When they set foot on the land of Sanya, summer poured its passion over everyone, and it seemed even the breath at the tip of their noses was full of the scent of sea breeze.
Blue sky and white clouds—simple words in writing, yet at this moment they stirred deep feelings.
The sky was like an exquisite photograph, carved with endless reverie.
Xia Lan dragged her suitcase, pushed the plastic sunglasses up the bridge of her nose with a finger, and looked around at everything.
People, objects, scenery—the brand-new environment made the little guys inside her body cheer joyfully.
It seemed even they had grown tired of that small city.
‘This is still my first time here.’
Years of experience as a magical girl had taken Xia Lan to many places, but a trip where she focused on simply enjoying herself in a girl’s body like this was still a first for her.
Especially with other people.
“Nana, just let Luoluo and Jiajia carry the things.”
“You’re a little girl, and you tire easily.”
Grandma followed behind.
With a sun hat on, her wrinkled face seemed ten years younger, and she was smiling all over.
“It’s fine.”
“These are all my things.”
“No need to trouble them.”
Xia Lan replied with a smile.
“Sigh, they’re boys.”
“They’re strong.”
Behind them, Luo Xiao and Bai Jia were lugging a huge pile of things and puffing as they followed, like overstuffed fatties, drawing sideways glances from people around.
Fortunately, one of them was a Chosen One, and the other a regular magical girl, so this weight was nothing to them.
“Grandma, you can’t favor the new and neglect the old.”
“We’re your grandsons too.”
But even so, Bai Jia still grumbled.
“You child, Nana helped us come on this trip.”
“What’s wrong with taking a little more care of her?”
“Grandma, do you like Na Gou that much?”
Mimicking the words of a certain Lord Flame-Head, Bai Jia sighed.
“You’ve been carrying those for so long.”
“You must be tired.”
“Let me help.”
Xia Lan came over to them and tried to take some of the heavier things from Luo Xiao.
“It’s okay, I can carry them…”
Luo Xiao wanted to refuse, but Xia Lan, who looked so delicate and soft, was far stronger than him.
Before he could finish speaking, immense force came from the girl’s slender arms and easily pulled away what he was holding, tucking it into her arms.
Luo Xiao felt a little awkward.
He met Xia Lan’s gaze; within those dark green pupils were gentleness and a touch of playfulness, as if telling him he was 100 years too early to try anything with her.
“Thanks.”
He scratched his head.
“Hehe, why are you still so cute?”
Xia Lan giggled and casually nudged Luo Xiao with her elbow.
“Hey, Sis~ Can you help me carry some too?”
Seeing this, Bai Jia felt a little sour and said with puffed cheeks.
“No can do.”
“I’m already carrying enough on my side, so just try a little harder, Bai Jia~”
“How can you do this, Sister Na Gou—”
Seeing Bai Jia call her sister with such a resentful face, Xia Lan somehow felt an inexplicable sense of delight, and the corners of her lips curled up.
‘How delightful, Brother.’
‘Even if we reveal everything later, I’ll tell this story well to others, especially to your future children.’
Meanwhile, watching Xia Lan’s rising smile from the side, Luo Xiao hesitated.
When Bai Jia and Grandma walked ahead together, he quietly fell back and walked side by side with Xia Lan.
“A Lan, I want to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“Bai Jia… is your biological older brother?”
Xia Lan’s body suddenly froze.
Luo Xiao could clearly see her slender fingers trembling slightly, revealing her inner turmoil, but she quickly regained her composure.
“Did Uncle Xue tell you everything?”
Luo Xiao felt there was a trace of guilt in Xia Lan’s tone.
“Yeah.”
“You are Bai Jia’s… younger brother, right?”
Luo Xiao paused.
“Like Bai Jia, your original body is male.”
This time, Xia Lan’s fingers suddenly tightened on the hem of her clothes.
As her Chosen One, Luo Xiao could clearly sense that her breathing had become rapid, as if she was quite nervous, like a proper young lady from a good family who had suddenly heard a horror story from outside.
“If… if I said yes,” Xia Lan’s gaze drifted, and Luo Xiao could hear some fear in her tone, “how would you see me?”
“This freak who is neither man nor woman?”
“Hmm… actually, I have no real sense of that male side of you at all.”
Luo Xiao scratched his head, wondering if he should be a little gentler.
“After all, from the very beginning, my first impression of you was a beautiful girl.”
“Suddenly saying you used to be a boy is like saying the idiot bro in your dorm is actually a girl.”
“I can’t even imagine that kind of image, so how could I hate you?”
“So it’s first-impression determinism?” Xia Lan murmured.
“Then if you had actually seen my male form long ago, would you feel disgusted?”
“It wouldn’t go as far as disgust.”
Luo Xiao frowned.
“You’ve done so much for me.”
“If I hated you just because of that, I’d be no better than a beast.”
“Besides, you don’t see me saying I hate Bai Jia—”
“That’s because Brother has always been the [younger brother] you’ve had.”
Xia Lan forced an ugly smile.
“Family who have been together for a long time won’t change their relationship over something like this…”
“But strangers, people you don’t know, there will always be some who find it sacrilegious.”
“Then I can only say those people’s heads are filled with idiot AI.”
Luo Xiao’s tone grew low.
He reached out and forcibly grasped Xia Lan’s soft, white little hand, giving her a fright.
“What are you doing, Luo Xiao?”
“Even after knowing I used to be a boy, you still do this?”
“You…”
“I’ve said it before.”
“About that so-called male side of you, I have absolutely no sense of it.”
“It’s like asking me to imagine out of thin air what it would be like if the chubby male homeroom teacher in our class were a great beauty.”
Luo Xiao’s tone was stern.
“To me, you are my Miss Na Gou, the most beautiful girl I have ever met.”
“If I hear you agonizing over this again, I will get angry.”
“…If you got angry, what would you do to me?”
Xia Lan fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked.
Maybe it was his imagination, but Luo Xiao felt there was some inexplicable expectation in Xia Lan’s tone.
“Then, very, very bad things will happen.”
“I will try to make you happy as a girl.”
The moment after he said this, Luo Xiao felt it was a bit too edgy and wondered if he should have reconsidered his wording.
But he saw the girl before him freeze for a moment, her beautiful emerald eyes widening slightly, as if she had heard an indescribable poem that sent endless ripples across a calm lake.
Suddenly, Xia Lan laughed softly.
Her voice was crisp like a lark.
“You rascal, when did you learn to say things like that?”
“It’s not that big a deal.”
Seeing Luo Xiao’s embarrassed look, Xia Lan’s earlier gloom was swept away, and she covered her mouth and laughed softly.
“You kid, honestly.”
Xia Lan’s eyes were still incredibly gentle.
“But I don’t dislike what you said.”
“Although I still suggest you find a normal girl, but… I’m happy, you know.”
“Yeah.”
Luo Xiao scratched his head.
“Actually… I think I’ve pretty much guessed who you were when you were a boy.”
“Oh?”
Xia Lan raised an eyebrow.
“Did Uncle Xue tell you this too?”
“No, but he calls you Little Xia, and you let me call you A Lan.”
“Combined with some other details, it wasn’t hard to deduce…”
Luo Xiao gazed at Xia Lan’s face and smiled.
“Long time no see, Class President.”
“You little…”