Chapter 320: Blue Pill Magic
The poor eggs had cracked…boiling them on high heat for too long would cause this. The correct way to boil eggs was to bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for eight to ten minutes. If you didn’t boil them for that long, you would get so-called “soft-boiled eggs.” But Adele didn’t like the texture of soft-boiled eggs, so she would try to boil them longer to solidify the yolk. But not this long!
Adele looked at the pot, the water almost completely boiled away, and felt dizzy, as if there were mosquitoes buzzing around her head.
“A-Anyway…let’s just take them out.” Adele muttered to herself, scooping the eggs out with a slotted spoon and putting them in the sink to cool down, while also washing away the solidified egg white that had leaked out from the cracks. Although they looked a bit sad, they were still edible.
After peeling them, Adele gave one to First Snow and one to Xiao Ai. One of them was originally meant for herself, but now she gave it to First Snow. When spoiling children, it was important to be fair. So Adele treated them equally. Of course, Xiao Ai couldn’t eat First Snow’s cat food. Correspondingly, Adele would buy some snacks to compensate her.
Cats could eat eggs, so First Snow ate hers with relish. As for Xiao Ai, everything about humans was new to her. Even cracked boiled eggs wouldn’t change in taste fundamentally. So the little one’s eyes instantly lit up. Then she opened her mouth and kept saying “Ah…ah…”
First Snow stared at Xiao Ai with a “silly little girl” expression. She thought that Sister Adele’s new goddaughter seemed a little foolish, not very smart. The complete opposite of Sister Adele. In First Snow’s heart, Sister Adele was always intelligent, cunning, and lewd… Adele thought, I would appreciate it if you didn’t add that last word…
First Snow probably didn’t understand what was happening, but the quick-witted Adele immediately understood. She thought of the words “delicious” and silently recited them. The next moment, Xiao Ai blinked her beautiful pink eyes and shouted, “Delicious!”
“Yes! Very good, Xiao Ai!” Adele didn’t skimp on her praise. Although this seemed strange to First Snow, who was watching from the side. Why was saying “delicious” so great? The cat-girl tilted her head, her fluffy ears twitching.
“Delicious!” She imitated Xiao Ai and gave her own evaluation.
Adele saw right through what the little cat was thinking. So she smiled gently and reached out to pat the girl’s hair and fluffy ears. As expected, First Snow became happy and purred.
The scene before her was so heartwarming that Adele truly felt the joy of raising daughters. And not just one, but two. First Snow had the potential of an older child, obedient but with her own thoughts. Xiao Ai was the pampered younger daughter. However, when the two little ones were arguing and playing in a language she couldn’t understand, Adele couldn’t help but feel a little troubled.
Although it was during the holidays, and Adele was lazy—the kind of person who, if no one urged her to do anything, would procrastinate until the last minute and then rely on a burst of speed to finish it—she had decided to finish her tasks early so she could relax and play games or do whatever she liked. But when faced with the same situation again, Adele would probably repeat her mistakes.
No, I can’t go on like this. A mysterious force made Adele firmly resolve in her heart. She had to give up the game in front of her and do something serious and meaningful. It wasn’t because she had been on a losing streak! Even if it was…it was only a small part of the reason.
Adele suddenly pushed the table in front of her, and her wheeled gaming chair rolled back as expected. Using her toes on the ground, Adele controlled its direction and accurately turned it to face First Snow and Xiao Ai, who were playing Gomoku. Looking at the scene before her, the girl sincerely thought, It’s so nice to have company, to do fun things together. And neither First Snow nor Xiao Ai would be lonely like before. She didn’t need to watch them all the time. Because one might not be able to take care of herself, but two together could naturally support each other. First Snow, who had awakened her “big sister” consciousness, might gradually mature and take care of the younger Xiao Ai.
Besides, Gomoku was also very interesting. Although with First Snow and Xiao Ai’s intelligence and talent, they would probably soon discover the great offensive advantage of the “first move,” and for some, getting the “first move” meant certain victory, before that, they would still feel genuine joy and excitement from the strategic battle on the board.
“Mama?” Xiao Ai, having just placed her piece, was the first to notice Adele. First Snow, deep in thought, even though her fluffy ears twitched and she clearly heard the sound of Adele turning her chair, didn’t immediately turn around to look at her.
“It’s…here!”
“Xiao Ai, you lose!”
“Huh!?” Xiao Ai turned around in a panic. She began searching the board for First Snow’s winning move, and of course, for any loopholes to make a final counterattack. Currently, First Snow had created a situation where one piece was the endpoint, extending three pieces in two directions. It was a classic tactic where the opponent couldn’t block both sides at the same time and would lose.
The clever Xiao Ai realized this, clenched her small hands tightly, and began searching for other weaknesses on the board. Because that was her only way to win. To force First Snow to block her with one four-piece line after another, and in the process, find a glimmer of hope that she hadn’t noticed before.
Adele wasn’t in a hurry and watched with interest. First Snow was initially smug. But soon, the girl’s expression turned serious. Because she found that there were too many places where Xiao Ai could form a four-piece line, meow! She kept blocking, but more and more kept appearing…
Fortunately, First Snow persevered until the end. No miracle happened, she still won against the younger Xiao Ai. That was because Adele didn’t give any hints. Otherwise, Xiao Ai could have easily won against First Snow. But it was also fortunate that she didn’t, otherwise the game between the children would have lost its meaning.
“Yay! I won, meow!”
“The winner has the right to use Sister Adele for a day, meow~”
“???”
“Are your stakes already this high!?”
“No, the point is, you didn’t even ask for my consent for this bet!”
First Snow smiled playfully. Xiao Ai blinked and looked at Mama in confusion. Now Adele realized that she had been tricked by First Snow. There was no such bet; First Snow was just joking. She smiled helplessly and pulled First Snow into a hug. Although there was no “right to use her for a day,” Adele was still willing to give First Snow a winner’s hug.
But wait…didn’t that “right to use her for a day” sound a bit wrong? Well, whatever, both First Snow and Xiao Ai were so innocent, how could they have thought of that?
“What is it, Sister Adele, meow?”
“Nothing, I’ve just had enough of playing!” It’s definitely not because I’m losing my mind.
“So I was thinking of learning some magic from you. The Kitty Paw Strike you taught me last time was quite useful~”
“Hmph, that’s a secret technique I created after a long time, meow~”
“So what magic do you want to learn, Sister Adele, meow?”
Hearing this, Xiao Ai also came closer, seemingly curious about magic. As for how she understood the meaning of “magic,” she learned it by reading Adele’s mind.
Adele pondered for a moment, gently touching her chin with her finger.
“Is there a kind of…”
“Like…where you can reach into the screen.”
“And then slap someone far, far away!?”
Chapter 321: The Little Thief Cat
“How could there be such a thing, meow!” First Snow exclaimed. She was just a talented kitty, not a kitty who could create portals with her bare hands! Even Xiao Wei might not be able to do such a thing. Maybe she could, but it would take a lot of effort, and the portal would be unstable and risky. A screen wasn’t a portal; it was a combination of matter, not magic, so it was even more impossible. Only a god could do such a thing. But why would a god do such a boring thing, reaching out from a screen just to slap someone? Unless Sister Adele became a god, then she might do such a nonsensical thing, meow.
Adele playfully stuck out her pink tongue, trying to cover up her silly question with cuteness. But what she didn’t expect was that her cute act made both First Snow and Xiao Ai gulp. They wanted…to kiss her. Such a cute Sister Adele/Mama.
“I’m just kidding!”
“First Snow, just teach me any magic you know.”
Xiao Ai blinked and suddenly spoke, “Magic! Teach me!” She was also interested in magic!
“Ugh, you’re so bossy, meow…” First Snow complained. But she was already somewhat familiar with Xiao Ai’s temperament. She was just a human child, nothing special. At least, she hadn’t found anything special about her yet. At most, a little smart, a little cunning?
“Does Xiao Ai want to learn too?”
“Then I’ll leave it to First Snow. I’ll pay you with tuna cans as a reward!”
“Okay, meow!” Although First Snow would get those cans even if she did nothing, just lazing around on the windowsill, wagging her tail and basking in the sun, being able to do something for the person she liked was a happy thing in itself.
“Maybe we should change locations,” Adele said.
First Snow blinked. “The magic training ground, meow?”
“That’s right.” Otherwise, using magic at home would probably result in some damage. Then Adele would have to compensate the school.
“But it’s vacation, it’s not open, meow.”
Adele suddenly leaned closer to the cute kitten’s face, narrowing her eyes like a mischievous older sister, making First Snow’s ears turn red. They said bad boys attracted girls, but First Snow felt that Sister Adele was most attractive when she was being mischievous.
“First Snow, who do you think has the key to the magic training ground~?”
“Xiao…Xiao Wei?”
“That’s right, the Headmistress definitely has it, and it’s in her office.”
“Sister Adele, you mean…you want me to steal it!? Meow!” First Snow cried pitifully. Clearly, she was a good kitty, a law-abiding kitty. So stealing was a no-no.
“How can it be stealing!?”
“A scholar’s actions can’t be called stealing…it’s called being eager to learn, understand?”
“I’m just saving Headmistress Winona the trouble. Otherwise, if I formally asked to borrow it, saying I wanted to practice magic, guess what kind of expression she would have?”
“She would definitely be surprised and say, ‘You’ve finally seen the light! Here’s the key, return it when you’re done practicing,’ or something like that!” Adele imitated Winona’s tone quite accurately.
First Snow thought about it carefully. It seemed…that was indeed the case. Xiao Wei liked diligent students. She wouldn’t hesitate to lend the magic training ground to them. Sister Adele’s idea was to avoid troubling Xiao Wei, just go to her office and “take” it.
“…Okay, if Xiao Wei isn’t there, let’s do that, meow.” First Snow agreed to Adele’s request.
Xiao Ai nervously shrugged her shoulders. She stared at Adele with wide eyes, blinking. Perhaps she wanted to say something, but found she didn’t have the necessary vocabulary. So she hoped “Mama” could understand her meaning.
Adele was stunned for a moment before realizing, “Xiao Ai, are you worried…about being seen by others!?”
“!” Xiao Ai nodded vigorously. Because she realized that her existence seemed to be a bit troublesome for “Mama.” Except for the girls close to Adele, Adele didn’t want anyone else to discover Xiao Ai’s existence. But if Xiao Ai also wanted to learn magic, she couldn’t transform into the “blood jade” form. She had to appear in broad daylight in her current state.
“It’s okay, there’s no one in the training ground now.”
“And silly, you just have to call me ‘Sister’ in front of others.”
“I’m so clever, you have to learn more from me, don’t be so honest!”
Adele was right. If Xiao Ai called her “Sister,” no one would suspect their relationship. And although Adele had gained some fame, her low Sequence still limited her future. So most people would pay some attention to her, but not too much. And even less attention to Xiao Ai beside her.
Xiao Ai nodded as if she understood. Then she called out in a crisp, sweet voice, “Sister~”. It made Adele’s heart melt. Great, whether she’s my “daughter” or “sister,” she’s great, meow!
As for Xiao Ai, her feelings were a bit complicated. So besides “Mama,” there was also “Sister.” It felt…Xiao Ai couldn’t describe the feeling. But if it were Adele, she could express it. In layman’s terms: Interesting gameplay added!
However, Adele was completely unaware of what was hidden in Xiao Ai’s heart. She asked the two little ones to wait in the dining room while she cooked the remaining noodles. One big bowl and two small bowls of noodles. All eaten clean. First Snow didn’t mind human noodles. As for Xiao Ai, she instantly fell in love with this delicious food!
Happiness was finding joy and satisfaction in the small fragments of daily life. And the happiness that food could bring was undoubtedly the most direct and intense. Adele was originally lazy and didn’t like cooking. But if she could see Xiao Ai’s surprised and cute expression every time they ate, she might fall in love with cooking and baking.
After breakfast, the three of them left the dorm and headed towards Headmistress Winona’s residence. If the Headmistress was there, Adele would honestly ask her for the key to the magic training ground. If Winona wasn’t there, hehe, then it was time for the little “thief” cat, First Snow, to make her appearance.
Xiao Ai was wrapped in a red coat with a hood. From afar, she looked like Little Red Riding Hood with black hair, pink eyes, and fair skin. Extremely cute. If there was a comic convention nearby, she would definitely be the center of attention.
There were still some students on campus during the holidays, but not many, and they were busy. So few people noticed the trio. They arrived smoothly outside the castle where Headmistress Winona and First Snow lived. First Snow was like at home here. She easily flew inside, unaffected by the defensive magic array Winona had set up against intruders. She arrived at a window on the second floor and, with a flash of golden light, teleported inside.
“Xiao Wei really isn’t here, meow, then let me think…where is the key to the training ground?”
Headmistress Winona had been quite busy recently. It seemed that something big had happened in the magical world.
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