Chapter 896: Ears

The girl startled slightly, then lowered her head, gently rubbing her temples with her fingertips, but the curve of her mouth wouldn't flatten.

She reached out to tidy Ling's crooked hoodie cap, and as her fingertips brushed the brim, Ling seized the chance to nuzzle her head into her sister's palm, like a cat that found a heating pad.

Bachongying's gaze remained fixed on the glass‑facade skyscraper outside, but her Fox Ears were already standing straight up.

Her expression still held that scenic‑view curve, but at some point her left hand had clenched the edge of the skirt on her leg, pulling out several fine creases in the hidden teal pleats.

Hiss——

Ling's squinting eyes when her sister patted her head.

Ling's casual act of acting cute.

Every detail landed precisely on the deepest layer of her memory, like someone pressing a dull knife slowly along the edge of an old scar.

Her right hand moved, shifting from the bag's flap to its clasp, feeling through the leather the angular edge of the hard‑cover album inside.

The album was still there.

Ling is fake!

She repeated it in her mind, then released her left hand from the skirt and, without a hint of reaction, smoothed the folds on the dress.

From across, the sound of Ling gulping a breath of cold air came.

"—Wow."

The "wow" was drawn out, carrying the excitement of discovering a new continent.

Bachongying's Fox Ears twitched slightly; she sensed two gazes nailed onto her, precisely nailed onto the pair of pink Fox Ears atop her head.

Peripheral vision caught Ling staring with her wide, light‑blue round eyes, mouth slightly open, left hand still frozen in the pose of poking her sister's arm, as if she were paused.

Ling was indeed stunned.

She had just been immersed in the great undertaking of Persuasion—convincing her sister to permanently lease all her straws—when a stray glance caught a passenger opposite, and her attention, like iron filings drawn to a magnet, instantly leapt over.

The girl opposite had hair color similar to her sister's—both pink—but shorter, choppy, with the tips slightly upturned, looking both dashing and cute.

Her features were so refined they seemed to have stepped off a magazine cover, and her skin was so pale under the carriage lights it almost glowed.

Those gray‑purple eyes had slightly drooping corners, an indescribable mix of languid and aloof charm, yet as she turned her profile to look out the window, it oddly seemed she was recalling some deep, distant memory.

And those ears—the pair of pink, fluffy, elongated, graceful Fox Ears atop her head—were so clear in the warm yellow light that even the ultra‑fine fringe along the edge was visible.

Are those cosplay props?

If so, they're unbelievably realistic; the transition between the ear base and the hair is seamless, and they seemed to have moved just now—was it wind or a mechanical mechanism?

Ling's eyes lit up instantly.

The excitement of "found an ultra‑pretty girl" and the curiosity of "how this cosplay is so amazing" fused and fermented at lightning speed in her mind, and then she realized she had already leaned out of her seat, extending her neck at least ten centimeters toward the opposite side, assuming a full‑blown lecherous stare.

Her gaze shifted from the ears to the hair, from the hair to the eyes, from the eyes to the red bow at the collar, from the bow to the impressive red‑black long sword at her waist, then from the cherry‑blossom patterned cloth hanging off the blade's side to the black leather leg cuff with rivets on her left leg, and finally looped back to the ears, confirming they were fluffy, still pink, and the curve of the tips was simply perfect!

The girl opened her mouth, and about fifteen different versions of questions bubbled up in her mind, from "Sister, where did you buy those ears?" to "Sister, did you step out of an anime?" to "Sister, may I touch your ears?", all crowding at her throat to be the first out, causing a traffic jam—her mouth opened then closed, closed then opened, and finally only a single syllable emerged: "Um—".

Realizing she had been staring for perhaps a dozen seconds, her face flushed instantly.

Ling abruptly pulled her body back, her back thudding against the seatback with a muffled sound, then quickly turned her head to pretend to talk to her sister, though what she actually blurted was nonsensical: "Sister, what are we having for dinner—no, that girl looks so good—no, I mean—".

She covered her face with her hands, the base of her ears reddening to near‑transparent, while the tips of her white over‑knee socks rubbed rapidly against each other beneath the seat.

Bachongying watched her own sister's full progression from "target spotted" to "close‑up observation" to "brain crash," maintaining a gentle yet slightly helpless smile throughout.

She lowered the hand that had been fixing Ling's hat, gave a slight nod toward the pink‑haired girl opposite, her teal eyes holding a hint of apologetic smile.

As an older sister often having to clean up her younger sibling's social blunders, she had mastered the precise dosage of this apologetic micro‑expression, tilting her head slightly and saying in a soft voice, "Sorry, my sister is a bit clumsy and has disturbed you."

"Eh—I'm not clumsy at all!"

Ling stuck out one eye from between her fingers in protest, her voice muffled, "I'm just… just doing a normal observation! Yes, observation! This sister's cosplay is really beautiful!"

Bachongying knew the moment Ling gulped cold air that she was about to be stared at.

She wore those conspicuous Fox Ears and swayed half a circle in the carriage; it would be strange not to be noticed.

Bachongying slowly turned her head, pulling her gaze back from the Ferris wheel outside the window, her gray‑purple eyes shifting toward the two sisters opposite.

Accompanied by a perfectly timed slight eyebrow raise.

"It's okay."

After speaking, Bachongying lightly pursed her lips, as if hesitating whether to add more, then chose a more neutral follow‑up: "The ears are rather conspicuous. They're often seen."

This reply both explained why she had sensed Ling's gaze and gave Ling's earlier "observation" a convenient out.

Upon hearing that, Ling stuck out both eyes from between her fingers, the flush on her face receded a bit, replaced by a smug "see, I don't mind" expression, and she nudged her sister's nose.

Bachongying lightly tapped Ling's forehead with her fingertip, then turned to herself, bowed slightly, and formally introduced herself.

Her posture was impeccably upright; the bow was modest in range yet exuded excellent bearing, with innate propriety and upbringing shining through.

"I am Bachongying, and this is my sister, Bachongling. She stared at you for a while just now; I'm truly sorry."

"I'm Ling! The bell of a bell!"

Ling poked half a head out from beside her sister, her light pink short hair swaying, the flush on her face fully replaced by excitement, her light‑blue round eyes shining like two polished glass beads.

"Sister, what about you? What's your name?"

Bachongying opened her mouth.