Although senior said he’d "think it over," that was clearly just a polite brush-off. He obviously didn’t buy our whole "we can help you turn into a cute girl and sneak in as a part-timer" pitch.

If it weren’t for the short lunch break, I would’ve given him a live transformation demo on the spot.

After school, he also left in a hurry—probably off to look for another part-time job.

“Commander~ shall Xiao Lei warm your bed tonight?”

As he wheeled me to my front door, Zhao Zhao suddenly dropped that line, even pointing at himself like it was totally normal. I felt a wave of nausea and quickly shut him down.

“No. No thanks. Have you been getting more gay lately or what?”

“Not at all. I’ve been thinking... if Xiao Lei really becomes independent, marrying you would be the best option. That way, I wouldn’t have to worry. And now that she’s got the bookmark, she seems hopeful again—maybe she’ll start making the first move soon.”

Spoken like he was marrying off her little sister, despite being, y’know, literally the same person.

Childhood friends with a bond since forever, huh?

I mean, it’s not like I don’t feel anything, but there’s just... a mental block I can’t get past.

I asked, “If I turned into a girl and told you I liked you, would you be able to accept that?”

He answered instantly—without even blinking.

“Why wouldn’t I?! That’d be amazing! Honestly, I’ve always thought you were born the wrong gender.”

I can’t believe I even asked. What kind of idiot am I?

“You’re a pervert in so many ways. Just... get lost already.”

“Sure you don’t wanna reconsider? Xiao Lei can be real obedient.”

“Get out!”

I shooed Zhao Zhao away and rolled myself inside.

Dad was working late tonight, but he said he’d bring dinner home, so I didn’t bother looking for food. I just grabbed my crutch and headed upstairs.

As I opened the door to my room, I was hit with a shock.

My balcony faced the little courtyard and front gate, while my window looked straight into the neighboring Zhu family’s house. Ever since the gangster heir and his precious daughter moved in, I’ve kept those curtains firmly shut. But now? They were all wide open.

Even the small window behind my desk wasn’t latched. Someone had clearly crawled in through there…

I had a good idea who it was—probably Zhao Zhao again, trying to sneak Xiao Lei back in without my permission.

“Zhao Zhao?”

I called out a couple of times. No response.

Which freaked me out, honestly. If it was a real burglar still hiding somewhere in the room, I was in no shape to fight or flee. My busted leg wasn’t good for anything but sitting still.

I nervously checked the bathroom. Empty.

Under the bed? Empty.

Balcony? Nothing.

Closet? Nada.

Behind the curtains? No one.

The room was completely untouched. No sign of a break-in, no missing stuff. Maybe the thief took one look at my shabby life and decided I wasn’t worth the trouble?

I finally let my guard down and drew the curtains closed again. After taking off my glasses and setting them on the desk, I started heading for the sink to wash my face.

Click.

The sliding closet door creaked open. Something launched out of the top shelf—where I hadn’t looked before—and crashed right into me. I fell back onto the bed from the impact.

“Whoa!”

It didn’t really hurt, but it definitely startled me.

“Sister~!”

“...Sister?”

The tiny girl who’d launched herself into my arms was none other than the precious daughter of Zhu Beihai, our mob boss neighbor. I’d seen her a few times through the window—always bursting with energy, zipping around the house in her signature white dress.

But this was the first time I’d seen her up close. Too close, actually—she had quite literally tackled herself into my lap.

What I wasn’t expecting was for her to immediately call me “Sister.”

Sure, she’s the daughter of a gangster, but she’s still a kid—innocent and unfiltered. She didn’t seem the least bit bothered by gender norms or the dangers of the world. With no hesitation, she reached up and started patting my chest like she was looking for something that wasn’t there.

“Eh? But they were there before…”

Oh. She’s probably looking for my oppai.

She must’ve seen me before—in my transformed state, when she was in the courtyard practicing martial arts. I was only wrapped in a bath towel that time, and my figure was probably showing.

“I’m not a sister, I’m a brother. Boys don’t have… breasts.”

Well, not always true, but still.

“Huh? Brother?”

She tilted her head, confused, still staring at my face.

“Yep. So stop calling me Sister, okay?”

She was soft and warm, and her hair smelled nice. As she squirmed around, her hair kept brushing against my neck, which was kind of ticklish.

But the real problem was... she was straddling me. Through her thin little sundress, her tiny butt was pressed squarely between my thighs.

This was very bad. I could feel myself losing composure—well, my little Chang Kai was.

Desperate not to end up in jail, I gently picked her up and set her aside.

If Zhu Beihai found out his precious daughter had been all over me like that, I’d be sleeping with the fishes in a concrete block by nightfall. Better get her home fast.

Wiping cold sweat from my brow, I asked, “I’m Chang Kai. What’s your name, little miss? How old are you?”

She blinked her big eyes and chirped, “Zhu Qianxia. I’m ten!”

Ten, huh? What grade is that again?

“So, Qianxia, what brings you to my room today?”

“I wanted to make friends with Sister~!” she said, arms outstretched. “Can we play together?”

She really liked me that much just from seeing me once through the window?

Chang Kai, you dangerous woman—uh, man.

“Look, I keep telling you, I’m not a sister. Do I look like one to you?”

I grabbed my dorky glasses and put them on. Her face instantly soured into a pout.

“Booo! That’s ugly!” She really didn’t hide her feelings.

“How did you get in here, anyway?”

She pointed to the window behind my desk, now covered by curtains again.

“Over there. I saw another sister come in that way before.”

Just as I thought—she climbed in through the window. And “the other sister” was definitely Xiao Lei. That girl really needs to stop setting such bad examples.

The house is only two stories tall, but for a ten-year-old to climb up here safely? That takes guts. Her white dress wasn’t even dirty, which meant she even had leeway to care for cleanliness.

For comparison, Xiao Lei always comes in with dust on her clothes.

“Next time you wanna visit, just use the front door, okay?” I patted her head. No way was I letting her make window-climbing a habit. “Did you tell your da—I mean, your papa that you came here?”

“Nope.”

Nope?!

Panic set in. Sweet baby Buddha, she’s gonna get me killed. Zhu Beihai’s probably freaking out right now. I need to get her home fast before he comes barreling through my front door with a gang of bald men in suits.

I tiptoed to the bed, peeked through the curtains, and spotted Zhu Beihai watering plants in the yard—wearing an apron and looking completely chill.

“Huh. He doesn’t seem worried at all…”

“That’s ’cause I have this~!”

Qianxia proudly pulled a small device from her dress pocket—looked like a keychain, but kind of resembled a panic alarm.

Oh god, please don’t pull that string…

“Papa can track me with this. As long as I don’t go too far, he doesn’t get worried.”

A GPS tracker, huh? So he knows she’s here, and he’s fine with it? That’s surprisingly trusting.

“So, what would Qianxia like to play with?”

There were a lot of kids in the village, so I was pretty good with children. But Qianxia was... different. I was a little nervous.

“Does Sister have any toys~?”

I flicked her nose.

“Call me ‘brother,’ or no toys for you.”

“Sis~! Sis~!”

“…You little—”

I tried to keep a straight face, but couldn’t hold it. Ended up squishing her squishy little cheeks.

Looking around my room, I realized the only thing really playable was my PS4—not exactly ideal for kids.

“What kind of games do you usually play with your classmates?”

Things like kicking shuttlecock, hopscotch, jump rope—that’s what elementary girls usually play, right?

But her smile dropped. She looked genuinely sad—an expression no ten-year-old should ever wear.

“I’ve never been to school. Papa hires teachers to homeschool me.”

Of course.

She’s the daughter of a gang leader. There must be tons of people out there who’d love to kidnap her for leverage. Sending her to school would be like walking into a trap.

So she doesn’t even get a normal childhood?

That hit me harder than I expected. She’s like a caged songbird—pretty, pampered, but stuck.

“That’s okay. I’ve got some really fun games, too!”

I handed her a PS4 controller and sat down beside her, teaching her how to play—one step at a time.