I Am Not a Vicious Stepsister! - Chapter 9

Ni Songan felt surprisingly good after exiting the first ride, no dizziness or nausea in sight. Seeing that she could handle the intensity, Modesty stopped holding back and dragged her along to conquer every high-altitude attraction in the park.

“What else do you want to play?” Modesty asked, folding her raincoat and tucking it into a plastic bag. “Oh! I’ll be right back!”

Before Songan could answer, Modesty spotted something in the distance and hurriedly shoved her things into Songan’s arms, vanishing into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

Songan tried to call out, but Modesty disappeared so quickly among the throngs of people that she could only give up and wait in place.

She was standing near the exit of the bumper cars. A fresh crowd of people streamed out after their session, yet Modesty was still nowhere to be seen. Songan began to feel a prickle of anxiety, but then she reminded herself that the girl was a teenager in high school, surely she wouldn’t get lost. She forced herself to stay patient and kept scanning the surroundings.

Suddenly, a wave of cold brushed against her cheek. Songan instinctively turned her head to find a waffle cone held right in front of her face. Two scoops, one yellow and one blue, were decorated with a chocolate wafer roll and a cornflower-shaped cookie.

Turning further, she saw Modesty’s beaming face. Her eyes were sparkling with the excitement of a successful prank, and she held an identical cone in her other hand.

“Here! I wasn’t sure what flavors you liked and wanted it to be a surprise, so I picked a combination that’s hard to get wrong, sea salt and lemon,” Modesty said, holding the ice cream out to her.

As Songan reached for it, Modesty suddenly let go. The ice cream began to plummet, but it was a feint, she caught it deftly at the last second before finally placing it in a stunned Songan’s hand.

Faced with such a pointless little trick, Songan could only laugh helplessly. She used her free hand to give Modesty’s head a firm, playful rub. “Next time you decide to mess around, give me a heads-up. I really thought it was going to hit the ground.”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a prank!” Modesty huffed. she simply loved teasing people, finding joy in the startled expressions of others.

After all, why did everyone around her have to be so stiff and formal?

Songan wasn’t aware of those inner thoughts, and the moment passed quickly with a few lighthearted words.

“Oh, I asked you earlier if there was anything else you wanted to try again. Have you decided yet, Sister? If not, the rest of the stuff we play will be the more relaxing types.” Modesty bit off a piece of her wafer cone, asked for Songan’s thoughts after chewing, and stared at her with unblinking blue eyes.

“Since we already bought the raincoats, I think we could go on the flume ride one more time. What do you think?” Songan asked, seeking Modesty’s opinion. She wanted to go, but she wasn’t sure if Modesty would find it repetitive.

Modesty agreed readily. “Of course! You don’t even have to ask. I only have one mission today, to make sure you’re happy!”

Songan felt a warmth spread through her chest. Not quite knowing where to look or how to respond, she just took small bites of her lemon ice cream, the sweet and tart flavors exploding on her tongue.

And so, the recently folded raincoats were donned once more as the two of them hurried back to the queue for the log flume.

As it turned out, becoming a drowned rat only takes one trip down a flume ride.

When Ni Songan and Modesty had entered the queue tens of minutes ago, they were perfectly dry. When they came out, they were soaked to the bone.

Walking through the park, they could feel the amused gazes of passersby. It peaked when they overheard a little girl ask her mother, “Mommy, why are they dripping water while they walk?”

That was the breaking point. Both of them doubled over, unable to stop laughing.

Seeing that they had overheard, the mother quickly covered her daughter’s mouth and hurried her away. Songan could even faintly hear her whispering to her child, “Quiet, they heard us!”

“Sorry, Sister. I didn’t mean to rip your raincoat.” Modesty’s hair was still dripping, making her look like a shivering, pathetic little creature that had just crawled out of a river.

Songan didn’t have the heart to scold her, especially since she played a part in the mishap. “No, it’s my fault. I wasn’t careful with the zipper when I put it on and got my hair stuck. You were just trying to rescue my hair.”

About fifteen minutes prior, just as Songan had buckled her seatbelt, her hair had snagged in the zipper. If it wasn’t freed immediately, a chunk of it likely would have been yanked out. Modesty had stepped in to help, but in the process, she accidentally tore Songan’s raincoat. During the big drop, neither of them could hold the torn plastic down to block the splash, and they were completely drenched by the wall of water.

Once they were out, they kept trying to claim the blame for themselves. After a few rounds of this, Songan realized they looked like two water ghouls debating their cause of death. She unceremoniously covered Modesty’s mouth and dragged her toward the park’s restrooms to clean up.

Modesty helped dry Songan with a towel first before tending to herself. They bought two sets of temporary clothes from a shop in the park and, having forgotten the pain once the “wound” was healed, they ran off to play more attractions.

Songan eventually had to grab Modesty to stop her from suggesting the flume ride for a third time. “Next time! We’ll do it next time!”

Songan was a bit traumatized for the day, whereas Modesty had a “get back on the horse” mentality and wanted to challenge it again.

Under Songan’s firm persuasion, Modesty didn’t insist and obediently followed her elsewhere.

“I posted the photos from our trip online. The moms are already liking my status.”

While they were eating, Modesty had been hunched over her phone. Songan had assumed she was busy with something important, but it turned out she was just posting updates.

“Oh, I see,” Songan replied simply, not having much else to say.

Modesty slid her phone over to show her the interface, pointing out the comments from Ni Tianjiao and the others.

Auntie Ni: Have fun, you two!

Mom: Oh? Why did you only order juice for yourself? Don’t forget to buy a drink for your sister, too.

Songan’s gaze lingered on the “Have fun” comment, her eyes softening for a moment. “Thank you for today. I really did have a great time. Oh, and remember to explain to your mom that I don’t really like juice, which is why I’m drinking plain water.”

“Mm-hmm.” Modesty went back to typing. Although her nails were trimmed short for piano practice, her fingertips were strong, making a rhythmic tap-tap-tap sound against the screen.

“Are you going back to school tonight? Or should we go to Quxi Orange County?” After replying to the parents, Modesty looked up and asked.

“Um… is there something going on?” Songan still felt complicated about that place.

Modesty pressed her hands together by her face, her eyes full of anticipation. “Because I brought a new game cartridge home last time, but I couldn’t find anyone to play with me… so, Sister, could you play with me for a bit?”

Songan didn’t refuse again. It was just a game, after all. “Sure.”

By the time they finished dinner, the driver they had contacted was already waiting at the restaurant entrance. The night air was a bit chilly, and as a breeze blew past, Modesty let out a sneeze.

Meeting Songan’s concerned gaze, she shook her head to indicate she was fine.

The system, which had been silent for a long time, spoke up in a low voice, “When exactly are you going to do the second task? I feel like the female supporting character, Heloise, doesn’t want to come to Quxi Orange County at all. What happens to our mission then?”

“Shut up. The system is more anxious than the host. Am I doing the task or are you?” Modesty snapped back internally. “I’ll get to it as soon as I can. She’s soft-hearted. I’ll try to call her back more often and find time to go through the plot progression.”

“As long as you know what you’re doing.”

After a whole day of running around the amusement park, both Songan and Modesty were exhausted. They leaned back and closed their eyes the moment they got into the car.

The driver thoughtfully switched the radio to a gentle, melodic tune and lowered the volume to let them sleep.

Songan was woken up by the driver’s soft voice, they had arrived at Quxi Orange County. The driver spoke to her worriedly, “Miss Modesty’s condition seems a bit off. I’ll go call Rosalind.”

Songan quickly looked over at Modesty. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were tightly shut, and her brow was furrowed. She looked like she was in pain.

Reaching out to touch her forehead, Songan cursed inwardly. Modesty had a fever.

“Sister…” Modesty struggled to open her eyes. Her gaze, usually as bright as a gemstone, was dull, and her voice was raspy.

“Yes, I’m here.” Songan took the hand Modesty reached out to her.

Thinking back, it was likely because they hadn’t dried off immediately after getting soaked at the park. They had walked around in damp clothes for a while and then caught a chill outside the restaurant.

Songan felt a wave of self-reproach. If only she hadn’t snagged her hair in the zipper, Modesty wouldn’t have ended up completely drenched.

But there was no time for regrets. Rosalind arrived with several servants to help Modesty back to her bedroom.

Rosalind also had the kitchen prepare ginger tea to warm Songan up.

A servant came rushing downstairs. “Miss Heloise, Miss Modesty is calling for you. She refuses to see the family doctor and wants you to go to her.”

“I’m coming.” Hearing this, Songan set aside the ginger tea she had only sipped and told them to bring it up later.

She hurried to Modesty’s room, nodded to the helpless-looking doctor, and went to the bedside.

Modesty had buried herself under a thin quilt. Songan had to gently pull it back to reveal her. “How are you feeling? The doctor is here. Let’s hear what he has to say, okay?”

“…Okay.” Modesty stared at her for a moment before agreeing. “But you have to stay with me. You have to agree to whatever I say!”

 Songan exchanged a look with the others, confused by the girl’s behavior.

I suppose people get a bit rowdy when they’re sick, Songan thought with a sigh, touching Modesty’s burning cheek. “Fine, I promise.”

She stood up to make room for the doctor, but Modesty spoke up again from the bed. “You have to switch rooms with me. I like your room!”

“Okay, okay.” Songan agreed to whatever she said.

“No! Why did you agree so fast? That’s against the rules! Say it again!” Modesty’s eyes darted around. “Actually, don’t switch rooms. You have to sleep with me!”

 Songan rubbed her temples.

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