Under the swipe of the marker, “Feng Jingsheng” turned gold in the notebook—and I finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Unlike last month, when Rinka’s name took ages to change, this time the change was immediate. Looks like even Notebook-sama agrees Old Feng’s suffered enough.

Perfect. It’s only mid-month, and I’ve already cleared my quota!

Which means I’ve got half a month of peace ahead—time to settle into the sweet life of a stay-at-home security captain.

I closed the black-bound notebook, picked up the lunchbox I’d brought back from Rinka’s place, and sat down on the carpet between Xiao Lei and Xiao Qianxia. As I ate, I watched them face off in a fighting game.

Well—“face off” might be generous. It was more of a one-sided slaughter.

Xiao Lei’s character let out one last shriek as she collapsed in-game, and she mirrored it perfectly—falling back on the carpet, arms splayed, muttering blankly: “Nope… I really can’t win.”

Meanwhile, Qianxia’s character still had full HP.

I leaned over and patted Xiao Lei on the shoulder to console her. “Okay, okay. Stop throwing yourself into the meat grinder.”

Qianxia was, frankly, a gaming prodigy.

She had insane reflexes and could pick up any genre like it was nothing. That sharp little brain of hers was scarily fast—she’s only ten, but it’s definitely no shame losing to her.

I glanced at the clock. Just after 9 p.m.

“It’s getting late. Time for Qianxia to head home and sleep, yeah?”

“Nooo!”

As soon as I said I’d walk her back, the little girl ditched her controller and dove straight into my arms.

Her fair little arms wrapped around my neck, and her soft, squishy face nuzzled into my chest. But since I’m currently male and flat as a board, all she managed to smoosh against were my ribs through my T-shirt—leaving her clearly dissatisfied.

Still, her hair smelled just as nice as always. The closeness stirred a guilty pang in my chest.

“I wanna sleep with big sis tonight~” she declared, then added: “The one with breasts!”

Xiao Lei, gnawing on a fingernail off to the side, gave me a strange look and muttered:

“So that’s the trick… If it’s a little girl, even clingy behavior won’t get rejected. Damn Notebook—why can’t it turn me into a ten-year-old?”

…She’s definitely having dangerous thoughts.

Brother Zhu didn’t seem to mind Qianxia spending the night here—maybe he really trusted my character that much. But she didn’t have a change of clothes here, so I had to take her home for a bath first.

She’d been climbing and running around all day, and her clothes were filthy. No way I’d let her crawl into bed like that.

“You can sleep over, sure—but you’ve gotta go home and shower first, okay?”

“I wanna shower with big sis!” she said boldly.

Absolutely not! That’s the one thing that’s totally off the table! I’m still young and very much want to live! Not to mention—I’ve got a broken leg!

“Listen, I’m a boy. You’re a girl. Boys and girls can’t bathe together, understand?”

“Then if you turned into the sister with breasts, couldn’t we bathe together?”

…That actually sounded logical. Hard to argue. But it’d still be me!

Xiao Lei chimed in from the side with eyes closed, yelling, “I—I wanna bathe with the Commander too!”

“You shush. Why are you joining in? Also, don’t you have school tomorrow? Shouldn’t you be heading home?”

Xiao Lei twisted bashfully, tugging at her sleeve, face slightly flushed. She mumbled:

“I… I texted my mom earlier and told her I’m staying over tonight… ehehe~”

“…”

Seeing me go silent, she looked up nervously. “I-I… then I can also sleep over together with Xiao Qianxia, right?”

Her pitiful puppy-dog eyes made her look like a husky left by their owner. In the end, I didn’t have the heart to kick her out.

“Fine. Go shower. I’ll take the little one home real quick and check with her dad.”

“Yay!”

Permission granted, Xiao Lei instantly perked up and bounced away.

Zhao Zhao had warned me—the avatar bookmark gave her hope, and she might start acting more boldly. Seems he was right.

Zhu residence.

Qianxia obediently went upstairs to bathe, while I nervously sat in the living room. I’d intended to just drop her off and leave, but Brother Zhu insisted on chatting.

He was already in sleepwear—black silk pajamas that screamed “mob boss at rest,” the neckline just low enough to show off his chest tattoo and muscle. His friendly smile alone was enough to send a chill down my spine.

“If she asked to stay over, then I’ve got no objections. But Xiao Kai, are you over your cold yet?”

I sniffled a little.

My sinuses were clear—probably starved the virus out after not eating all day.

“I’m better now. But… Brother Zhu, why are you so trusting with me?”

“Because you’re a good person, Xiao Kai.”

A sudden Good Guy Card. Was that praise or pity?

“I feel completely at ease leaving her with you. And honestly, I’m happy she’s making new friends through you. Her social circle’s always been too small—she needs to get out there more.”

“Would it be okay if I took her out sometime, maybe to play or hang out?”

He sighed and shook his head. “Better not. I can’t tell you why—but it’s too dangerous.”

Danger, huh… Just as I thought. He’s got enemies.

“I—I understand!”

“Papa, big sis, I’m done bathing!”

Qianxia came padding down the stairs, her hair still wet. Even in front of her dad, she still called me “big sis”—and Brother Zhu didn’t even flinch. In fact, he reached out and gave my shoulder a reassuring pat.

“Take care of her tonight. Just bring her back before school tomorrow.”

Back in my room, I got a call from senior Changpu. She’d just finished work and was switching back—no idea how things were going between her and her sister over at “Kamehameha.” Hopefully not too awkward.

Since Qianxia insisted on “sister with breasts,” I had no choice but to use the bookmark and switch into my female form.

Strangely enough, a moment ago I was thinking, “Even if she’s just a kid, it’s still weird for a guy and girl to sleep together…”

But after switching, my thoughts immediately shifted to, “We’re all girls—it’s totally fine!”

That’s the scary part about the subconscious mental rewiring. It really works.

…Wait. If even your thoughts change, would I end up like Xiao Lei and start falling for men?

Xiao Lei snickered mischievously, “Hehe, then you and Qianxia can have the bed. I’ll just make do on the floor with your real body…”

“The hell you will! No way I’m letting you near my real body! Get your butt in bed with us!”

No chance I’m handing her my body unattended. If she tries anything shady¹, I’d be screwed!

“Okay~!”

She agreed way too fast. That sly glint in her eyes… definitely up to something.

My bed was a 1.5-meter-wide double, still spacious enough even with Qianxia joining.

To keep her from rolling off in the night, I had her sleep against the wall, me in the middle, and Xiao Lei on the outer edge.

My original body was on the floor mattress—for obvious reasons, and to avoid spreading my cold.

Qianxia turned to face me and quickly drifted off—she was only ten, and it was already past ten p.m., quite late for her.

Xiao Lei, though… wasn’t nearly as well-behaved.

Her breathing was heavy with excitement, radiating a restless energy that made me feel like I’d invited a wolf into my bed.

Maybe she was scared of making me angry, so she didn’t dare move too much. At most, she’d subtly brush her leg against mine… but once I’m asleep, who knows what she’ll do.

Maybe I should tie her up?

“...Mommy…”

It was Qianxia, murmuring in her sleep—like she was calling for someone far away.

She likes me so much… Is it because she sees me as a mother figure? Even if Brother Zhu gives her the best life possible, there’s a gap no father can fill.

Will she grow up rebellious like Huangfu Jing?

Should I write Brother Zhu’s name in the Notebook?

And where the hell is my own missing mother, anyway…?

Ding-ling-ling-ling!

The alarm blared from the bedside table. I instinctively reached out to silence it—only to find I couldn’t move my arms.

I was flat on my back. Xiao Lei and Qianxia had both rolled toward me during the night and locked me in a double-octopus grip.

Xiao Lei had her left leg tangled with mine, right arm wrapped around my left, and her left hand had slipped under my pajama top, resting warm and gentle on my stomach. Her shallow breath brushed against my neck, making me tickle slightly.

Meanwhile, Qianxia—much shorter—had wrapped herself around my right arm, her hand somehow landing right between her thighs. The soft squeeze of her legs around my wrist had me frozen in place, and as if that wasn’t enough, her other hand had snuck into the valley of my chest and was squeezing.

Trapped on both sides…

Is this the peak of life?