“...Star-trail, do you think my sister will like Qiluo?”
“What do you think?”
She’s basically just a bigger version of Yuki Kurokawa.
If you ask me, no one could possibly dislike someone as perfect as Qiluo Tian Gong.
Yuki fell silent for a moment.
“My sister isn’t very good at interacting with strangers. She might ask Qiluo some very direct questions, and then, realizing she’s asked too much, she’ll stop talking altogether.”
“...That sounds exactly like you.”
This description fit Yuki Kurokawa perfectly as well.
From Yuki’s description, Rin had likely just 'evolved' to the point where she could suppress all that nervousness beneath a calm expression.
One is cold on the outside and socially awkward on the inside, while the other is awkward on the outside and just as awkward on the inside. In short, neither of them is good at expressing themselves.
Whoa, quite the exaggeration~
Both of them hide their care in very peculiar ways.
Qiluo had already given up struggling; that feeling of being petted was back.
In Yuki Kurokawa’s eyes, she was probably just a glowing, long-haired Ragdoll cat.
If you ever find out that Star-trail is actually me, you’re going to regret this!
“My sister is even worse at it than I am. She doesn’t even know how to make amends.”
“If she asks Qiluo what university she plans to attend, or what her class ranking is...”
“Would Qiluo be bothered by that? My sister doesn’t do it on purpose; she just doesn’t know what else to ask about besides grades.”
Back in her apartment, Qiluo rolled over in bed, kicking a corner of the duvet aside.
Is it because I’m disguised as an ordinary person with mediocre grades that you’re so worried?
As a genuine Observation Department member, and I’m not bragging here, my skills are actually quite formidable.
“You’re worrying for two people at once. You’re worried about your sister being misunderstood and your friend being offended, acting as a translator for both sides in the middle.”
Star-trail stood up and bumped its forehead against the tip of Yuki’s nose.
Yuki’s eyelashes fluttered, but she didn’t pull away.
Star-trail’s tail wrapped around her wrist, tightening gently, as if suppressing the words she couldn’t bring herself to say.
“Have you ever considered that your sister might be worrying about the same thing? She might not know how to talk to your friend either. This kind of difficulty is hereditary.”
Yuki Kurokawa blinked. She wanted to say, “No, she looks like she isn’t afraid of anything.”
When her sister pretended to look at her phone while waiting for her to catch up, she was probably just swiping the same page over and over again, simply not wanting Yuki to see her waiting.
“...Perhaps.”
“Besides, Qiluo doesn’t even know she’s supposed to meet your sister yet, right?”
Yuki gently lifted Star-trail from her knees and placed it next to the pillow, then stood up and paced back and forth by the bed.
“I forgot to tell her.”
Her voice carried a sense of self-reproach, the kind that follows a clumsy mistake.
She had been so preoccupied with how her mother would react and how her sister would behave that she completely forgot to ask if Qiluo was even willing.
Qiluo rested her head on her arm, staring at the ceiling with a slight curve to her lips.
Being able to realize she had missed the most crucial step after all that excitement was already a huge leap forward for Yuki Kurokawa.
In the past, she probably would have simulated every possible scenario by herself, reached the most pessimistic conclusion, and then never dared to speak up again.
No one understands Yuki Kurokawa better than me.
She’s growing, she’s growing—even if her growth rate is like a cat on a windowsill hesitating whether or not to jump down.
...
Qiluo fished her phone out from under her pillow. Yuki’s messages were on the screen.
Yuki: 【Good morning.】
Yuki: 【There is something I would like to discuss with you. Please reply when it is convenient.】
The message ended with a sticker that completely clashed with the formal tone of the text.
It was likely something she had spent a long time searching for in the sticker library—a little cat holding up a sign with a string of ellipses on it.
Qiluo stared at the little cat for a moment, then tossed her phone back onto the pillow and closed her eyes again.
She didn’t click on it, because clicking on it would trigger a read receipt.
Wouldn't that let Yuki Kurokawa know I’ve been watching the whole time?
After a few minutes, she picked up her phone again and began typing.
Qiluo Star: 【What is it?】
The message was sent, and the read receipt lit up a few seconds later.
The “typing...” status at the top of the chat box appeared and disappeared repeatedly, as if the person on the other end was in a tug-of-war with their keyboard.
Qiluo watched that line of text flash for quite a while before finally receiving a reply.
Yuki: 【During Monday’s lunch break, could we meet by the benches in the courtyard? I would like to speak in person.】
Qiluo Star: 【Sure】
Yuki: 【Thank you. I downloaded that kaomoji cat from the sticker shop; if it is not to your taste, please do not mind it.】
This person was actually apologizing for a free sticker in a message. This combination of seriousness and awkwardness was exactly like the description of her sister.
Just as Qiluo put her phone back by the pillow, the screen lit up again. This time it was Rei.
The messages popped up one after another, with absolutely no intention of waiting for a reply.
This could practically be called a bombardment, couldn't it?
The phone vibrated several times in her hand, with no more than a few seconds between each message.
Leaning against her pillow, Qiluo read through the messages from beginning to end.
Rei’s typing status was still jumping; she probably had a whole pile of things left to say.
Does Rei not sleep in on weekend mornings?
Oh right, she’s the type who would crawl out of bed on a weekend morning to catch a premiere broadcast.
All her messages were asking if Qiluo had seen last night’s livestream.
Qiluo pulled the duvet up a bit and slowly tapped out a reply on the screen.
Qiluo Star: 【I saw it all.】
Rei replied instantly with three exclamation marks, followed by a barrage of questions.
Who do you think is the coolest in Wings of Freedom? Did you cry during Meruru’s slow song? Did you see the part where Night Sakura was so scared by the comments that she face-planted onto her keyboard?
Qiluo Star: 【I saw it. The three of them coordinated well, and Meruru’s song was very beautiful.】
However, if she really had to choose, she had made her choice long ago.
But she couldn’t send that answer to Rei. She could hardly say that the mysterious person from Wings of Freedom was herself.
Rei sent another long string of text, essentially saying how she couldn't believe Qiluo was so calm and that most people would be screaming after a premiere like that.
Rei: 【I’m a die-hard fan of Wings of Freedom now. I’m going to buy merch tomorrow!】
Qiluo Star: 【They don’t have any merch yet.】
Rei: 【Then I’ll go make some myself tomorrow.】
If only Yuki Kurokawa could learn just a little bit from Yano Rei.
She didn’t need to become someone like Rei, but if she could just learn a bit of Rei’s nonchalance.
Not caring whether the other person responds immediately, and being okay even if she’s rejected.
These things were too difficult for Yuki Kurokawa, and they just weren't her style.
Rei sent messages however she felt, typing whatever came to mind. If she made a mistake, she’d just send another message to correct it, then add a sticker after the correction.
She didn't care at all if her previous sentence was wrong or if her next sentence would annoy the other person.
But then Qiluo thought about it and realized she probably didn't want Yuki Kurokawa to actually turn into Yano Rei either.
The former was time-consuming, while the latter was dazzling. But both were the most authentic things they could offer.
Thinking of this, Qiluo picked up her phone and glanced at her chat with Yuki Kurokawa.
The last message was still Yuki’s apology for the sticker.
She hadn't replied yet. If she did, Yuki would spend even more time agonising over how to respond to Qiluo.
She would leave the end of the conversation to herself.
Rate on N.U.
