I'm a magical girl in the future

Chapter 14 The Privilege of Making Breakfast

Shen Zixin propped herself up in a blurry white light.

He struggled to open his eyes, reached for his phone on the bedside table, then held it up to his eyes and saw the time displayed on the screen—

7:21

What's going on?!

The last vestiges of sleepiness vanished almost instantly.

Shen Zixin set his alarm for 7 a.m. on his phone. So he would get up at 7 a.m. to prepare breakfast for Xiaoling—because Xiaoling had to leave for school at 7:30 a.m.

But for some reason, the 7 o'clock alarm didn't wake him up.

In fact, Shen Zixin did not sleep well last night.

This was, after all, the first time in his life that he had shared a bed with a girl.

Although Noah was just sleeping quietly beside him, breathing steadily and not making any outrageous moves, the faint fragrance lingering in her hair after her bath, and her beautiful and lovely sleeping face under the hazy moonlight, were constantly teasing him.

Although his bed was large enough, and there was enough space between him and Noah to make room for another person to lie down, he still tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Of course, strictly speaking, Shen Zixin had slept with girls before—around the age of ten, she spent the night in the same bed with He Yuran.

But they were just children back then, and they can't be compared to how they are now.

—That guy…

Shen Zixin's gaze unconsciously drifted to her side.

It was empty. But it seemed that a faint trace of her presence remained.

It seems Noah is already up.

I need to get up quickly too, I still have to prepare breakfast for Xiaoling... There are only a few minutes left, so I'll just make do with some bread and jam.

I never expected my alarm clock to fail me at such a crucial moment—

Shen Zixin threw off the covers and quickly walked out of the bedroom.

However, the scene that greeted him as soon as he opened the door was completely unexpected—

On the table were sandwiches, fried egg pancakes, and hot milk. It looked no different from a typical breakfast at home.

Noah had changed back into her sailor uniform and was leisurely eating a sandwich.

Qin Xiaoling, on the other hand, appeared much more reserved, chewing her food in small bites with a complex expression, glancing at Noah across from her from time to time. This was completely unlike her usual free and easygoing self.

"Zixin, you're awake~" Noah looked up and saw Shen Zixin walking out of the bedroom, and greeted him.

Shen Zixin's gaze fell on the dining table. "Did you make breakfast?"

"Yes, there's some for you too. Come and eat after you've washed up," Noah said, pointing to the plate next to her.

Forget it... since Noah has already done it, there's no need for me to be in such a hurry.

Shen Zixin nodded without saying anything more, turned around and walked to the bathroom to begin her routine morning washing up.

The cool water splashing on his face cleared his muddled thoughts considerably.

When he finished getting ready, changed into his pajamas, and returned to the living room, Qin Xiaoling was already standing in the entryway with her backpack on, ready to leave.

"I'm going to school, bro." After saying goodbye to her brother, Qin Xiaoling headed off to school, leaving only Shen Zixin and Noah in the living room.

Shen Zixin walked to the dining table, found a seat, picked up a sandwich, and silently began to eat.

The salty aroma of ham, the rich flavor of cheese, and the slight acidity of tomatoes intertwine in the mouth, creating a surprisingly pleasant taste.

"You're the one who set my alarm off this morning, aren't you?" Shen Zixin said as she ate her breakfast, her gaze falling on the composed Noah across from her.

"I guess so. I saw you were sleeping very soundly, so I turned off your alarm."

Then, Noah's gaze shifted towards the kitchen, her expression a mixture of loneliness and sorrow.

"It's been a very, very long time since I've had the opportunity to prepare breakfast for my family like this. That's why I couldn't help but want to take your privilege of cooking. Sorry."

That "I'm sorry" was less of an apology and more of a sorrowful memory.

"Let's not steer the conversation toward sad topics so early in the morning."

Shen Zixin picked up his milk glass and took small sips. He wasn't good at comforting people, especially when facing "himself," who carried so many complicated past experiences.

So I decisively tried to find a way to talk about other topics.

"By the way, what did you and Xiaoling talk about?"

"Your sister is quite direct—" Noah chuckled, seemingly having recovered somewhat.

"She confessed to me directly that she was the magical girl Asaka." Noah seemed to be reliving the scene. "It seems that she has a rather special opinion of me, her 'senpai Noah.'"

"And then? What did you say to her?"

"Of course, I pretended to be very surprised—'I didn't expect Xiaoling to be Asaka!' And then, she made a promise with me that we must never tell your 'ordinary brother' that 'we are both magical girls.'"

"..." Shen Zixin was speechless. An ordinary older brother?

However, it's unlikely that a normal person would think their brother is also a magical girl.

"Then, I just put on a bit of a senior's air and told her that although I was happy that Asaka was willing to tell me her true identity, we needed to spend more time together and have enough trust before we could reveal information about our true forms to each other."

"I never expected her to say something like 'I definitely trust Senior Noah,' and now that I think about it, I'm actually a little happy about it."

"So, here's the crucial question." Shen Zixin put down her half-eaten sandwich. "About our relationship...she's bound to ask, right? What did you say?"

He had to admit that the sandwich tasted exactly to his liking. Was he truly living up to his reputation as "himself"?

"Of course I asked," Noah said with a pleasant smile. "I told her the truth—'Between us, it's a relationship between adults.'"

"...Isn't the way you answered her implying 'we're dating'?"

Shen Zixin was too tired to complain anymore, so he drank the last of the milk in his cup in one gulp.

"You said last night that you had something to do today, right?"

He decided to quickly change the subject, which was only raising his blood pressure.

"That's right." Noah stretched. "I'll be busy outside all day. So I'm sorry I can't spend time with you~"

"I don't need you to keep me company." Shen Zixin was somewhat speechless. "Since you have important matters to attend to, then go ahead and do your work."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Are you coming home for dinner tonight?"

"Well, if nothing unexpected happens, he should be back—"

Just then, the bedroom door at the other end of the corridor was slowly opened.

A woman wearing loose blue pajamas, her long hair slightly disheveled, walked out sleepily. She yawned widely, looking to be between twenty-seven or twenty-eight and thirty years old, with a touch of languid charm from not being fully awake.

Shen Zixin looked at her and greeted her as usual:

"Good morning, sis."