“Wha…what secret?”
Luo Xiaosu cautiously took half a step back.
“Come closer—”
Aiweila dragged out the ending, her tone soft and sticky like sweet honey.
She tilted her head, a sly glint flashing in her eyes.
“It’s a little secret between girls that Mom taught me.”
Luo Xiaosu’s heartbeat started to race again.
She hesitated in place for a long time, wanting to refuse, but after seeing the expectation in Aiweila’s eyes, she inexplicably leaned in.
The next second, Aiweila suddenly stretched out both hands, cupped Luo Xiaosu’s cheeks, and then—
“Mwah!”
A wet kiss gently landed on the tip of Luo Xiaosu’s nose, carrying a faint scent of soap.
She froze in place, her mouth half open, her mind blank, the warm sensation still lingering on the tip of her nose.
And the culprit of all this, Aiweila, at this moment wiped her nose, looking proud as if she had just done something great.
“Mom said that if you get a nosebleed, kissing the nose will make it better.”
“Ai! Wei! La!”
Luo Xiaosu gritted her teeth, her voice changing pitch.
The blush on her face spread from her cheeks to her ears, even her neck tinted a light pink.
“Ah! Sister, your nose is bleeding again!”
Aiweila blinked, pointing at Luo Xiaosu’s nose, saying innocently.
“Looks like Mom’s method doesn’t work either…”
She paused, then, as if suddenly remembering something, added.
“How about… trying to kiss the cheek? Mom says kissing the cheek can also cure nosebleeds.”
Luo Xiaosu instantly stiffened.
Her fist stiffened.
Who could tell her why this originally well-behaved, obedient Aiweila had suddenly become so good at teasing?
“Aiweila! If you keep this up, I’ll leave you here and let you wash yourself!”
Luo Xiaosu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the deer bumping in her chest, tried to put on a stern face, and glared fiercely at Aiweila.
But her ears, red enough to drip blood, completely betrayed her turbulent heart.
“I know already…”
Aiweila shrank back into the bath bucket, her voice instantly dropping, like a wronged little fish, burying her mouth under the water surface, continuously blowing bubbles.
“Sister is no fun, can’t even take a joke… But that’s what the book said, right?”
She muttered softly, occasionally lifting her face to sneak a glance at Luo Xiaosu, looking so pitiful as if Luo Xiaosu was the one bullying her.
—
The steam in the bathroom gradually dissipated.
After a pleasant hot bath, Aiweila was now wrapped in a large bath towel, only her flushed little face visible.
Luo Xiaosu’s cheeks were also blushing, but this wasn’t solely due to the steam rising from the bathroom.
She carefully wrapped Aiweila in the towel and picked up the change of clothes prepared for Aiweila beside her.
It was then that Luo Xiaosu noticed that after all the commotion, water had splashed everywhere, and these clothes were all soaked.
“Eh? Sister, why are the clothes all wet?”
“It’s all your fault, being so mischievous, teasing sister during bath time.”
Luo Xiaosu rolled her eyes and reached out to poke Aiweila’s cheek.
“Then… carry me back to the room to change clothes, I can’t walk, I want a hug.”
Aiweila extended her delicate little hand, gently tugged at Luo Xiaosu’s clothes, and immediately opened her arms in a “come hug me” expression.
“You wish! You had plenty of energy when you were playing in the water just now! Stay still and watch carefully.”
A stream of magic power appeared in Luo Xiaosu’s palm, slowly converging.
Then, with a poof, a small fireball ignited.
The fireball radiated a warm aura, and soon, all the wet clothes were dried by the fireball.
“Wow! What a pretty little fireball. Sister, can you teach me?”
Aiweila’s eyes sparkled, clutching Luo Xiaosu’s hem with a look that said “if you don’t agree, I won’t let go.”
Luo Xiaosu wanted to refuse, but then she remembered what happened in the forest a day ago.
She hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded lightly.
“Sure, once we change clothes, I’ll take you to the forest and teach you how to use magic, how about that?”
“Yay! Sister is the best!”
—
After the two dressed neatly, Luo Xiaosu took Aiweila’s hand and walked towards the depths of the forest.
“Sister, what magic will you teach me?”
Along the way, Aiweila was so excited she couldn’t stop, like a bird released from its cage, chattering nonstop.
She would hop and skip, then grab Luo Xiaosu’s hand and keep asking questions, her heart filled with excitement for the magic she was about to learn.
They arrived at a relatively open space.
Luo Xiaosu looked around and nodded with satisfaction.
“Mm, this place is good, spacious enough.”
She turned around to face Aiweila, took out her usual wand from her bosom.
The purple gem at the tip glimmered faintly under the sunlight.
“Let’s start learning magic here.”
Luo Xiaosu cleared her throat, trying to make her voice sound more serious.
“Yay!”
Aiweila raised both hands excitedly, stepped closer, stared at the wand in her hand, her big eyes full of curiosity and yearning.
“Wow! So this is sister’s wand, it looks so pretty!”
Although Luo Xiaosu had used this wand in front of Aiweila more than once, this was the first time Aiweila had observed it so closely.
She pointed at the wand, then at herself, full of expectation.
“But I don’t have a wand. Sister, can I use yours?”
“A wand isn’t necessary; it’s just a tool to help strengthen your magic. You can learn magic well even without a wand.”
“Oh… fine…”
Aiweila lowered her head in disappointment, but then immediately perked up, sweeping away the gloom.
“Then, sister, what will you teach me first? Is it to shoot a powerful fireball like you, or to fly like a bird?”
Aiweila blinked her big eyes, looking at Luo Xiaosu expectantly.
Luo Xiaosu crossed one arm and rested her chin on the other hand, recalling how the original body had started learning magic.
“First, you need to understand which type of magic you are more attuned to.”
She lowered her hand, her expression turning serious.
“Follow what I say. First, close your eyes.”
Luo Xiaosu’s voice became soft and solemn.
She closed her eyes, her breathing becoming steady.
Seeing Luo Xiaosu’s actions, Aiweila immediately stopped her fidgeting hands and obediently followed suit, closing her eyes along with her.
“Calm your mind, empty your thoughts, don’t think about anything else.”
Luo Xiaosu’s voice was like a gentle breeze, softly echoing in Aiweila’s ears.