The sky darkened swiftly after a long day. When Mirror October finally looked up from his meticulous records, he found himself bathed in the dying light of sunset. The horizon bled with a breathtaking, almost violent beauty—a scene so vivid he nearly wanted to clip it out and pin it to his computer screen.

Liuhua Jing, exhausted from her own busy day, had already claimed Mirror October’s only bed. She slept with wanton grace, clutching his blanket tight—inhaling his scent—her lips smacking softly in her sleep. Mirror October winced inwardly. *Again with the drooling. I’ll be washing these sheets tomorrow.* His mild germaphobia flared. If they hadn’t grown up together, he’d have tossed her straight onto the balcony. Saliva, after all, carried a uniquely nauseating intimacy.

He exhaled slowly, the corner of his mouth lifting just a fraction.

Sharing a bed tonight?

Impossible. He had a long-overdue game to finish—a final confrontation with the Justice Knight. Tonight wasn’t about closure. It was about birth. Or rebirth.

A chill began to gather around him—

*Thump.*

His sister’s foot, flung out in sleep, kicked it clean away.

Liuhua Jing’s face glowed with unnatural flush. Her lips parted slightly, murmuring feverish pleas: *"B-Brother, stop… don’t…"* Even in dreams, she fantasized about him. Mirror October rolled his eyes.

*Why does my entire aesthetic warp whenever she’s near?*

Her sleeping posture was shameless. One smooth thigh draped possessively over his lap. A true brother-complex veteran—even unconscious, she’d homed in on him like a heat-seeking missile. In her flimsy floral sundress, the angle left little to the imagination. One downward glance, and Mirror October could’ve seen straight up her skirt.

"Wake up, Jie," he said, utterly devoid of tenderness. He shifted her restless foot aside, then leaned down. His palm landed lightly against her cheek—*pat, pat, pat*.

*Honestly. Sleeping here without a shred of caution. So careless.*

His taps grew firmer. Liuhua Jing’s flawless porcelain skin bloomed red. She blinked awake, eyes wide and wounded, glaring at him like a peasant accusing a tyrant of rousing workers at midnight. Her ample bosom heaved—whether from indignation or something else, the supple swell of flesh would’ve turned most men beneath her into ravenous wolves.

Mirror October wasn’t most men. His gaze stayed locked on her hazy eyes. "Awake? Good. Go buy dinner. The fridge is empty. I won’t be back tonight." He straightened up without hesitation.

"You’re leaving again…?"

The sleepiness had vanished, chased off by his slaps. Liuhua Jing propped herself sideways against his thigh, her expression tangled with something bittersweet.

"It’s important. I can’t stay." He didn’t elaborate. His narrow crimson eyes flickered—just for an instant—with something almost soft.

Her loungewear had ridden up during sleep. Half her slender waist lay bare. Reclining like a work of art, she revealed the edge of matching black lace panties beneath her skirt. Only Mirror October ever saw Liuhua Jing like this—radiant, devastatingly beautiful.

"Really… no coming back tonight?"

"...No."

"October," she whispered, fingers reaching for his sleeve. "Stay. Just sleep beside me. I won’t… do anything." But his crimson pupils remained utterly still—no flicker of doubt, no weakness. Her plea was already dead.

He seemed gentle, endlessly accommodating. But beneath it all, Mirror October was carved from ice. *When did the boy who warmed like sunlight become this?* Even as his sister, the change chilled her.

"Some things must be done. Guard the house. Wait for me." He bent down. His lips brushed hers—just a ghost of contact against startling softness. Liuhua Jing froze, drunk on the touch, a blush staining her cheeks.

"Hmph! Cheeky brat!" she huffed, masking her racing heart. *His first kiss… voluntary!* Hope flared. *He’s not completely numb. If kisses become habit… surely he’ll thaw.* "You dare tease your own sister? I’ll deal with you later!"

"You dislike it? Then I’ll never—"

"Like it? I *love* it!"

Amusement danced in his eyes as he stroked her dewy-soft cheek. Though the younger brother, Mirror October often led—indulging her antics like a patient elder. His tenderness felt as fragile as reflections on water.

"Then," she pressed, seizing the moment, "morning kisses! And bedtime kisses too!" *Waking to his stoic pretty-boy lips… or fainting from his passionate kisses…* Just imagining it made her squirm. "Deal?"

"Heh. No bedtime kisses."

*Unacceptable!* If she tolerated this, she didn’t deserve the title "brother complex queen." She scrambled to rise—to pin him down, to *claim* him—

"Make another move," Mirror October murmured, tidying his papers with deliberate calm, "and you lose the morning kiss too."

Liuhua Jing froze mid-lunge. Her shoulders slumped in tragic compromise.

"...Come back soon."

"...If I can," he promised quietly, "you’ll see me the moment you open your eyes tomorrow, Jie."

They shared a smile. Then Liuhua Jing threw her arms around him, clinging tight. *No matter what happens… I love you. I’ll never let go. Never.*