She was cupping a handful of clear spring water to wash her face when she added a warning: "Don't come any closer. If you do, I'll throw you off the cliff."
"Moo, Big Sis~ Big Sis~ Big Sis~ I just wanted to play in the water with you. You know this water hasn't been polluted at all, right? So clean and clear—it'd even be nice for a bath in this heat~" Chu Chu ignored the warning, knowing Chu Lian would never actually do it.
Not only was this halfway up the mountain, at least six hundred meters above the ground—falling meant certain death—but even if Chu Lian threw her, she'd jump down immediately to save her. So there was nothing to fear.
Chu Lian wiped the water from her face and gave Chu Chu a sidelong glance, realizing she wasn't taking her seriously. But inwardly, she "smirked." Chu Chu was still too young—sure, she couldn't throw her down, but she could still drive her crazy enough to stop clinging.
Without changing her expression, she took a few graceful steps toward Inori, who was admiring the view below. In a smooth motion, she pulled the taller girl into her arms.
Inori's ruby-red eyes blinked in surprise, not knowing what was happening, until Chu Lian lowered her head and pressed her lips to hers.
Li Xiu'er stood frozen nearby, completely baffled at how the situation had taken such a turn. As for Chu Chu, she was utterly thrown off—if this were a manga, the air behind her would be filled with dark, gloomy symbols: "The autumn wind blows, leaves scatter in the air, she hides her face in the shadows, helpless as a child who's lost her most treasured toy."
Inori stared wide-eyed into Chu Lian's pure black gaze. She hadn't switched to her second persona—so why was she doing this?
Then she felt it—a soft tongue slipping past her lips, curling around her own and drawing her in. The electric jolt of the sensation left her knees weak, unable to resist.
She didn't dislike Chu Lian's closeness—in fact, she enjoyed it. Especially coming from the real Chu Lian, it felt warm, gentle, and… likable.
Their soft, delicate lips pressed together, tongues meeting and sliding as they tasted each other, the sweet sensation making them forget the place and time. Only when a gust of wind scattered their hair did they come back to themselves.
They parted slowly, a thin line of saliva still connecting their lips. Meeting each other's gaze with glistening eyes, they both felt an uncontrollable flush of shyness.
Inori's was pure embarrassment—she didn't fully understand human emotions yet, but she knew enough to realize kissing wasn't something done casually. That was something only lovers shared.
For Chu Lian, it was disbelief. If it had been her second persona or some outside influence, it would be understandable—but this kiss had come from her own desire. She could feel that if Inori hadn't been there—someone she'd shared a bed with these past nights, and with whom she'd kissed before—she might have chosen Chu Chu or Li Xiu'er instead.
This kiss left not only the two of them flushed and breathless, but also Li Xiu'er, who had been watching for over ten minutes, her face crimson and her body nearly weak. As for Chu Chu, she went to extremes—jumping straight into the spring, whether from heated embarrassment at the sight or from heartbreak, hiding in the water in tears.
"Inori, I'm sorry. I just felt a sudden impulse just now… it made me a little dizzy, and that's why I did that to you." Pretending not to see Li Xiu'er or Chu Chu's reactions, Chu Lian apologized softly.
"It's fine. I actually like the feeling. If this is what a kiss is, and it's with you, Lian… I don't dislike it. In fact, I'd like to savor it," Inori replied with a faint blush, her gentle smile warm and sincere.
"Thank you so much, Inori~" Hearing that, the weight in Chu Lian's heart lifted. Her biggest fear was that Inori might dislike her for it. Knowing she didn't made everything better. Without thinking, she jumped into Inori's arms, her delicate body clinging to her waist, arms wrapped around her neck, their faces drawing close again.
After a brief moment, too embarrassed to go further, Chu Lian hopped down, cheeks flushed, leaving Inori smiling quietly behind her.
She went to help Li Xiu'er up, rubbing her cheek, and whispered in her ear, "Damn you, Xiu'er, can't you be a little more reserved? Don't let people see your true nature. If anyone found out you… well, it'd be bad~"
"I didn't mean to… but watching you kiss Inori, I just couldn't help it…" Li Xiu'er's blush deepened again, returning to its vivid crimson.
Rolling her eyes, Chu Lian said, "If you really want to… just find me in private next time…" The moment the words left her mouth, her own face reddened again, realizing exactly what she'd implied.
Li Xiu'er's gaze turned sultry, blooming with a charm unlike her usual shyness. If she were normally a delicate little flower, now she was a full-bloom peony—less timid, more alluring. "Would you do something even stranger?"
Flustered, Chu Lian coughed twice before stammering, "No way… absolutely not… not like you're thinking… with you… definitely not!" Unable to handle Li Xiu'er's current demeanor, she set her down on a nearby rock and hurried into the pool to scoop up the still-floating Chu Chu.
"Fufu…" Li Xiu'er let out a soft, teasing laugh as she watched her leave. Moments later, the flirtation faded completely from her face, replaced by her usual shy expression. She clasped the hem of her blouse tightly in both hands and lowered her head, not daring to meet Chu Lian's eyes.
"Waaah, sister, just let me drown. You don't love me anymore—you kissed another woman right in front of me and didn't even look at me. I'm so hurt…" Chu Chu cried in her arms, with Tina pressing her tiny paws to her eyes in mock sadness.
"I've chased you for nine years and you've never kissed me. That woman's only been here a few days and you're already sharing a bed with her, and kissing—tongue kissing!" Her voice trembled with genuine hurt, no longer calling her Big Sis, just crying relentlessly.
"If the woman you chose was Sister Chu Ke, that perverted woman, I might just complain a little—after all, she's liked you for years. But this one's only been here for such a short time! You, you, you~ Sob…" Her crystalline tears slid down her cheeks and onto Chu Lian's hand. Even with the spring water still wet on her skin, she could feel the warmth of them, and sighed inwardly.
Lowering her head slightly, Chu Lian pecked lightly at Chu Chu's lips. The warmth of the touch instantly stopped Chu Chu's tears, her glistening eyes locking on Chu Lian as she parted her lips. "Big Sis, I want more."
The moment she spoke, Chu Lian lowered her head again, kissing her gently, savoring it as though tasting the finest delicacy.
Then, her small tongue slipped into Chu Chu's mouth, slowly curling around her tongue and drawing in the crystal-clear liquid within. Under the stimulation, Chu Chu's freshly tear-washed eyes grew even more moist. She could feel her big sister's breath—so close, as if they were about to merge into one.
Fortunately, the two of them had their backs to Inori and Li Xiu'er, so no one saw this scene. Chu Chu wasn't sure what might have happened if they had.
To receive a kiss from her big sister was worth every bit of effort she had put into crying. Hmph, Big Sis really is soft-hearted—if she weren't, those men pestering her would have lost their fifth limb long ago. Still, if she weren't soft-hearted, her act wouldn't have gotten her this kiss… so perhaps soft-hearted is best.
Just as she was feeling triumphant and wanting more, Chu Lian released her lips. Compared to the ten-plus minutes she'd kissed Inori earlier, this one had barely lasted half a minute—hardly enough for Chu Chu's satisfaction. She leaned forward, about to steal another, but Chu Lian's words froze her in place.
"I know you were faking those tears, but I still did this for you. If you want there to be a next time, behave yourself. If you try to come at me again, there won't be a next time. I mean what I say."
The gentle breath, the soft tone—it might have been like a breeze, but for Chu Chu, it was a chill wind. She knew well: every time Chu Lian said I mean what I say, she meant it seriously. Since she'd been old enough to remember, she had only said it five times—and kept it every single time.
Even Tina, lying on her chest, knew now was not the time to cause trouble, so she immediately stilled, nestling against Chu Chu's chest and rising and falling with her breath.
From start to finish, barely a minute had passed between Chu Lian and Chu Chu. Inori and Li Xiu'er, thinking Chu Lian was simply comforting Chu Chu—and preoccupied with their own thoughts—hadn't noticed anything amiss between the sisters.
By the time they regrouped, Chu Chu was back to normal, and Chu Lian was smiling as if nothing was wrong. Seeing no issues, neither Inori nor Li Xiu'er asked further.
Checking the time, they realized the ten-minute rest had turned into nearly twenty. With about seven hundred meters left to the summit, they now had less than forty minutes to meet their classmates.
Meanwhile, the calling in Chu Lian's heart grew stronger. She knew she might not even make it to the top before this matter pulled her away.
Turning to gaze at the scenery below, a strange, unprecedented feeling welled up within her. "Could it be that my past life had some connection to this place?" Whether she meant the previous Chu Lian with incomplete memories, or the him from the previous world whose memories had slowly faded, she didn't know.
"But I will find the answer. Ayase, did you bring me here because you knew there was something I needed? Thank you…"