Chapter 40: Younger Sister's Worry

Time had flown by so quickly!

She had not felt it at all.

"Oh, it's this late."

Hoshino Seri withdrew her serious gaze from the problems and looked out the window with a puzzled expression.

"It's getting late, Teacher Hoshino. I should be heading home."

Bai Youqing packed up her completed workbook, her head feeling dizzy as if it were crammed full of mathematical knowledge.

She felt as though a gentle shake would make it spill right over, leaving no room for anything else whatsoever~

By the way, what was she here to do today again?

Bai Youqing's dazed mind suddenly snapped to a halt; it seemed she really had spent the entire day studying.

The side quest had been completed to perfection, while the main quest appeared to have been completely neglected.

"Why don't you stay for dinner before leaving?" Hoshino Seri offered out of casual politeness.

"Alright." She agreed without a second thought, having been fretting over how to linger a little longer anyway.

Bai Youqing's genuine purpose in coming here had originally been to gather intelligence on Teacher Hoshino. Instead, she had somehow thrown herself into the embrace of mathematics and studied diligently for a whole day.

Putting the cart before the horse, truly...

Hearing Bai Youqing's response, Hoshino Seri was momentarily stunned, not expecting the girl to agree so crisp and clean.

However, she thoroughly appreciated this forthright and candid personality.

How could a little sister this utterly adorable possibly be the rebellious delinquent Teacher Bai had described?

"Be sure to give me plenty of feedback after eating. No holding back—there is an old saying in the State of Xia that honest advice is hard to swallow but beneficial for one's actions. Only by recognizing your own shortcomings can you make progress."

"Don't worry, Teacher Hoshino. I definitely won't pull any punches."

Bai Youqing sat with an upright posture and a solemn gaze, looking as though she were facing a fateful exam that would decide her life.

"With you being so serious, Xiaocheng, I can vaguely feel the pressure myself."

Despite saying that, the moment Teacher Hoshino stepped into the kitchen, her aura shifted once again. The earnest and gentle math teacher transformed instantly into an agile and vigorous master chef.

Her hands moved with steady composure as ingredients were retrieved and prepared. The kitchen knife danced gracefully across the cutting board, and amidst the unique background music of the range hood, Teacher Hoshino navigated effortlessly among ingredients and utensils, managing every detail with the poise of a seasoned general commanding an army of thousands.

Once Teacher Hoshino disappeared into the kitchen, Bai Youqing stealthily pulled out a chart. Recorded on it were her older brother's and Teacher Hoshino's respective personalities, appearances, family assets, talents, and academic knowledge. Based on what was visible so far:

The two were tied in most categories, and there were even a few areas where her own brother fell short, with not a single metric where he surpassed the other.

As the saying goes, men look downward for compatibility, while women look upward.

Her brother barely scraped by in both software and hardware, but he was far from being Teacher Hoshino's best option.

No matter, the investigation would continue. Bai Youqing put away the chart and headed into the kitchen to start carrying out the dishes.

After some forty to fifty minutes, the dining table was laden with a feast of exquisite dishes, appealing in color, aroma, and taste. Most of them were Xia cuisine, accompanied by a small selection of East Island specialties like takoyaki, wagashi, and tempura.

Imitating Teacher Hoshino, she pressed her palms together for appearance's sake and muttered the 'mealtime incantation'.

After tasting the food, Bai Youqing let out a mental sigh: her brother had tied again.

Her brother's cooking was indeed very good, but Teacher Hoshino could prepare both Xia and East Island cuisines with a rich variety of dishes, all of which tasted exceptionally wonderful.

If you don't win, you lose... sigh.

"Xiaocheng, how do you find the taste?"

"Delicious! Much better than the food my brother cooks. The stuff my brother makes is so bad even a pig would turn its nose up at it. If Teacher Hoshino didn't live so far away, I'd want to come over and eat here every single day."

Bai Youqing stood up, grumbling about her brother while beginning to clear the dishes. Why was she running down her own brother? Naturally, it was to lower Teacher Hoshino's expectations.

The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment;
Conversely, the lower the expectations, the greater the astonishment.

"I appreciate Xiaocheng's compliments, but I don't care much for your method of elevating one by stepping on the other. I've actually tasted Teacher Bai's cooking, and it's quite good, you know."

Eh? So that had happened? Teacher Hoshino had actually eaten food cooked by her own brother?

Her brother had actually cooked for a woman other than herself?

Brother, you've changed.
Clearly, she used to be the only one unique to him.

However, this was not the time to dwell on such matters.

With lightning-fast reaction speed, she shook her head firmly and stated with absolute certainty: "My good-for-nothing brother's cooking isn't even fit for dogs. I still think Teacher Hoshino's cooking is the absolute best."

Observing Bai Youqing as she stubbornly put up a front, Hoshino Seri felt she was getting faintly closer to the truth of the matter.

She was all too familiar with this kind of awkward bashfulness between siblings, a staple plotline in countless sibling-themed shows.

Could it be that she, a mere supporting character, was actually part of the storyline in their sibling drama?

Bai Youqing took the subway home and walked up to the entrance of her apartment building's unit.

Glancing upward slightly, she saw that the first-floor lights had been replaced with new ones, shining brilliantly and illuminating the entire ground floor as bright as day.

With this level of brightness,
forget about minor spirits, even a ghost king barging in would be reduced to ashes.

It was now seven or eight in the evening, and Bai Youqing was in a rather sour mood. She took out her key and unlocked the unit door, stepping into the brightly lit interior to meet her brother's gaze.

The fatigue of the commute vanished instantly, replaced by the warmth of finding a safe harbor for her soul.

"You're back? Were you tired from studying at Teacher Hoshino's place today?"

"It was alright." Bai Youqing lowered her head while changing her shoes, her expression somewhat gloomy and depressed.

"Then why do you look like you're in such a bad mood? Did she criticize you?"

"No." Bai Youqing shook her head, unwilling to speak.

"Then why do you look so glum, as if you stepped in dog poop?"

Bai Youqing rolled her eyes dramatically.

"You're the one who stepped in dog poop. It's just that I think it'll be awfully difficult for you to pursue Teacher Hoshino. She looks like she's loaded with money, and I'm afraid she wouldn't look twice at a pauper like you, brother."

"Huh?"

Bai Yuze was momentarily taken aback. When on earth had he ever said he wanted to pursue Teacher Hoshino?

Bai Youqing looked at her brother's dazed expression and couldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy. Aside from childhood playmates, her brother truly seemed to have had very little contact with the opposite sex.

Now that he had finally fallen for someone, how could she let him lose so utterly?

She immediately patted her modestly sized chest and declared:

"You don't need to feel sad, brother. I went on a field inspection today; although there is a significant economic gap between us, in other aspects, you can still barely manage a tie with Teacher Hoshino. As the top wingman, there is no mountain peak I cannot fly over."

"Huh? Wait, who told you I like Teacher Hoshino?" Bai Yuze immediately cut off Bai Youqing's encouraging declaration.

"Don't you like the gentle and beautiful Teacher Hoshino?"

"I have a certain fondness for her, but it hasn't reached that stage yet."

To say Bai Yuze had no fondness for Hoshino Seri would be outright hypocrisy, but it remained strictly at the level of a favorable impression; he had no such intentions for the time being.

"If you like someone, you have to say it boldly instead of acting all timid like a little girl. I've already memorized all of Teacher Hoshino's personal preferences. You should find some time to memorize them too—you need to know that opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared."

Bai Youqing pulled several densely written pages from her bag. Looking at the painstakingly prepared information and data, she hesitated slightly for a moment, but ultimately gritted her teeth and handed all the papers over to her brother.

Damn wicked woman!

Bai Yuze skimmed through them roughly.

You wouldn't know unless you looked, and the sight was truly startling. Good grief, had his little sister hacked into an archive department?!

Home address, personal hobbies, favorite animals, favorite books... everything was written down with crystal clarity. Bai Yuze felt as though his months of interacting with Hoshino Seri hadn't yielded nearly as much accuracy as his sister's investigation over the past couple of days.

Even on the very last page, she had thoughtfully summarized a guide to romancing women:

Be serious when acting as strangers, and unconstrained once familiar;
Be proactive with physical contact, but passive in verbal expression;
Use plenty of subtle hints and ambiguity, while avoiding direct confessions;
Fulfill the duties of a couple without claiming the title of lovers;
Win hearts with clever routines, but treat others with genuine sincerity.

He accepted the papers, appreciating his sister's good intentions, though he had no such thoughts for the moment.

Bai Yuze turned his head, folded the papers neatly, and placed them on the table. Locking eyes with Bai Youqing, he said seriously:

"Xiaocheng, I appreciate your intentions, but I think you still need to keep your focus on your studies..."

Hearing the familiar opening lines, Bai Youqing was already preparing to slip away. Ever since her brother became a teacher, he loved lecturing people about grand principles at the drop of a hat, until her ears were practically growing calluses.

"Don't worry, I only put these details together in my spare time; it won't affect my studies at all. I'm so tired, I'm going to sleep! Good luck, brother! You're not so young anymore, strive to let me see a sister-in-law by next year."

Watching Bai Youqing scamper into her bedroom, Bai Yuze shook his head. He picked up the few sheets of paper, instinctively wanting to toss them into the wastebasket, yet felt a lingering reluctance—this was, after all, his sister's thoughtful gesture.

Sighing, he pulled out a file folder, organized the papers, and stored them inside.

Given his current circumstances, how could he ever dare to dabble in romance? Who knew when someone might just come along and split him in two.