I endured the humiliation and humiliation while being besieged by the ghost story elder sister.

"It's alright... Sister Ba, you're like this every day, haven't you ever thought about hiring someone for a part-time job to help you watch the shop for half a day?"

If the workload is this high every day, he finds it hard to imagine how Sister Baqi has managed to keep going.

However, the girl behind him did not answer his question immediately. Instead, she rested her chin on Xi Ling's head. Her wet, light golden hair would always inadvertently brush against her cheeks, making her feel a little itchy.

"What, Mio, are you concerned about me?"

"……Um."

He has other people with him in Xijing. Even if things don't go well, when he gets back to the apartment, Sister Fanxia will still wait for him on the sofa as always.

But unlike Hachiko, who was alone in the old house in Okinawa... for some reason, Nozomi felt very guilty.

"If I said that I could do something for you, Mio, to relieve some of my stress, would you agree?"

"of course."

Nozomi responded without even thinking.

Immediately afterwards, he felt his sister, Hachiko, slowly stand up from the bathtub and come to stand in front of him, looking down at him.

"What happens next must be kept a secret from everyone, okay?"

"Eh?"

a long time.

Urged on by Arisa, Nozomi and Yashiro slowly walked out of the bathroom wrapped in bath towels, their bodies still covered in water droplets.

"Seriously, why does it take so long to take a shower?"

After seeing Hiyo and Yashiro come out, Arisa couldn't help but complain.

But she noticed a blush on Ximiao's fair face that lingered for a long time, which she found rather strange.

However, it was just a feeling, and she didn't pay much attention to it. After glancing at the two of them a few more times, she went into the bathroom and couldn't wait to take off her clothes, intending to take a comfortable shower.

Just as Arisa was about to close the door, a white figure suddenly entered their field of vision, rudely pushing open the bathroom door and ignoring Arisa's objections, going inside to take a bath with her.

"What are you doing?!"

Before she could leave, as expected, Hiyo heard Arisa's angry roar, and it was clear that she was very angry.

Then there was Honoka, who shamelessly said that good sisters who have worked together should shower together, completely disregarding what Arisa had said.

Seeing how noisy they were in the bathroom, Ximiao figured there shouldn't be any problems, so she went upstairs to her bedroom and started looking for her pajamas.

Although he didn't stop rummaging through his clothes, his mind kept replaying what he and Hachiko had done in the bathroom earlier.

Xi Miao silently reached out and touched her lips, never expecting that she would do such a thing to Hachiko-nee.

"It seems pretty good," Ximiao couldn't help but think.

Just as he took out the dinosaur pajamas and put them on, before he could even sit back on his soft bed, as if timed perfectly, someone knocked on his door.

"Who?"

"I, Mio, have something I want to tell you."

The voice of Hachiko came from outside the door, which puzzled Himo. After what had just happened, why was she coming to visit again so quickly?

However, Ximiao didn't think much of it and went up to open the door. She saw that Hachiko-nee, who had also changed into her pajamas, was standing at the door.

Every time she suddenly appeared in front of her, Ximiao would be slightly startled by her tall figure, but fortunately she didn't show it.

Otherwise, he would definitely have been teased by Sister Ba.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Embarrassment

Inside the room, Hachiko unceremoniously took over the seat that Hiyo had wanted to sit in.

Beneath the thin silk nightgown, her fair legs were crossed, her fleshy thighs pressing against each other, which made Xi Ling somewhat stunned.

"What are you still standing there for? Are you afraid I'll eat you up or what?"

After saying that, she patted the empty seat next to her, gesturing for Ximiao to sit down.

Although she didn't know what Hachiko wanted to say to her, judging from the current situation, what happened in the bathroom should have satisfied Hachiko.

In other words, she came here this time because she has something important to tell me...

then.

No more words were said. She walked barefoot on the tatami mat in her bedroom and sat down next to Hachiko.

Those light blue eyes gazed curiously at the girl beside him, as if waiting for her to speak first.

She said slowly, "Actually, I've been thinking recently about whether to hire one or two shop assistants to help us watch the shop..."

"Isn't this great? Why not?"

When Ximiao heard that Hachiko-nee had such an idea, a hint of surprise appeared on her face, and she immediately agreed with Hachiko-nee's idea.

But Yashi sighed, and even Himiko could tell that she was a little unhappy.

"We don't have enough money to cover this expense, so... even if I wanted to ask for help, I don't have the spare funds..."

She also made the situation clear to Xi Ling, presenting him with several options for him to choose from.

After all, in a fundamental sense, that shop was still Xi Ling's property, and she was just working there.

Therefore, he has the right to make this choice.

This was the first time Xi Ling had encountered something like this, and she didn't know what to do. Her mind was a complete mess.

So, he simply went limp, lay back, grabbed his pillow and put it behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling, pondering how to resolve the situation.

His first thought was actually of Aunt Asi and Arisa, but if he had to ask others for help with something like this, then things would be really bad...

Not knowing how long he had been thinking about this matter on the bed, seeing that Xi Ling hadn't moved for a long time, Ya Chi thought he had fallen asleep, so she leaned closer and looked at his light blue eyes with some curiosity.

The two stared at each other for a long time, and as if possessed, their heads drew closer and closer. Just as they were about to touch each other, Ximiao, who still retained the last shred of rationality, reached out and put her hand to her lips.

Although he didn't say anything, his eyes told Hachiko that this kind of thing was unacceptable...

Afterwards, having not received the answer she wanted, Yashiro left Himeko's room, leaving Himeko alone lying on the soft bed, lost in thought.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Yachi prepared breakfast and placed it on the table. Then, she changed her shoes and went out to the shop by herself.

She probably felt a bit awkward about what happened last night, which is why she got up so early to avoid having breakfast at the same table as Ximiao...

When the others woke up and came downstairs, they were stunned to see the table full of delicious food. They wondered if they were still dreaming.

Only Xi Ling knew why Ba Zi Jie did this. A blush flashed across his fair face, but he quickly returned to normal without anyone noticing anything amiss.

"That's strange, why did Yashiro leave so early today?"

Arisa, Aunt Ami, and Honoka, who were still unaware of the specifics, couldn't help but ask with some curiosity.

"I don't know, they must be busy with something."

After brushing off their questions, Ximiao sat down on the cushion at the table, picked up her chopsticks, and wanted to taste the still-warm omelet to see how it tasted.

"By the way, Mio~ let's just spend the day in the yard~"

Fanxia suddenly suggested that she still hadn't removed the plug from the previous inflatable swimming pool, and it was still covered with a canvas and placed in the yard.

You have to understand how much effort she and Ximiao put in to make this inflatable swimming pool usable for playing in the water.

She couldn't help but think that if she didn't play with it a few more times before the air inside deflated, she would be making a huge mistake.

After hearing Fanxia's invitation, Ximiao pondered for a while whether she had anything to do today. After confirming that she would have nothing to do all day, she nodded and agreed.

"However, I want to wear the swim trunks I bought before!"

"Of course~"

Seeing that Xi Ling agreed so readily, Fan Xia didn't make things too difficult for the boy. She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat her breakfast.

Arisa, who was sitting to the side, naturally heard their conversation, but her silence did not mean she would not participate in this recreational activity later.

The same applies to Aunt Asi.

A short while later, after breakfast, Nozomi was washing dishes in the kitchen, while Honoka went to the courtyard outside to fill the inflatable pool with water.

The mother and daughter went upstairs to change into their swimsuits, showing absolutely no intention of helping.

However, neither of them really cared about such things.

Soon, at the location given by Fanxia, ​​Ximiao successfully found the swim trunks she had bought before, and she was overjoyed.

Finally, I don't have to worry about having to wear that incredibly embarrassing bikini swimsuit, or swimming in a shirt and panties...

After changing into her swimming trunks, Xi Ling climbed into the inflatable pool with some difficulty, and the cool water made her feel very comfortable.

The presence of the parasols also effectively blocked the gentle morning sunlight, preventing the people in the pool from feeling too uncomfortable.

"Phew~ No wonder you guys could play here all day long before, it's so comfortable~"

Aunt Ami, who had brought a bottle of juice and placed it beside her at some point, looked at Nozomi, who had just walked in, and said this leisurely.

However, there is an awkward situation now. Because Arisa and her daughter are too tall, the pool, which could originally accommodate more people, is now very cramped with the addition of Honoka.

So much so that for a moment, Ximiao didn't know where he should sit.

Chapter Twenty-Three Trouble

"What?! You said you saw Himiko-kun in that general store?!"

"Hmm... but he doesn't seem to remember me. I had to introduce myself first before he remembered me."

In one of the still-open cafes in the town, girls were sitting together, gossiping and doing their summer homework.

The coffee and other drinks here seem quite good, which is why young people in the neighborhood often come here.

However, she had never been here before. Her daily life, going back and forth between home and the shop, was already exhausting.

She had never even considered visiting a place that only allowed her free time.