Seeing Su Yun’s curious and innocent expression, Xia Rou mustered her courage and refrained from running. Instead, she decided to gently educate her.
“Xiaoyun, if something makes you uncomfortable… just be honest with Sister Xue. Don’t hold it in or feel embarrassed. Health comes first, got it?”
In Xia Rou’s eyes, Su Yun was the type of girl who was pure and easily fooled.
Unfortunately, it seemed she had already been tricked by a bad older sister.
All she could do now was protect Su Yun—at least from being hurt in the future.
“…Health?” Su Yun frowned in confusion at those vague words.
It sounded like Xia Rou was worried about her, but about what, exactly?
Then, her instinct—her masculine gut feeling—told her that this gift… probably wasn’t anything good.
She didn’t want to hurt Xia Rou’s feelings, but when she looked at the slender fingers on the package cover, a strange sense of dread welled up in her chest.
What exactly is this first gift from a girl…?
“Um… can I open it now and take a look? I’ve never used it. If I don’t know how, I can ask you.”
Su Yun took a sip of water and glanced toward the blushing Xia Rou.
“…Mm.”
And just like that, Su Yun opened the small box right in front of her.
Inside were a bunch of tiny individual packets.
The packaging… was tinted with an unmistakably adult vibe. Su Yun’s eyes went wide.
Meanwhile, Xia Rou couldn’t even look anymore. Her face flushed bright red as she turned away.
“Th-this…”
When she finally opened one, Su Yun found a small, transparent finger sleeve.
Following the cover’s instruction, she slipped it onto her finger.
“Not gonna lie… this feels pretty nice. Thin and smooth.”
But it seemed really inefficient. One finger at a time? She’d need five. Why not just wear gloves?
What’s this even used for…?
“So, uh… what is this actually for?” Su Yun turned to Xia Rou, confused—only to find the girl had crouched down by the wall.
“Is your body feeling unwell?”
Su Yun suddenly recalled Xia Rou had health issues and got nervous. She crouched down too and gently poked the girl’s soft cheek with her finger, still wearing the sleeve.
The odd, muffled sensation was oddly satisfying.
“N-no… Xiaoyun… this thing…”
Xia Rou’s voice was soft and stammering, drenched in embarrassment.
“It’s for… when you—”
“Hmm? What?”
Her words hung, unfinished. It left Su Yun itching with curiosity.
“Haaa…”
Just as Su Yun was about to look up the brand on her phone to figure things out herself, Xia Rou stood up.
Her bangs were messy, her face still burning.
“Like this…”
Xia Rou grabbed Su Yun’s hand, gently sliding another sleeve onto another finger.
Now there were two.
Su Yun blinked in confusion but paid close attention. She wanted to know what made this different from gloves.
Then—
Xia Rou held her hand tightly… and guided it down toward her own—
“Ahhhh?!”
Just as her finger was about to touch something clearly wrong, Su Yun yanked her hand back in panic.
She realized—maybe too late—that Xia Rou probably didn’t mean it that way, but she was way too shy to handle this.
“Wh-what… what are you doing?!”
“Uuuh…”
Xia Rou instantly covered her face with both hands, letting out a noise that sounded half like a sob.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Did I do something wrong?!”
Su Yun panicked too. She stood frozen beside her, unsure how to comfort the girl.
She hadn’t done anything—so why did it feel like she was the bad one?
“Xiaoyun… when you’re with Sister Xue… just wear it. That’s all. To avoid spreading bacteria… ugh…”
Xia Rou finished her sentence with her hands still over her face.
Even if she couldn’t see her expression, just the way her ears were flushed red—like they might start dripping blood—made it clear how mortified she was.
“…?!”
Su Yun stood there, mouth agape, unable to form a single word.
How could Xia Rou say something like that?
This gift…
She was stunned.
Before she could even process it, the door slammed shut in her face.
Bang!
“Eh… wait…”
Su Yun bit her lip, blushing furiously as she stared at the closed door.
It took her several minutes just to piece together what had happened.
If it’s two girls… then it’s done by hand…?
No way…
Maybe Xia Rou had misunderstood what was going on between her and Qin Xue.
Looking at the transparent sleeve still on her finger, Su Yun’s embarrassment surged.
She ripped it off immediately.
Still… Xia Rou really cared about my health, huh?
Lowering her head, Su Yun saw she was wearing a skirt. She turned and quietly returned to her room.
She needed to find a place to hide this thing.
She definitely wasn’t taking it to school, and she absolutely didn’t want Qin Xue to see it.
“Meow~”
Suddenly, a soft meow came from her arms.
“…?!”
Right. Xiaoju was still with her!
Su Yun turned to go return the cat—but hesitated.
Just imagining the awkwardness of that steamy scene made her legs stiff.
It felt like she’d made an innocent girl help her put one on…
And Xia Rou had grabbed her hand like she was really about to—
Su Yun gulped down a mouthful of water, refusing to think further.
How am I supposed to talk to Xia Rou now? I finally made a friend…
She frowned miserably, deciding she’d explain things later over text.
Wait, no.
If she explained and Xia Rou found out she’d misunderstood everything, wouldn’t that make all her concern pointless?
That might just embarrass her instead.
…Better not, then.
If only she’d known what this thing was used for, she never would’ve asked Xia Rou to demonstrate.
It’s my fault for being so clueless. I nearly lost someone who genuinely cared about me.
Su Yun scolded herself silently, hid the sleeve, and headed for the front room.
“Xiaoju, I’ll be back around noon, okay? Play here for now.”
She placed the cat on the sofa and crouched down to pet its soft little head.
“Meow~” the orange kitten purred happily.
“Alright, I’m off. Bye-bye~”
After playing with Xiaoju for a bit, Su Yun finally headed out.
Because she left a little late, she didn’t reach the advisor’s office until nearly 10 a.m.
Thankfully, the advisor hadn’t left yet.
“You looking for someone? I’m the only one here right now.”
The man at the center desk looked no older than thirty.
When he saw the stunning, white-haired girl at the door, he knew immediately she wasn’t one of his students.
But somehow… she looked strangely familiar.
So he looked again—closer this time.
Very soon, he realized—she looked exactly like someone he followed in a fan group he’d just joined, thanks to a colleague’s recommendation.
“I… Teacher, I’m Su Yun. I came to update my student ID.”
Su Yun walked over cautiously, standing beside him.
“Su Yun… ah, right. Do you have your transfer documentation?”
The advisor began checking his computer calmly at first.
But a second later—his eyes bulged wide.
He shot up from his chair, staring at the snow-white girl before him in disbelief.
His expression was so exaggerated, it looked like he’d seen a ghost—or his great-grandfather reincarnated.
Startled, Su Yun backed all the way to the doorway.
She’d never seen her advisor make that face before.
Was he having a stroke or something?!
—
“Meow~ Meow~”
Meanwhile, in the apartment, morning sunlight had grown brighter, flooding the room.
Qin Xue stirred at the strange noise, blinking open her sleepy eyes, only to find something orange and fuzzy right in front of her.
“What the heck…”
She squinted a few times before she realized—
It was a fluffy orange cat. Its two tiny paws were pressing into her chest.
“…!”
Qin Xue’s heart skipped a beat.
She shut her eyes tight, then opened them again, but no matter how many times she looked, there was definitely a furry cat sitting on her.
“AHHH!”
Her whole body jolted.
Heart racing, hair standing on end—she bolted upright, flung the cat off her, and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
“Hah… hah…”
Qin Xue leaned back against the wall, sliding down in shock. Her breathing was heavy, her eyes unfocused, and her chest visibly heaving.
She had been afraid of cats and dogs since she was young. Even seeing them from afar made her anxious, and having one right on her chest nearly sent her to the afterlife.
Where the hell did that cat come from?!
She looked down at her shirt—where the cat had been stepping—and ripped the black garment off in a flash, tossing it aside.
She wanted to go back into the room for new clothes, but there was a cat inside.
She thought about stepping out to grab something, but she wasn’t wearing anything decent.
“Uuugh…”
Covering her chest, Qin Xue curled up outside the door and began to cry softly.
“Sister Xiaoyun… please come back soon…”
Her voice was fragile and trembling, and the sobs in it made her sound heartbreakingly pitiful.
(End of Chapter)