Bai Xiaoxiao's Cake, Mo Xiaochuan's Awakening

By the time Mo Zhen got home, it was nearly two in the morning.

She parked her bicycle and unlocked the door. As she was changing shoes in the entryway, she suddenly heard a door open upstairs, followed by footsteps.

She looked up and met Bai Xiaoxiao's gaze. Bai Xiaoxiao was wearing a teddy bear nightdress and looked frantic with worry.

Realizing she seemed a little too anxious, Bai Xiaoxiao's ears turned red, and she quickly pulled her head back.

But in the end, her worry outweighed her other thoughts.

She poked her head out again and asked, "Where did you go? Why are you back so late?"

Without batting an eye, Mo Zhen said, "I went to a KTV with some friends."

Bai Xiaoxiao immediately felt a little hurt. She puffed out her cheeks, ran straight back to her room, and shut the door.

And there she was, worrying about him for so long!

She picked up the pillow from the floor, gritted her teeth, and punched it twice. "Idiot!"

"I worried about you for nothing..."

"I absolutely, absolutely won't talk to you ever again!"

Bai Xiaoxiao was still venting when a sudden knock sounded behind her. Without turning around, she said, "I'm asleep!"

Mo Zhen's voice came from outside the door. "Are you mad?"

Bai Xiaoxiao flatly denied it. "No!"

Mo Zhen said, "Then you are mad."

With that, he opened the door and held up the four-inch cake in his hand. "Here, I bought this for you. Pure chocolate Black Forest cake."

Bai Xiaoxiao froze. Sitting on the bed and hugging her pillow, she asked, "F-for me...?"

Mo Zhen set the cake down and turned to leave. "I'm going to take a shower. Good night. Remember to brush your teeth after you eat."

He left Bai Xiaoxiao staring blankly at the cake on the desk.

Mo Zhen closed the door behind him, returned to his room for some clothes, and headed into the bathroom to shower.

He pushed the black hair off his forehead and stood beneath the shower with his eyes closed, letting the hot water wash away his exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Bai Xiaoxiao sat on a chair in her room, looking at the cake and remembering what Senior Wuhua had told her...

Perhaps Senior Wuhua was right. If she wanted to make up with her brother, she shouldn't leave him to do all the work.

She should take the initiative too.

For the cake's sake!

Half an hour later, Mo Zhen came out of the bathroom.

He returned to his room with his hair still dripping wet. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Bai Xiaoxiao leaning over his desk.

She looked utterly exhausted, resting her head on her arms as she yawned and stared at the little cake in front of her, now cut into four pieces.

She was so sleepy that she didn't even notice the strap of her nightdress slipping slightly off her left shoulder.

"What took you so long...?"

Only when she heard the door open did Bai Xiaoxiao rub her eyes and look up at Mo Zhen. She had completely forgotten what she'd planned to say.

Her ears were red as she said, "I can't finish the cake by myself."

Mo Zhen looked helplessly at the girl and suddenly felt like teasing her.

"Then should I just buy one piece next time?"

"Huh? Just one piece? Th-that's not enough..."

Bai Xiaoxiao had been thinking only about eating cake with her brother. Suddenly being told he would buy just one piece next time was enough to make her already sleep-addled brain overheat.

If he only bought one piece, how could she eat it with her brother? Would they have to share the same piece? Th-th-then...

As Bai Xiaoxiao's face grew redder and redder, Mo Zhen walked over to her, picked up a fork, and scooped up a bite of cake.

He held it in front of the girl's mouth.

"Eat."

"Om nom!"

Bai Xiaoxiao opened her mouth and bit down almost instinctively. By the time she thought to regret it, it was already too late.

All she could do was close her lips around the fork and turn her head away, blushing as she muttered, "Childish...!"

The corners of Mo Zhen's lips lifted slightly, but he said nothing.

The feelings between them that had been frozen for so long seemed to thaw a little...

He picked up the hair dryer by his bed, plugged it in, and blow-dried his hair.

Bai Xiaoxiao sat quietly beside him, eating her cake in small bites.

Only after Mo Zhen finished drying his hair did Bai Xiaoxiao lick the corners of her mouth and ask softly, "You really don't feel unwell at all...?"

She had been worried about the possible side effects Mo Zhen might suffer, so she hadn't slept soundly these past two nights.

In her heart, she kept asking why that idiot Mo Zhen had secretly gone off to do something so dangerous.

She would soon have the power to protect everyone...

Mo Zhen sighed, put away the hair dryer, and said, "Don't worry. I'm really fine."

With that, he picked up a piece of cake and took a small bite. Feeling the silky cream melt in his mouth, he felt much better.

Seeing this, Bai Xiaoxiao felt a little more at ease. She picked up a second piece of cake, but after only a few bites, she suddenly bit her lip.

Mo Zhen knew her all too well. "You can't eat any more."

Bai Xiaoxiao nodded, her ears red.

Mo Zhen took the cake from her hand and finished it in two bites. Then he glanced at the last piece and said,

"Let's save it for Xiaochuan."

"It's late. Go brush your teeth and get to bed, or you won't be able to get up tomorrow."

"Oh..." Bai Xiaoxiao answered obediently. She put the last piece of cake in the fridge, then went to brush her teeth.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

After brushing her teeth, Bai Xiaoxiao returned to her room and crawled under the covers. Hugging a fufu plushie, she closed her eyes in contentment.

Today... my brother really cared about me.

I'm so happy.

[Bai Xiaoxiao's favorability toward you has increased.]

Mo Zhen, who was brushing his teeth, suddenly received the notification.

Early the next morning.

Bang!

Mo Zhen, who was brushing his teeth in the bathroom, was startled by the sudden noise and looked toward Mo Xiaochuan's room.

"Holy crap!"

Mo Xiaochuan's voice came from inside.

Downstairs, Mo Chou poked his head out from the staircase. "What happened?"

Mo Zhen rinsed his mouth and went to Mo Xiaochuan's door. He knocked, and after getting permission, he pushed it open and saw a surprising sight.

Mo Xiaochuan was frozen in place, still in the position he'd been in as he got out of bed. On his nightstand, a Doraemon collaboration alarm clock had been slapped into a metal disc.

The wooden nightstand had also been deeply dented.

Looking guilty, Mo Xiaochuan raised his left hand. "Bro... if I said it was an accident, would you believe me?"

Mo Zhen looked conflicted as he glanced at his panel.

[Name: Mo Xiaochuan.]

[Favorability: 100%.]

[Race: Half-blood · Viltrumite (awakening in progress...)]

[Danger level: E+.]

"I believe you."

Mo Zhen nodded.

He really couldn't blame Mo Xiaochuan for this.

The important thing was that his little brother seemed rather extraordinary. His awakening was still in progress, yet his danger level was already E+.

Would Mo Zhen really be able to beat him in the future?

What a thing...

"Go wash your face and brush your teeth. We'll talk about you in a bit."

Mo Zhen's calm acceptance of the facts helped Mo Xiaochuan relax considerably. After all, if his brother wasn't concerned, he didn't need to worry either.

By the time he came downstairs, Mo Zhen had already told Mo Chou what had happened.

He had to admit, everyone in their family really did have their own remarkable qualities.

Mo Zhen himself was a witch in hiding, their dad was an imperial spy bent on ruling the world, his little brother was a gifted half-blood, and his little sister was a magical girl who hadn't fully awakened.

However he looked at it, their futures were bright!

When he saw Mo Xiaochuan come downstairs, Mo Zhen reminded him, "There's cake in the fridge. I saved it for you when I got back yesterday."

"Really?!" Mo Xiaochuan ran over excitedly, thinking how good his brother was to him after all.

Love you, bro!

"Oh, right, right! Dad, do you think I've mutated? Like that Scarlet Spider who made his debut—a genetic mutation. That nightstand was so sturdy, but I smashed it flat with one slap!"

Mo Xiaochuan took the pure chocolate Black Forest cake out of the fridge, gesturing excitedly with his right hand as he spoke.

Mo Zhen drank his plain rice porridge beside him. "No matter what, isn't this a good thing? You've liked superheroes since you were little, just like me."

"That's true!"

Mo Xiaochuan sat down happily.

Mo Chou, however, looked conflicted. He hadn't actually been surprised by Mo Xiaochuan's awakening; he just hadn't expected the day to come so soon.

Viltrumites were born carrying a special gene called the Super Factor, which allowed them to grow stronger through battle and gave them long lifespans.

The price was that they had great difficulty reproducing, making it hard for them to expand.

But the genes of Earthlings were very special.

After discovering Earth's existence by chance, the Huotexium Empire's quantum computer produced an answer that sent the empire into a frenzy of joy.

By mating with Earthlings on a large scale, they could complete the last piece of the Huotexium Empire's puzzle-population!