Th-This... what?!

Pure, clueless Qin Fan had never touched a girl’s boobs in his life. He had no idea what they felt like. His fingers moved on their own. He gave a gentle squeeze to make sure.

“Mm…”

Lixin seemed to give him an answer. The moment he squeezed, she let out a tiny moan. It was so soft and sweet it almost made him lose control.

He glanced around, guilty as sin. No one was awake. He looked at Lixin again. No reaction. It seemed like an unconscious response.

Phew—thank god. Otherwise the morality police would’ve executed him.

Better put her back on the bed first.

Right now, Qin Fan felt hollowed out. Without waking Lixin, he slipped off the bed, picked her up, laid her down, and tucked her in. That series of moves drained the last of his strength. He collapsed onto a stool and panted for a long time before he felt slightly better.

Time to organize his thoughts. First, Lixin was his best bro, no doubt. When they were kids, they messed around and even grabbed each other’s junk. He could confirm Lixin had a handle back then… at least at the time.

Since the war started, Lixin, who already looked delicate, had grown more and more girly. Still lazy as ever. On the surface, her personality seemed the same. But judging from last night, her reactions were a bit like a girl’s. Add in the thing on her chest…

Conclusion: Lixin is a girl. Whether she turned into one or whatever, he didn’t care right now. What he did care about was…

He was done for. He had kissed Lixin yesterday, then argued like it meant nothing. Today he had touched her chest.

He felt weighed down by sin. No wonder she was that mad.

“Cough, cough…” Lixin suddenly coughed, cutting off Qin Fan’s spiral.

Okay, stop overthinking. Handle the important stuff first.

Qin Fan pushed himself up, walked to the sink, soaked a clinic towel with cool water, wrung it out, folded it, then placed it gently on Lixin’s forehead.

After that, he stared at her, dazed. He had to admit, Lixin was a textbook Eastern beauty—big eyes, an oval face, a small nose and small lips. If not for years of friendship and her perpetually dead-fish eyes, he never would’ve believed this person was a guy.

He shook his head fast and snapped out of it. He couldn’t treat fevers. He needed to go to the temporary housing area and find the clinic doctors. There were a lot of patients. They usually only came back here in the afternoon.

“Feel like jelly… no strength at all…”

He hoped there wasn’t wind outside. Otherwise he might not make it back himself.

…………………………………………

“…?”

Lixin woke up. She found herself lying somewhere with a drip in her arm. She turned her head and saw a curtain pulled across, Cleyna’s shadow behind it, seemingly reading. Qin Fan and Elwin sat together, both with bandages on their heads, sharing wireless earbuds and watching something on a small laptop.

Seriously? Those two bandage-heads couldn’t watch their own stuff separately? Two guys sharing one tiny screen, pointing at it and grinning—utterly dumb.

“Hey, Lixin, you’re awake. Wanna watch with us?”

Elwin noticed first. He angled the screen toward her and smiled with a weirdly subtle expression.

Elwin. So that’s the kind of Elwin you are.

The dangerous content was about to hit Lixin’s eyes. Right then, Qin Fan snapped the screen back. “Forget it. She just woke up. Not a good idea…”

If he made a girl watch questionable stuff with them, he’d be insane. Lixin might hate him even more.

Lixin suddenly remembered last night. She gave a soft huff and turned her head away.

“Hey, Lixin, last night was really a misunderstanding. I was dreaming and didn’t know what was going on. Plus, a guy kissing a guy is kinda, y’know. My attitude sucked. I’m sorry. Don’t be mad, okay?”

Qin Fan’s clumsy apology took a lot of the anger out of Lixin. It was a double message: he apologized and signaled he hadn’t noticed her secret. He hadn’t told anyone either. He started admiring his own genius again.

“So you had an indecent dream?”

Silent until now, Cleyna hit the bullseye in one line.

Qin Fan was despised all over again.

“By the way, where did you go last night? Why the sudden fever?” He tried to break the awkwardness.

Lixin got mad just thinking about it. “You all had places to stay. My home got bombed! I slept in the park last night!”

“…”

“…”

Everyone fell silent.

“Lixin…” Elwin sighed. “You could’ve stayed in the infirmary. There had to be a way. Worst case, you could’ve squeezed in with Qin Fan or me.”

“I—I…” Lixin had grievances she couldn’t say. If she could share a bed with a guy, especially that beast Qin Fan, would she have slept in a park? She couldn’t exactly bunk with Cleyna either, could she!?

“Pfft…” Knowing the truth, Qin Fan failed to hold back a laugh.

“What are you laughing at!”

Lixin was about to blow up when a knock came at the door. A muscular, middle-aged man walked in.

“Instructor Cross, what’s up?” Qin Fan asked. He was their combat instructor.

“First, I’m here to check on you.” Cross’s rough voice carried a hint of coolness. “Second, to tell you the captured intruder, Alena Fudesy, is awake. The Principal has questioned her. If you’re up for it, you can visit the holding room.”

That was big news.

“Third,” he looked at Lixin on the bed, “the Principal wants to see you. But seeing your state, I’ll tell him you’ll go tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thank you, Instructor.”

Instructor Cross was unexpectedly warm. That contrast gave Lixin a decent impression of him.

Still, she really didn’t want to go…

…………………………………………

She went anyway.

Inside the tented temporary office, Lixin yawned and waited for the Principal to speak.

“Not fully awake yet?” the Principal asked.

“I’ve got a bit of a fever. Still not over it.”

Lixin thought, if this grumpy old man wants to scold me, just do it. Why all the chatter?

“Lixin, thanks to you in the last battle. Otherwise we would’ve lost the line.”

Eh? Not here to scold her?

“But your methods are unstable. We reacted fast this time, or we would’ve taken casualties. Try to keep it under control.”

“Oh.” Good. Not a scolding. She could stop listening so hard… zone out a little…

“…So, I’ve warned Alena Fudesy not to reveal your strength. You can relax when you go see her with the Student Council.”

Lixin didn’t know how long he’d been talking. She came back to herself as he wrapped up. Fudesy sounded familiar.

She asked, and learned the girl was Cleyna’s sister. “No wonder she looked familiar. Then, Principal, I’m gonna head out.” Her legs were tired; she went to make her escape.

“All right. About a month from now, we’ll resume classes. You upper years will head to the front for live combat. Before that, once you’re healed, I’ll spar with you.”

The Principal didn’t stop her, just dropped a very bad piece of news.

Lazy Lixin regretted not running faster. She still didn’t dodge that line…

…………………………………………

When the most injured, Cleyna, could finally walk with a crutch, they headed to the holding room to see Alena.

Alena sat in a dim room on the first basement level, still wrapped in bandages and missing her left hand. When the group came in, she barely reacted. Her gaze at them was full of disdain—until she saw Lixin. Then a trace of fear flickered.

“Alena, are you okay?”

Though they stood on opposite sides, she was still her sister. Cleyna asked gently.

“What’s it to you? Can’t you see?” Alena’s attitude was nasty. Cleyna’s expression crumpled, hurt.

Lixin figured this one would be hard to talk to. “I think we should have a proper talk, don’t you?”

The scary psycho spoke. Alena actually flinched and toned it down.

Lixin was satisfied and pressed on. “Your sister wants to hear what you’ve been through. Why not tell us?”