Chapter 28: Little White Takes Human Form

“Of course! As my family, you’ll have mapo tofu every day!”

From the moment Kanade Tachibana agreed to become his family, her standing in Ye Chen’s heart instantly rose to the same level as C.C. and Xiaobai. For reasons unknown, Kanade felt as if her whole body had been sublimated, growing lighter, and even without activating any defensive skills, her physical strength was much greater than before, though outwardly there was no visible change.

Both of them were exhausted in body and mind after facing so many traps underground, and with Xiaobai still unwell and waiting for him, Ye Chen was worried. He and Kanade agreed to meet again the next day and returned to their respective dormitories.

By the time they emerged from underground, night had already fallen. As he walked, Ye Chen habitually gazed at the starry sky. Yet tonight, the heavens gave him a peculiar feeling. Beside the two brightest stars, a third equally dazzling one had appeared, something he had never seen before. Furthermore, one of the original brilliant stars now shone with a faint pinkish-white hue.

For someone like Ye Chen, who could clearly recall every single star, the sudden appearance of a new star was strikingly conspicuous. Yet it did not bring any sense of foreboding—on the contrary, it brought a subtle sense of good fortune. Blinking, he quietly muttered, “Could this be because Kanade and I became family?”

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Ruocheng, floating beside him, looking at him with a mischievous smile. Ye Chen had the feeling she knew something he didn’t. “Ruocheng, is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Who knows? That’s a girl’s secret, Ye Chen, don’t ask!” Ruocheng chuckled lightly, turning her head away with her hands clasped behind her back.

“Then I won’t ask!” Ye Chen had heard this excuse countless times—every time C.C. or Xiaobai didn’t want to tell him something, they’d use it to brush him off. Whenever that happened, he would always stop pressing the matter.

He lifted his gaze to the stars again as he walked back to his dormitory. As he looked back, he didn’t notice that Ruocheng, with her back to him, was smiling even more slyly.

“Xiaobai, I’m back! How are you feeling?” Ye Chen called as he returned, pulling out his key and instinctively sensing the inside of the room. Only Xiaobai’s aura was present—nothing unusual. He opened the door, went straight to his bed, and prepared to check on her.

For some reason, the blanket was puffed up. Xiaobai’s body shouldn’t be that large—maybe she’d grown again. As a nine-tailed fox, Xiaobai could change her size at will; she usually stayed small to perch on Ye Chen’s shoulder.

Thinking nothing of it, Ye Chen lifted the blanket—and was instantly dumbfounded. Underneath was delicate, fair skin like jade, with strands of silky black hair stark against the pale flesh. The face was almost unnaturally perfect—innocent and sweet, yet with a faint, unconscious allure. By any standard, she was a beauty who could topple a kingdom.

“Wait, now is not the time for these thoughts. I need to find Xiaobai. She’s a girl, yes, but she’s a nine-tailed fox… but this girl is unmistakably radiating Xiaobai’s aura. My instincts tell me she is Xiaobai. Wait, could she really be Xiaobai?”

Clutching his head, Ye Chen paced the room. No matter how he tried to find proof this girl wasn’t Xiaobai, everything pointed to just the opposite—this was Xiaobai.

“Hehehe…” Off to the side, Ruocheng, who’d been watching Ye Chen’s reaction, couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer. She doubled over, giggling uncontrollably, while within the Twin Fantasy Swords, Ruoxing pounded the ground in a most unladylike fashion.

“Ruocheng, when you said Xiaobai would be better by nightfall, was this what you meant?” Ye Chen, not at all polite, ruffled her hair, messing up her long, flowing locks.

“Ugh, so noisy… Is that you, Xingchen?”

The girl lazily sat up, exposing a swath of bare skin. The blanket slipped lower, and for a pure-hearted boy like Ye Chen, the sight was simply too much. He hastily grabbed the blanket and wrapped the transformed Xiaobai up.

Letting out a long breath, Ye Chen asked, with great seriousness, “Are you Xiaobai?”

“Of course, Xingchen, you’re acting so strange today. Hm? Is it because you saw my body? You see me all the time, don’t you? And you’re always touching me, making me feel so shy~” Xiaobai looked down at herself, her face breaking into a mischievous smile, a blush quickly spreading as she spoke coyly.

Ye Chen almost spat blood at her words. Seriously? Back then you were still a fox, don’t make it sound like I’m some kind of pervert! And why does Xiaobai’s current personality remind me so much of C.C.? Is it because one claims to be a witch and the other is a fox spirit?

He compared the adorable, obedient, affectionate Xiaobai of his memories—the one who would nuzzle him, wrap her fluffy tail around his neck, and lick his face playfully—to the teasing, mischievous girl before him. He’d never heard of shapeshifting coming with a personality change!

At this moment, Ye Chen’s mind was in chaos. His brain, usually capable of extraordinary computations, was working overtime. The starry sky in his eyes spun into a vortex; white smoke seemed to pour from the back of his head. For a long time, he didn’t respond. Just as Ruocheng and Xiaobai grew concerned and were about to speak, Ye Chen suddenly sprang up and dashed out of the room.

His speed was so startling, the two girls almost thought he’d regained his former strength. When he returned, he was carrying a set of the academy’s female uniform—he’d contacted Kanade and gotten it from her, only roughly describing Xiaobai’s transformed height.

“Xiaobai, try this on. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll get you another.” He tossed the uniform—identical in style to Kanade’s—to Xiaobai. Having accepted the reality of Xiaobai’s transformation, Ye Chen began to consider other problems. Xiaobai had always served as his pillow, her soft, plush tails the perfect comfort—now it seemed that would no longer be possible. He wondered if he’d even be able to sleep at all.

“I’ll change, then!” Showing no embarrassment, Xiaobai threw off the blanket, baring everything before Ye Chen, and began to dress. Ye Chen quickly turned away, refusing to look at the enticing scene.

“Xiaobai, after all this time with us, haven’t you learned that humans are supposed to wear clothes?” he said, his back to her.

“Of course I know. But if it’s you, Xingchen, it doesn’t matter. I’ll only let you see,” Xiaobai whispered, pressing a warm breath to Ye Chen’s ear, now fully dressed.