"Xiu'er, Xiu'er, Xiu'er, Xiu'er~" Chu Lian opened the door and entered. The girl was lying on her side, resting on the bed. With her hands clasped behind her back, Chu Lian walked over step by step while calling her name.
"Mm~" Hearing someone call her, the girl, who had not yet fallen deeply asleep, rubbed her eyes and murmured, "Chu Lian?"
"Mm." Chu Lian sat down beside her bed, feeling slightly embarrassed. Xiu'er had already fallen asleep, yet she had still come to disturb her. That was not very considerate of her.
"What is it? It's so late." Li Xiu'er was still a little groggy. Shouldn't Chu Lian be resting? Why had she come to see her?
"I came because I need your cooperation with something for Monday's performance." Chu Lian knew that Xiu'er's current physical condition required plenty of rest rather than other activities, so she spoke with exceptional gentleness.
"That's no problem." Li Xiu'er shook her head to clear her mind, then looked into Chu Lian's eyes and smiled softly.
"You little fool..." Chu Lian reached out and pinched her delicate chin, speaking in a doting tone.
Li Xiu'er did not pull away from her hand. Instead, she raised her head like a small animal enjoying a caress, immersing herself in this peculiar tenderness.
"I'd never act like a fool if it weren't for you, Chu Lian," Li Xiu'er said softly, her lips parting slightly.
The hand pinching her chin paused. How many people had said something like this now? If she were not Chu Lian, they would never treat her this way. It was precisely because she was Chu Lian that they tolerated her. They truly were an adorable group of people, so adorable that she could not bear to cause any of them the slightest harm.
"I know." Chu Lian nodded. She knew. She had always known. Just as Li Xiu'er had said, if she were not Chu Lian, nothing would have been so simple, would it?
"Then, Chu Lian, what should I do?" Li Xiu'er yawned. Running around all day had consumed a great deal of her energy, and she was currently in a drowsy state. She wanted to know exactly what Chu Lian had in mind.
"You only need to kiss me." Chu Lian was already very familiar with this process, so she stated it directly without the slightest coyness.
"K-Kiss you?" Chu Lian had been direct, but Li Xiu'er immediately grew shy. Her face reddened, and even her voice began to stammer.
"Uh, yes. Just one kiss. After that, you won't need to worry about anything, and you'll learn a great many things." Chu Lian did not think there was anything else that needed to be explained.
"Then... be gentle." Hearing this, the girl hesitated for a moment before slowly closing her eyes and raising her head. The blush on her face and her trembling eyelashes revealed the unease in her heart.
"Honestly, when have I ever been rough?" Chu Lian shook her head, unsure whether to laugh or cry at the girl's words. But wasn't Li Xiu'er acting this way precisely because she wanted her?
Chu Lian leaned forward. Gazing at those beautifully shaped cherry lips, she gently kissed them.
Their tender contact, the enchanting sensation, and the girl's slightly inexperienced yet enthusiastic response made the kiss as soft and gentle as flowing water...
A white rose blossomed, and another girl received the knowledge contained within those four songs.
Li Xiu'er closed her eyes. As she kissed Chu Lian, she organized the songs that had appeared in her mind. Only after a long time did she open her eyes and look at Chu Lian, her gaze filled with both surprise and emotion.
"Are you all right?" Chu Lian parted from her lips and licked the corner of her own mouth. Seeing Li Xiu'er staring at her like that, she was somewhat puzzled.
"I never expected you to possess such an incredible ability, Chu Lian. From now on, I can pretend to be a musical prodigy or a literary girl too." Li Xiu'er's eyes curved as she spoke, and she seemed extremely happy.
Indeed, now that she possessed so much musical knowledge all at once, it would be no problem for her to pass herself off as a musical prodigy.
"I'll help you, should you truly wish to do that." Her words made Chu Lian pause. She did not know whether Li Xiu'er was joking or serious, but she was still willing to help her.
"You called me a fool, but it seems you're the real fool, Chu Lian." Li Xiu'er shook her head, leaned forward, and bit Chu Lian's neck. She left a faint set of teeth marks and a glistening trace of saliva upon her fair skin before sitting back and looking into her eyes.
"Among us, it's enough for you, Ya, and Bis Sis Inori to stand in the spotlight. The rest of us are meant to serve as the backdrop while you shine brilliantly. You don't need to care so much. I was only speaking casually. Rather than standing in front, I'd prefer to hide behind you. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Chu Lian reached out and drew her into her embrace, speaking softly. Yes, she understood, and that was why she knew just how genuine Li Xiu'er's feelings were.
"Good..." Once Chu Lian embraced her, Li Xiu'er's entire body relaxed. Leaning against her chest, she yawned repeatedly and soon fell asleep again.
"Honestly..." Chu Lian stroked her forehead and smiled gently. She laid Li Xiu'er on the bed, covered her with the blanket, and quietly tiptoed out, leaving her to rest.
"Lian..." Li Xiu'er softly called her name. In her dream, she saw the girl who had once slept with her head resting on Li Xiu'er's thighs. That peaceful face was exactly as she remembered from that day.
"Mm?" Chu Lian turned around and looked at the girl lying on the bed, whose body had just trembled. She frowned, then retrieved an object from her personal space and returned to the bed, slowly placing it upon Li Xiu'er's head.
"Xiu'er, among all of us, you're the one best suited to use the Dragon Crown. Although you can't make use of its abilities yet, it will protect you with its own power. This can also be considered a form of compensation from me to the two of you. You'll get along well." The moment the Dragon Crown was placed on Li Xiu'er's head, it turned incorporeal and vanished as though it had never appeared.
This was because the crown had automatically recognized Li Xiu'er as its master. Knowing that she was currently incapable of using it, it had entered an incorporeal state to protect her. Except when necessary, it would be as though it did not exist at all and would not affect her daily life.
Perhaps because the crown's mystical power had flowed into her body, Li Xiu'er's tightly knitted brows gradually relaxed within her dream. There would be nothing frightening in this dream, because someone was protecting her.
"Good girl. I'll always stay by your side and protect you, so please don't overthink things." Chu Lian bent down and brushed aside the hair beside Li Xiu'er's cheek. She left a gentle kiss upon her forehead before departing once more.
This time, Li Xiu'er neither called out to her nor displayed any unease. All that remained was an exceedingly tranquil sensation, as though she had become one with the world.
"Mm?" The moment Chu Lian stepped out of the room, she saw a white figure standing silently at the bend in the staircase, watching her. The girl's gaze was distant and profound, and Chu Lian could not tell what she was thinking.
It seemed Chu Lian had not seen her since yesterday. She had no idea where the girl had gone. Perhaps she had been cultivating in seclusion inside the training room on the fourth floor. After all, Hiyori had already broken through to the Earth Rank, so it was only natural for her to go and learn something as well.
It seemed there was nothing for the two of them to discuss. Apart from standing there quietly, neither of them made another move.
Chu Lian tilted her head slightly and smiled. If the white-haired girl refused to speak, then she would not speak either. She simply met her gaze.
"I'm sorry." The white-haired girl stared deeply into her eyes for a long time before ultimately condensing all her emotions into a single apology. After speaking, she did not wait for Chu Lian's answer and simply turned around and left.
Had that been her sole purpose? Chu Lian did not know what the girl was thinking. Being able to guess it would probably have been quite interesting.
"I'm not angry. There was no need to keep something like that weighing on your mind for so long, was there?" Chu Lian smiled. She knew the girl had come to apologize for suddenly attacking her a few days earlier.
However, Chu Lian did not blame her. No one even knew who had been right or wrong in that incident, so it was still too early to draw any conclusions.
Even though the girl had attacked her, hadn't Chu Lian been the one who had upset her? Everyone had to face punishment for their mistakes. Chu Lian would never assume that everything she did was necessarily right.
"Honestly, why are there more and more tsunderes while straightforward people are becoming increasingly rare? Ah, being a tsundere is truly no good. It's far too easy to hurt yourself." Chu Lian sighed. She certainly was not a tsundere herself... probably.
"Big Sis~" A girl's voice called from behind her. Chu Lian did not respond, so the girl called again, "Big Sis?"
"Mm, Chu Chu, what is it?" Chu Lian looked back as the door behind her opened. Chu Chu stood there in a transparent black nightgown, gazing at her in a seductive pose. One finger rested lightly at the corner of her lips, and her eyes shimmered like pools of spring water, making her utterly captivating.
Seeing her like this, Chu Lian suddenly walked over as though she had been bewitched. She reached out, seemingly about to embrace her...
Smack! Her palm struck Chu Chu on the head, instantly destroying the atmosphere the girl had painstakingly created. What remained was a scene resembling an elder sister disciplining her disobedient younger sister.
Chu Chu clutched her head with tears in her eyes. She looked at Chu Lian with an aggrieved expression, completely unaware of what she had done wrong. "What was that for?"
"Who taught you to act like this? Tell me. I'll give them a proper beating." A trace of murderous intent flashed through Chu Lian's eyes. Who had corrupted her precious younger sister? Once Chu Lian found out, she would capture that bastard, hang them up, and beat them senseless.
"Big Sis..." Chu Chu glanced at her but did not dare admit that Chu Lian herself was the one who had corrupted her. She would definitely die if she said that aloud, wouldn't she? Still, none of that mattered, as long as Chu Lian came inside.
Chu Chu took her hand and pulled her into the room before closing the door. She impatiently tried to remove Chu Lian's nightgown, but the moment she placed her hands on Chu Lian's shoulders, before she could do anything else, Chu Lian stopped her.
"I didn't come here to have sex with you, young lady." The instant Chu Lian rejected her, tears filled Chu Chu's eyes and threatened to fall. She was trying to use a tender assault to force Chu Lian into accepting.
"If you're going to act like this, I'll have no choice but to leave." Chu Lian was not falling for that trick. She had treated Chu Chu too gently over the past few days, so now the girl seemed to believe that as long as she acted spoiled, Big Sis would give her anything she wanted. Not a chance.
"No, no, no! Big Sis, I was wrong." Chu Chu would never truly allow Big Sis to leave. Even if they could not have sex, simply staying together was still a wonderful pleasure. She loved living like this.
"All right, come here." Chu Lian crooked a finger at Chu Chu, who had taken a step back, and gestured for her to approach.
Chu Chu's eyes lit up. Thinking Chu Lian had changed her mind, she immediately walked over obediently, leaned forward, raised her head, and pursed her lips.
Is she asking for a kiss? She's certainly direct. Still, I like it.
After all, that was precisely why Chu Lian had come here.
Chu Chu had only hoped things might develop this way. She had not truly believed Chu Lian would kiss her. Yet Chu Lian actually leaned down and immediately captured her little mouth.
However, the kiss ended almost at once, so quickly that Chu Chu had not even felt any pleasure before it was already over.
A white rose blossomed. Before Chu Chu could understand what had happened, a vast amount of knowledge appeared in her mind, and Chu Lian released her.
Standing where she was, Chu Chu raised a hand and rubbed her temple. She shook her head and only recovered from her dazed state after a long while. Gritting her teeth, she exclaimed, "Big Sis, you're awful!"
"Oh? Since you find me so awful, I suppose I'll leave." Chu Chu had said she was awful, so leaving would be fine, wouldn't it?
Chu Lian said this, but her body did not move in the slightest. It was obvious she wanted Chu Chu to come forward and beg for mercy.
"My wonderful Big Sis, I was wrong. Please forgive me." Even though she knew Chu Lian was only putting on an act, Chu Chu still ran over, grabbed her hand, and swung it back and forth. This was neither the first time she had done so nor would it be the last.
Once Big Sis started acting tsundere, no amount of Chu Chu's shameless pestering would do any good.
"Hmph, as long as you understand. Take some time to digest everything in your head, then tell me what you need." Chu Lian finally spoke after being helplessly shaken back and forth.
She was attempting to display the overwhelming dignity of her identity as an elder sister. However, according to Gensokyo tradition, overwhelming dignity equaled a flat chest... Chu Lian certainly was very dignified.
"Look, Big Sis can sing, Bis Sis Ya can play the piano, Yanran can dance and play the guzheng, Xiu'er can play the pipa, Nana can play the guitar, and Lux can play the bass. As for the remaining instruments, such as the pipa, erhu, and violin, Chu Chu will choose the violin."
Indeed, the reason the ensemble contained a mixture of Chinese and Western instruments was because Chu Lian had chosen an arrangement that fused the two styles. Compared with using only one type of instrument, coordinating the melodies would be more difficult, but the resulting effect would undoubtedly be extraordinary.
"That works. When necessary, I can play the erhu or another instrument. As long as we connect the rhythms properly, there won't be a problem. As for the guzheng, Yanran can also play the pipa, so we can have her hold the pipa while playing and dancing at the same time. I'll sit there and play the guzheng. It's settled!"
After hearing Chu Chu's decision, Chu Lian thought for a moment and clearly assigned everyone's roles. Classical instruments were the last thing she needed to worry about. Western instruments were more difficult for her, but since Chu Chu had chosen the violin, she must have been confident in handling it.
"All right, all right. Digest the knowledge on your own. I'm going to see Inori." Chu Lian checked the time and did not want to delay any longer. She left Chu Chu alone to think, opened the door, and departed.
"Chu Chu was the sixth... Mm, that's not too bad..." Lying on the bed, she stared at the ceiling and sank into deep thought.