Then, taking advantage of his mom not paying attention, he exited the short video app he was browsing on his phone and opened WeChat. He clicked into the family group named "Family Mutual Aid", which contained seven members in the chat—besides his parents, all his siblings were in this group.
He held his chopsticks in his mouth, eyes lowered, and typed a message into the group with his other hand, "Dad just went up to call you all down. Come down and eat if you don't want to get an earful."
No sooner had he sent the message than a series of "clatter" and "ding dong" sounds came from upstairs.
Following that, his two little sisters tumbled down the stairs, pitter-pattering as if they hadn't seen him, breezing past their father who was standing at the top of the stairs, and then grabbed a pair of chopsticks and a bowl from the cabinet before joining the dinner table. Their movements were more nimble than one another, like two little rabbits scurrying with carrots in their mouths.
Ke Youqing, with hands on his hips at the top of the stairs, looked at these two little bunnies, helplessly stroking the stubble around his mouth, "Smart move."
Ke Mingye put away his phone and looked at the two sisters squeezing by his sides.
The one sitting to his left was his older sister "Bai Zini", sporting a shoulder-length bob with delicate and graceful features, still dressed in her middle school uniform. Every year during family visits, Bai Zini always received comments like, "Our little Xiao Ni is becoming more and more spirited; she will definitely be a great beauty in the future."
[Name: Bai Zini]
[Age: 14 years old]
[Gender: Female]
[Power: B+ level (absolute elite among superhumans)]
[Hidden identity: As "Magical Girl Ash", she had been active in China for a long time and is also one of the core members of the Magical Girl Alliance.]
Bai Zini bit into a grain of rice and typed on her phone, quietly sending a message in the "Family Mutual Aid" group.
"Thanks for the emergency help, big bro," she typed.
Ke Mingye replied in the group, "No worries, just do me a favor later and buy two bottles of drinks from the supermarket downstairs."
Bai Zini responded with a sticker of an angry panda with puffed cheeks.
Ke Mingye put away his phone and slightly turned to look at his quiet younger sister sitting on the right— "Bai Ziling". The face that met his eyes was very much like Bai Zini's, or rather it was almost identical, as if God had crafted them using the same template.
Yes, they were twins.
But aside from their faces, there were many differences between Bai Ziling and Bai Zini. For instance, Bai Ziling's pale white hair cascaded behind her head like frozen spruce on a winter's day; her pupils were a strange red, different from ordinary people; her skin was pale as a specimen, without a hint of color.
"Albinism" was the greatest difference between Bai Ziling and Bai Zini. Influenced by albinism, her personality was much more indifferent than her sister's and was not as lively.
[Name: Bai Ziling]
[Age: 14 years old]
[Gender: Female]
[Power: A- level (possessing top combat abilities that far surpass 90% of the world's superhumans)]
[Hidden identity: "Vampire", also referred to as the Blood Clan.]
Suddenly, Bai Ziling nudged Ke Mingye's shoulder and whispered, "Bro, can you help me with a signature?"
"A signature?"
Chomping on a piece of tempura shrimp, Ke Mingye looked puzzled at his sister.
"Didn't pass the physics exam, mom will scold me if she signs," Bai Ziling answered straightaway.
No sooner had she finished speaking than a panel popped up in front of Ke Mingye's eyes.
[Event Analysis: The "Blood Clan" possesses an extremely special talent on the "Spatial Cognition" level, but during early growth, this talent could result in an inability to normally recognize certain spatial structures.]
"Scram, scram, scram, don't drag me into this, mom will definitely lecture both of us if she finds out I've signed for you."
Ke Mingye whispered, taking his gaze away from the panel above her head and disdainfully shaking off her elbow.
Bai Zini, sitting next to Ke Mingye, heard the conversation and leaned in, bravely volunteering, "I'll sign for you, I'll sign for you!"
"No good, your handwriting doesn't look like mom's," Bai Ziling rejected her firmly.
"Shucks, if it doesn't look like it, then it doesn't. I can use magic to change it for you!" Bai Zini joked.
You better not actually use magic to change it... Ke Mingye looked at Bai Zini's "Magic Girl" identity above her head, sweating bullets.
Honestly, Ke Mingye was quite curious if the two sisters who got along so well were aware of each other's identities—one as a Magic Girl and the other as a vampire—both keeping their secret identities hidden from the rest of the family.
Time ticked away second by second, the wall clock's ticking never ceased.
As the sun set, the last rays dipped below the horizon, lighting up the clouds with a bright transparency. The warm orange light entered the house, casting a faint golden hue on every shadow in the kitchen.
The parents and two sisters were laughing and talking around the dinner table, but Ke Mingye didn't seem in the mood to joke with his family, simply resting his chin on his hand and gazing out the window absent-mindedly.
The color of the sky was turning a shade between flushed red and silver-gray, with a spiral trail of a jet strewn across the ruddy sunset. A child from some family had let go of their kite, and in the dim twilight, it wobbled upwards into the sky like a solitary martyr.
The cool evening breeze wafted through the French windows, brushing lightly against his cheek.
Ke Mingye bit into a piece of chicken he held with his chopsticks in front of his mouth and turned his gaze back inside. As he looked at his family, a sudden chill ran through him involuntarily.