If the figure suddenly lunging to hug me left me dumbfounded, the familiar voice that followed could only be described as shocking.
“Yuyu, come inside first.”
At the same time, a slightly helpless, gentle voice sounded nearby. Noticing my instinctive glance, she smiled and waved. “Long time no see, Little Tong.”
Only then did I snap out of it. “W-Wait, Aunt Yuyu, Aunt Anrou, what are you doing here?”
The two beautiful girls before me were my parents’ younger sisters—my aunt and aunt-in-law. Roughly the same age and attending the same academy, they often hung out together.
So seeing them together wasn’t surprising, but their presence here was.
“Of course, to see my cutest niece ever~” Aunt Yuyu said, rubbing her cheek against mine.
Tall, with long limbs and wavy, light chestnut hair, her vibrant, youthful beauty made her seem like a cheerful campus idol. But my past-life self knew her terrifying side.
Putting aside other things, as a kid, she once tricked me into wearing girls’ clothes outside, leading to a series of risky remarks. I knew full well she was an incurable niece-obsessed maniac.
Clearly, my current situation was dangerous, so I shot a pleading look to the side. “Aunt Anrou…”
“Alright, Yuyu, let poor Little Tong go,” Aunt Anrou said with a chuckle, coming to my rescue.
“I just missed Tongtong so much! Anrou-jie, do you have to make me sound like some big bad demon king?” Yuyu pouted.
“But Little Tong looks like she’s about to cry,” Anrou teased.
Unlike my scatterbrained Aunt Yuyu, Aunt Anrou was like a gentle girl-next-door. It was hard to imagine how two such different personalities got along so well, though many said they were like sisters.
“No way! Tongtong, tell your aunt, aren’t you thrilled to see me~?”
Facing those looming claws, I caved under her pressure with zero dignity. “Of course, I’m… super thrilled…”
“That’s my girl! I brought tons of yummy snacks!” Yuyu grinned, happily pushing me into the house.
“Wait, so you guys aren’t just passing by?”
Aunt Anrou, following us into the living room, placed a bag of snacks on the coffee table and smiled. “Not passing by. Your mom was a bit worried, so she asked us to look after you this summer.”
“Oh, I see…”
I could guess—probably after that phone call, Mom thought something was off and sent them to check on me.
But then it hit me. “Wait, this summer? You’re staying here?”
“Yep! Brought all our clothes. This summer, I’m gonna bond with my Tongtong~” Yuyu’s cheerful words crushed my last shred of hope.
Or rather, my will to survive.
My stiffening face said it all. If it was just Aunt Anrou, I’d manage. But with Aunt Yuyu? I had to seriously consider whether she’d treat me like a body pillow every night—a grave issue.
“Why does Tongtong look so unhappy?”
“N-No way! I love Aunt Yuyu and Aunt Anrou the most~” I waved my hands frantically.
“Then sleep with me and Anrou-jie tonight!”
“Pfft…”
That prophecy came true too fast.
“Kidding! We’ll take the master bedroom. Anrou-jie says my sleeping habits are bad, and it’d be awful if I bothered Tongtong.”
Too much! She really wants to use me as a pillow!
And what kind of sleeping habits worry even Aunt Anrou?
Yuyu blinked, cupping her cheeks. “But if my Tongtong has nightmares and can’t sleep…”
“No way! With my favorite aunts here, how could I have nightmares~” I cut off that terrifying plotline, knowing exactly what kind of doujin opening it’d lead to.
Just then, a sound came from the kitchen.
“Little Tong, were you cooking instant noodles?” Anrou called.
I remembered my lunch issue and rushed to the kitchen, only to find, tragically, that the noodles had overcooked into mush from the delay.
Gurgle…
I swear I heard my stomach wail.
“I haven’t eaten yet either, and neither has Yuyu. Wanna go out to eat?” Seeing my teary expression, Anrou chuckled and patted my head.
“Really?” My eyes lit up.
“Of course! Let’s go!” Yuyu’s voice chimed in from behind, adding, “Anrou-jie’s treat!”
“Yes, yes, my treat,” Anrou said with a helpless smile, clearly used to Yuyu’s antics. “But first, I’ll clean this up.”
“Thanks! I’ll take Tongtong to change~” Yuyu chirped.
“Changing” was more like playing a Barbie dress-up game, with me as the doll.
“No wonder she’s my Tongtong—looks good in anything~” The chestnut-haired girl beamed with pride, her eyes brimming with uncontainable affection.
The outfit was just as she described.
A carefully chosen white lace chiffon top, with pleats that enhanced rather than hid its charm, paired with pink-trimmed edges that perfectly matched my youthful vibe.
Black hotpants complemented my slender, youthful legs, exuding a unique, alluring magic.
“This one, then…” Compared to Yuyu’s enthusiasm, I tugged at my hem, feeling a bit resigned.
Anyone would feel the same after being fussed over this long.
Thankfully, her response eased me.
“Yep, this one!”
But her next words spooked me. “Tongtong’s wardrobe is too small… Hmm, let’s buy more clothes later.”
“It’s enough…” I mumbled weakly.
The landlord class ruthlessly crushed the peasant’s protest. “No way! Filling a few closets with pretty clothes is a girl’s romance~”