Chapter 65: The Books We Read

Chapter 65: The Books We Read

“Wow. You remember something so long ago so clearly. No wonder you’re Xier; your memory is way better than mine.”

Yake suddenly realized that he had completely forgotten about this childhood incident, especially since it wasn’t that significant to him.

“It’s just that you probably didn’t take it to heart, big bro.”

Xier teased Yake, flipping through her book as she continued speaking.

“Maybe for you, big bro, it’s not a big memory. But for me back then, it was really important.”

Xier was frail as a child, and if it weren’t for Reina adopting her, she would have surely perished on the streets. Even after being adopted, she was mostly bedridden while healing. During that time, her understanding of the outside world came entirely from the fairy tales Yake brought her. To Xier, Yake was the big brother she admired greatly. Later, when Xier recovered and could explore the world with her own eyes, she realized just how foolish her big brother really was. But so what? In her heart, Yake would always be someone she could rely on.

“Ah, hearing you praise me like this is kinda embarrassing.”

Yake scratched his head awkwardly. Ever since his sister became sensible, she seemed to only ever point out his flaws. He was not used to hearing her compliment him like this.

“Hey, big bro, do you want to read with me here now? If not, I won’t force you.”

“Sure. Anyway, Aier got dragged off by Mom to buy clothes. I’ve got plenty of time to keep you company.”

“Then… can you read to me again? Just like when I was little, lying in bed while you read me fairy tales.”

Xier handed Yake the book she was holding, resting her head on his lap.

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Of course! It feels like ages since we’ve done this. Hurry up and start.”

Since Xier had no objections, Yake didn’t press further and prepared to read from the book.

“So, uh… Xier, where did you leave off? I’ll start reading from there.”

“This part.”

“Alright, here I go.”

Xier pointed to the paragraph she had just read, and Yake quietly started reading to her, just like in the past when he read fairy tales to the ailing Xier.

“Xier?”

After reading for a while, Yake suddenly paused, glancing down at Xier, who had unknowingly fallen asleep on his lap, perhaps due to his soft voice. Seeing her asleep, Yake decided not to continue reading. There was no point in reading to someone who was already asleep. But then Yake faced a dilemma; with Xier now asleep on his lap, he couldn’t move his lower body, meaning he couldn’t leave the bookstore. His upper body could move, but he was unsure what to do next.

“Manager, manager.”

Without waking the sleeping Xier, Yake suppressed his voice and called for the manager.

“Ah? What’s up? Little Yake, what do you need?”

The manager, who had been tidying up the nearby shelves, hurried over when he heard Yake call.

“Could you help me grab some adult books? It’s really the only thing I can read here.”

Yake whispered to the manager. At this point, the only things that held any interest for him were the adult books and the magical beast manuals. As for the latter… it was pretty useless at the moment. Even if he couldn’t beat the enemy, wasn’t there still the Little Princess who could obliterate everything?

“Yake, you sure it’s alright to read those adult books in front of your sister?”

The manager shot Yake a concerned look. If Xier woke up and Yake was engrossed in those books, it would be a total social disaster!

“Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll be careful.”

Yake fished out a gold coin from his pocket and placed it on the table.

“Alright, since you put it that way, I’ll fetch you a copy.”

The manager grinned as he accepted the coin. Not wanting to drag things out, he went into the depths of the book depository and brought back some of his treasured items, handing them to Yake.

“Here you go, little bro. These are my prized selections, absolutely explosive.”

“Thanks, manager. I’ll enjoy them.”

With a mischievous grin, Yake opened the first book and began indulging in its golden pages.

However, Yake had forgotten one crucial thing: bodily instincts are not something the brain can easily control. Just like now…

As Yake became increasingly excited by the adult books, his lower body responded uncontrollably, waking the once-sleeping Xier.

“Mm… big bro, what’re you looking at? Laughing like a weirdo.”

As she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Yake’s silly grin, making her look at him with disdain.

“Ah? Xier! You’re awake? Why not sleep a little longer? It’s still pretty early.”

Seeing Xier suddenly wake up, Yake pretended to stay calm while hurriedly putting away the adult book he was reading.

“Is that so? How long did I sleep?”

“I don’t really remember, I got too absorbed in the book. Anyway, maybe you should get up now. You can’t just lie on my lap, I can’t move, and my leg is starting to feel numb.”

“Ah… then I must have slept a long time. Sorry, big bro.”

Xier quickly sat up from his lap and looked at the books on the table. Her brow furrowed, sensing something was off.

“What’s wrong? Why’s your brow all wrinkled?”

Yake asked nervously, wondering if his hasty cleanup had left any loose ends.

“Big bro, are you sure these books are yours?”

“They are, what’s the problem?”

“Are you really sure? I think these books do not look like something you’d read.”

Xier glanced at the titles; aside from the one regarding the Phoenix Princess, there were other novels and collections. It wouldn’t be surprising if they belonged to someone else, but her foolish big brother reading these? She couldn’t believe it even if her life depended on it.

“Aier once told me, ‘If you don’t see someone for three days, you should look at them with new eyes.’ Xier, even your foolish big bro can change. I genuinely like reading these now, is that a problem?”

“Of course, it’s fine. But, big bro, if you’re just reading these things, was it really necessary to laugh so weirdly?”

In the end, Xier wasn’t falling for her brother’s excuses.