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Nightfall.
Kaito: "Sis, order takeout for yourself. I'm not coming back for dinner today."
Ordering takeout at the office and making sure his work was performed flawlessly meant he could shoulder as much as possible now. Otherwise, once he booked the clinic appointment, it wouldn't be convenient to ask for more leave.
The phone vibrated, and the screen lit up.
Elysia: "[Resentful Cat Face.jpg]"
Elysia: "It's okay, you eat yours. I'll wait for my brother to come back so we can eat together."
Looking at the cartoon cat on the screen with its ears drooping and eyes full of tears, Kaito could almost visualize his sister on the other end—her pinkish-blue eyes brimming with the watery light of grievance.
What happened now?
Kaito could feel her resentment right through the screen. But why? They were both adults; staying late for work and skipping a meal at home was perfectly normal.
His fingers tapped on the keyboard for a moment before Kaito cursed, "Crap," saved his progress, and immediately left his workstation.
Elysia, you better actually have something wrong with you!!!
Clinging to the thought that Elysia might actually be in trouble, Kaito ordered groceries for delivery on his way home, terrified that his sister might have had a mental break and decided to hang herself or something.
Bang!
The lights in the apartment were off. Kaito instinctively sniffled. Oh no, Sis, you didn't actually kill yourself, did you? Don't do it! I won't call you a 'piggy-cat' anymore, and I won't act disgusted by you!
"Oh, my fickle, shallow husband..."
A resentful, operatic theatrical voice echoed through the room. With a click, Kaito expressionlessly flicked on the light.
Warm light flooded the room, revealing Elysia sitting cross-legged on the sofa like a lazy cat. She was dressed in a crimson Hanfu that made her skin look as white as snow. She was intentionally maintaining a stern little face, but her eyes were accented with a stroke of theatrical red makeup, and her wide sleeves fluttered through the air as she performed a mock-dramatic gesture.
"It's fine, Kaito. If you aren't happy, go eat out. I believe my brother will eventually come back to be with me."
As she spoke, she squeezed a throw pillow printed with an embarrassing photo of Kaito as a child, looking every bit the abandoned waif.
Kaito let out a long breath of relief, then set his things aside, feeling a twinge of regret... I should have just ordered takeout.
He thought she'd had another episode, but it was just a bout of "eccentricity." While her dramatics were severe, they were still much better than a full-blown psychotic break.
"I was planning to work late these next few days to get ahead on the project," Kaito explained helplessly.
"Oh."
Elysia's small nose wrinkled slightly, and she gave a tiny, microscopic shake of her head. Her "bestie," Sakura, had already leaked the news about Kaito hitting on a girl during work hours. No wonder he loved going to the office so much after graduation; he didn't even want to spend time with a delicate beauty like her anymore.
"And then I'm taking a day off to take you out to clear your head."
Actually, they were going to the hospital, but Kaito didn't say that out loud. Patients avoiding doctors was a tradition spanning thousands of years, after all.
"The new girl is as lovely as jade..."
Elysia started sniffling and sobbing again. Although no actual tears came out, she still rubbed the corners of her eyes, smudging the red makeup across her face like poorly applied rouge.
"Your makeup is ruined."
Kaito handed her a tissue and wiped the smudged red from her face. He didn't understand what kind of fit she was throwing this time. Elysia winced slightly as he wiped, shrinking her neck like a kitten being rubbed the wrong way.
"Sis, you have to give me some personal space. I have my own life too."
While being "inseparable" sounded nice on paper, Kaito had enjoyed four years of freedom during university. He really couldn't adapt back to the way things used to be.
Elysia immediately lowered her head, her soft hair falling to hide the sudden dimming of her eyes. "You're just a fickle man who's grown tired of the old and obsessed with the new. You've got your eyes on some other girl."
She gave Kaito a few light kicks with her bare feet.
Where is this even coming from? Sis, please don't just say whatever you dreamed about, okay? Wait, wait!
Did the news about Kiana get out?
There's a mole in the company! Is it Bronya or someone else?!
"Noon was a misunderstanding," Kaito tried to salvage his image.
Elysia instantly countered, "What about that white-haired girl?"
Kaito looked woodenly at the ceiling. There really was a mole. Who is it?! Don't let me catch you!
"Kiana... actually..."
Kaito was about to explain, but then he realized something. Compared to having "romantic intentions," the actual truth of that blunder was far more embarrassing. Boss Bronya had been laughing at him the whole way back.
"Fine! Yes! I like other pretty girls, so what!" he yelled back in self-abandonment.
Elysia blinked, stunned. She never expected Kaito to yell at her so loudly, but that wasn't the important part now. The most important thing was:
"Who is Kiana?"
Wasn't the girl in the photo Bronya? Kaito, just how many are you juggling? You really don't want to taste the 'bitterness of love,' do you! You don't want to go through the pain of long-term investment at all!
Kaito slowly processed a mental question mark.
"She's my..." he hesitated. "Crush?"
"Love should be solid and indestructible! But Kaito, listen to your tone. Do you really have the courage to do whatever it takes to be with Kiana?!"
"A devoted person must be single-minded in love. Although people say 'sunk cost' will ruin a person, Little Bro, you just need to find someone who will never be a sunk cost!"
Elysia advised him earnestly.
Kaito remained hesitant. Something was wrong; he couldn't put his finger on it, but his sister was clearly not on the same frequency as him.
"Also, what's your relationship with Bronya?"
"She's my boss. My only interaction with her today was going with her at noon to pick someone up."
Kaito's tone was so sincere and plain that Elysia instinctively believed him. The problem was solved instantly; now only that "vixen" Kiana remained.
She continued her earnest advice: "Kaito, you have to watch out for the bad women out there. The prettier the girl, the better she is at lying. Especially that Kiana."
Kiana, huh... Kaito didn't know how to explain to his sister that Kiana was basically a dork.
"Yeah, I'll listen to you, Sis."
He was truly exhausted today and didn't want to waste any more breath explaining. Elysia was instantly satisfied, her face blooming into a smile like spring snow melting.
"Tell you what, I'll cook today. Come to think of it, I haven't really cooked since you went to university."
She cheerfully rolled up her wide Hanfu sleeves, revealing two pale, slender arms. With practiced ease, she stripped off the "resentful wife" costume she'd used for the performance and tossed it onto the sofa, revealing her cute loungewear underneath.
Kaito: "..."
True. Ever since the "fake marriage and fake divorce" incident where she took half his savings, Elysia seemed to have awakened some strange trait; she'd become incredibly lazy at home. Sometimes Kaito wanted to point at her nose and shout: Who are you! Get out of my hardworking, beautiful, cute, and sweet-smiling sister's body!
But a man has to accept reality.
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