Chapter 198. Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix
"This is your plan for winning over Xander?"
Looking at the four big characters on the title page—so crooked they were almost slanted—Sirin couldn't hold it in. Was this really something you could just write out and show to someone else?
"Mm."
Scratching her head, Kiana's face flushed as she fidgeted and said in a tiny voice, "Th-this is the plan I just came up with before dinner. I—I wanted you to take a look, Sirin."
"..."
Did Kiana forget that she also liked Xander? Helping with something like this was practically aiding the enemy, wasn't it?
"Didn't you say you didn't need my help?"
Sirin clearly remembered Kiana barging into her room before dinner, all swagger and confidence. How had it changed already?
"Th-that's different. It's, it's… right! It's the difference between taking the initiative and being passive!"
Spurred on by Elder Sister Elysia that evening, Kiana had charged upstairs in a rush of heat. But once she sat down in her room to plot her grand strategy, she realized that with nothing more than a few romance manga under her belt, she couldn't think of any good ideas at all.
Seeing Kiana's eyes dart around, Sirin gave a cold little laugh and readied herself to refuse. Yet before she could, Kiana pressed her palms together and bent at the waist in a bow. "Please, Sirin! Only you can help me now. You've been on so many dates with Xander and get along so well with him—you must be experienced and know him well, right!"
"Hm?"
She had to admit, that flattery landed right on the sweet spot of Sirin's heart. If Kiana had praised anything else, Sirin might not have been this happy. But their relationship with Xander—now that was a topic~
Kiana really could get things done.
"Ahem… N-not that I know him that well. But since you've asked so nicely, helping you isn't impossible."
In an instant, her thoughts flipped. Of course, it wasn't because Kiana's words had made her float; it was purely because she didn't want to see her bestie sad.
"Great! Sirin, thank you. You really are the only one who can help me. If you said no, I wouldn't even know what to do!"
Hearing Sirin agree, Kiana finally let out a breath.
And she wasn't lying. Bronya, Seele, and Elder Sister Elysia had all grown up with Xander—they had over a decade of childhood bonds with him. Kiana didn't think their experience would suit her. As for Elder Sister Kaguya, she had practically jumped straight to arranged-marriage speed; zero reference value.
And asking Mei?
Don't be ridiculous. Didn't she hear what Mei told her at lunch today?
Mei wasn't interested in Xander at all; she didn't even want to be around him. Even if Xander invited Mei out on a private date, Mei probably wouldn't accept.
Besides, after what Mei said at noon, going to her now about this kind of thing—Kiana's thick skin wouldn't survive it.
Thinking it over, only Sirin—who had slowly, bit by bit, closed the distance with Xander—was Kiana's ideal person to consult.
Of course, all of the above was just her own wild analysis. Whether it matched reality was anyone's guess.
"All right, all right, don't get so close. It's hot."
Pushing away Kiana's crowding cheek, Sirin raised her chin with a little pride and turned her gaze to the notebook in her hand.
"Don't rush. Let me see your plan first."
With that, Sirin opened the notebook.
"Step 1: Ask Xander out on a date.
Step 2: Confess.
Step 3: Kiss.
Step 4: Hotel."
"..."
Those four short lines made Sirin's expression change more than ten times. She stared for a long while, taking deep breaths to steady herself before she bit out, "This is your entire plan?"
"Mm… I-is it too simple?"
Simple. It was definitely too simple. But to Sirin's dismay, this slapdash thing that looked like it had been scribbled as a joke… actually had a decent chance of working on Xander!
It was basically throwing herself at him. Sirin absolutely did not believe that perv possessed the self-control to sit tight and unmoving. As if she didn't know how often Xander's eyes drifted to Kiana's waist—he was obviously lusting after Kiana's body!!!
He wasn't some considerate anime protagonist; if there was no meat, he'd go find meat. And if the meat came to his door?
Do it all in one go, then naturally let Xander take responsibility afterward—Xander would probably be delighted. At that thought, Sirin drew in a sharp breath.
Looking at the somewhat dazed, fidgety Kiana, Sirin felt a touch of unfamiliarity for the first time.
So her own bestie had such a wild streak? Once she'd made up her mind, she wanted to go straight for the finish line?
No. Absolutely not. If she nodded now, she'd probably be calling Kiana "big sister" the very next day. Just imagining it made Sirin shiver. She quickly shook her head.
"It really is too simple."
Forcing down her panicked heartbeat, Sirin spoke in a deep voice.
"I-is that so? I knew it. Xander would probably be scared, right?"
Kiana scrunched up her little face, troubled.
In Kiana's mind, the first few steps weren't the problem; she was mainly hung up on whether the last step was too fast.
Honestly, she'd been eyeing Xander's body for a long time. She often couldn't help copping a feel. Once their relationship was official and justified, she couldn't guarantee she'd be able to hold back. If they moved that fast, would Xander think she lacked self-restraint?
Seeing Kiana say this, Sirin felt a twinge of guilt for lying, but still nodded repeatedly. "Exactly. Love is a gradual process—how could you move that fast?"
"B-but…"
Hesitating, Kiana puffed her cheeks. "Sirin, are you planning to separate from Xander later on?"
Sirin blinked, then asked in confusion, "No. Why are you asking that?"
"Since we've already decided it's Xander, once the relationship is confirmed, that petty, domineering guy definitely won't let us go. If that's the case, why go so slow?"
At this point, Kiana's face reddened even more, and her voice shrank. "I—I secretly asked Elder Sister Elysia. That kind of thing feels really good. If we've already decided, why not move faster and enjoy it bright and early?"
"..."
God—"enjoy it bright and early."
But Sirin was stunned again. Suddenly, she couldn't refute it. She even felt like Kiana kind of had a point???
Right, since they'd already decided. Sirin had no interest in anyone else either. Why not choose to enjoy things a little sooner? Every time she saw Bronya and Seele come out of the room glowing, she knew that kind of thing did feel really good.
No, no!! How did she get dragged into Kiana's logic!
Sirin shook her head hard, then truly started to argue from the heart. "Kiana!!!"
"Here!!"
Hearing Sirin's stern tone, Kiana immediately sat up straight.
"Love isn't just for that kind of thing. That's only the final result. The process of two people gradually getting to know each other is just as important. Don't you want to go on dates with Xander, to savor the happiness of your relationship growing bit by bit?"
"B-but, Xander and I are already very close. Wouldn't it be weird to act like boys and girls who just met? And once we're official, it's not like we can't go out on dates. Doesn't Xander often go on dates with Elder Sister Elysia and Seele even now?"
"..."
"If I confess this fast, will Xander reject me?"
"..."
Damn it. He probably really wouldn't!
Mouth half open, Sirin realized she'd been countered again and grew irritable. "No means no! If you make it that easy, you're letting that philandering jerk off the hook. What if he doesn't know how to cherish you?!"
"But Elder Sister Kaguya was directly delivered over. You know her situation. I think Xander treats Elder Sister Kaguya really well."
"Enough! Are you asking for my advice or picking a fight with me!!!"
Sirin shouted, a little mortified and angry.
Kiana snapped out of it and bowed her head, ashamed. "S-sorry."
Seeing her friend back down, Sirin let it go. After thinking for a bit, she frowned and said, "Kiana, being best friends and being lovers are two completely different things. To use one of your games as an analogy, it's like the same class branching into different advanced jobs. Yes, you're close—but the atmosphere between the two is completely different."
Kiana stayed quiet. Sirin's IQ finally returned to its original level. After that point, she asked, "Imagine it: not with a best friend's attitude, but with a lover's attitude. Could you still so straightforwardly hug Xander's arm and act spoiled with him now?"
"A lover's attitude… What does that feel like?"
"..."
Sirin's mouth twitched. She let out a long breath, took a moment to compose herself, and then said, "It's when he knows you like him, and you know he likes you, and he'll even respond intimately to what you do. Then—could you still just rush up and hug him?"
"Eh? Xander actually likes me??"
Seeing the genuine surprise on Kiana's face, Sirin felt a surge of wicked fire, and she thumped Kiana on the head.
"I said if—if, understand?!!"
Clutching her sore head, Kiana nodded pitifully and shut her eyes, starting to imagine it.
Gradually, Sirin watched Kiana's face grow redder and redder. Soon Kiana opened her eyes. "No, no, no! I absolutely couldn't do that!!!"
"Heh~ Now you know how ridiculous what you just said was."
Arms crossed, Sirin huffed.
"R-right."
Looking at Sirin with newfound respect, Kiana said slowly, "At this point, even just a kiss would be hard for me. I can't even imagine what comes after."
"Wha…"
Hearing that, Sirin—still a bit smug—suddenly felt the notebook tremble in her hands. She couldn't help asking, "Y-you said a kiss?"
"Y-yeah. If it's only hugging… a-although it's a bit embarrassing, if Xander hugged me back, that sounds pretty nice. But the kiss after that… I mean, I see Xander and Elder Sister Elysia doing it every day, but a-a kiss is actually such a shameful thing?"
Just picturing it made Kiana's head feel hot.
"I-is that so. Heh… heh heh…"
Sirin's mouth twitched. The smile on her face could only be called a rictus.
"Master Sirin, please teach me about love!"
"I…"
"Please teach me!!!"
"F-fine."
Those worshipful eyes practically shoved Sirin onto burning coals, forcing her to grit her teeth and start talking about her own dating experience.
"Ahem. So… in my plan, the first few dates should be for getting to know each other and gradually closing the distance. At that time, just simple hand-holding should be enough. Then…"
As she slowly recounted her experiences, Kiana diligently took notes. But as she wrote, she started to feel something was off. Sirin sounded convincing, but wasn't this a little too slow? And toward the end, why did Sirin sound slower and slower… like she was making it up on the spot?
After a while, Kiana finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Sirin, how far have you gotten with Xander?"
"Ah? Th-that, um…"
Sirin's voice seized up. Kiana's expression turned suspicious. Based on what Sirin had said, she tested the waters: "Don't tell me… you haven't even made it official with Xander yet?"
"..."
"What about a kiss?"
"..."
Now Kiana fell silent too. The two of them stared at each other in mute understanding.
Watching Sirin sit there, fidgeting, Kiana asked in puzzlement, "Sirin, your plan is to kiss on the tenth date, right?"
"Mm…"
She nodded despite herself. Kiana looked even more confused.
"That can't be right. Last year you were bragging to me that you'd already gone on seven dates with Xander. It's been almost half a year since then. Don't tell me it's still seven?"
Sirin ducked her head even lower and muttered, "E-eight. Eight."
"Only once in half a year?!!"
"…Mm."
And that one time was Xander asking her.
Kiana's pen froze over the page. She suddenly didn't know what to say. She'd thought Sirin was a king… but it turned out she was bronze?
Was Sirin really this embarrassing?
"N-no, why?"
Silence fell again.
Just when Kiana thought Sirin wasn't going to answer, a tiny voice rose: "I want to, too."
"What?"
It was too soft to hear. When Kiana leaned closer, Sirin snapped her head up, face aggrieved. "I want to, too!!! Every day I see Xander being that intimate with Bronya and Seele—do you know how jealous I am?"
"Then why…"
"I'm scared, okay?!!!!"
Like smashing the pot because it's already cracked, Sirin squeezed her eyes shut and roared.
Sick leave
Watched a match yesterday and got so frustrated. Forgot to close the window before bed, and today the sudden temperature drop did me in. Taking a day off to recover. I'd promised to add an extra update today—let's count that as owing three installments, 6,000 words total. I'll make up all of it next week. Planning to aim for the half-year award this month, so updates won't be lacking. Sorry!
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