The approaching girl had medium-length hair. Compared to Chu Lian's straight, smooth locks, her hair had waves at the ends.
Wearing a serious expression, she repeated the same sentence over and over: "Big Sis is mine!"
As she drew closer, Li Xiu'er and the others looked carefully and noticed that her facial features bore a strong resemblance to Chu Lian's. They were both exquisitely delicate and flawless. However, unlike Chu Lian's gentle and pitiful charm that made people want to cherish her, this girl radiated a vibrant, energetic aura.
Despite their differences, the overall resemblance between them was about fifty to sixty percent. For two sisters who weren't twins, that was an impressively high similarity. The biggest difference was that this girl seemed to have inherited their mother's chest size—though the same age, she was far more voluptuous. Simply put, her bust was massive.
Hmph, she said, puffing out her chest. "I know who you all are, and I know Big Sis wouldn't let me mess around. But Shirai Kuroko must be mine—that's non-negotiable!" Then she pointed a finger. "As for the resemblance issue, it doesn't matter. There are plenty of ways to deal with that. I've got it covered. You all just focus on your own things."
Li Xiu'er was taken aback by her, staring as the girl approached. "You're Chu Lian's younger sister? How come I've never heard of you?"
The girl lifted her chin proudly—reminding one a bit of Cai Ya in this aspect. "That's because you only just got to know her. It's normal that you haven't heard of me. I was off traveling recently, so I didn't show up before. If you'd looked into her background, you would've seen me."
"Chu Chu, Chu Lian's younger sister. Also a top student at Sudi High, but you're in Class 6. Rumor has it you have remarkable talent in painting but aren't very interested in other subjects. Your entrance exam score barely made the cut, which is why you were placed in Class 6." Cai Ya narrowed her eyes and casually spoke up, subtly mocking her.
After all, this girl had stormed in so aggressively—no one was allowed to act that proud in front of her, except herself.
"So what if I'm in Class 6?" Chu Chu didn't show a hint of embarrassment. "It's not that I'm bad at studying—I just don't want to waste my time on trivial things. For me, painting is my true passion and pursuit. In that area, how do you compare to me, you so-called music genius?"
She smiled faintly. "Genius? In front of Big Sis, none of us amount to anything. Whether it's me, you, or anyone else. So tell me—compared to me, her real sister, what do you have to brag about?"
"In terms of looks, I resemble Big Sis so closely. Just that alone makes me confident that I'm not inferior to anyone. In terms of figure, look at you—besides being a bit taller, what else do you have over me? Two of your chests combined still wouldn't match mine."
"As for height, everyone in our family grows after turning fourteen. Soon enough, I won't be shorter than you—maybe even taller. So you're just enjoying a temporary advantage. I'll be taller than you in three years. But can you grow a chest like mine in ten?"
With that, Chu Chu chuckled behind her hand. Seeing Cai Ya's clearly sour expression, she softened her tone slightly and continued: "In terms of talent, appearance, and figure—we're about evenly matched. Your grades and family background might be better than mine, but so what? What's the use of that? What matters most is..."
She suddenly stepped forward, leaned in, and whispered into Cai Ya's ear: "What matters most is that I'm her sister. By blood, I'm far closer to her than you are. And what are you? A friend? A classmate? Someone who lost the competition? You think that's enough to take my Big Sis away from me? You're not qualified."
With a soft laugh, she brushed past Cai Ya and walked toward the other three.
Cai Ya was stunned by that barrage of words, her face turning as red as if it were smeared with rouge. "Damn it, who said anything about stealing your big sister? I just... just wanted her to fulfill the bet... that's all..." Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, and by the end, even she wasn't sure what she meant anymore.
But through this exchange, she finally understood why the girl had shown such hostility toward her from the moment she appeared—it was all because she saw her as a threat to her place in Chu Lian's heart.
For a girl who never admitted defeat easily, losing to Chu Lian was something she could accept as a gap in strength. But to this Chu Chu? She didn't believe the girl had that much of an edge. If Chu Chu saw her as a threat, then she would have to rise to the challenge.
Hmph, don't think I didn't catch that—your warning was loud and clear. Chu Lian is yours, is that it? Normally, I wouldn't care to fight over anything, but this time, I'll make an exception. I'll fight. I'll make you lose, and I'll become the one she relies on the most.
Her lips, tinted with a hint of purplish pink, curved into an elegant arc. Far from being discouraged, Chu Chu's words had only strengthened her resolve.
What Cai Ya didn't realize at that moment was that she had already begun viewing Chu Lian as someone to pursue. Subconsciously, she had elevated her status and started to idolize her.
As for the inner workings of this heiress's heart, Chu Chu didn't care in the slightest. She walked between Ruriko Nana and Lux Lyle and spoke softly, "I know what you're both here for. As long as you can help Big Sis, I'll help with whatever I can in the future. But that's the limit. Don't involve her in any family missions or legacy issues. If there's anything else, I'll talk to her myself. You don't need to worry."
Unlike her veiled jabs while speaking with Cai Ya, Chu Chu laid everything out plainly with Ruriko and Lux. It was clear she'd gotten hold of some confidential intel and had come to nip their intentions in the bud.
As for what the future held—she'd deal with it. If she couldn't, she'd go to her big sister. As long as no one tried to take her sister away, she could accept anything.
Her bluntness made the two girls' expressions shift slightly, but they were also secretly relieved—at least now they didn't have to hide certain things. As for the family inheritance or missions, they could deal with those later. The most important thing was lifting the burden off their shoulders.
They didn't question the truth of Chu Chu's words. Compared to regular people, they knew far too much. Things that even the Wang family didn't know—they knew them clearly.
That included the Chu family's mysterious origins, the Li family backing Li Mingxue, and some of Chu Lian's secrets.
To be honest, all three girls had selfish motives right now. Chu Chu had become selfish for Chu Lian's sake. Lux Lyle and Ruriko Nana were selfish because they had finally found a way to resolve their families' burdens.
This kind of selfishness wasn't about their true nature—it was more like an excessive obsession that surfaced in certain situations. It wasn't necessarily good or bad, but it certainly wasn't endearing.
Finally, Chu Chu walked up to Li Xiu'er, extended her hand, and smiled. "Mmhm, since you called Mother dear 'Auntie,' that makes you my cousin, right? I'm Chu Chu. Sorry our first meeting had to be under such awkward circumstances."
Li Xiu'er had been the first to speak to her, and yet ended up the last she spoke to. Among everyone here, Li Xiu'er gave her the best impression—at least she didn't show any delusions about her big sister. That alone was enough to earn Chu Chu's favor.
Of course, this initiative was based on her not yet knowing about the close bond Chu Lian and Li Xiu'er had developed over the past few days. If she found out, there was no telling if she'd blow up on the spot. But one thing was certain—she would never try to befriend Li Xiu'er.
When it came to her big sister, even a cousin couldn't be given the slightest room for doubt!
"Hm? Should I call you Cousin Chu Chu?" Li Xiu'er paused for a moment before realizing what Chu Chu meant. She reached out a small hand for a handshake, then let go and asked.
"You can just call me Chu Chu. No need for the cousin title. We've only just met—let's give it some time to deepen our bond. When the time is right, calling me cousin won't be too late." She smiled brightly, and if not for witnessing her earlier obsessive behavior, no one would've imagined she had that side to her.
"Oh… Chu Lian, Chu Chu… is your brother named Chu Ren? And your sister Chu Ke'er?" Li Xiu'er pondered over the names for a moment, then her expression suddenly became amused as she asked.
"My dumb older brother is named Chu Ren, but it's 'Ren' as in human, not benevolence. That pervy older sister's name isn't Chu Ke'er, it's just Chu Ke." Chu Chu didn't know why Li Xiu'er was asking, but she still gave the names honestly.
"Chu Chu, Chu Lian, Chu Ke, Chu Ren…" Li Xiu'er suddenly found herself admiring the Chu family's father. Such deliberate naming—almost like it had all been calculated beforehand—formed perfectly meaningful combinations.
"Chu Chu Lian Ren, Chu Chu Ke Lian… It seems Chu Lian really does hold a special place in their family…" Li Xiu'er said, her tone involuntarily tinged with envy.
"Our names weren't originally like that. If Mother hadn't randomly given us silly names at first, Father wouldn't have stepped in and renamed us… Anyway, let's skip that memory—I really don't want to remember those early names…"
After explaining their names, Chu Chu continued, "Big Sis is our family's most precious treasure, of course she's important! Hmph, if I didn't know she wanted to make our parents the proudest in the world, I wouldn't have let her show herself in public. If only Big Sis belonged to me alone…"
Her mood soured as she said this. That obedient, lovely big sister—ever since their grandparents died in a car crash and Chu Chu herself fell ill, she had changed so much. Honestly…
But as long as it makes Big Sis happy, I'll support her. No matter what method it takes…
Through their conversation, the distance between everyone lessened considerably. Though Cai Ya and Chu Chu continued to exchange barbs, the overall atmosphere had improved.
Just then, Chu Lian's voice called out from behind them: "Chu Chu, when did you get back?"
They turned around and saw… Misaka Mikoto? Chu Lian was nowhere in sight. But when they looked more closely, they realized—this person who seemed to have stepped out of the second dimension was, in fact, Chu Lian herself. Her cosplay was so convincing it had fooled them all.
Before anyone could recover from the shock, a figure dashed forward, arms wide open, yelling, "Big Sis~ Chu Chu missed you sooo much~~~"
But as if anticipating this, Chu Lian subtly shifted her footing and dodged. Chu Chu, who had been charging toward her, ended up flying straight toward the pool...
Splash... With a loud splash, Chu Chu landed in the pool, completely soaked.
Only then did Chu Lian's voice echo faintly: "Haven't you ever learned your lesson? Long time no see, Chu Chu…"
Then, she turned to the four girls in the distance and flashed a bright, cheerful smile—like the devious person from just moments ago had never existed.
No wonder she chose to cosplay Misaka Mikoto. So one person really can look that much like the real thing… I feel like I just saw the actual Misaka Mikoto in front of me…
That was the shared thought of Li Xiu'er, Ruriko Nana, Lux Lyle, and Cai Ya.