The moon rose above the willow branches as night spread across the sky.

On the way home from the restaurant, Ruo Tianxin stopped at a furniture store and bought a vacuum cleaner. With her hair tied back and a white dust mask and cap on, she set about cleaning the living room with a rumble.

She wiped the glass table with a clean cloth, then carefully cleaned the handles of the teacups that rarely got used on the coffee table. The TV didn’t seem to get much use either; a layer of dust had settled over it.

“You don’t have to clean so thoroughly. Why don’t I help?” Ruo Xiaoxi opened the door and peeked out. Outside the air-conditioned room, it felt like a furnace.

The sweltering summer heat had Ruo Tianxin drenched in sweat as she did the housework. Her back looked completely soaked, and her T-shirt clung tightly to her body, faintly revealing the color of her bra straps beneath.

“It’s fine. You should focus on your studies, big brother. The housework has always been the girls’ job in our family. Though… well, I’m your little sister, so leave these little chores to me.”

“You’re so responsible, Tianxin…” Ruo Xiaoxi’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“Of course, if you feel bad seeing me work so hard, you could help me a little. That wouldn’t be…” Ruo Tianxin leaned on the mop as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. Her lower back was starting to ache.

But before she could finish, she heard the door slam shut.

Hey! You really only asked and didn’t help me at all?!

“Huh? What did you just say?” The door that had just closed opened again, and Ruo Xiaoxi poked her head out. It seemed she’d heard her little sister say something, but hadn’t quite caught it.

“N-nothing. Please, go back to studying…” Ruo Tianxin managed a strained, painfully polite smile.

“Oh, but I’ve already finished my lessons. I guess that counts as getting ahead, right? Come play with me when you’re done.” Ruo Xiaoxi’s snow-white hair swayed as she shut the door again and went back to her room to play, without a care in the world.

She’s already finished? That was fast… Ruo Tianxin couldn’t help thinking.

She could list a whole string of her big brother’s flaws without a second thought, but there was one thing she’d never doubted: her sibling was exceptionally good at studying independently.

Sometimes Ruo Tianxin wondered if Xiaoxi was almost too smart, as if all the talent hadn’t been divided evenly between them. Tianxin wasn’t bad at studying, but she had a much harder time with it than Ruo Xiaoxi did.

You’d never guess it from the way this little gremlin acted like a troublemaker who only wanted to play, but she was a true top student.

After finishing the housework, Ruo Tianxin gathered up her clothes and returned to the room. As soon as she entered, she saw Ruo Xiaoxi lying on her stomach on the bed, listening to music, her pretty feet swinging up and down.

“Why are you wearing stockings at home? Who are you trying to show off for?” Ruo Tianxin caught her sister’s legs and stopped them from swinging, giving her a playful squeeze.

“My legs get cold easily, and I don’t want to catch a chill. Besides… can’t I admire myself?”

The texture wrapped in stockings felt so smooth in her palm that it seemed as if it would slip away in an instant, impossible to grasp, while the soft toes felt tender and delicate when pinched.

Holding her sister’s feet, Ruo Tianxin couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed.

Ruo Xiaoxi didn’t resist. She just let her little sister tease her; after all, Tianxin was family, not some strange woman.

Ruo Tianxin gently let go of her sister’s feet. Xiaoxi kept listening through her headphones, completely absorbed and not the least bit self-conscious. Her carefree, shameless attitude made Tianxin want to tease her.

And because Xiaoxi was her big brother, that urge only grew stronger.

She wanted to see her big brother make a shy face now that he’d become a girl—to marvel at it and enjoy the chance to tease him. Just thinking about it felt great.

“Go take a shower first. I don’t want you getting cold later.” Seeing how sweaty Ruo Tianxin was, Ruo Xiaoxi crawled over to the head of the bed and adjusted the central air-conditioning controls, raising the temperature a little.

Ruo Tianxin nodded. Being covered in sweat felt awful, so she went to enjoy a nice shower.

The room was lit, and Ruo Xiaoxi lay alone on the bed, wrapped in a blanket, swaying her head as she listened to music.

Apparently Jay Chou was finally releasing a new song, but he’d only put out the opening and left everyone hanging. One fan had improvised the rest of the song—and somehow, it sounded really good.

The room was so quiet that they could even hear the computer’s fan spinning softly.

Beyond the room, behind a glass door, water pattered from the shower in the bathroom. Every so often, the showerhead clinked against the metal fittings. Ruo Tianxin stood beneath the spray with her eyes closed, rinsing off.

The sisters’ life remained as simple and quiet as ever. Nothing had changed.

They shared an earbud, listened to music, and played games for a while. It wasn’t until midnight that they started feeling sleepy and decided to go to bed.

They were supposed to sleep separately, each with her own blanket, but Ruo Xiaoxi’s home only had one. The sisters no longer felt they had to keep their distance like before, so sharing a bed was fine.

Her little sister didn’t seem to dislike her anymore. Sure, at first she’d called her gross over and over… but now she was calling her cute again! Ruo Xiaoxi thought she was cute, too!

Cute is justice! And she was justice’s ally.

They made the bed, switched off the light, and the room sank into darkness.

Ruo Xiaoxi found it rather strange. Her little sister was lying beside her, warm and close, and for some reason her heart was beating faster. It wasn’t anything weird; it just felt new.

Suddenly, she heard a small rustle beside her.

Ruo Tianxin got out of bed, crouched in the dark, and unzipped her suitcase. It seemed like she took something out.

Then she climbed back under the covers with another rustle.

“What’s wrong?” Ruo Xiaoxi asked.

Ruo Tianxin looked mysterious, as if she had something she absolutely had to tell in secret. She lowered her voice, edged closer to Ruo Xiaoxi, and whispered in her ear:

“Um, um… didn’t I say I’d show you something tonight? Heh-heh.”