The world inside the mirror.
Yiruo was currently lying face down on the icy mirror surface, her forehead pressed against the floor, her heart exploding with overwhelming regret.
She was completely regretful now.
She regretted agreeing to Yilena’s request. She regretted trusting her and leaning in like that. She regretted believing that trash little sister’s so-called “just getting some fresh air.”
Thinking back on it now, her thoughts had been completely off back then. Her mind had been so agitated at the time. When Yilena said she was going out to greet those customers, she agreed as if she hadn’t thought about anything at all.
Those rippling circles spreading outward in her scarlet pupils back then…
She’d been played.
Yiruo curled up on the ground, burying her face in her knees.
The laughter from the hall filtered through the mirror surface, muffled and indistinct. She could only piece together from those fragmented laughs and jeers that things outside were probably quite lively.
She wondered what kind of trouble that trash little sister would stir up.
But still…
With Eliana there, it probably wouldn’t cause any major disaster, right?
She comforted herself with that thought, then stood up, brushed off the nonexistent dust from her skirt, and began to look around.
This was a very strange place.
Beneath her feet was some kind of black, mirror-smooth material. It felt cold and hard when she stepped on it. Above her head was endless void. There was no ground, no light source, yet she could vaguely perceive this space, as if the entire world was glowing on its own.
In the distance, things were hazy and indistinct, as if there was something, yet nothing at all.
It was a bit like the environment in her dreams when she was asleep.
What exactly was this place?
Yiruo began to recall.
Just then, a string of memories suddenly flooded into her mind.
“I am Yilena.”
That voice was soft, sweet, carrying a hint of playfulness.
“The other self within the depths of your magic.”
“The self you refuse to accept.”
She remembered!
Yilena had told her back then that she originated from the depths of her magic. So this place should be…
Yiruo suddenly reached out and yanked the necklace from her chest.
She looked down at the blue jade necklace resting against her collarbone.
The jade was currently lying quietly against her skin, its surface shimmering with a faint azure light, like a sleeping heart.
Then, she slowly tried to channel her magic.
Azure light seeped from her fingertips, spreading and rising like flowing water, traveling along her arms, shoulders, and back, all the way down to her feet.
The world changed.
The black void beneath her feet suddenly gained texture. Blocks upon blocks spread out neatly in an orderly fashion.
Black squares, white squares, arranged in an alternating pattern, like an infinitely expanding chessboard. Countless squares extended from beneath her feet in every direction, all the way to the edge of her vision, disappearing into that hazy mist.
And not far in front of her, a set of deep blue and pink upholstered sofas and a television materialized out of thin air.
Yiruo froze.
This thing…
She had seen it in the magical chessboard. When Leya was teaching her how to use it, she had giggled and said:
“If little Yiruo gets bored, you can come here and watch DVDs~”
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked forward.
Click.
The screen lit up.
The image went from blurry to clear, like water surface gradually calming.
The hall.
Her perspective seemed to be suspended in midair, looking down over the entire café.
Leya walked out from the staircase, only to be grabbed by Aivina.
And in the hall—
Yiruo saw “herself.”
That young girl in the light blue dress was tilting her head with a smile, saying something to the table of customers.
She couldn’t hear it.
She felt around the armrest of the sofa, found a dial, and gave it a gentle turn.
The sound surged out.
Yiruo’s hand froze on the dial.
“…Oh my my~ Are you the type who can’t walk straight when you see a pretty girl?”
“Then why did you order a song? Because it sounds nice when sung?”
No—
What are you saying?!
The veins on Yiruo’s forehead twitched violently.
“Or is it because you think the new maid can be bossed around however you like?”
Stop it!!!
Yiruo shot up from the sofa, her face swishing as it burned red.
Not from embarrassment.
From anger.
Deep blue braided hair, scarlet jade sleeping eyes, wearing a mini-version light blue dress.
It was nothing less than a shrunken version of Yilena at that moment.
A wave of dizziness came over her.
With a thought from Yiruo, a tiny doll appeared in her palm.
She stared at the screen at the “herself” who was still rambling on, fuming with anger.
“Trash little sister—!!!”
A doll.
Yiruo reached out, pinching and pulling at it, wishing she could tear the thing apart on the spot.
“Talking nonsense! Stealing my body! You—!”
She was so angry that her fingers were trembling. The little doll in her hands was being kneaded and twisted, its yarn hair all frazzled.
In this space, as long as she had magic, she could create anything.
This was the depths of her soul and magic.
Naturally, she could do as she pleased.
Watching the other person use her own body to do those shameful things, this was the only way she could think of to vent her anger.
Slap!
Yiruo slammed the doll hard onto the ground, panting heavily.
“Oh dear~”
A light laugh came from near her feet.
That little doll moved on its own, wobbling as it floated up, its jade pupils glowing with a faint light.
“Big sister, don’t be so angry~”
Yiruo froze for a moment, then realized—
This space wasn’t owned by her alone.
The magic. She could control it too.
“You stole my body just for this kind of prank?!” Yiruo clenched her teeth and demanded.
“This is so fun~ It’s a rare source of entertainment~”
“By doing this, won’t you completely expose that you’re not me?”
“Oh my~ Why hide it?”
The doll slowly turned around. Magic surged, and a small shadow materialized from within the doll.
“Big sister—”
The shadow floated in front of Yiruo, reached out, and gently hooked her chin.
“Fun is only fun when you do whatever you want~ I don’t care at all if they know what I look like~”
Her tone suddenly turned cold for a moment, carrying a hint of accusation:
“Or is it—that big sister doesn’t want to introduce me to them?”
Yiruo fell silent.
If the other party had just stayed quietly inside her body, that would have been fine.
But introducing this noisy thing to her family…
Yilena’s voice suddenly dropped, losing some of its playfulness, gaining a bit more seriousness.
“Would they accept a ‘her’ like this?”
Aivina, Leya, and Eliana.
“Big sister, you’re hesitating too, aren’t you?”
“Let me tell them about my existence myself.”
Yiruo opened her mouth.
“But…”
Before she could finish, Yilena’s shadow suddenly froze.
Her face flushed a light red, and she hurriedly shrank back into the doll, wobbling as she floated over to the sofa and sat down quietly.
That tiny figure stiffened midair, its scarlet pupils slightly contracting.
Yiruo was stunned.
She subconsciously turned her head to look at the TV.
On the screen—
Those customers weren’t angry.
The burly guy next to her had both hands covering his face, his shoulders shaking violently.
And the girl with the ponytail slapped the back of her companion’s head, but she herself was holding back laughter.
Yiruo was stunned.
No way…
Aren’t you angry?
She looked again at the doll curled up on the sofa.
The “Yiruo” outside seemed to want to keep talking.
Then—
Eliana appeared.
The doll on the sofa shuddered violently.
That hand rested on Yilena’s shoulder, saying something with a smile.
Yiruo saw Yilena’s whole body stiffen, her entire face instantly turning bright red, shrinking like a quail.
Her butt tightened.
Yiruo subconsciously touched her own butt.
They were synchronized.
She turned her head and looked at the doll curled up on the sofa.
“Did you go out behind my back and make Eliana angry before?”
The doll’s gaze began to wander.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your reaction just now clearly showed—”
“I don’t know, and I don’t know!”
Yiruo watched the doll on the sofa, too scared to move, and felt both exasperated and amused.
She sat back down on the sofa, pulling her legs up.
On the screen, Eliana seemed to whisper something else in Yilena’s ear.
Yilena’s face turned even redder. She curled up there like a puppy that had done something wrong, not daring to move.
Yiruo watched that dejected back, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but rise.
Serves you right.
Serves you right for stealing my body.
Serves you right for running your mouth out there.
Now you see, the people in this world don’t buy your act.
On the screen, Yilena walked around carrying a tray, wearing an expression that said “I don’t want to do this anymore.”
She walked up to that table of customers, set down the food and drinks, and turned to leave.
“W-wait! Can… can you say it in that tone one more time?”
Yilena turned her head, and the expression on her face visibly crumbled.
“You hopeless small fries!”
“You’re all perverts!”
Yiruo looked at the sulking back on the screen, then at the two customers with expressions of “no regrets in life.”
“…”
She finally couldn’t hold it in.
Her shoulders started trembling.
This trash little sister.
Wasn’t she supposed to be a prank master?
Didn’t she like toying with people’s hearts?
How did she end up social-deathing herself first?
“Pwahahaha—!!”
She collapsed onto the sofa, laughing so hard she curled up into a ball.
Serves you right!
Serves you right, serves you right, serves you right!
Making you steal my body! Making you pull pranks! Making you act so arrogant just now!
Now you know!
Yiruo laughed for a good while before slowly sitting up and wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes.
But then she quickly remembered something, and the smile on her face faded a little.
After all…
That was her body.
Being watched outside, being stared at—that was her face.
Yiruo covered her face and let out a muffled whimper.
It was over.
That trash little sister.
When she came back, she was definitely going to settle the score with her.
She glanced at the doll on the sofa, curled up and deflated, then at the figure still carrying trays on the screen.
That trash little sister.
How was she supposed to face people tomorrow?
Yiruo took a deep breath and lifted her face from her palms.
On the screen, Yilena was still carrying trays, her face clearly showing “I don’t want to do this anymore,” but her feet obediently kept moving.
Yiruo watched her, and suddenly the corners of her mouth curved up slightly.
Still…
Seeing her get knocked down a peg was quite satisfying.
She leaned back into the sofa, lowered her legs, and continued watching the screen.
The hall was brightly lit, laughter never-ending.
The world was still “running” properly.
When she came back, she was definitely going to have a good talk with her.
Ask her why she always liked playing pranks.
Ask her why she cared so much about “being seen.”
Ask her…
If she had been staying here alone for too long.
Yiruo lowered her head and looked at the warm blue jade in her palm.
The light of the jade trembled faintly.
Like a heartbeat.
She curved the corners of her mouth and didn’t say anything else.
She just sat quietly on the sofa, watching that sulking, yet not-so-bad trash little sister of hers on the screen.