Fear of Gains and Losses

"This Dao Cun is such a jerk!"

Shen Yiyue leaned against Ning Yu, holding a book high in the air, her mouth stuffed with a half-eaten Pocky stick, the other half mysteriously gone.

"You read so fast."

Ning Yu turned to look at Shen Yiyue, noticing her dissatisfaction with the content of the book.

Glancing down at her own unfinished copy of *The Stranger*, she felt she was reading at a snail's pace compared to Shen Yiyue. She often found herself re-reading passages, as if reading were akin to cows chewing their cud.

"So, does the male protagonist have two girlfriends at the same time?"

Ning Yu ventured a guess.

"Mm... something like that. He already has a wife at home, yet he goes out to find a geisha. And this poor geisha falls in love with him."

Shen Yiyue flipped the book around to show Ning Yu the evidence.

But Ning Yu wasn't looking at the book; she was admiring the delicate lines of Shen Yiyue's face.

She hesitated, wanting to discuss her upcoming departure with Shen Yiyue in advance, but couldn't bring herself to do it.

She decided to wait until after dealing with the trouble to return, knowing Shen Yiyue would never let her face danger alone.

"Hey, are you listening?"

Shen Yiyue waved her hand in front of Ning Yu's eyes, snapping her out of her daze.

"Ah, I was spacing out."

Ning Yu gave an apologetic smile, finally focusing on the words in the book.

But Shen Yiyue wasn't angry. Instead, she suddenly felt a pang of insecurity, closing the book and softly asking a question:

"Ning Yu... will you ever like someone else?"

"Huh?"

Ning Yu was caught off guard by the question, momentarily confused by her train of thought.

But the answer was simple.

She slowly raised her hand, and Blood Kite materialized in her palm, which she placed into Shen Yiyue's hands.

"Why are you suddenly pulling out a knife?"

Shen Yiyue was startled by Ning Yu's gesture, regretting her foolish question.

"I won't like anyone else. If I ever do, you can kill me."

Ning Yu looked her straight in the eye, then suddenly remembered she had three lives.

"Make sure to do it three times."

Only a killer could say something like that.

Hearing this, Shen Yiyue was at a loss, her thin lips moving slightly before she finally managed to say:

"I... I can't bear to."

Her clumsy response made Ning Yu smile, and she hugged her, pressing her face against Shen Yiyue's still-flustered cheek.

Whispering softly in her ear:

"When the sun starts orbiting the Earth, when 1+1 equals 3, then I won't like you anymore, okay?"

Shen Yiyue squirmed slightly from the warm breath on her ear, turning her head, but Ning Yu's words had already sunk into her heart.

"Okay."

She melted into Ning Yu's arms like a boneless creature, wrapping her arms around Ning Yu's neck.

"Aren't you going to read anymore?"

"Nope, I need to recharge with Ning Yu for a bit."

Ning Yu chuckled at her clinginess, picking up *The Stranger* from the table.

A thought suddenly crossed her mind:

There were only two days left before her temporary departure.

...

The next morning, Ning Yu woke up early, hesitating whether to go for a morning run. After some thought, she decided against it.

When she opened the door, the living room was empty, with only a few rays of clear sunlight filtering through the windows, creating a Tyndall effect.

Ning Yu had slept late the previous night, caught up in all sorts of random thoughts.

She had used fatigue as an excuse to retreat to her room early, and Shen Yiyue had pestered her for a while before finally letting her go.

They had brushed their teeth and washed their faces side by side at the sink before returning to their respective rooms. Ning Yu vaguely remembered Shen Yiyue carrying *Snow Country* back to her room.

As for herself, she had only managed to read a few pages of *The Stranger*, partly due to her slow reading pace and partly for other reasons.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Ning Yu sat down on the sofa and poured herself a glass of water.

It was a habit of hers to drink a large glass of water every morning, if possible.

Setting the glass on the coffee table, Ning Yu leaned back on the sofa, which was filled with the scents of both of them.

They often cuddled here, reading or simply resting against each other, leaving the sofa infused with the smell of their shampoo.

Perhaps out of reluctance, Ning Yu turned to look at the creeping sunlight invading the room.

In a few days, she would be waking up in unfamiliar surroundings.

She suddenly found herself laughing at her own sentimentality. After all, it wasn't like she wouldn't return, so why the melancholy? It wasn't like her at all.

Picking up the glass, she downed the remaining water in one go, then headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

By the time Ning Yu finished, Shen Qianqian emerged from her room, spotting Ning Yu in the living room and giving her a curious look:

"Sister Ning Yu? Already back from your morning run?"

Ning Yu shook her head.

"No, I'm not going for a run recently. Maybe in a few days."

Shen Qianqian "oh"ed in understanding, then headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Ning Yu walked into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Usually, Shen Yiyue would be the one to cook, but since she seemed to be running late today, Ning Yu decided to take over. It had been a while since she last cooked.

Humming an unnamed tune, Ning Yu fried hamburger patties in the kitchen. Normally, Shen Yiyue would have woken up by now, sniffing around her, eagerly anticipating the aroma.

After preparing three servings of breakfast and heating up some milk, Shen Yiyue still hadn't emerged.

Ning Yu guessed she must have stayed up late reading *Snow Country*, which was why she was still in bed.

"Sister is really something, sleeping later than me~"

Shen Qianqian helped Ning Yu set the table, mimicking her precise arrangement of utensils.

At this rate, Shen Qianqian might develop Ning Yu's obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

Once the table was set, she took a deep breath, and Ning Yu could almost see a vision of Shen Yiyue in her.

The sisters were truly alike, even in their eagerness for food.

Ning Yu removed her apron, washed her hands, and walked over to Shen Yiyue's room.

She knocked lightly before pushing the door open.

"Huh?"

Upon entering, Ning Yu found Shen Yiyue fully dressed, sitting at her desk writing something.

It was a gray-covered notebook, already halfway filled. Shen Yiyue sat upright, her head down, writing without pause, responding:

"Oh, I forgot the time. I'll be right there!"

Ning Yu didn't approach but slowly walked to her bed, noticing it was unmade. She quickly tidied it up.

As she turned back, she suddenly noticed Shen Yiyue's slightly red eyes.