Xiao Ling: Red Light, Green Light!

Xiao Ling felt a little hot.

How strange. He had turned the air conditioner all the way down, so why did he still feel hot? Was it not cooling properly?

No, he was getting too hot. He couldn't stand it.

After taking Dania back to her room last night, he had stayed up playing until after three in the morning, so Xiao Ling was severely short on sleep.

He struggled to open his eyes, and the first things he saw were a pair of delicate collarbones and a snowy-white expanse that seemed ready to spill out.

???

Seriously, bro? Testing a cadre like this first thing in the morning?

Xiao Ling had seen plenty of famous scenes in Japanese anime where the male lead woke up with a face full of boobs, but this was the first time it had happened to him. He immediately failed to keep his gun down.

Still, judging by that impressive size... he had a pretty good idea which little troublemaker was in his bed.

"Aemeath, have I ever told you that men and women should keep their distance?"

Xiao Ling looked up and, sure enough, met a pair of eyes sparkling like stars.

"If you keep teasing me like this, what if I lose control one day and have my way with you right here?" He flicked Little Ai on the forehead in exasperation.

Xiao Ling looked perfectly calm on the surface, but inside, things had already gotten pretty dramatic.

It's pressing against her leg... Sure enough, a person's self-control is at its weakest right after waking up, Xiao Ling thought solemnly.

"That's what a certain little sleepyhead gets for sleeping so soundly." Aemeath didn't feel guilty in the slightest. She was even a little pleased with her successful prank. "I couldn't help it. Nothing I tried would wake you up, so I had to resort to a little trick~ Ehehe!"

"Give me a break." Xiao Ling rubbed her nose. "Why did you wake me up so early?"

"Chisa already made breakfast. You hadn't come out for ages, and I was afraid you'd oversleep and miss it, so I volunteered to wake you up~ Ehehe!" Aemeath tapped her head and stuck out her tongue in a classic cutesy pose.

Ah... It looked like he really did need to fix his sleep schedule. It was rude to make everyone wait for him to get out of bed and eat.

"Okay, I'll get up and wash up first. Tell her I'll be down in a bit." Xiao Ling fondly ruffled the pink-haired girl's head, then got out of bed to wash up.

"Okay! Consider it done!"

After watching Xiao Ling leave to wash up, Little Ai's carefully concealed bashfulness blossomed into two crimson flowers on her cheeks.

"Ah, senior, you're finally here."

Chisa wore an apron. Apparently for convenience while cooking, she had neatly tied her usually loose, silky black hair into a bun. Without makeup, she looked less alluring and a little more innocent.

"Sorry, sorry. I stayed up way too late last night and only just woke up," Xiao Ling said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

Chisa suddenly leaned closer and noticed that her senior looked rather haggard, with faint dark circles under his eyes.

"I don't know what your lifestyle was like before, senior, but it'd be better to stay up late less often from now on, okay?" Chisa cautioned him seriously. "If you stay up late all the time, your skin and your temper will both get worse. And, um... you'll get physically weak too."

Little Ai: Physically weak? A-Yu looked awfully energetic to me! (Blushes)

"Mhm, mhm, I'll definitely be good and go to bed early from now on, or may lightning strike me down!" Xiao Ling raised three fingers and swore, half joking.

"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo! Don't say something so unlucky!" Little Ai immediately bent his raised fingers down one by one. "We're all going to be happy together for the rest of our lives!"

Chisa smiled faintly and offered an invitation. "Breakfast is ready. Would you like to join us, senior?"

"It's an honor to taste your cooking, Chisa!" Xiao Ling smiled and pinched Chisa's round little cheek, then walked over to the dining table with Aemeath.

Little Sister Qian, whose cheek he had pinched, secretly blushed where no one could see.

At the dining table, three girls with very different eating styles were having breakfast.

Lynae didn't pay much attention to appearances when she ate. She went with the flow, taking big bites of anything she liked and showing off her hearty appetite.

Baba Mandarin was the complete opposite of Lynae. She ate like a proper lady, taking little bites, and the smile on her face showed whether the food suited her taste.

Dania was in a category all her own. Had anyone ever seen someone stuffing food into her mouth while nodding off? It wasn't her fault, though. She had only gone to bed half an hour earlier than Xiao Ling, and like him, she was short on sleep.

Seeing that the other three girls had already started eating, Xiao Ling pulled out the chair beside Dania and sat down to eat. Aemeath naturally took the seat beside him, while Chisa, having taken off her apron, sat beside Lynae.

He glanced at the food on the table: rice porridge, boiled eggs with soy sauce, steamed buns, dumplings. Wait, why were there pickled mustard tuber and peanuts too?

It looked like Chisa was quite receptive to Chinese breakfasts.

"This is good." After a few bites, Xiao Ling gave the cook who had prepared breakfast high praise.

Then he went right back to digging in.

Seeing how much her senior enjoyed the food she had spent so long preparing, Chisa smiled contentedly behind her bowl.

Xiao Ling polished off a bowl of porridge at lightning speed. Just as he was about to help himself to another, he caught sight of Miss Wooly out of the corner of his eye. She was stirring her porridge with a spoon, but her mind was elsewhere.

"Why aren't you eating?" Xiao Ling poked Little Ai's heart-shaped face.

Aemeath, whose thoughts had wandered far away, finally snapped back to her senses. Her face then showed signs of heating up again.

"Ahaha... I was just spacing out."

"Is it not to your taste?" As the chef, Chisa cared a great deal about what the others thought. If Little Ai didn't like it, that was something she needed to improve on in the future.

"No, no! I'll eat now!" Aemeath didn't wait for it to cool and hurriedly shoved a few spoonfuls of porridge into her mouth. Then she burned her tongue.

"Mmm~ It's vewy good. Your cooking just keeps getting better, Chisa!"

Aemeath's ears were bright red. She couldn't very well say she'd spaced out because the little A-Yu on A-Yu's body had given her a fright, could she? How embarrassing would that be?!

That little interlude came to an end, and Xiao Ling was happily enjoying his second bowl of porridge when, just as one disturbance died down, another arose.

Someone's little foot was being naughty, suddenly rubbing against Xiao Ling's calf and showing signs of creeping upward.

The stocking-clad foot kept rubbing back and forth against Xiao Ling's leg, leaving him somewhat unable to focus.

Testing a cadre with this again?! Can I eat in peace or not?!

It took Hajiling only 9.1 seconds to figure out who the little foot belonged to.

Of all the girls present, only one was wearing stockings today...

He turned his gaze to Dania. Sure enough, she was trying to see him flustered. Wait, seriously? She hadn't even stopped after being caught, and was getting more excited instead?!

Xiao Ling silently warned her with a look, only to receive a lazy, seductive, and somewhat teasing gaze in return.

"Someone's clearly enjoying himself, yet he still has to act like a proper gentleman. How cute~"

Xiao Ling could almost hear Dania's teasing words.

He was just thinking about how to make her surrender obediently when he felt a soft touch against his other leg.

Seriously, Hajiai, why are you joining in too?!

Xiao Ling turned to Aemeath. Sure enough, the girl had a playful smile on her face, pleased that her prank had succeeded.

Honestly, Xiao Ling felt a sudden urge to drag them back to the room and have his way with them on the spot.

Xiao Ling's reason: Ah! No! No! Nooo! (In Otto's voice)

Argh-being tempted without getting to eat is way too unbearable, aaaaah!!!!

(Just endure it~ If I let you eat now, how am I supposed to keep writing this book? The day you get to share a bed and enjoy the blessings of having them all is still a long way off~)

No, I can't take it anymore. Since you two have shown me no mercy, don't blame me for returning the favor! Let's go all out!

One, two, three, red light! Nobody move!

Two loud slaps rang out. Dania and Aemeath both felt someone smack their thighs hard, then move farther up them, almost reaching the sacred territory that must never be touched lightly.

"Pervert, go to hell!"

Xiao Ling felt two heavy blows land on his legs at the same time. The pain took him down on the spot.

(A blow that connects hearts! A critical hit!)

The commotion the three of them made was loud enough that the other three girls, who had no idea what was going on, looked up from their bowls to see what had happened.

They saw that Dania's face was as red as a freshly ripened peach. She was biting her lip in indignation, and it was impossible to tell whether the tears glistening in her eyes were from pain or embarrassment.

Aemeath's face was red too. She looked like she was gritting her teeth, and steam could faintly be seen rising from her head, like a kettle that had come to a boil.

And Hajiling? Oh, his head had fallen onto the table, and his whole body was trembling faintly. He looked completely unable to get back up. Who would have thought that the mighty Rover from the game would one day get beaten into a defeat CG?

"Um... did something just happen?" Lynae asked cautiously.

"Nothing happened! ×2"

"Nothing... happened... (Dies)."

The three of them actually agreed on their story at this moment. After seeing Dania and Aemeath blushing and insisting in unison that nothing had happened, and Xiao Ling crashing on the spot, Lynae decided to rein in her overflowing curiosity.

And so, the six of them brought their morning meal to a close amid warmth and a succession of little disturbances.