Esper X Family – Chapter 29 – Feels Like I Touched Something Soft

Ye Yao walked into the living room.

As expected, her stat monster father had respawned on the couch, reading the newspaper as part of his daily morning routine.

Two breakfasts were prepared on the table.

These were for Ye Yao and Luo Jianhua.

Lou Wei and Xiao Jing had probably already eaten.

Ye Yao sneakily glanced at Lou Wei, whose face was hidden behind the newspaper, and peeked into his thoughts.

【Lou Wei’s heart is as calm as still water, with no thoughts whatsoever.】

Mm, good, he didn’t hear what I just said in the room.

Otherwise, she would have to shout, “I love eating beef ¹ The opposite of “I don’t eat beef” that was explained in Chapter 6. !”

Seeing Ye Yao get up and leave the room, Lou Wei stood up and put down the newspaper.

“I’m off to work.”

“Oh, take care on the way,” Ye Yao waved with a smile.

“Mm.”

Lou Wei responded and walked out the door.

Although he said that he was going to work, he was probably just visiting somewhere else in the neighborhood.

Ye Yao had seen through him!

But it was none of her business.

Ye Yao hummed a simple tune as she sat at the dining table, enjoying the breakfast made by Mama Xiao Jing.

Her cooking skills were top-notch.

Luo Jianhua sat beside Ye Yao, just a fist’s distance away.

After leaving Ye Yao’s room, her demeanor had completely changed.

She no longer had to think about how to please Ye Yao.

Nor did she have to worry about whether her mission would fail.

Just being by Ye Yao’s side allowed her to forget all the burdens she carried.

Her body felt unprecedentedly light.

And after witnessing the way Ye Yao interacted with Lou Wei, she became even more curious.

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Who would’ve thought that in just a few days, Ye Yao could get used to an environment where everything was kept hidden from her.

She must already know that Lou Wei is the strongest Esper of the current era.

If Ye Yao ever posed a threat to the world, Lou Wei would be the first to act with force.

Luo Jianhua hadn’t expected Ye Yao to feel no pressure at all.

She could even act as if she didn’t know anything and greet him naturally.

Not revealing even the slightest hint of a flaw.

Such a terrifying temperament.

Luo Jianhua had truly witnessed Ye Yao’s prowess.

In the Countermeasures Bureau, people her age wouldn’t stay so calm just seeing Lou Wei from a distance.

Even Luo Jianhua herself.

Staying in the same space as Lou Wei for too long would make her feel immense pressure.

After all, she had once been expected to become the second Lou Wei.

The closer she was to this man, the more Luo Jianhua felt it was impossible.

That was why she felt endless pressure.

Just as Luo Jianhua was thinking this, a hand suddenly rested on her head.

“Don’t think about those messy things. Focus on eating your breakfast.”

“Uuu, don’t just read my mind…”

Luo Jianhua protested softly with an aggrieved voice.

“Mhm, that’s more like it. Protest when you don’t like something; that’s how normal interactions work.”

“Then, will protesting actually work?”

“Nope,” Ye Yao replied mercilessly.

What a joke.

Her gaming sessions were practically live-streamed.

Her occasional misplays could easily make her rage.

And the trash posts she saw were fed to a bunch of elites in one go.

But she hadn’t even protested yet.

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Luo Jianhua only had to live under her control.

It’s better than being under those adults who always pressure lolis.

After finishing breakfast.

Ye Yao pulled Luo Jianhua back to her room and locked the door behind them.

“Waking up too early is boring. Mo Qiuli will probably come over later, so let’s quickly demonstrate your ability. I’m curious.”

“D-do I have to demonstrate it?”

“Of course. You don’t want to?”

“I do, but won’t the people monitoring us notice?”

Luo Jianhua had unknowingly started to worry for Ye Yao.

Perhaps it was because Ye Yao had helped her escape the whirlpool of pressure.

That was why she subconsciously leaned toward this white-haired loli.

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. The conservative faction is too conservative. They won’t invade my privacy too much. Demonstrating your ability won’t be a big deal.”

“Okay.”

Luo Jianhua trusted Ye Yao.

After all, she could read minds.

“My ability is called【Eyes Obscured by a Single Leaf】. It can create illusions for those who see me.”

“That sounds straightforward. Try it on me.”

Ye Yao was eager, not the least bit worried that Luo Jianhua might have ulterior motives.

“Sister, you’re really strange.”

Luo Jianhua looked like she wanted to say something but held back.

In the original plan…

She had intended to use her ability on Ye Yao to expose her identity as an Esper.

Then use this opportunity to get closer to Ye Yao.

She hadn’t expected the scenario to play out like this.

“Then I’ll use it.”

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Luo Jianhua whispered softly, showing no visible starting gesture.

Ye Yao stared intently, curious about what Luo Jianhua would do next.

Even Lou Wei had to take off his tie to look cool when fighting.

What would Luo Jianhua do?

But what happened next was something Ye Yao didn’t expect.

Luo Jianhua’s figure just vanished without warning.

“Invisibility!”

Ye Yao exclaimed, turning her head left and right to observe the room, but she couldn’t find Luo Jianhua anywhere.

The next second.

Everything in the room began to fog up, as if they were eroded by the river of time.

When Ye Yao snapped out of her shock.

She was no longer in the room, but standing on top of a snowy mountain.

The icy wind howled incessantly.

Ye Yao’s eyes widened as she took in the breathtaking scene.

Goosebumps instantly covered her skin.

Even the temperature felt as if she was truly on a snowy mountain.

Then, Luo Jianhua’s voice echoed, sometimes near, sometimes far.

“The moment you saw me, the condition for my ability was already met.”

“I can deceive people’s senses and trap them in the illusion I’ve created.”

“You can only hear what I allow you to hear, and see what I allow you to see.”

“Even things that don’t exist, I can make you see them with the effects of 【Eyes Obscured by a Single Leaf】.”

The scene before Ye Yao’s eyes changed again.

This time, it was an endless expanse of stars.

The depth and darkness made Ye Yao’s scalp tingle.

“Wow~ That impressive?”

“I can also simulate a battle, making you feel like you’ve fought with all your might, but in reality, you’re just standing there defenselessly.”

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“Even if you walk through the stars, you’re just standing like a statue in reality.”

“This is my ability—【Eyes Obscured by a Single Leaf】.”

Ye Yao muttered softly, “This is basically 【Mirror Flower, Water Moon ² 镜花水月jìnghuā-shuǐyuè. Flower in the mirror, moon reflected on the water; an idiom that means something that is visible but can’t be touched. 】.”

Then, she paused.

“What’s your sequence number?”

“Mmm… I was originally Sequence 016. How did you know?”

Luo Jianhua’s voice carried a hint of surprise.

She hadn’t expected her to ask that.

“Just a guess.”

Ye Yao knew.

Given the Countermeasures Bureau’s tendencies, such a dangerous ability would have long been listed among the Sequence Espers.

The fact that she wasn’t under strict control now probably meant that Luo Jianhua had mastered it.

“Well, I’ll deactivate the ability now.”

“Wait.”

Ye Yao interrupted Luo Jianhua.

In just three seconds.

The surroundings changed three times.

From the starry sky to a waterfall, then to a crossroads, and finally to a beach with rising tides.

Throughout this, Luo Jianhua’s figure never appeared.

The next moment.

Ye Yao reached out her hand.

Feels like I touched something soft.

“Eek!”

The effects of【Eyes Obscured by a Single Leaf】shattered instantly.

Author Note

Playing singleplayer for a long time, and I recently have to move to a new house. Head hurts.