Volume 3, Chapter 3 – Awakening

To be honest, even now, Tianyin still didn’t know what kissing actually felt like.

But if she really went through with it…

What kind of feeling would that be?

With her eyes closed, Tianyin couldn’t help but imagine what a kiss might be like. Though she was indeed a girl at this moment, her essence, deep down, was still that of a boy.

But by now, her habits, her mannerisms, even the way she thought, had all become almost entirely those of a girl. As for being a boy, what remained were only fragments of memory…

So then… what would it feel like when two girls kissed…?

Tianyin couldn’t help but feel curious.

Even so, curiosity aside, she slowly and carefully leaned forward.

The next instant…

A cold sensation spread from her lips straight into her mind. Being so close, she could feel the faint, pleasant scent that drifted from Xiaobingxue’s body.

But out of a strange girlish sense of restraint, Tianyin only brushed lightly against her lips, pulling back almost immediately after the briefest contact.

“Wuu… Xiao… Xiaobingxue… I… I kissed Xiaobingxue…”

A faint blush began to creep across her cheeks, and at the same time, her mind felt hazy and dazed.

“Wah… s-so this… this is what a kiss feels like…?”

Honestly speaking, Tianyin thought this kind of kiss felt… a little weird.

The icy chill of Xiaobingxue’s lips, the pleasant scent from her body, those sensations left a deep impression on her.

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But Tianyin knew for sure… if there were ever a next time when she had to initiate a kiss, forget it being another loli, even if it were Sister Xiaomu herself, there was absolutely no way!

Because it was way too embarrassing, ahhh!

「Well well, Xiaoyin, the problem is that you already kissed her~」

Samael’s voice echoed timely in her mind.

『Stop saying that! Stop it! Next time I’m never taking your advice again!』

As she slowly opened her eyes, Tianyin mentally grumbled back at Samael.

『If Xiaobingxue doesn’t wake up this time, then I’ll just have to carry her back myself!』

「Pfft… carry her back? Xiaoyin, are you planning to take Xiaobingxue back to her home?」

『Not her home! I mean carry her back, back to Eden!』

Samael clearly enjoyed teasing her. If Tianyin couldn’t tell when Samael was joking, she would’ve probably stopped talking to her altogether by now.

But just then, in Tianyin’s sight, the little girl with long, icy-blue hair before her let out a faint murmur, a soft, unconscious sound that was unbearably cute.

「Xiaoyin, looks like Xiaobingxue is waking up~ So, my idea worked, didn’t it?」

『Blah blah, I can see that myself… but still, I didn’t expect your suggestion to actually work…』

「Pfft… see? Sometimes you really should trust me more, Xiaoyin…」

The girl’s voice in her mind giggled softly.

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But Tianyin didn’t have time to respond anymore, because right before her eyes, Xiaobingxue’s eyelids slowly opened.

However, the moment she saw Xiaobingxue’s eyes open, Tianyin’s brief joy vanished, replaced by a sudden pang of sadness.

Because in those eyes… there was nothing but lifelessness… and despair.

It was a gaze Tianyin had never seen before. Those beautiful, sky-blue eyes that once shimmered with life were now dull and clouded, like the sky blanketed by dark clouds. Even her once adorable little face had lost all its light, leaving an emptiness that made Tianyin’s heart ache.

“Xiao… Xiaobingxue?”

Instinctively, Tianyin called her name.

And to her surprise, the little girl, whom she thought wouldn’t respond, slowly turned her dim eyes toward her.

“Xiao…yin?”

Her voice was flat, devoid of emotion. Tianyin couldn’t hear a trace of joy or warmth in her tone.

“It’s me, Xiaobingxue… but, are you okay?”

Tianyin felt uneasy. She had thought the death of the Grand Duke Sargus would only affect Ysera, the Frost Dragon.

But now… it seemed even Xiaobingxue had been deeply affected.

“Xiaoyin?”

As Tianyin was lost in thought, Xiaobingxue tilted her small head slightly, her empty eyes staring faintly at her.

“It’s me, Xiaobingxue, it’s me~”

Gently, Tianyin reached out to stroke Xiaobingxue’s soft, blue hair.

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“Yes… Xiaoyin…”

Feeling the touch on her hair, the little girl before her slowly closed her eyes again.

“Xiaoyin… it’s… Xiaoyin…”

“It’s me, Xiaobingxue. I came to take you home…”

“Home?”

Xiaobingxue slowly opened her eyes again, and this time, Tianyin could see faint traces of tears glimmering within them.

“Home…?”

“Go… home…?”

Then, right before Tianyin’s eyes, clear tears began to slide down the little girl’s cheeks.

“Eh? Xiaobingxue, why are you crying? Don’t cry, okay?”

“I… I’m crying?”

With a confused expression, Xiaobingxue raised her hand and gently touched the tears on her face.

“I… don’t know…”

“But…”

“Xiaoyin… I feel… so sad…”

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As she spoke, more tears fell uncontrollably down Xiaobingxue’s face.

Tianyin understood.

The Grand Duke Sargus had once told her how much the Frost Dragon Ysera cherished and respected him and how she saw him as a father.

But if one day, her father were to die…

Then what would Ysera, who saw Sargus as her only family, do?

Seek revenge?

End her own life?

Or perhaps, seal herself away and fall into endless slumber?

Clearly, the current Xiaobingxue… was the result of Ysera choosing the last option, to sleep, to close herself off.

Even so, even with Ysera’s main consciousness sealed away, her emotions still seeped through and influenced Xiaobingxue.

That’s why, right now, Xiaobingxue felt this inexplicable sorrow, this crushing pain, and cried without knowing why…

These emotions were all born from Ysera’s lingering grief.

Tianyin understood this truth, but she didn’t blame Ysera for it.

Because the Grand Duke Sargus, in a way… had truly been Xiaobingxue’s “father.”