Collapse? No, this is just everyday life.

Bronya is like that; when she realizes her true feelings, she's much braver than Seele.

"Oh, um, it's nothing."

The whisper in her ear brought a blush to Nangong Yu's face. This was probably the first time she had been so close to someone since she grew up.

"Brother, Sister Bronya, what are you talking about?"

Seele finally couldn't stand it anymore. She quickly broke away from Mei and rushed to her older brother and sister's side, her eyes filled with wariness.

"No, I was just talking about how Yu helped me promote the game before."

Upon seeing Seele, Bronya smiled slightly and then moved aside, leaving some space. However, out of Seele's sight, Bronya secretly reached out and covered Nangong Yu's palm.

"Even if we're talking about this, we don't need to stand this close..."

She muttered something under her breath, but seeing Bronya and her brother separate, Seele had no choice but to give up. Then, somewhat sulking, she sat down on the other side of Nangong Yu and hugged his arm tightly.

Since everyone already knows, Seele doesn't care about hiding it anymore and simply declares her ownership directly.

Seeing this, Bronya just chuckled, then gently tickled Nangong Yu's palm with her finger, making him tremble.

"What's wrong, brother?"

Seele's soft voice carried a hint of grievance. Just now, when Bronya approached her brother, he didn't react at all. Why did her brother tremble when Seele came closer? Did he not like Seele?

"No, no, it's nothing. I just felt a little itchy when I sat on the grass, but I'm fine now."

He quickly pulled his hand away from Bronya's grasp, and then, amidst Seele's soft gasps, he pulled her into his arms. Taking advantage of Seele's back being turned to him, he turned around and glared at Bronya, who was grinning like a little devil.

Unfortunately, Bronya wasn't afraid at all. Instead, she took advantage of Seele's inability to see and moved closer to Nangong Yu, then grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her waist.

Then, she looked into Nangong Yu's eyes and silently opened her mouth.

By reading her lip movements, Nangong Yu quickly deciphered her words.

"With sisters on both sides, Rain, you must really like it~"

Nangong Yu: "!!!!"

Nangong Yu's hand, which she had intended to pull back, froze in place. Her heart raced, and she couldn't help but imagine the scene Bronya had described.

In the room that night, Bronya and Seele were together...

Is this something I can say?

Just then, Seele, who had been comfortably leaning against her brother, suddenly froze, her cute face turning bright red almost instantly.

"Brother, brother..."

The shy, murmured words awakened Nangong Yu's reverie. He asked with some confusion, "What's wrong, Xi'er?"

"Brother, you, you're bumping into Seele..."

"..."

At that moment, Nangong Yu wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it, the kind of hole she would never come out of again.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Don't catch me, catch the cat!

"Why does the atmosphere feel weird?"

Sirin and Kiana finally finished their fight. One of them covered her red face from being pinched, and the other covered her swollen buttocks. They limped back.

However, upon seeing the quiet scene beside the charcoal fire, the two of them were both taken aback.

What happened? Everyone was having a great time before the fight, how come they're like this now that they've just come back?

Rubbing her swollen bottom, Kiana frowned and tentatively sat down on the grass. As soon as she touched the ground, she gasped in pain.

They're truly ruthless, no wonder they're sisters.

"Does it seem like peanuts hate me in the four pits (what happened)?"

Her burning cheeks were still twitching, and Xilin said in a somewhat muffled voice.

"No, it's nothing, I'm just a little tired from playing."

Bronya glanced at Nangong Yu, whose expression was unnatural, as if unintentionally, and answered casually with a smile.

"That's it."

Neither of them suspected anything and they sat down in their seats to start setting up the barbecue, not even noticing that Seele on the other side was keeping her head down, blushing and not saying a word.

Mei, who had been engrossed in grilling, was somewhat puzzled, but after glancing at Bronya and receiving a slight smile in return, she shook her head and decided not to investigate further.

Mei had just finished cooking a round of meat dishes, and she was about to pick up some new ingredients when Kiana volunteered to stop her.

"Oh, Mei, go and rest for a while. Today I'll show you my cooking skills!"

The thin shirt clung tightly to her skin after being soaked with sweat, creating wave after wave as Kiana slapped it carelessly.

Upon hearing this, everyone except Nangong Yu and Xi'er instantly showed a look of horror.

Kiana wants to cook?

What kind of terrifying event is this?!

After having the glorious feat of sending two-thirds of the class to the hospital with food poisoning during a cooking class, everyone agreed to ban Kiana from the kitchen.

"Um, Kiana, I think I should do it. You and Sirin just played around, you must be very tired. Just sit there and rest."

"I can actually help Mei too, Kiana, you should get some rest."

"Even if I wash it, I'd rather die than eat Kiana's cooking!"

Despite Mei, Bronya, and Sirin's repeated attempts to stop her, Kiana's rebellious spirit was aroused, and she insisted on showing off her skills to everyone.

The three refused, so Kiana stood in front of the materials and wouldn't let them take them, and the standoff continued for a while.

Extending his arm, Nangong Yu gently poked Xi'er's slender waist, and Xi'er immediately snapped back to her senses.

"Brother, brother, what's wrong? Is there something you need from Xier?"

Although Seele tried her best to remain calm, a closer listener could detect a slight tremor in her voice.

"It's nothing, it just happened..."

He had intended to talk about Kiana, but upon hearing this, Seele, as if she had already prepared her response, immediately interrupted him: "No, it's alright, brother. Seele understands. After all, you've grown up and aren't a child anymore. It's normal for you to react this way..."

Taking a deep breath to suppress her shyness, Xi'er widened her eyes and boldly met Nangong Yu's gaze: "So, so brother, you don't need to be shy. This, this is also because brother likes Xi'er, right? Xi'er, Xi'er is very happy..."

"..."

Hearing Seele's words, which seemed to have mustered all her courage, Nangong Yu suppressed her shame and quickly interrupted Seele's self-deprecation: "Actually, that's not what I wanted to say."

"Hey?"

Seele froze, a look of confusion appearing in her eyes.

What does "not this" mean?

The mental block quickly disappeared, and in the blink of an eye, Xi'er understood the meaning behind Nangong Yu's words.

Instantly, her already flushed face turned a deep red, and she no longer dared to look Nangong Yu in the eye. She covered her face with her hands and squatted down on the ground, looking like she wanted to stay away.

Even though she was so ashamed, Seele still took her brother's words to heart and replied in a weak voice, "Then, what does brother want to ask...?"

"Uh... Kiana wanted to make barbecue for everyone, but why didn't anyone want to...?"

"No !!!!"

With a sudden jolt, even Seele in her current state was startled and stood up, her loud shout attracting everyone's attention.

Noticing the five pairs of eyes fixed on her, Xi'er's breath instantly deflated. She silently walked behind Nangong Yu, leaning her entire body against his back, and then murmured weakly, "But... Xi'er can do it..."

Perhaps it was the sheer number of people overwhelming the few, or perhaps Seele's words were the final straw that broke Kiana's back. She cried out in grievance, "None of you believe me!" Then, she stood up and ran towards the other side of the courtyard, quickly disappearing from everyone's sight.

There was no way around it; Mei's backyard was just too big, almost the size of a park.

"Kiana... I'll go find her myself."

Mei felt a pang of pity at the sight, but just as she was about to stand up, Bronya and Sirin pulled her back down.

"Just let Kiana calm down. Mei, do you really want to eat Kiana's cooking?"

Bronya said something with a hint of helplessness, and Sirin nodded repeatedly.

This kind of thing is nothing unusual. It's just a little tantrum. Let her be alone for a while and she'll be all happy and forget about it.

"...Okay, fine."

With a soft sigh, Mei sat down again.

Mei continued grilling, and the group chatted and ate at the same time.

But when they had almost finished eating, Kiana still hadn't returned, and the group started to worry again.

"I......"

"Let me go."

Having spoken first, Nangong Yu stood up. In this situation, it was more appropriate for him, the only one who hadn't refuted Kiana earlier, to go first.

"Well, I'll trouble you then."

After waving to Mei and the others, Nangong Yu walked in the direction Kiana had left.

It has to be said that Mei's yard is really big. After walking for a while, Nangong Yu heard a strange noise ahead and subconsciously quickened her pace.

Soon, he saw a fire burning brightly on the flat ground not far away, and Kiana was sticking her butt out next to the fire, seemingly fiddling with something.

"Kiana~"

Upon hearing her name, Kiana jumped up, clutching her bottom and limping towards Nangong Yu with an incredibly happy smile on her face.

"Ah, it's Yu! Come here, I've got some good stuff for you!"

Seemingly having completely forgotten what had just happened, Kiana grabbed Nangong Yu's hand without any hesitation and pulled him toward the campfire.

Feeling the pulling force, Nangong Yu felt that something was wrong. Kiana seemed a little too excited.

Following her lead to the fire, Nangong Yu quickly saw everything clearly.

Above the flickering flames, strings of skewered mushrooms were being roasted, and even before he got close, he could smell a rich, savory aroma.

No, that's not the case...