“Huh? Is that so?”

“Yeah! You just have such a pretty, feminine vibe, Sister Ruo. You’re my idol! I want to be as pretty as you!” Luo Xiaoke said eagerly.

What she probably meant was that Ruo Xiaoxi seemed really womanly.

“Haha, you’re so cute. Then you’d better grow up quickly. You have to eat your meals on time, and you can’t make your mom worry. Sometimes, when I’m walking past the hallway, I hear her calling you to come eat.”

“Ah… B-because I’m really not hungry.”

“You should eat fewer snacks, or else~ even these won’t grow at all, okay?” Ruo Xiaoxi poked a finger against Luo Xiaoke’s still-flat chest, smiling as she spoke in a tone that was half warning, half advice.

“O-okay, Sister Ruo. I understand. I won’t argue with Mom next time…”

“Good girl~” Ruo Xiaoxi patted her head, then pulled her into her arms and nuzzled her. Two soft, mochi-like mounds pressed against Luo Xiaoke’s face, making her blush bright red with embarrassment.

She’d decided: when she grew up, she’d bury Sister Ruo in her own chest too!

Luo Xiaoke was an only child, her parents’ one and only daughter.

She’d always been on her own. She was often envious of people with older siblings. Sometimes, being alone made her feel lonely, and she’d always had to walk the road of growing up by herself.

As she grew older, she gradually wanted more and more to have an older sister by her side. And Ruo Xiaoxi was so incredibly kind to her—basically the ideal older sister in her eyes—so it was only natural that she liked being close to her.

Besides, Ruo Xiaoxi had promised that if Xiaoke ever had a problem she couldn’t talk to her parents about, she could come to her. Like if she had a crush on some boy in her class, or… something to do with girls’ bodies?

Though Ruo Xiaoxi was still figuring that last part out herself.

Anyway, if Xiaoke ever wanted to dress up, Ruo Xiaoxi would teach her how to do her hair and put outfits together! She’d done her research. After all, it was about making yourself prettier. They were both girls, so how could they not want to look pretty?

“Sister Ruo, are you dating anyone? You’re so pretty. I bet you’re really popular, right?”

“Dating, huh… I guess you could say I am.”

“That’s amazing! Then, Sister Ruo, I heard that when people are dating, they, um… kiss and hug the person they like, and they also do… happy things together in a room. Is that true?”

“Hahaha, yes. Those are all ways of showing love and letting out your desires with someone you like.” Did she somehow feel like she’d become a guide to this little girl’s adolescence?

Ruo Xiaoxi found it pretty interesting.

“Th-then, Sister Ruo… have you become an adult too?” For some reason, a trace of anxiety slipped into Luo Xiaoke’s childish voice. She asked uneasily.

“Huh?…” Ruo Xiaoxi hadn’t expected Luo Xiaoke to ask that, and couldn’t help laughing.

She looked down at the innocent girl and was just about to answer, but quickly swallowed her words. Instead, she smiled and patted Xiaoke on the head. “Little kids shouldn’t know so much.”

Luo Xiaoke stared up at her blankly. Her expression shifted, then she slowly bit down on her lip. She couldn’t hide how she felt; her brows furrowed slightly.

“Sister Ruo… Wuwu, wuwuwu…” A soft sob escaped her.

“Huh? Hey, why are you suddenly crying, Xiaoke?” Ruo Xiaoxi froze as the girl in her arms suddenly welled up with tears in her big eyes and began to cry softly.

What was going on? What was going on?

“Wuwuwu, I don’t know, wuwu…”

“Just thinking about how Sister Ruo already has someone she likes, and does grown-up things in bed with that person, makes me so sad. I don’t even know why! Waaaah, wuwuwu…”

Luo Xiaoke cried louder and louder, wiping at her tears. Her reason for crying sounded so genuine that Ruo Xiaoxi was afraid her mom would come rushing downstairs, thinking she was bullying her.

“Haa… so that’s it…”

Huh? Was this really what a girl who’d just started middle school thought about?

Ruo Xiaoxi was slightly taken aback. Were kids nowadays all a little precocious? At Xiaoke’s age, she’d only known a tiny bit about this stuff—and most of what she knew came from her classmates.

Watching the little girl clumsily try to express her disappointment, then burst into such heartbroken tears, Ruo Xiaoxi had no idea what to do.

“You little pervert! Don’t go looking up this stuff. You should be studying hard—you’re only in middle school!” Ruo Xiaoxi teased her, pressing the knuckles of both hands to Xiaoke’s temples and rubbing in circles.

But it didn’t seem to stop the little girl’s tears, which left Ruo Xiaoxi at a loss.

Still, girls this age couldn’t even tell the difference between admiration and longing yet. She needed to guide Xiaoke toward a healthy understanding of love, so her ideas about it wouldn’t get twisted.

Ruo Xiaoxi thought that was pretty important.

“Wuwuwu, someone else has already stolen Sister Ruo away…”

“No, no, I’m still right here, aren’t I? Don’t cry.” Ruo Xiaoxi took a tissue and wiped her tears, laughing helplessly. This kid was so cute, she could almost eat her up.

She didn’t know how to comfort Luo Xiaoke. This was all perfectly normal, after all.

“Wuwuwu, I like you too, Sister Ruo. I don’t want anyone else to take you away…”

“All right, all right. Don’t cry over something so silly. Whether I’m dating or not, I’m still your Sister Ruo, aren’t I? You don’t even know what it means to like someone yet.”

“But, but…” Luo Xiaoke couldn’t put it into words. She was just so sad.

“How about this? When you’re a little older, I’ll think about how you feel. How does that sound?”

“Really…?” The little girl sniffled and looked at her with tear-filled eyes.

Ruo Xiaoxi didn’t know where she’d gotten all this charm. Maybe she was just the sort of person everyone loved?

“Then, Sister Ruo, you have to wait until I grow up.” The little girl’s words were innocent, yet somehow touched the heart.

“Okaaay, I’ll wait until you grow up. By then, you’ll definitely change your mind and say, ‘Wow, why did I say such silly things when I was little?’ Then you’ll be so embarrassed you’ll roll around on the floor!”

“All right, go back to your mom now. Don’t make her worry.”

“Sister Ruo, I’m already in middle school. Don’t treat me like a little kid anymore…”

Maybe Ruo Xiaoxi’s words had been a little too childish, because Luo Xiaoke couldn’t help pouting as she said it.

After wiping Luo Xiaoke’s tears, Ruo Xiaoxi wanted to give her something in return for bringing over the green dates. She looked around the house, but couldn’t find anything suitable, so she took a bouquet of flowers from a vase and gave it to her.

The little girl held a flower in her hands, said goodbye to her politely and obediently, and Ruo Xiaoxi watched her head back upstairs.

“Looks like I’m pretty good at comforting kids.” Ruo Xiaoxi put her hands on her hips and gave a proud little snort.

Still, this little dummy’s longing for an older girl like her was something she’d have to keep tucked away in her heart.

She should quietly treasure this moonlight-like affection. If a romance like that ever became real, it would be incredibly difficult. Usually, the other person would find someone to date first.

Whether or not that idealized moonlight was Ruo Xiaoxi herself, Xiaoke would have to learn to understand that.

Of course, once you grow up, you’ll come to understand. You’re still too young.

“Huh? Wait… An older girl? Who’s the older girl?” Ruo Xiaoxi suddenly rested her chin in her hand and fell into thought.

After thinking for a long while, she suddenly realized: Oh! I’m the older girl!

I can be someone’s big sis now!?

Even if it was only to a thirteen-year-old girl…

But why did that give her such a swell of pride?