"Qin, aren't you going after her? It'll be too late soon, nya~"

"Brother, you dummy! I've never met anyone dumber than you!" Qin Chan yanked Qin An up from his chair.

"Qin, take this with you too, nya~"

Qin An accepted the rainbow lollipop from Ilya's hand as Qin Chan impatiently shoved him forward.

"Hurry up, Brother! Or the Magical Girl might run into bad guys!"

Watching Qin An dash out, Ilya licked her pink lips. "Qin, good luck, nya~"

A petite figure sprinted down the street, twin ponytails bouncing and drawing stares.

"Mommy, look! A Magical Girl!"

"Mommy, I wanna be a Magical Girl too!"

"Mommy, I want clothes like that sister's!"

Qin Yage's mind went blank. All she wanted was to flee that place—*You promised you'd only love me, only care for me, only like me. Big liar. I hate you the most.*

Her Magical Girl-brand heels added slight height, but she was used to flat sneakers and canvas shoes. Unsteady in the unfamiliar footwear, she ran like a bull charging at red cloth. Her heel snapped with a stumble, twisting her ankle sharply. Tears streamed down her face from the pain.

A snot-nosed kid pointed at her. "Big Egg! Look—a wild Magical Girl!"

"Really wild! My mom says touching one turns you into a pretty boy."

The pimply, chubby boy rubbed his greasy palms together eagerly.

Seeing their disgusting grins, Qin Yage tried to scramble up and run—but the pain locked her legs. She could only crawl backward slowly.

"Brother... save me..." she sobbed.

Her back suddenly pressed against a broad, warm chest. She didn't need to look back to know who it was—that familiar scent.

"Uh-oh! The Magical Girl's knight is here! My mom says these guys are scary. Let's run, Little Egg!"

"Got it, Big Egg!"

"Little Egg, wipe your snot first."

"So you're scared now?" Qin An reached out his hand.

"I'm not scared! I don't need your help!" Qin Yage slapped his hand away, stubbornly trying to stand—only to collapse into Qin An's arms again, history repeating itself.

"Were you doing that on purpose?"

"*You're* the one doing it on purpose!"

Flustered, Qin Yage buried her crimson face in his chest, silent.

"It hurts a lot, doesn't it?"

"...Mm." Her voice was barely a whisper.

Qin An scooped up her little bottom and hoisted her onto his back.

Feeling his hands on her most private spot, Qin Yage's face burned like an apple. She wasn't that clueless little girl anymore.

Waving her arms wildly, she protested: "Put me down! I'm not a kid—I don't need a piggyback ride!"

"Really? Then I'll dump you right back on the street."

"Hmph! Dump me then—*dump me*—"

Her voice faded. Arms looped around Qin An's neck, she rested her cheek against his head. Near his right ear, a deep tooth mark stood out—a "slave mark," her proof that Brother belonged only to her.

"Boss, one bag of ice and a towel, please."

Holding the ice in one hand and supporting Qin Yage's bottom with the other, Qin An carried her to the nearest park. He settled her on a swing.

When his finger lightly pressed her swollen ankle, Qin Yage's barely contained tears burst forth again.

"Hurts... it hurts..."

"Just bear with it. Here—this lollipop's from Ilya."

Tears still glistening, Qin Yage smiled as she took the rainbow candy. "I don't even like these... I only eat them because *you* give them to me."

"Understood, Miss Qin Yage. Brace yourself."

Qin An packed the ice around her ankle, then tied the towel into a neat bow.

Her short skirt rode up on the swing, fully exposing herself to Qin An's view.

"You saw it, didn't you?"

Qin An pretended not to notice.

"*Saw* it, didn't you?" Qin Yage insisted, crunching the entire lollipop in her mouth—proof of her fury.

Sweat beaded on Qin An's forehead. "I... saw it this morning. Seeing it again isn't—"

"Pervert Brother!"

She tried to kick him with her good foot, but the swing's momentum flung her forward.

Qin An caught her full-force and hoisted her back onto his shoulders.

"It's getting late. Let's pick up Xiao Chan from Riko's place, then go home to cook."

Qin Yage pouted. "Xiao Chan again... Xiao Chan..."

Leaning against his shoulder, her warm breath brushed his ear—soft, damp, and ticklish.

"Xiao Chan's too sneaky..."

*Brother should only be mine.*

"You spoil Xiao Chan too much! Letting her do whatever she wants will turn her bad!"

"Oh? But with you around, I'm not afraid she'll go astray."

"That's so sneaky of you... makes me sound like the villain."

"One of us has to be the good cop, the other the bad cop."

*Just like parents and a child... a family of three.* Qin Yage's cheeks flushed.

"Because... Xiao Chan isn't just *my* sister. She's *yours* too!"

To Qin An, both palms and backs of his hands were flesh.

Pinching Qin An's ear with zero logic, Qin Yage declared: "Hmph! I don't care! From now on—you can't kiss her randomly, can't let her ride your shoulders, can't buy her things freely, can't feed her by hand, can't let her be picky with food—and most importantly, she *cannot* sleep with you! Got it, Brother?!"

Qin An grimaced. "That's way too many rules!"

*Xiao Chan is the brightest light in the darkness. Her smile makes me forget all the vile, shadowy things from my past life. Maybe she’s an angel sent to save this world—no, a Magical Girl.*

"I don’t care! You still owe me thirteen thousand one hundred forty-two lollipops!"

"Can’t be that many. I didn’t study much—you’re tricking me."

"Who’d trick *you*? Hmph!"

*You’re the gentlest yet cruelest liar in the world.*

*Brother’s left neck is still pale... maybe it needs matching marks. If one bite mark won’t make you remember me forever, I’ll leave two, three, four...*

*I’ll cover your whole body in my marks. Then you’ll only be my slave. My brother.*

A familiar, long-missed pain flared on Qin An’s neck. He feigned anger: "Qin Yage! It’s time you quit this biting habit!"

Perched on his back, Qin Yage giggled—truly happy, as if she’d reclaimed what was stolen. Though nothing had ever been taken; she’d merely hidden it herself.