Obsessing with My Brother's Best Friend

The scorching sun blazed in the sky, and the cicadas' cries pierced the air.

Inside a classroom on the second floor of Sunny School.

Robin stood at the podium, holding a large teaching triangle ruler while giving his lesson. His shirt was already soaked with sweat.

The air was so hot it felt like it could bubble. The ceiling fan whirred loudly, but even the wind it produced seemed scorching.

The students below looked drowsy, their eyelids heavy with fatigue.

Robin was growing impatient.

"Look at the blackboard." Noticing a girl in the third row zoning out, he frowned slightly and smacked the ruler against the board with more force. "Did you hear me? Look at the blackboard!"

Several students who had been on the verge of dozing off jolted awake, forcing themselves to focus.

Yet, the girl in question seemed oblivious. She kept her head down, absentmindedly sketching with a pencil.

She had a delicate, innocent face-still youthful, giving her a soft, adorable look.

Her posture was upright, her demeanor calm and composed, the very image of a model student.

-That is, if you ignored the fact that she was treating her teacher like thin air.

Robin's frown deepened. He continued his lecture, his voice tight with frustration.

"Angle one equals angle two, angle three equals 108 degrees-"

He was nearly finished explaining the problem, but she still hadn't looked up.

Robin's patience snapped. He slammed the triangle ruler onto the desk.

A loud bang echoed through the classroom.

The students flinched collectively, and the already tense atmosphere turned to stone.

"Lily!"

The girl named Lily finally looked up, meeting Robin's gaze for two seconds before calmly putting her pencil down and standing up.

Robin clenched his jaw, attempting to restrain his irritation. "What did I just say?"

Lily glanced at the diagram on the blackboard, her expression unruffled. "Angle four equals 72 degrees."

Robin had been tricked too many times by her obedient act to fall for it again. He tapped the desk with the ruler, sneering, "I haven't even taught that yet!"

"..."

Lily felt a little troubled. "Then... why did you call on me?"

Robin shot back, "What do you think?"

Lily pondered for a few seconds, then guessed, "Do you not know the answer?"

Robin, "..."

Lily, "Do you want me to explain it to you?"

Robin, "?"

"I see," Lily nodded in understanding, then turned to the blackboard. "Since angle one equals angle two, AB is parallel to CD. When two lines are parallel, the consecutive interior angles are supplementary-"

Robin couldn't take it anymore. "If you're so smart, why don't you take my job?"

Lily blinked in mild confusion. She opened her mouth, hesitated for a second, then said hesitantly, "But I can't take away your livelihood."

"..."

Silence stretched for three seconds before the classroom erupted in laughter.

Robin was livid. "Quiet! All of you, shut up!"

The students, however, were too entertained. The classroom buzzed like a marketplace, and a few boys in the back row started cheering-

"Teacher, I think it's a great idea! Let Lily take over!"

"Does that mean no more homework?"

"Can I just stop coming to school altogether?"

Robin roared, "Enough!"

He turned back to Lily, his breathing heavy as he fought to keep his composure. But in the end, he couldn't hold back his frustration.

"Lily, bring your parents to school tomorrow!"

-

The dismissal bell rang.

Robin stormed out of the classroom without looking back, his expression thunderous.

Since it was the last class of the day, most students had already packed up, eager to leave.

"Why did you mess with Bald Robin again?" Her friend, Iris, rushed to her desk the moment the bell rang. "You know he loves calling parents for the smallest things, right? It's only halfway through the month, and your mom's already been here twice."

Lily stuffed her notebooks into her backpack and zipped it up forcefully. "I don't even know what I did wrong."

Iris gawked at her. "You don't know?"

Lily scowled. "Didn't I answer his question?"

"Yeah, but your answer was asking for trouble!" Iris burst into laughter. "Saying, 'I can't take away your livelihood.' Even I would want to smack you."

Lily scoffed. "Then you're just as unreasonable as him."

"Hey, seriously though," Iris said, "why weren't you paying attention? And how do you always get caught?"

"Doesn't Baldy's voice sound like a lullaby to you?" Lily yawned as she slung her backpack over her shoulders. "If I actually listened without doing something else, I'd definitely fall asleep."

"..."

Iris had to admit, that made sense.

Before she could say anything else, her gaze flickered toward a group of boys standing at the school gate. She changed the subject.

"By the way, are you coming to the bookstore?"

Lily gave her a sideways glance. "For what?"

"Alexander invited you," Iris said, grinning. "Along with some guys from Class Six. We're all going together."

Lily repeated, "For what?"

Iris huffed, "Are you coming or not?"

Lily, "Not."

"Why not?" Iris bumped her shoulder playfully. "Alexander is kinda cute, you know."

The two walked side by side.

Hearing this, Lily's expression became difficult to describe. "You should get your eyes checked."

Iris protested, "What's wrong with my eyes? It's not just me-lots of people think he's handsome!"

Lily nodded and sincerely suggested, "Then you guys should go together."

"..."

As she spoke, Lily pulled out her phone from her backpack. She hesitated before typing out a text to Andy,

[Brother, you haven't been home in a while. When are you coming back? Can you come home tomorrow? I miss you so much TAT]

Iris, oblivious to her actions, sighed. "So you're really not coming?"

"Nope."

"They're all waiting at the gate, you know..."

"You can go if you want." Lily said absentmindedly, still staring at her phone. "I'm not in the mood today."

Iris hesitated. "Is it because of the parent-teacher meeting? What are you going to do? Maybe call your dad this time?"

Lily shook her head. "They won't come."

"Huh? Why not?"

Lily kept her eyes on her phone, waiting for Andy's reply. "I'm not telling them."

Iris reminded her, "But if they don't come, Bald Robin will call them himself."

"It's fine."

She was about to say, 'I'll call my brother instead,' when her phone vibrated.

Andy, [?]

Andy, [No, I can't.]

"..."

-

At the school gate.

Iris waved goodbye and walked toward Alexander's group.

Alexander's expression darkened as he stared at Lily's retreating figure. He asked the obvious, "Lily's not coming?"

Iris nodded. "She got scolded and isn't in the mood."

Alexander's eye twitched. "She got called in again?"

"Yeah."

"..."

She was catching up to him in record time.

As a delinquent, his reputation was at stake!!

Alexander stood frozen for two seconds, then suddenly turned back toward the school.

Carl, one of the boys, called after him, "Hey! Where are you going?"

Alexander paused, then stomped back, smacking Carl on the forehead. "I told you to read more books!"

Carl instinctively clutched his head. "?"

"..."

On the Other Side

Lily continued texting Andy-furiously scolding him for being heartless and abandoning his thirteen-year-old sister, who still lacked the ability to take care of herself. All for the sake of attending college, he had completely left her to fend for herself.

She waited for a while.

Andy didn't reply.

She waited a bit longer.

The ruthless Andy still hadn't replied.

Lily gave up completely. She got on the bus home and began deliberating how to explain to her parents that this was the third time this month she was being called in for a parent-teacher meeting.

How should she put it?

Should she say it was because she was too outstanding, and the teacher got jealous?

Or maybe that her words in class had been misunderstood, causing the teacher to feel insecure about his career?

Or perhaps that the weather was too hot, the teacher was too idle, and he just wanted to invite the parents over for tea...

Lily ruffled her hair in frustration.

None of those sounded quite right.

She looked up and realized her stop had arrived.

Lily got off the bus, dragging her feet as she walked toward home.

Stepping inside, she was immediately overwhelmed with nerves upon seeing the familiar surroundings. It suddenly felt even harder to explain herself.

At that moment, her mother, Rose, called from the kitchen. "Liz, is that you?"

Liz was Lily's nickname.

Lily responded and sluggishly took off her shoes, too distracted by her worries to notice the unfamiliar pair of sneakers on the shoe rack.

Rose called again, "Liz, come here for a second. Help me with something."

Still preoccupied with her thoughts, Lily absentmindedly replied, "What is it?"

"Take this plate of fruit to your brother's room," Rose said as she walked out of the kitchen. "Your brother is back-"

"Mhm... What?" Lily suddenly snapped back to reality, her pitch rising in surprise. "Brother is back?"

"Yes."

This unexpected turn of events left Lily in shock.

A surge of excitement flooded her chest. The cold and heartless Andy, at this moment, was instantly rebranded in her mind as a warm-hearted, secretly caring, and perfect older brother.

Rose continued, "When you go in, be mindful, your brother brought-"

"Okay, okay!" Lily didn't have the patience to listen any further. She grabbed the plate of fruit and dashed toward Andy's room. "I got it! I'll bring it to him right now!"

Rose watched Lily's uncharacteristically enthusiastic back disappear, murmuring in confusion, "What's with her today..."

Elated at the thought of avoiding a scolding from her parents, Lily couldn't help but smile as she eagerly pushed open Andy's bedroom door.

The room was bright and spacious, filled with warm sunlight streaming through the windows.

Almost instantly, the air was tinged with a strong scent-warm and familiar at first, but then quickly overtaken by the rich, pungent smell of tobacco. The scent was so strong that Lily instinctively coughed.

She wrinkled her nose and scanned the room.

In the dimly lit corner, a slender man lounged on the couch beside the desk, his head tilted downward as he looked at his phone. With the sunlight behind him, his figure was dark and indistinct. One hand rested on the arm of the couch, holding a lit cigarette between his long fingers, the ember glowing red.

His frame was similar to Andy's.

But unexpectedly unfamiliar.

Lily stopped in her tracks, blinking uncertainly. The words "Brother" hovered on the tip of her tongue but never came out.

Just then, the man lifted his gaze.

At that moment, she saw his face clearly-and inexplicably held her breath.

His expression was indifferent, his features sharp and well-defined, carrying a faint smile that never quite reached his eyes. He looked warm, yet somehow unapproachable.

Slightly upturned, peach blossom-shaped eyes. Light brown irises. His gaze was deep and alluring, holding a trace of mischief.

Completely different from her brother's deep black eyes.

She had expected to see her brother, but instead, she saw a stranger-her brother was nowhere in sight.

For a moment, Lily's brain short-circuited. She didn't know how to react.

The air seemed frozen in time.

Neither of them moved.

After a moment, the man lowered his gaze again, lazily putting out his cigarette. His expression was relaxed, showing no intention of speaking. He stood up and walked toward the window to let some fresh air in.

Watching him, Lily felt lost. She hesitated before tentatively calling out,

"...Brother?"

At the word, the man paused mid-action, raising a brow.

His gaze fell on Lily, staring straight at her. His peach blossom eyes carried a gentle glimmer, yet a hint of amusement flickered in them. Then, the corners of his lips curled up as he drawled in response-

"Hm?"

"......"

That one syllable struck Lily like a bolt of lightning.

All the unanswered questions in her mind suddenly formed into a terrifyingly clear picture.

A brother she hadn't seen in months.

And when she finally saw him again-he looked like this.

She couldn't believe it. She felt as if she had turned to stone. After a long silence, she finally forced out a single word,

"You... You..."

She paused for a few seconds.

Swallowing hard, Lily cautiously finished her sentence-

"Did you get plastic surgery?"

"......"

He stared at her for a while, seemingly thinking of something, and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. Then, his interest was piqued for no apparent reason. He lowered his brows and deliberately lowered his voice, "Hmm."

"......" Lily couldn't stay calm anymore, almost breaking down. "Did Mom and Dad agree?"

There was another brief silence.

The man licked the corner of his lips, his tone carrying a smile, "As long as it looks good, isn't that enough?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lily was stunned again.

Compared to Andy's voice, this one was clearer and softer. When he spoke, his tone lingered at the end, sounding both ambiguous and intimate.

Completely, utterly, different from her brother's cold, irritating voice and manner.

"Kid," he chuckled and continued, "Come over and see if your brother looks good or not?"

Lily immediately sensed something was off.

At that moment, there was movement behind her. The sound of a door opening, followed by the noise of shoes hitting the floor.

Lily instinctively turned around.

She instantly saw Andy's face.

The man had broad shoulders and a slim waist, looking slightly thinner than a few months ago. His hair was damp, a towel draped over his shoulder-he seemed to have just taken a shower. Seeing Lily, he smirked, picked up a fork from the fruit platter in her hands, stabbed a piece of watermelon, and walked inside.

As if she had seen a ghost, Lily trembled and stuttered, "B-brother."

"What?" Andy glanced at her and took a bite of the watermelon. "Stunned by my handsomeness again?"

"I..."

Before she could finish, the man behind her suddenly laughed, interrupting her.

Lily, rarely feeling so flustered, couldn't help but glance at him.

What entered her sight was a presence even more dazzling than the sunlight outside.

His features relaxed, looking less distant and unapproachable. His eyes lifted slightly at the corners, and his light-colored pupils shimmered with scattered light, filled with warmth-like a seductive demon who could steal souls.

Lily's heartbeat stalled for a moment.

As if she had been enchanted, her heart was easily captured.

Thinking he was mocking her, Andy turned to him, "Lucas, what the hell are you laughing at-"

Since Lily was present, Andy didn't finish his usual crude remark. He changed the topic, picked up his phone, opened his messages, and waved it at Lily.

"Kid, what trouble did you get into this time?"

The screen displayed their recent conversation.

The brief moment of daze was instantly erased by Andy's interruption. Lily quickly refuted, "I didn't get into any trouble."

Andy raised an eyebrow at her, "Better not have."

"......"

Lily had a favor to ask, so she gritted her teeth and forced a polite tone. "But, brother, I need a little help..."

A stranger she had never met was standing there. Lily glanced at him, then at Andy, her eyes hinting at something as she hesitated to speak.

Andy pretended not to notice.

Then, the stranger spoke, his tone amused, "Andy, this your sister?"

Andy sat down on the bed, "What, you think she's my daughter?"

"......"

Lily returned the courtesy and asked, "Brother, who is this?"

Andy gave a concise answer, "Roommate, Lucas."

"You don't recognize me?" Lucas said. "Didn't you just call me brother?"

Those words made Lily recall her foolish assumption earlier. Her already tense expression collapsed instantly, looking visibly frustrated.

Andy sneered, "That was quite affectionate."

During the conversation, Lucas had already walked up to Lily and crouched down. He looked at her seriously, his light-colored pupils both gentle and mesmerizing. "I'm Lucas, your brother's friend."

Lily averted her eyes, looking somewhat uneasy. "Oh."

Having solemnly introduced himself to a kid, Lucas turned his head, regaining his usual laid-back demeanor. "Andy," he asked, "Do I look that much like you?"

What kind of question was that?

Andy paused and then looked up, "Go look in the mirror."

"Then," Lucas took the fruit platter from Lily's hands. "Why did this little one just ask me-"

"......"

A brief pause.

Lucas chuckled again. "If I had plastic surgery?"

"......"

After a short silence.

Andy said coolly, "What do you mean by that?"

"Brother!" Fearing Andy would get angry and refuse to help her, Lily hurriedly changed the topic. "Didn't you say you weren't coming home?"

"Kid." Andy, recalling her expression from earlier, remained expressionless. "You really thought he was me?"

"...N-no."

"And even thought I got plastic surgery to look like him?"

"......"

"Where did that idea come from?" Andy, always confident, sounded both smug and mocking. "Me? Plastic surgery? And turning into him-"

Seeing that he wasn't going to let it go, Lily got mad. "Wouldn't you want to look like him anyway?!"

"......"

"Mom didn't even tell me you brought a friend home," Lily huffed, revealing her usual boldness. "And he was the only one in the room. Isn't it normal for me to think that way?"

Andy rubbed his ear impatiently. "Lower your voice."

Lily scowled. "Why should I? I'm not disturbing anyone."

The two siblings locked eyes in a standoff.

Andy had no intention of backing down to his little sister, adding fuel to the fire, "You're disturbing me."

Seeing the argument escalate, Lucas stepped in to ease the tension. He waved Lily over, "Kid, come have some fruit."

With a guest present, Andy lost interest in teasing his rebellious sister. He glanced at his phone and said to Lucas, "Wanna take a shower? Then head back to campus."

"No need." Lucas stabbed a piece of watermelon and handed it to Lily. "Let's finish the fruit before leaving."

Lily pursed her lips and subconsciously glanced at Lucas.

At that moment, the childish and embarrassing argument with Andy replayed in her mind.

And this seemingly kind and approachable older brother had just casually exposed her most embarrassing moment.

A wave of unspeakable grievance rose in her chest.

A sudden feeling of being abandoned by the whole world.

Her cheeks burned uncontrollably, her eyes tingling with a stinging sensation.

She began to feel humiliated.

Lily took the fruit in silence, trying to hold back the heat rushing up her nose. She fought it with all her might, but a choked sob still slipped from her throat.

Lucas froze.

Andy heard it too and looked up. "...No way."

The moment those words dropped, Lily's tears broke free, spilling out uncontrollably. Her suppressed sobs erupted, filling the room, echoing off the walls and drifting into the living room.

"......"

The two grown men were frozen on the spot.

Hearing the noise, Rose hurried in from the living room. "What's going on?"

Andy reacted quickly and shamelessly blamed, "Lucas, how could you bully my sister?"

Lucas stiffened.

He had never encountered a situation like this before and had no idea how to respond.

Before he could explain-

Lily grabbed his shirt, hid behind him like she was terrified, and pointed at Andy while sobbing to Rose, "Mom... uuu... brother... brother hit me..."

Andy, "......"

--

The little girl cried so pitifully, tears falling like beads, as if they were landing straight on people's hearts. Rose, rarely seeing Lily cry like this, immediately sided with her, comforting her softly before turning and scolding Andy in the living room.

The door opened and closed with their movements.

With one person gone, the atmosphere cooled. Lily let go of Lucas's shirt, her sobs subsiding.

Lucas turned back to look at her.

She was small for her age, barely reaching his chest. Her big eyes were now red and puffy as she sniffled-just like a little rabbit.

Then, she pitifully took a bite of watermelon.

The crying stopped completely.

Lucas chuckled, grabbing a tissue from the table. "All done crying?"

Lily, feeling a lingering sense of embarrassment, remained silent.

Seeing their height difference, Lucas bent down and used the tissue to wipe her tears. "Go wash your face in a bit."

Lily, used to being taken care of, didn't resist.

After a moment of silence, a thought popped into her head.

A thought that would seem abrupt to any stranger.

After hesitating for a while, Lily cautiously asked, her voice still carrying a trace of childish softness, "Brother, are you leaving soon?"

Lucas lifted his eyelashes and hummed, "Why?"

"Are you free tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Lily mumbled, "Tomorrow."

Lucas chuckled. "Why are you asking about my schedule?"

Since he didn't directly say he was free, Lily hesitated, struggling to say it, "I just, just..." After fumbling for words, she returned to her original question, this time adding a flattering title, "Brother, are you free tomorrow?"

Lucas lowered his gaze lazily. "And what if I'm not?"

Lily panicked. "That won't do!"

She had already upset Andy-he definitely wouldn't help her. Now, her only hope was this man in front of her.

She clenched her fists and dryly threatened, "You must be free. If you're not, I'll... I'll tell Mom that you two ganged up to hit me-a mixed doubles match of bullying!"

"......"

A mixed doubles match?

Lucas smirked. "Kid, you're really unreasonable, huh?"

Lily glanced at him and weakly replied, "I'm still young."

"Hmm?"

"I don't know how to be reasonable yet."

"......"

Alright then.

Lucas, half-amused, said, "Tell me first-what do you need tomorrow?"

Lily hesitated before speaking slowly, "Can you pretend to be my real brother?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"And tomorrow," she hesitated, her voice dropping lower, "go see my teacher with me..."

Lucas instantly understood. "You got called in for a parent meeting?"

Lily fell silent, as if tacitly admitting it.

"For what reason?"

Thinking about the excuse she had come up with in the car, Lily wasn't sure if he would believe it. She scratched her head and hesitated. "Can I not say?"

"You can."

Before Lily could relax, Lucas casually added, "Then I'm not free tomorrow."

If the person standing in front of her right now were Andy, Lily wouldn't tell him anything. He wouldn't be able to get a single word out of her. In fact, without telling him anything, she would still have the audacity to cling to him for a long time.

But now, the person before her was someone she had never met before.

From the very first sentence, Lucas was particularly gentle, as if nothing he heard could make him lose his temper. She couldn't read him, and because of this distant and unfamiliar relationship, she didn't dare to act too recklessly.

At the slightest change in his tone, Lily would lose all courage to keep hiding the truth.

Lily hesitated for a few seconds before reluctantly admitting, "I wasn't paying attention in class."

Lucas, "Mm."

"The teacher called on me to answer a question, and I got it right." Lily paused, slowly organizing her words. "Then he asked me if I wanted to take his place as our homeroom teacher. I thought that was definitely impossible, so I refused."

"..."

Lucas, ?

Lily cautiously glanced at him, as if trying to gauge his reaction, but quickly withdrew her gaze. She stood there obediently, looking completely harmless. "Then he said he would call my parents."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lily felt like the whole world had gone silent.

She had already omitted some details, making her feel quite guilty. Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, she couldn't help but say, "Don't you believe me?"

Hearing this, Lucas finally spoke, amusement in his voice. "I have to say, I really don't."

He seemed genuinely amused. His shoulders trembled slightly, his chest rising and falling, and a faint laugh escaped his throat, mixed with soft breaths. He was already strikingly handsome, but when he smiled, he was even more dazzling-his lips an especially vivid shade.

The two of them stood quite close.

Lily could still catch the lingering scent of smoke on him, which made her feel even more uneasy.

She stubbornly insisted, "I'm telling the truth."

Lucas, "Oh? You're not lying to me?"

Lily nodded firmly, looking extremely sincere. "No, it's true. If you don't believe me, you'll see for yourself tomorrow. Even if I lied now, the teacher would tell you the truth tomorrow."

"I see..."

Just then, the door opened again.

Andy walked in without looking at them, heading straight for the wardrobe. He said bluntly, "Kid, get out."

Although Lily felt guilty about falsely accusing him earlier, she still wasn't too willing to leave so easily. She muttered, "Can't I just stay here?"

Andy turned around and gave her a fake smile. "I need to change."

"Then this brother..." As she spoke, Lily tugged at the hem of Lucas's shirt. "Shouldn't this brother leave too? I don't think he wants to watch you change either."

Andy acted like he didn't hear her. "Close the door on your way out."

Taking this as agreement, Lily pulled Lucas along. "Okay, we'll close it."

"..."

Andy watched them for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively, too lazy to argue.

Because this wasn't a topic that a third person should hear.

As soon as they left the room, Lily immediately dragged Lucas into her own room, cautiously closed the door, and urgently asked, "Brother, are you coming tomorrow? I told you the truth..."

Lucas lowered his gaze, speaking lazily. "Why don't you ask your brother?"

"No way!" Lily's eyes widened. "I just wronged him like that... If I tell him, he'll immediately tell my mom."

Lucas chuckled. "Your brother isn't that kind of person."

"..."

His tone was impossible to read-she couldn't tell if he was being serious or joking.

Lily had threatened him earlier, but it was just empty talk. Now, she was completely out of options.

With no way out, she suddenly remembered what had happened earlier. Holding a grudge, she reminded him, "Brother, if you hadn't said that to my brother earlier, we wouldn't have argued."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

At that moment, the bedroom door opened.

Andy stood outside, looking at Lucas. "Let's go."

As if he hadn't heard Lily's words, Lucas simply nodded. "Kid, see you next time."

Lily was in disbelief.

How was this already a 'next time'?

They hadn't even finished talking yet!

Realizing that Lucas was really about to leave, Lily immediately grabbed his arm. "Are you guys leaving so soon? It's already late-why don't you stay for dinner?"

Lucas politely declined. "Next time."

Lily stared at him, refusing to let go.

Next time?

Did you already forget what we were talking about? Do you have memory problems just because you're older?

But she didn't dare say any of this out loud. Instead, she pitifully asked, "When is 'next time'?"

Lucas curved his lips into a smile but didn't answer.

Watching their dramatic farewell, Andy raised an eyebrow. "What are you two doing? Love at first sight? Lucas, take it easy. My sister is only twelve."

Lily instinctively corrected, "Thirteen."

Hearing that number, Lucas looked surprised, his gaze falling back on Lily.

"Thirteen?"

His tone suggested he found it unbelievably hard to believe.

As if the fact that she was already thirteen was utterly absurd.

His reaction struck Lily right where it hurt. She instantly forgot that she still needed his help and, feeling offended, said, "Are you trying to say I'm short and don't look thirteen at all?"

Andy leaned against the doorframe, fanning the flames. "That's exactly what he meant."

Lucas scratched under his eye and shook his head. "No."

But his tone lacked sincerity.

Lily glared at the two of them for a few seconds, clearly upset. "Forget it, I'm not talking to you guys anymore." She didn't bicker with Andy like before, as if genuinely hurt, and muttered under her breath, "I'll still grow."

Seeing this, Andy felt an unusual twinge of guilt and tried to comfort her. "Isn't being short a good thing? When you're thirty, people might still think you're eighteen."

That only made it worse.

Lily's expression darkened. "So is that why people keep mistaking you for my dad?"

"..."

Whatever guilt Andy had instantly vanished.

The little girl's eyes were still slightly red, looking as if she had been bullied terribly, but she wasn't about to back down.

Lucas, realizing he had upset her both times, sighed and softened his tone. "Thirteen... You're in eighth grade?"

Lily didn't look at him and replied stiffly, "Seventh."

"Which school?"

"Sunny School." Lily hesitated, unsure if her next thought was appropriate, but in the end, she gave in and added weakly, "Seventh grade, Class One."

Lucas drawled, "Sunny School, Seventh Grade, Class One-"

Then, he leaned down, meeting her eyes.

"Kid, what's your name?"

Lily pressed her lips together and mumbled, "Lily."

"Lily?"

"Yes." Lily avoided his gaze. "It means 'innocence.'"

Lucas playfully pinched her cheek. "Well then, little Lily."

"..."

Lowering his voice as if sharing a secret, he whispered so no one else could hear,

"Now do you know when 'next time' is?"

After saying goodbye to Rose, the two left The White family home.

The sun had completely set, painting the sky with hues of dusk, and the temperature had dropped a few degrees.

Lucas suddenly asked, "Your sister should be pretty well-behaved, right?"

"Well-behaved?" Andy scoffed, biting on a lollipop he had somehow found. "That little brat is in her rebellious phase. She's hard to handle."

Rebellious phase.

Hard to handle.

Well, not too bad.

Lucas thought for a moment. She was, after all, just a child with an immature mind, and he wasn't sure if anything serious had happened. He decided to bring it up to Andy anyway. "Your sister got called in for a parent-teacher meeting. She just asked me if I could meet her teacher on her behalf. You figure out what to do."

Andy clicked his tongue. "No wonder she kept trying to get you to stay for dinner. I knew she had something up her sleeve."

Lucas chuckled but didn't say anything.

"It's probably nothing serious. She's been called in a few times, always for the same reasons." Andy was looking down, replying to messages absentmindedly. "You free tomorrow? If you are, help me go instead. I've got something to do."

"Tomorrow, huh..."

"Yeah. If not, I'll just tell my mom."

He had just promised her, and now he was about to rat her out.

That kid would probably cry.

"Free or not, I guess I have to be," Lucas said lazily. "Can't go around lying to kids."

--

Hearing the sound of the front door closing, Lily peeked out, then ran barefoot over to Rose. "Mom, why did my brother come back?"

Rose replied, "He said he was playing basketball nearby and just stopped by to take a shower."

"But it's so late already! Why didn't you ask them to stay for dinner?"

"His friend had something to do." Rose didn't think much of it. She then asked casually, "Lily, did your brother really hit you?"

"..." Lily immediately felt guilty and stopped questioning further. She turned and ran to her room. "I'm doing my homework!"

Back in her room, she locked the door.

Lily jumped onto her bed, grabbing a plushie and hugging it tightly. She was still feeling upset, but her thoughts began to drift, and one particular sentence kept replaying in her mind.

-"Do you know when 'next time' will be?"

That must have been in response to her question, "When is next time?"

So that meant he was coming, right?

Lily finally felt relieved. She rolled over, her legs swinging in the air as she hummed a happy tune. She stared out at the darkening sky, continuing to think about what had happened earlier.

Going back further-

Lucas had reached out and pinched her cheek.

"..."

"?"

Lily sat up abruptly.

That man had pinched her cheek, right?

No mistake, right?

How could he pinch her cheek?

It was their first time meeting! How could he just pinch her cheek?!

And it wasn't just the pinch-

Why did he have to lean in so close?!

And... and! He even called her "little Lily"...

Forget it.

Lily tried to calm herself, pretending not to care. She muttered to herself, "Forget it."

He was helping her out, so she could let him off the hook.

Her gaze swept across the room, landing on the mirror on her desk.

She met her own reflection, noticing how red her face was.

Lily's composure instantly crumbled.

?

Why are you looking like you were the one taken advantage of?!

In all her thirteen years of life, this was the first time she had ever felt this way.

Lily flopped back onto her bed, wrapping herself tightly in her blanket, feeling the air inside grow thinner.

Then, she listened to the sound of her own heartbeat, growing louder and louder.

--

The next morning.

By the time Lily finished washing up and walked into the living room, Bill and Rose were already sitting at the dining table, having breakfast.

Since she had already found someone to help, she acted as if nothing had happened and didn't mention the parent-teacher meeting at all.

She sat down at the table.

Rose served her a bowl of lean meat porridge.

No one was really in the mood to talk so early in the morning.

The house was quiet.

Lily sipped her porridge slowly, suddenly remembering Lucas's reaction from yesterday. She let out a breath and asked in a small voice, "Dad, am I a little short?"

Bill looked at her and asked, "Did someone say that to you?"

Lily nodded and, as always, immediately blamed Andy. "My brother said so."

Rose said, "Don't listen to your brother."

Lily poked at the bottom of her bowl with her spoon. "But all my classmates are only twelve and taller than me. Even Iris is already 160 cm tall."

Bill comforted her, "You're still young. You'll grow taller."

"You guys are both tall. Why am I not growing? When I take the bus, people even give up their seats for me because they think I'm an elementary school kid." Lily's mood was visibly low. She asked gloomily, "Was my brother already 150 cm tall when he was thirteen?"

Rose hesitated and said, "Your brother is a boy, so-"

Bill suddenly interrupted her, answering Lily's question, "No."

"..."

"He wasn't that tall." Bill said calmly, "I don't remember exactly, but I have a vague impression. At that age, your brother was probably not even 140 cm."

"..."