When Sirin heard Yue Bo's words, spoken like a confession, her entire body trembled.
Her heart raced. Heat rushed to her face, painting her cheeks red. Even she did not understand what was happening to her.
"I… I get it… just… let go first…"
"Alright, Sirin. Did you understand what I said just now?"
"I understood… I really…"
She looked into Yue Bo's serious eyes, and the truth slipped out before she could stop herself.
"I actually… didn't understand everything… so let go first…"
"As long as Sirin is willing to listen, I can explain it as many times as you need."
Feeling her trembling, Yue Bo assumed she was overwhelmed, unable to process everything at once.
So he released her.
He walked to the window of the small house and stared out into the endless white, lost in thought, giving Sirin space to calm down.
Meanwhile, Sirin curled up on the sofa, taking deep breaths again and again, trying to steady herself.
"His skin is so pale… and he smells really nice…"
But the moment she recalled his words, especially that promise of staying together forever, her heart began racing all over again.
She covered her face with both hands, letting out small muffled sounds.
Peeking through her fingers, she searched for him.
There he was, standing by the window with his back turned.
Her gaze slowly drifted… and locked onto the swaying tail behind him.
She could not look away.
"I was so close to catching it earlier…"
She stood up quietly, tiptoeing closer, circling around the table.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the tail as she counted silently.
Three.
Two.
One!
She pounced.
At that moment, Yue Bo was still deep in thought, trying to figure out how to better explain everything to her.
Completely caught off guard, he was tackled to the ground.
Thankfully, everything in this space was only a constructed shell.
Otherwise, Yue Bo was certain that would have sent him straight to the ICU.
"Sirin, what are you doing…"
Then suddenly, he felt something very wrong.
Sirin, sitting on top of him, reached straight for the base of his tail.
"Got you this time, naughty tail!"
She grabbed it and hugged it tightly, playing with it to her heart's content.
Yue Bo's body stiffened under the overwhelming sensation.
The poor cat-boy could barely resist, soft, helpless sounds escaping him despite himself.
After a while, Sirin finally seemed satisfied and let go of the tail.
She collapsed on top of him, her attention already shifting.
Next target: the ears.
Clearly, those looked even better.
Just as she was about to make her move, everything began to fade.
Darkness swallowed the dream.
Sirin opened her eyes.
She was back in her bed.
For a moment, it all felt like a dream.
But the sensations remained vivid, far more real than any dream she had ever had before.
And unlike past dreams, this one did not fade.
Panic quickly set in.
Only then did she realize she had done something wrong.
Over and over, she called his name in her heart.
"Yue Bo…"
No response came.
Anxiety crept in.
Without realizing it, she began biting her nails.
"I ruined everything… it shouldn't have turned out like this…"
"There has to be another way… right, the magic words…"
[Ich liebe dich]
A familiar voice answered gently in her mind.
"Cute little Sirin, are you making a wish? Can you tell me what it is?"
Relief washed over her.
So it was all real.
"Sorry, Sirin. I shouldn't have asked. Wishes aren't supposed to be spoken out loud."
"That's not true. I didn't say it out loud. I only said it in my heart to you."
"I see. Then thank you, Sirin. Tell me, what is your wish?"
She hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
"My wish is…"
"I want Yue Bo to become my family."
She waited anxiously.
But the response she got was unexpected.
"Wait… what just happened? Why was I lying on the floor?"
Sirin froze.
"Well… I… accidentally…"
She could not bring herself to admit the truth.
Yue Bo sighed softly.
"It's fine. It's nothing important. Don't be scared."
Then his tone turned gentle.
"Sirin, your wish will definitely come true. As long as you want it, I'll be your family."
"I'm going to stay by your side, always."
Hearing his sincere answer, Sirin finally made up her mind.
She told him everything.
…
"So you tried to grab my tail… and I passed out because of that?"
"…Yes."
She sat nervously, waiting for him to scold her.
But instead, he simply said:
"It's late. You should get some rest. And Sirin, make sure you eat properly tomorrow."
"I want to go back to that space… can I?"
"Not tonight. Haven't you noticed how exhausted you are? Entering the Stigmata Space consumes your energy too."
"Get a good night's sleep."
Only then did Sirin realize it was already night.
A knock came at the door.
"Come in."
The orphanage director entered, holding a bowl of noodles.
"Sirin, you're awake. You must be hungry. You were sleeping so soundly this afternoon, I didn't want to disturb you."
"Thank you… I… yes, I'm hungry."
Seeing her respond normally, the director smiled warmly.
"Then eat up. Don't forget to wash the bowl after. The other kids are playing in the hall. You should join them next time."
With that, she left.
Soon after, her cheerful voice could be heard in the hall.
"Kids, whoever becomes friends with the new girl Sirin will get sweet chocolate as a reward!"
After eating and washing the bowl, Sirin returned to bed.
"Yue Bo."
"I'm here."
"Good night."
"Good night."
Hearing his reply, she finally drifted off to sleep.
The days that followed were peaceful.
Sirin gradually became more cheerful. The light slowly returned to her golden eyes.
Because of one casual remark from Yue Bo calling her "little sister," she began to take better care of herself, wanting to become someone worthy of being his older sister instead.
As for Yue Bo, he quietly prepared for the future he knew was coming.
Over the past few months, the Honkai energy in the region had been slowly increasing.
It was still harmless for now, but more and more of it was drifting in from other areas.
His knowledge was limited, so all he could do was stay vigilant and protect Sirin from any potential danger.
Still, peaceful days came with their own kind of suffering.
Every few days, he would get treated like an actual cat and subjected to endless cuddling and "cat therapy" by Sirin.
Encouraged by the director, many children in the orphanage tried to befriend Sirin, hoping to earn rewards.
In the end, only one girl who was especially good with cats succeeded.
From her, Sirin learned all kinds of "advanced techniques."
And Yue Bo suffered the consequences.
He found himself increasingly unable to resist her.
But every time he saw that hopeful look in her eyes, those bright, beautiful golden eyes filled with expectation, he simply could not refuse.
So he endured it.
He did not even dare to appear in human form anymore.
Even inside the Stigmata Space, he often stayed as a cat.
Because no matter what Sirin wished for…
Yue Bo would always make it come true.