Taking advantage of the time while Yumiah was busy with something unknown, Xiye carried Yukino into the bathroom, swallowed nervously, closed the door, and began to remove her clothes one by one.
Although she couldn’t bathe her, Xiye still wanted to help Yukino clean up a little. That way, she’d sleep more comfortably.
With the last inner layer removed, only pure white underwear remained. Even though she had seen it many times before, Xiye couldn’t help but admire Yukino’s body:
Her skin was as white and delicate as snow, the toned waist showed clear lines, and looking up, her proud, well-shaped chest was almost bursting forth…
Xiye stared at those delectable “big white rabbits,” then rubbed her own—were hers bigger?
What was this inexplicable little thrill she felt… So annoying!
Forcing herself to look away, Xiye used a water-dampened towel to carefully wipe down Yukino’s body, from her upper half to her straight, shapely legs, **……
Just let it go…!
Xiye’s face turned a little red, and she coughed lightly. Then she helped Yukino into the prepared pajamas. Since she knew Yukino’s size, the fit was perfect.
By the time she’d tucked Yukino into bed and pulled up the covers, Xiye was already breaking out in a thin layer of sweat.
“Phew… That’s done…”
Taking care of someone was really tiring. In the past, it had always been Yukino who took care of her like this when she came home…
Steadying her breath, Xiye gazed at Yukino’s sleeping face, suppressing the urge to kiss her on the forehead, and turned to leave.
“—Sha.”
That familiar tug at the corner of her clothes made Xiye turn back, muttering softly:
“What now, my little ancestor…?”
“Don’t go…”
Yukino still had her eyes closed, her voice barely above a whisper. It was just sleep talking, but Xiye could hear a faint sob in her tone.
“Tsk…”
Hearing those words, Xiye’s mood suddenly soured. She clicked her tongue, gently grasped Yukino’s hand, and tucked it back under the covers.
Who do you think I’m doing this for?
“No, I won’t go. I’ll always stay by your side.” Xiye leaned down, comforting her softly by her ear.
In a sense, she hadn’t broken her promise.
After saying that, Xiye noticed Yukino’s tightly knit brows relax a little, so she stood up and hurriedly left the room as if escaping. Only after closing the door did she finally let out a sigh of relief.
Leaning against the door, face upturned, Xiye stared vindictively at the hallway light until tears welled in her eyes, forcing her to blink them away.
As expected, saying “let’s never see each other again” was just too hard…
Wanting to kill the person you used to be—what a struggle.
With heavy thoughts, the girl went downstairs. The lights in both the living room and kitchen were on; sure enough, Yumiah was probably in the kitchen. As she walked over, she saw the silver-haired girl standing at the stove, stirring something thick and chocolate-colored in a pot.
Hot cocoa, maybe…
Xiye wondered, staring at the liquid in the pot.
“Ah, Teacher, you’re up.” Yumiah stirred with her chopsticks, then turned her head and smiled gently. “How is Tendou-san?”
“She’s sleeping soundly.” Xiye walked up beside her.
She’d wanted to talk with Yumiah for a while but hadn’t found a chance—now, alone together, this was the perfect time to sound her out…
She wrinkled her small, upturned nose and asked,
“Smells wonderful~ Yumiah, are you making hot cocoa?”
Yumiah nodded. “That’s right. I’m making it because Teacher likes it. I even added some Anshenxiang, so it’ll be ready soon. Just wait a bit, okay?”
Hey, that sounds like a really questionable additive…
Xiye’s expression froze for a second. Yumiah noticed, her eyebrows raising playfully as she laughed:
“Eh~ Teacher doesn’t think I put in something weird, do you? That hurts~”
The silver-haired girl rubbed her closed eye, pretending to cry.
“No, no…” Xiye hurriedly replied. “It’s just that I’ve never heard of Anshenxiang as an ingredient before…”
“This.”
Yumiah picked up a small glass bottle from beside the pot. Inside was a brown powder, looking like ground-up herbs.
“This powder is made from Anshencao. You can add a little to drinks; it helps calm the mind. If you’ve had a tiring day, it’ll help you sleep. Teacher, want to try it? You can even eat the dried herb directly.”
Xiye held out her hand. “I’m curious.”
Yumiah uncapped the bottle and poured some into Xiye’s palm:
“You can’t have too much in a day, or the effect will be too strong—you’ll sleep the whole day and nothing can wake you.”
Xiye sniffed it, and a clean, herbal fragrance filled her senses. Just as Yumiah said, she felt herself relax a little.
It really does seem like just ordinary herbs…
Her gaze wandered over the stove and quickly landed on a small bag of cocoa powder, half full. Reaching for it, she asked,
“Is this the cocoa powder you use, Yumiah? What brand is it? It’s really tasty—I’d like to get some for home.”
She feigned curiosity, playing with the little bag in her hands, peeking at it from every angle, while actually observing Yumiah’s reaction.
Yumiah’s demeanor was perfectly normal. She turned off the stove, fetched two cups, and twirled them in her hands:
“Yes, this is the one I used yesterday—Ahua Tu’s. Tasty and affordable.”
She filled both cups:
“If you want some, just let me know. As your assistant, I’ll prepare anything you need.”
“Leave all the daily stuff to me, okay~ Here you go~”
She handed over the cup in her right hand.
Xiye didn’t take it, and instead half-jokingly pointed at Yumiah’s left hand: “Yesterday I used that cup. I’ll use it again today.”
“Hm?” Yumiah puffed her cheeks. “Is Teacher avoiding me?”
Xiye rubbed her face. “Of course not. I just like using things I’ve used before… Feels like they belong to me?”
“Alright, I really can’t say no to you, Teacher. Here.”
Yumiah handed Xiye the left cup. The two of them sat down on the sofa in the living room. Watching Yumiah take the first sip, Xiye then picked up her own cup and took a small taste.
The flavor was rich and mellow, with a slight bitterness behind the sweetness—delicious.
As the piping hot cocoa slid down her throat, Xiye felt her whole body relax, as if the day’s fatigue had been swept away.
It was already ten o’clock; soon it’d be time for bed. Classes again tomorrow.
“Oh, right, Teacher.” Yumiah sipped her cocoa like a little bunny, small sips at a time.
“What is it?”
“What did you do before you came here?” she asked.
“Ah… I used to study at Miskatonic University.”
Xiye set down her cup, turned on the TV, and switched to a random channel to keep the room from feeling so quiet.
While at the Bureau, her public identity had always been a student at Miskatonic University. In fact, that was true; after all, research on eldritch gods was never-ending. Whenever she wasn’t on assignment, she’d attend lectures and read books at Miskatonic.
“I see… Sounds like an out-of-town university.” Yumiah tilted her head. “Did you have any memorable experiences or meet anyone special there?”
“I did, of course… Quite a few, actually.” Xiye smiled.
There were even several times she’d almost died.
“Tell me about it? I’m curious.” Yumiah leaned forward.
Xiye took another sip of hot cocoa, sinking comfortably into the couch:
“Next time. It’s too late tonight, and we should get to bed soon…”
“Teacher, you’re so stingy…!”
“Hah?”
Xiye just thought she was joking, watching the dull variety show on TV, not noticing the way Yumiah’s eyes lowered. In the slowly swirling cocoa, her silvery-gray eyes were reflected.
Memorable, huh…
But you still didn’t recognize me, did you, Senpai.