Knock knock knock—
The sound came firm, deliberate.
"…?"
Footsteps approached from behind the entryway, accompanied by an impatient mutter.
"So you finally decided to come back? I thought you died out there, Kia—"
The door slid open with a sharp pull.
Sirin's fingers still gripped the frame, ready to continue scolding, but the moment she saw who stood outside, her rising tone snapped clean in half.
A flicker of pink hair swayed in her vision.
Her brows knitted. Her face darkened instantly.
"Why is it you? Where's Kiana?!"
"Hii~"
Elysia tilted her head with a bright smile. She lifted her wrist slightly. A bag of fried chicken dangled from her fingers, releasing an irresistible aroma. A can of iced cola hung from the same hand, droplets sliding down the chilled surface.
"Kiana went home. I bought this especially for her. Since she likes it so much, I figured as her sister, you probably have similar tastes, right?"
Bang!
Before she finished speaking, the door slammed shut with enough force to stir the air, nearly brushing her nose.
This was the first time she had been shut out so decisively.
Elysia blinked, tapped a finger against the cold door panel, and tilted her head again.
"Sigh~"
There was laughter hidden in her helpless tone.
"I'll leave it at the door then. Eat some while it's still warm."
Inside, silence.
Sirin leaned against the entryway, phone in hand. The screen glowed. A pinned message from Kiana stared back at her.
Second Sis, I ran home first. By the way, Mom's face is darker than the bottom of a pot. Good luck.
"…."
"Idiot."
She gritted her teeth and jabbed at the emoji on the screen.
She had already been furious over Kiana's nonsense. Now there was the added news of impending parental judgment. The irritation in her chest nearly overflowed.
She stared for a long moment. The footsteps outside faded away.
Finally, she exhaled sharply.
Her slippers scuffed across the floor as she opened the door again.
Sure enough, the fried chicken sat neatly on the ground. The glossy chicken wings printed on the bag gleamed under the light. The cola can was beaded with condensation.
She bent down, scooped both up in one motion, and slammed the door shut again. Quick. Efficient. No chance for that pink-haired woman to slip back in.
"Are you guarding against me?"
Elysia's voice floated lightly through the door. She lacked any sense of self-awareness.
She had been standing on tiptoe at the peephole, watching everything clearly.
Her fingertip tapped the cool metal ring.
"How tragic. What will it take to pet this puffed-up little kitten?"
Inside, Sirin's mouth twitched.
"…Definitely a spy."
She stared at the bucket of fried chicken on the coffee table, fingers brushing the cold surface thoughtfully.
Then, as if recalling something, she grabbed her phone and dialed Kiana's number.
The call had barely begun ringing when Kiana's energetic, slightly foolish voice answered.
"What's up, Second Sis?"
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The call was cut instantly.
"What the heck?! Is she crazy? Calling just to hang up?"
Kiana's indignant muttering faded with the dial tone.
Sirin clicked her tongue and tossed her phone onto the sofa before opening her laptop.
Name — Elysia.
Height — 150 cm.
Age — Don't pry into a beautiful girl's age!
Weight — 42.9 kg. No rounding allowed!
Affiliation — Anti-Entropy.
Sirin's eyes locked onto the final lines. Her finger jabbed at the crooked smiley face stuck at the bottom of the document.
Why would a serious intelligence report contain something like this?
Were her subordinates incompetent?
Or was this pink-haired woman's background simply unfathomable?
The answer surfaced almost immediately.
Most likely the latter.
A high-level spy sent by Anti-Entropy…
Who was the target?
Her fingers paused.
Kiana's carefree face flashed across her mind.
No. That fool had nothing worth spying on. Eat, sleep, laze around. Completely useless.
Somewhere else, Kiana suddenly sneezed, feeling vaguely slandered by the universe.
So the target must be me.
From conveniently offering help, to deliberately bringing fried chicken, every move carried a hint of calculation.
"Definitely after Kaslana family intelligence. Despicable spy."
"…I might as well play along. Follow her lead and see if there are more hidden threads…"
"If that's the case…"
She closed the file.
"…I might surpass Big Sister."
With that thought lingering, Sirin drifted into deep sleep.
Morning came quickly.
Before eight, another knock sounded at the door.
"…!"
Startled awake, Sirin leapt up like a cat ready to lash out. Her face was dark as she shuffled to the door, irritation boiling over.
"Are you done yet? What do you even—"
"Mom?!"
Her voice stopped mid-sentence.
The hostility in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by stunned clarity.
"Am I done yet?"
A white-haired woman stood outside, brow slightly raised. Her smile held a faint edge.
"Sirin… Have you grown so much that this is how you speak to your mother?"
"I—I wasn't talking about you…"
Sirin waved her hands hurriedly, avoiding eye contact.
"I meant… Kiana."
"Hey! What does that have to do with me?!"
Kiana popped out from behind Cecilia, cheeks puffed in indignation.
"Admit it! You sold me out!"
"I didn't!"
"You did!"
"That's enough. We'll discuss this at home."
Cecilia's voice remained gentle, but as the argument escalated, a subtle chill flickered across her smile.
"Don't make me say it twice."
"Okay, Mom."
Kiana immediately deflated into obedience.
Sirin, too, became as docile as a kitten under the white-haired woman's hand as Cecilia gently patted her head.
Watching from across the hall, Elysia felt a small pang of envy.
Their mother is so beautiful. And so composed.
The elegance, the grace, the quiet authority Cecilia carried—this was what true poise looked like.
Compared to her daughters, one resembled a well-fed house cat, lazy and carefree.
The other was a wild hunter, untamed and sharp.
"Mmm…"
For a fleeting moment, Elysia found herself wanting to call out "Mom" as well.
Just imagining everyone's expressions if she did made her smile.
…
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