Firefly's answer

After running out of the crowd, Lin Yuyou let go of Firefly's hand and stood with her hands on her hips, panting.

She glanced back and saw that Sister Firefly was barely even out of breath. She couldn't help giving her a thumbs-up in admiration. "Sister Firefly, you've got such good stamina~"

"I-it's all right, haha..." Firefly smiled modestly, feeling a little embarrassed.

While Yuyou rested, Firefly thought again about how she had blurted that out without even thinking. It really had been too rash, but even if she were asked again, her answer would probably be the same.

Still catching her breath, Lin Yuyou felt her mouth go dry and really wanted some water. Looking up, she realized they happened to be standing outside a café.

She turned to Firefly and asked, "Sister Firefly, why don't we talk inside?" Lin Yuyou pointed at the café beside them.

"Ah... sure! That's fine!" Firefly, who had been lost in thought, snapped out of it and hurriedly agreed.

And so the two of them ended up at a table inside.

"Mm... I'll have this, and this!"

The server said, "Of course~"

"Here, Sister Firefly, your turn to order~" Lin Yuyou passed the menu to Firefly.

She took the menu and looked at her in puzzlement. They had been having such a serious conversation just now, yet they were back to that cheerful mood from before, as though the conversation had never happened.

But now wasn't the time to think about that, because the server beside them had already been waiting too long!

She looked back and forth over the menu, but there were too many choices, and she couldn't decide right away. After looking it over repeatedly, she finally found something she recognized.

"I'll have this!"

The server said, "Of course. Please give us a moment."

Because the coffee here was all hand-ground, the wait would be relatively long.

While they waited, Lin Yuyou apologized to Firefly.

"Sister Firefly, I'm sorry! That question earlier was a little presumptuous!"

Lin Yuyou pressed her palms together and apologized to Firefly with complete sincerity.

"No, no, you really don't need to apologize. I'm not angry."

She really wasn't angry, just a little shy at most.

Firefly gave her a gentle, kindly smile, successfully putting Lin Yuyou's worries to rest.

Lin Yuyou said, "Then, Sister Firefly, I remember you saying earlier that if my brother confessed to you, you'd say yes, right~?"

At that, although Firefly said nothing, she lowered her head and nodded in confirmation.

Seeing that it was true, Lin Yuyou was delighted. Honestly, she was quite fond of Sister Firefly. She was pretty, gentle, shy, and easy to talk to. She was practically the perfect girlfriend!

If she weren't a girl herself, even she would probably fall for her.

"Then, since you like him, why not give it a try?"

She posed the question she most wanted to ask. She couldn't understand why, if Firefly liked him, she didn't go for it. The two of them were already living together. Logically, with a man and woman alone under one roof, even if nothing happened, feelings should at least develop in secret, and then they would get together. But they clearly liked each other, so why weren't they together?

In her eyes, her brother agreeing to live with any woman besides herself basically earned him the label of being interested in her. She couldn't help it; the stereotype had already taken root.

Firefly didn't answer that question right away, her expression hesitant.

Seeing that, Lin Yuyou seemed to understand. It looked like Sister Firefly had some concerns, which was why she hadn't said anything despite liking him.

That was easy. Leave it to a relationship expert like her, who had helped at least ten classmates resolve their relationship problems! (This so-called relationship expert had actually never been in a relationship herself.)

"Hello, here are the coffees and desserts you ordered. Please enjoy."

Lin Yuyou said, "Thank you~"

The server's arrival temporarily interrupted their conversation. "Have some first, Sister Firefly. It won't taste good once it gets cold."

"Mm."

As she spoke, Lin Yuyou picked up the latte she had ordered and took a sip. "Mm~ so good!" Then she picked up her fork, cut off a piece of strawberry cream cake, and put it in her mouth. "The strawberry cream cake here is so delicious~"

Seeing Yuyou enjoying herself so much, Firefly grew curious about how her own drink tasted.

She lifted her cup to her lips, blew on it, and took a sip. But what she tasted wasn't deliciousness...

"Mmph-! Cough, cough!" Firefly covered her mouth. Rather than spit it out, she forced herself to swallow, choking on it in the process.

After swallowing, she stuck out her tongue, looking so miserable she was about to cry. "It's so bitter."

At the sight, Lin Yuyou couldn't help laughing a little, then picked up the white sugar and condensed milk beside Firefly's cup.

"If you're not used to bitter drinks, you can add some of these. Then it won't be so bitter."

"Okay, thank you." Firefly took the white sugar and condensed milk Yuyou handed her, added a little, and took another sip. It really wasn't as bitter as before, and it tasted much better.

"But Sister Firefly, if you're not used to bitter drinks, why did you order an Americano?"

Firefly held her cup in both hands, rubbing her thumbs back and forth along the rim with a slightly embarrassed expression. "Um, actually, it's because this is the only coffee I know. I always saw Lin Yu drinking it at night, so I thought it would taste really good."

She hadn't expected Sister Firefly not even to know what kinds of coffee there were. Before, she had only thought Sister Firefly had been having a bit of a hard time lately. She hadn't imagined things had been this difficult for her all along! (Note: When they first met, Firefly lied to Lin Yuyou, telling her that she was on her own and had become homeless after something happened, and that Lin Yu had kindly taken her in.)

And I even lied to her like that before. I... I really deserve to die!

Lin Yuyou fiercely condemned herself deep down!

But she still had to finish asking her questions! After what had just happened, though, Lin Yuyou's tone became much gentler than before.

"Since you like my brother, Sister Firefly, have you thought about dating him?"

At that question, Firefly's eyes dimmed. Her somewhat melancholy face was reflected in her coffee.

She slowly shook her head. "I suppose not. Even if I like Lin Yu, it's no use if Lin Yu doesn't like me. Isn't love something where both people move toward each other?"

"Besides, I'm probably not good enough for him..." As she spoke, Firefly gave a bitter smile.

Smack! "How could you possibly not be good enough?!" After hearing that, Lin Yuyou slapped the table and sprang to her feet, her loud voice immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the café. Firefly jumped in fright too.

Seeing this, Lin Yuyou sat down with an awkward smile. "Sorry, sorry for disturbing everyone."

After she sat down, the people in the café stopped looking at her and turned their gazes away.

"Yuyou, are you all right? You suddenly got so worked up."

"No, no, let's get back to what we were talking about. Sister Firefly, why would you think that?"

She couldn't understand why Firefly wouldn't go for it if she liked him, or why she thought she wasn't good enough for him. If she didn't try, how would she know whether she was good enough?!

"People are free to fall in love. It's not like the old days anymore. As long as you like each other, no one can tell you what to do. Your parents might try to stop you, but I'm sure that if it's you, Mom and Dad won't stand in your way!"

As she spoke, Lin Yuyou took both of Firefly's hands in hers. "As long as you want to, I can help you!"