Clearly, I Was Here First

Under the strange gaze of Xiao Xun'er, whose sibling affection had already turned into something else, Xiao Han slowly finished all the food in the lunch box.

"Brother Han, have a drink."

Seeing that Xiao Han's throat was dry after eating, Xun'er immediately handed him the bamboo drink bottle in her hand.

"Thanks."

Xiao Han gulped down the drink in one go, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.

Now that they'd eaten and drunk their fill, it was time to get down to business.

Xiao Han was determined to figure out what had changed about Xiao Xun'er.

"Xun'er, how have I treated you all these years?"

Xiao Han sighed and looked seriously into Xiao Xun'er's eyes as he asked.

"What?"

Xiao Xun'er froze for a moment, then blurted out, "Brother Han has naturally treated me very well all these years, just like a real older brother."

"Is that what you think?"

Xiao Han smiled helplessly. "And what about that kid Xiao Yan?"

"Brother Xiao Yan?"

Xiao Xun'er didn't know why Xiao Han had brought up Xiao Yan, but she simply voiced her thoughts. "Brother Xiao Yan has naturally treated me very well too. Although he also looks after Xun'er like a real older brother, Xun'er still likes Brother Han more."

"If you had to choose one of us to be your real older brother, who would you pick?"

"Brother Han, what kind of strange question is that?"

Thirteen-year-old Xiao Xun'er looked completely baffled. She really didn't know why Xiao Han was acting so strangely today. He'd just asked a few nonsensical questions, and now he was at it again.

"Hmph! Brother Han is always asking me boring questions. Of course Xun'er would pick Brother Xiao Yan to be my real older brother!"

"Seriously? For the past two years, while Xiao Yan was withdrawn and barely gave you the time of day, your Brother Han was the one looking after you. Why wouldn't you pick me instead of Xiao Yan?"

"Hmph! No way!"

Xiao Xun'er turned her head with a pout, a shy expression appearing on her face once more. "I don't want you to be my real older brother. No matter how close real siblings are, they're still just siblings. It's not as if they can cross that line..."

"..."

Xiao Han felt he couldn't continue this conversation. If he did, this book was going to get taken down.

"Anyway, Xun'er, I've got something to do, so I should get going. Sorry for the trouble—could you clean up the lunch box?"

So he whistled as he packed up the lunch box and handed it to Xiao Xun'er, then fled the Separate Courtyard.

"Brother Han, y-you don't have to run so fast!"

Biting her red lip, Xiao Xun'er stamped her foot in frustration as she watched Xiao Han flee. Even when she was angry, her exquisite features still made her look so lovable.

"Ugh—Brother Han, you big dummy!"

Just as Xiao Xun'er was feeling upset over Xiao Han's hasty escape, a petite figure in green approached from behind her.

"Sister Xun'er... I saw what just happened." Qinglin looked at the young girl beside her, who wasn't much older than herself, then glanced in the direction Xiao Han had gone and sighed helplessly.

"If Qinglin's guess is right, Sister Xun'er must have just scared Young Master."

"I scared Brother Han?"

Xiao Xun'er felt hurt and upset. She wasn't some kind of monster; all she'd done was reveal the feelings for Xiao Han that she'd been keeping suppressed.

Not only had Xiao Han failed to appreciate it, he'd even run away.

"Qinglin, you're Brother Han's personal maid. Do you know what just happened?"

Taking Qinglin's hand, Xiao Xun'er sat down beside the stone table. Although she was quite envious that this little girl could often be held in Xiao Han's arms, she wasn't unreasonable.

Every time Ling Ying reported that Qinglin had been cuddled by Xiao Han while he whispered sweet nothings to her, Xiao Xun'er felt sour inside, as if she'd bitten into a lemon.

But she also knew how important Qinglin was to Xiao Han. If Xiao Han had to choose between Qinglin and her as a wife, he'd pick Qinglin without hesitation.

As for Xiao Xun'er? She was just a younger sister.

A little-sister-type character ought to know her place. She shouldn't be thinking about taking the top spot. This wasn't a little-sister-complex novel.

"If I'm not mistaken, Young Master Xiao Han has always seen you as a younger sister, hasn't he, Sister Xun'er? Think back on it. Has he ever done anything that went beyond sibling affection?"

Anything that went beyond sibling affection?

That was a whole different matter. Xiao Han had transmigrated when he was ten, when Xiao Xun'er was only nine. After drawing her attention with all sorts of knowledge from Earth, he'd often told her jokes to cheer her up and made handmade toys for her to play with.

After all, Xiao Han's ten-year-old body housed the soul of an adult. He wasn't some kind of pedophile!

How could he be like Xiao Yan in the original story and sneak into a little girl's room in the middle of the night to touch her body?

How could he lust after the body of a nine-year-old girl?

How could he feel desire for a little girl whose mind hadn't fully developed?

Other than tickling Xiao Xun'er, pinching her chubby cheeks, and lifting her up high, Xiao Han had never made a single move with lewd intentions.

And as for Qinglin, that was a different story. Before all this, Xiao Han had never let Qinglin do anything that involved such physical intimacy with him. If Qinglin hadn't gotten her chance by sheer coincidence before, she would still think she was a personal maid whom Xiao Han didn't care about.

In other words, Xiao Han had approached Xiao Xun'er with nothing but the innocent intention of teasing a little sister. It was precisely that sincerity that had touched Xiao Xun'er without him even realizing it.

And after Xiao Xun'er started developing at eleven, Xiao Han had gone out of his way to keep his distance. He hadn't even touched her since, except to hold her hand.

Now, Xiao Xun'er was gradually revealing the peerless beauty she'd had in the original story, as pure and otherworldly as a green lotus. Aside from being dazzled by her, Xiao Han didn't feel much of anything.

As the saying went, rabbits didn't eat the grass around their burrows. If you'd watched a younger sister grow up from childhood, no matter how beautiful she became, it was hard to feel desire for her, right?

Besides, in the famous sibling anime Yosuga no Sora, Sora and You Ge had been apart for a long time, and it was only when they met again that they were drawn to each other. Their reunion was like a fated encounter, which was why You Ge wound up with a broken leg and was sent to Germany to see an orthopedic surgeon. What a touching story.

Xiao Han had watched Xiao Xun'er grow up right by his side!

And although Xiao Yan had also treated Xiao Xun'er well when they were little, for the past two and a half years, he'd worn a sourpuss expression around everyone. Sometimes he'd sulk and accidentally take it out on Xiao Xun'er. That was in stark contrast with Xiao Han, the big brother who had looked after her with such care.

Xiao Xun'er lowered her head and thought back. It was true: from childhood onward, Brother Han had treated her only like a little sister. In recent years, he'd even deliberately kept his distance, and they rarely held hands anymore.

Rumble!

Damn it! I don't want this!

As if struck by a bolt from the blue, Xiao Xun'er looked pitifully at Qinglin beside her. "Qinglin, what should I do?"

"Well... I don't know either."

Qinglin gave an awkward chuckle and spread her hands. "After all, aside from me, Young Master Xiao Han rarely does anything too intimate with other girls."

Xiao Xun'er: "..."

You're bragging, aren't you? You're definitely bragging, right?

Watching Qinglin speak as if bashfully declaring, "Aside from me, Xiao Han rarely acts intimately with other girls," Xiao Xun'er felt a vein twitch almost imperceptibly on her forehead.

Ever since she was little, Xiao Xun'er had thought of Xiao Han as a good older brother. The feelings she'd built up little by little over the years, she'd mistaken for sibling affection.

Even when Xiao Han had brought Qinglin back years ago, Xiao Xun'er hadn't thought much of seeing him with a new personal maid.

It wasn't until Ling Ying reported that Xiao Han was cuddling Qinglin, the newcomer, and whispering sweet nothings to her that Xiao Xun'er realized how painfully jealous she was.

I'm so jealous!

*That's my big brother... How dare you do something like that to him...(*?????)*

Only then did Xiao Xun'er understand that what she felt for Xiao Han wasn't sibling affection, but romantic love between a man and a woman.

Unable to accept it, Xiao Xun'er had decided to get close to Qinglin. She'd planned to know her enemy and know herself, and she'd win every battle. But Qinglin's innocence and kindness had rubbed off on her, and Xiao Xun'er found herself gradually growing fond of the adorable little girl too. She couldn't bring herself to speak harshly to her.

But still...

It was me. I was here first. Whether as his little sister, his childhood playmate, or his childhood sweetheart, it was always me first—

Why did Xiao Han only see her as a younger sister? Was it because she hadn't been forward enough?

Thankfully, it wasn't too late. There was still a chance to make things right!

Xiao Xun'er took a deep breath, a charming smile appearing on her face. "Come on, Qinglin. Let's have a good talk about Brother Han."

Feeling as if the beautiful girl before her, as lovely as a green lotus, was giving off a terrifying aura, Qinglin nodded with a shiver.

"Ugh—why did I run out just now? Young Master Xiao Han, save me! QAQ—"

Xiao Han, who had fled to Xiao Yan's Separate Courtyard and was discussing Dou Techniques: Achoo!

Which beauty was thinking of me?