Same evening, Mu Nujiao's room.
Entering her friend's room, Ai Tutu found her lying on the soft large double bed. Her always composed sister Mu was clearly irritated now. Surprise for the girl. Not the irritation itself—cause was the one she left alone in his room recently. But that her stoic sister Mu openly showed it on her face.
In Ai Tutu's memory, today her dear friend showed more expressions than the last year, intriguing her greatly. What caused such emotional openness? She'd find out now!
Jumping straight onto the bed to her unsurprised friend, Ai Tutu hugged her and started questioning:
"MuMu, why are you so open today?" she asked, pressing closer.
"I asked you not to call me that!" Mu Nujiao flared instantly; that nickname always bugged her.
"Come on, your surname is half that poor doggy's name! Let it live on as a cute nickname for you." Ai Tutu made pleading eyes.
"And I just had to give you that book as a kid." Mu Nujiao sighed tiredly and allowed the nickname... but just this once!
"So, what's with you today?" Ai Tutu repeated, successfully making her forget irritation. She could be surprisingly sensitive when needed.
Falling silent briefly, lost in thought, Mu Nujiao finally answered:
"You see, before I knew I could earn my living, provide for myself and climb the magic cultivation ladder, but... how to say, I didn't fully realize it," she shared her ache.
"That Hunter mission felt more like training. All along, Mu Bai and Ling Ling basically held our hands and showed what to do. Today's fight... it fully opened my eyes, see? When I tactically crushed my opponent, ground him into dirt and got paid, I... like broke free from shackles!" Mu Nujiao heated up, eyes burning.
"I fully realized clan princess life isn't mandatory. No need to obey family in everything and adapt. I can care for myself and be myself. I didn't even realize how clan rules weighed, constant mask and cold temperament. Getting that stack of bills was like the real me waking. Understand?" She turned her approval-seeking gaze to her best... and only friend.
"I understand you, sister Mu. Before dating Mu Bai, I had tons of complexes, hiding insecurity behind ditzy girl mask. Now that's past. I'm a young promising witch with national team chances. One of young elite gen. All thanks to him." Ai Tutu smiled warmly; her guy did so much, trusted her greatly. If not such a blockhead, he'd be fairy prince. Though maybe that's why real, not kid tale image?
"Mu Bai..." Mu Nujiao said in complex tone.
"Know Ai Tutu, doesn't it bother you he gives his body to that sl... Tang Yue for money? I get multiple girls per guy is norm, especially clans, but how do you feel personally? Being just one of?" Mu Nujiao showed strong curiosity. Finally free to express emotions, she'd temporarily forgot hiding them.
"Well, he told me lots about her; she's actually very nice. And if not her help in Bo City, Mu Bai and I wouldn't meet. So all good. Plus, good family, doesn't mind sharing." Suppressing smile, Ai Tutu told her friend. Didn't want to lie to sister Mu, but not her secret. Partly why she tried matching Mu Nujiao with her guy; tired of damn secrecy!
"But it's strange that with such a sugar mommy, he didn't turn into a hedonist, and he knows the Hunter's craft so well. Plus, his combat experience is incredibly vast, as is his knowledge of cultivation. Sometimes he says things I've never even heard from my clan's elders. And on top of that, he trains me out of the kindness of his heart, gives me artifacts, plant seeds," The room's owner voiced her doubts.
"And what do you think of him? I want to hear my best friend's detailed opinion about her own boyfriend," TuTu began carefully steering the conversation toward the topic she wanted.
"Well, at first when we just met, he seemed too impulsive to me, and a pervert to boot. Can you imagine, he dragged you to his bed on the day you met! If I hadn't seen that you weren't against it, I would've messaged your family!" Mu Nujiao snorted.
"But later, though I still thought he was impulsive, he also showed himself to be a strong and trustworthy man. He beat the entire Green Campus, started dating you, helped you with your cultivation," Her words began to carry genuine respect.
"Then he even started training us! And besides you, his girlfriend, he didn't skimp on attention or resources even for me, basically a stranger to him. And it wasn't just showing us a couple of moves and telling a few tales like the elders in my clan. He took us to the wilds, protected us from threats beyond our power, but let us handle the rest ourselves, occasionally lecturing us on how it could be done better. That's when I saw his erudition and experience. And his willingness to take risks," Something beyond respect started slipping into Mu Nujiao's words, but that feeling was still too elusive.
"After that, when we dragged him to that ill-fated concert, he showed his leadership qualities, helped organize the defense against the Scaled monsters, cheered everyone up with his comments. And at the end, he neutralized the main monster, saving countless infected from death. I later heard from one of the elders that the monster could have killed the students at any moment and was close to breaking through to Commander-in-Chief level. If it had escaped, even a big city like Shanghai would've had a rough time," The girl immersed herself in her story.
"Then another training session, where he brought a little girl and called her our Hunter mentor. The rascal could've warned us that she just looks young, but she's actually 16. That's when I finally confirmed he loves acting childish and fooling around," This time Mu Nujiao smiled warmly.
"Now, I realize he was always trying to instill independence in us. Even when giving us artifacts, Mu Bai still made us train without them, so we'd be ready for any situation. Situations where he's not with us," The smile faded from her face.
"Considering how he dodged our questions today about rushing our development, I can conclude he's preparing for something. And preparing us. But he doesn't want to tell us," She said with sadness.
"But despite all his flaws, to me he's the man who helped me break my chains, feel truly alive. He's my role model and a rival I want to surpass. I…" Mu Nujiao smiled dreamily, completely lost in her tale.
"You love him," TuTu finished for her with a smile.
"TuTu, that's not what I meant…" The girl paled and tried to justify herself, realizing she'd said too much in this conversation.
"Don't worry about it. I'm only happy about it. After all, if you seduce him, we'll become real sisters," TuTu grinned ear to ear and hugged the trying-to-scoot-away Mu Nujiao tighter. Today she'd see this conversation through to the end!
"Really!? You're not mad at me? But… even if that's true, nothing will come of it. From the start, I didn't attract him that way," Emotions flashed across Mu Nujiao's face at lightspeed. Surprise, joy, sadness – today she'd shown more feelings than in the last five years!
"Before, he didn't look at you because you were too boring. With his personality, a typical clan lady doesn't interest him. But the real you… I guarantee, if we work together, in a month he'll be in our shared bed!" TuTu passionately told her friend, still hugging her. If it worked out, their relationship would definitely go beyond simple sisters… which she clearly wasn't against.
"So, are you in on teaming up with me to try becoming a real family?" TuTu peered into her silent friend's trembling eyes. And when she finally mustered the resolve to answer and opened her mouth… she abruptly lost consciousness.
While TuTu was in shock, the room door opened, and her boyfriend entered, a clump of green wind elemental energy glowing in his hand. She'd seen something similar when he transplanted cultivation to her.
"Dang, TuTu, I thought you two were already asleep. Had to knock out Mu Nujiao so she wouldn't see my talents. Apologize to her for me later," Mu Bai approached their bed and plunged the elemental clump into Mu's sister's body, starting to work on her Inner World.
"What are you doing?" She asked, still stunned. She fully trusted her boyfriend, but she was just curious.
"I finally found a Spiritual Seed for Mu Nujiao that rivals mine, but only I can implant it into her Inner World. So I had to knock her out first. Find a good excuse for her later, please," Finally finishing waving his hand over her friend, Mu Bai turned to her.
"I'm off, still need to check info on cultivation vessels for you girls. Don't get bored," Kissing her cheek, her boyfriend quickly slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him.
When TuTu realized the guy they'd been discussing was the reason their important talk derailed, she burned with righteous indignation.
This dumb log! Can't build a harem yourself, so at least don't get in my way while I do it for you! But whatever, you think I'm some light novel heroine who'll chicken out on bringing up the same topic with Mu's sister again?
No, she'd raise it tomorrow morning! And that damn log wouldn't escape a pair of blood sisters in his bed, or her name wasn't TuTu!