"Big Sis, how about we go swimming on the rooftop?" Chu Chu ran over to Chu Lian, who was standing by the window, and asked softly.
"No. You girls go have fun. I want to get some proper rest." Chu Chu's suggestion was quite tempting. Normally, even if Chu Lian did not go swimming herself, she would still sit nearby and admire the girls' graceful figures. But right now, she simply did not feel like doing anything at all.
"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?" She had been like this for three or four days already. There was no way Chu Chu could avoid worrying. Yet no matter how she asked, Chu Lian refused to explain what was going on, which only made her even more concerned. Just what had happened?
"No. I just don't feel like playing." What was she supposed to say? Tell Chu Chu that her big sister was on her period? Not only could she never bring herself to say something like that, it would also completely destroy her dignity as her big sister. There was no way she would do that.
"Hm?" Tapping a finger against her chin, Chu Chu circled Chu Lian several times, her little nose sniffing as she tried to smell out exactly what was wrong with her.
Chu Lian responded to this behavior in the same way she always did—with the Divine Finger Flick...
"Oww..." Rubbing the forehead Chu Lian had flicked red with considerable force, Chu Chu pouted and no longer dared investigate further. Since Big Sis did not want her to know, then she simply would not ask. Seriously, what was there to be so mysterious about?
"Oh, right, Big Sis. Aren't you going to talk to the people from Hangzhou Fantasy Culture and Entertainment? You're really just leaving the contract negotiations to Mom?" Chu Chu was worried about her big sister and obviously was not going to leave that easily. If there was no topic to talk about, she would find one.
Chu Lian shook her head, indicating that she did not have much to think about regarding the matter. "There's nothing wrong with leaving everything to Mom. She'll handle it properly for me. Besides, I already failed to do what I promised them before, which is embarrassing enough. How could I possibly go bargain with them now? They might not care, but your Big Sis still has her pride."
"All right. Whatever you want, Big Sis. Chu Chu supports you no matter what. As long as you're happy, that's enough." Holding Chu Lian's hand and gently swinging it, Chu Chu realized that although Big Sis did not seem particularly inclined to move around, she was still attentive when it came to other matters and had her own opinions. She was no different from usual.
Could she be afraid to move because she's worried we'll find out her menarche started? Chu Chu had almost forgotten about that matter entirely. After all, every girl went through menarche eventually. Chu Chu's had come two years earlier than Chu Lian's, so there was nothing particularly strange about Big Sis having hers now.
But if she's only worried that we'll find out, then that's completely unnecessary. After all, we already know... Ahem. Better not let Big Sis find out about that. Otherwise, I'm definitely going to suffer.
"Big Sis, how about we play the game instead? Development is already eighty percent complete. All that's left unfinished are the NPC character settings, backgrounds, emotions, and things like that. But there's already enough story content to keep us playing for a long time."
That matter was currently taboo among the girls. Chu Chu did not know whether Chu Lian's poor mood had anything to do with it, but she did not want to dwell on it either, so she made another suggestion.
This suggestion genuinely tempted Chu Lian, but after thinking it over, she still refused. "No. Right now, I just want to be alone for a while. If you want to play, go find the others. Just leave me by myself."
She was directly chasing her away now. Chu Chu was a little unhappy when she heard that, but there was nothing she could say. Given Big Sis' current condition, she did not want to upset her. All she could do was puff out her cheeks, roll around on the bed for a while, then head for the door. "Then get some proper rest, Big Sis. I'll go play with them."
Chu Lian was in a bad mood, and she was currently going through her menarche, so Chu Chu did not really want to disturb her either. But when is Big Sis going to recover? How many days did my menarche last again? I forgot...
"Seriously..." Chu Lian shook her head with a sigh. In certain respects, Chu Chu could be as mature as an adult, but in front of her, she was still mostly a child, which made Chu Lian both happy and helpless.
Perhaps this was a problem every elder sister faced when her younger sister depended on her. The saying that an eldest sister was like a mother was not just empty words, even if their actual mother was still alive and kicking.
"Master, would you like me to prepare some nutritious delicacies for you?" Sisi's figure suddenly descended upside down beside Chu Lian, and the very first thing out of her mouth was an offer of nutritious delicacies.
"No, thanks. Feed them to your little spiders." Chu Lian shook her head and refused. She was even more afraid of those things than Chu Chu and the others. Childhood trauma was no joke.
In fact, if Sisi had not been pretty and her little spider followers had not also looked adorably cute, Chu Lian would never have allowed her to get so close.
Fortunately, Sisi did not eat those nutritious delicacies herself either. According to her, absorbing spiritual energy was already enough to sustain her life. Giving such food to her would only be a waste, so it was better to save it for the little spiders and let them replenish their nutrition.
She firmly believed that if this continued, those little spiders would eventually grow stronger and evolve into a new generation of spider girls.
Sisi did not know much about her own origins. She simply believed that she had originally been an ordinary spider whose intelligence had been awakened by Chu Lian, after which she had grown by eating all sorts of "nutritious delicacies" before finally transforming into her current form.
After learning about Sisi's thoughts and memories, Chu Lian had already begun planning to instill some knowledge into these innocent monster girls before her next summoning.
Of course, the best knowledge would probably be things like this:
First: Master Chu Lian is the prettiest. This is beyond question.
Second: Anyone whose breasts are bigger than Master Chu Lian's is a heretic. Remember this well.
Third: If anyone says Master Chu Lian is a submissive pushover, scheming, tsundere, or sharp-tongued, bite them.
Fourth: No one's words are more important than Master Chu Lian's. In all matters, Master Chu Lian's instructions take priority.
Fifth: Do not call Master Chu Lian a loli. Do not say Master Chu Lian is flat-chested. And absolutely do not compare breast sizes with her! This is taboo!
...
Come to think of it, if I really put all that in, it'd probably be pretty strange, wouldn't it?
With all sorts of ridiculous thoughts spinning through her head, Chu Lian noticed that Sisi was lingering beside her without any apparent intention of leaving. Puzzled, she asked, "Sisi, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just feel like I can't really help Master Chu Lian very much. Whenever enemies attack, it's probably always all of you who deal with them. Cornus and I basically just stand there and watch."
Hearing this, Chu Lian could not help reaching out to stroke her cheek. Looking into her green eyes, she smiled softly. "Tell me, what was the original reason I summoned all of you?"
"The reason? Wasn't it to protect Master? That's the principle we're willing to uphold with our lives." She enjoyed Chu Lian's gentle touch as she spoke of the conviction she had always held.
"Yes, but also no." Chu Lian shook her head and began explaining.
"You need to understand that all of you are complete living beings. Ever since I summoned you, you've actually been free to come and go as you please. If you're willing to stay, that's my good fortune. Even if you choose to leave, I'll still give you my blessing. There's no need to remain trapped in this tiny house just for my sake. The world outside is vast. You should go see it."
"I don't feel trapped at all. Because Master Chu Lian is here, I feel very, very warm. Once I leave Master, I don't know whether I'll ever be able to feel this way again. I won't do that." Sisi's face remained expressionless. She was even more thoroughly emotionless than Inori and Kurosaki Satsuki.
The other two girls could at least be said to have become that way because of what they had experienced, and they were gradually recovering now. But the spider girl Sisi had been born this way. She did not understand human emotions. Even the few emotions she possessed amounted to dependence on her master, Chu Lian, as well as Chu Lian's friends and family.
Perhaps one could also include her friendly relationships with the other summoned beings, such as the Witches of Book, Consorts of Painting, Science Girls, and Flower Youkai. But even then, she did not understand how to express her own feelings.
It was a very strange state. All her emotions originated from Chu Lian and ultimately returned to Chu Lian. It was as though none of her emotions existed independently.
Chu Lian was aware of this situation as well, but there was nothing she could do to change it. It was innate to Sisi's race, and it was also related to the fact that she was Chu Lian's summoned creature.
Still, she should be luckier than the other spider girls. As the first spider girl ever summoned, she belonged to the most perfect kind, with greater growth potential than any of the others. Perhaps one day, she might even find a heart that truly belonged to herself.
"Mm. Take your time and experience things. You don't necessarily have to change, but seeing more of the world is still a good thing." Chu Lian thought of herself in her previous life. Back then, she had been a pitiful and tragic person, trapped within a single city, waiting for someone who would never come, sinking deeper and deeper into solitude.
That person had not merely lived alone within the city. He had also built a grave within his own heart, and in the end, he had died completely alone.
That situation bore some resemblance to Sisi's current life. Chu Lian did not want anyone else to retrace the path she herself had once walked.
But thinking about it more carefully, wasn't a spider's nature to weave a web in one place and wait for prey to arrive? That was simply how they lived. And with Chu Lian herself here as well, there probably was not much of a problem.
"Oh, right. How are you getting along with them?" She meant Chu Chu and the others. If she remembered correctly, before she had fallen unconscious, Sisi had not seemed very willing to interact with them.
"Fine, I suppose. Since we're all protecting Master together, I've gotten to know them a little. I know they're all good to Master, so Sisi accepts them." The spider girl's standard for judging people was unbelievably simple. Whoever treated Chu Lian well, she treated well in return.
It had to be said that although this was rather amusing, it also made her unexpectedly dependable.
"That's right. We're all together..." Lowering her hand and resting it against the window, Chu Lian gazed at the clouds in the sky. A strange feeling stirred in her heart. It seems like... I really don't lack anything anymore...