Want to be human, but cube-like

Lowering her head slightly and whispering in Ai-yin's ear, Alex asked, puzzled as to why Ai-yin had frozen in place.

"No, nothing..."

As that soft, sweet voice brushed against her ear, Ai Yin felt her whole body go weak. This subtle sensation caused goosebumps to rise on her snow-white neck.

Are the British really... all so open-minded?!

The thought, which had only crossed her mind not long ago, resurfaced in Aine's mind. She swallowed hard, subtly brought her thighs together, and forced herself to focus her attention on the claw machine in front of her.

...But it's completely impossible!

The thought of pushing the joystick to move the grappling hook would draw Aine's attention to the small hand that gently enveloped the back of her hand, and the soft, smooth touch would come over her. Then, Aine's attention would drift away and she would start to think about how she felt in Alex's arms.

For the rest of the time, Aine was absent-minded. She could hardly remember how she had managed to grab the pink rabbit doll with Alex's help.

He mechanically bent down to pick up the doll that rolled out of the machine, then avoided eye contact and stuffed it into Alex's arms.

"It's...it's yours, Ellie..."

With her head tilted to the side, Ai Yin's cheeks were flushed with a beautiful light pink. She murmured softly as she spoke.

"Okay, thank you, Ai-yin~"

Although she actually won it herself, and Aine's role was merely to act as a cushion between her and the claw machine, Alex still smiled and nodded, accepting the pink rabbit plushie.

She seemed completely oblivious to Aine's unusual behavior. No, or rather, Alex did notice, but didn't take it seriously.

In her opinion, Ai Yin and Xiang Zi both seemed to be like this, blushing and becoming shy because of even a little physical contact or seeing a part of their own body.

Maybe all girls in this world are like this?

As for the boy, Alex doesn't know, since she will listen to her mother's teachings and know that girls should keep their distance from the opposite sex.

Having spent more time with Xiangzi, Alex understood that this reaction was nothing to worry about; he would adjust on his own in a moment, and she had become accustomed to ignoring his awkwardness.

Holding the pink rabbit doll that Aine had given her in both arms, Alex looked at it carefully, then looked at Aine, who was still a little shy.

Both have light pink fur, but their pupils are different; Aine's are light gray, while this rabbit doll's are pink.

There are slight differences, but they're not important.

Holding the doll in her arms, Alex was about to ask Aine if she wanted to leave when she suddenly remembered something she had promised before leaving.

Should we get a doll for Xiangzi too?

…………

PS: I bumped into a British aristocratic young lady at a claw machine arcade. I casually flirted with her, and she was as strong as a monster, but I couldn't resist despite my best efforts.

Not just anyone can flirt with Aine like that. As mentioned earlier, the two of them have a special feeling for each other, and they wouldn't resist physical contact upon their first meeting. This is to prevent any potential issues, hence the reiteration.

Volume 1: Chapter 75 She's Not My Mother

If it's meant to be given to Xiangzi...

Alex thought for a moment, then turned to look at the claw machines beside her.

It's still light blue, isn't it?

There are quite a few blue dolls, including animal-themed ones like blue elephants, penguins, and puppies, but none of them seem quite suitable for Xiangzi.

She looked around and gently touched each one.

Touch the lever of the claw machine, and as you pass by another machine, your steps falter.

For this machine, the next coin insertion will be your chance to succeed.

She looked closely and happened to see a blue animal doll at the very top.

It was a small blue octopus, round and chubby, looking very cute, but its expression seemed a little unhappy, with its mouth pursed and its little eyes slightly downturned.

It actually suits Xiangzi quite well.

Ever since I met her a few days ago, she has always had a tense expression and a bitter look in her eyes, looking unhappy.

It was only after what happened in the witch's barrier the night before last that Xiangzi seemed to open up a little to me. After rescuing her father last night, her smile became much more genuine and gentle, and she no longer kept a serious face in front of me.

Alex smiled slightly and inserted a coin into the box.

After gently pushing the joystick to confirm aiming, press the button directly.

The hook gripped the small octopus firmly and pulled it out.

Alex picked up the little octopus, glanced at Aine, and saw that she was still standing there with her mind in disarray, staring blankly at the white rabbit doll in her hand, unaware of her actions. She took the opportunity to quietly put the octopus doll in her hand into her backpack.

The reason she risked stuffing them into her backpack was simply because she had too many things. She also needed to carry the violin case later, and if she didn't find a way to put some more in her backpack, it would be too much trouble for her to carry both dolls in her hands.

“Aine?”

No one noticed her, and Alex felt relieved. She went back and gently woke up the absent-minded Aiyin.

"Ah... Eh, Ellie, w-what's wrong?"

Seemingly still recovering from what had just happened, Ai-yin shook her head slightly, her face flushed, before finally perking up and looking at her.

But you could still notice that she couldn't help but avoid eye contact.

"Want to keep trying to grab the plush toy?"

"No, no..."

Shaking her head slightly, holding a rabbit doll in one hand and raising the other hand to her earlobe, Ai Yin gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her index finger as she spoke.

She has mixed feelings right now.

Aine could sense that Alex didn't actually have any romantic intentions. During the series of interactions just now, she acted very naturally, and her purpose was very pure. Aine could roughly understand that foreigners seemed to be indifferent to this level of physical contact, and those things were just her overthinking.

Perhaps this unexpected development should be attributed to cultural differences.

The problem is that Aine didn't resist Alex's intimate contact at all just now; she even wanted to maintain that state for a while longer.

What's wrong with you?

Aine admits that she is a very outgoing person and is good at building relationships with people, but it is precisely because of this that she knows better how to maintain appropriate distance.

For some reason, when she was with Alex, she would always subconsciously want to put her in a position where she needed to take care of her.

However, she has always maintained a good sense of proportion, limiting this care to the distance between friends who have only recently met.

In that situation, she should have immediately avoided Alex's embrace and explained to her the impropriety of such behavior in this country.

At that moment, Ke'ai Yin was stunned, or rather, she was captivated?

For a moment, Ai Yin was a little confused about her own feelings. Her thoughts were still in a mess, with all sorts of complicated ideas rising up one after another, only to be pushed aside by her.

Ai-yin, tilting her head to the side, glanced at Alex, who was quietly looking at her with those beautiful eyes, seemingly waiting for her to speak.

If I remain silent any longer, the atmosphere will only become more awkward.

So, Ai Yin rolled her eyes and decided to call off the trip.

"...Hmm, it seems it's getting late."

He took out his phone with slightly clumsy movements and glanced at the time on the screen; it was almost five o'clock.

"If it gets too late, my family might worry. How about we call it a day?"

Ai Yin took a small step back, gave a small smile, and said softly.

Until she can completely calm down, her interactions with Alex will inevitably make her feel strange, so she needs some time to go home and sort out her thoughts.

Aine didn't want the innocent Alex to be misled by the emotions she had mixed in during their time together.

Alex turned her head and glanced at the sky; it was indeed getting rather dark.

Winter nights always come earlier than in other seasons. During this time when the streetlights haven't been turned on yet, the city becomes darker than usual. However, the bustling streets don't feel deserted.

She opened her lips as if to say something, but paused for a moment.

"……Um."

He nodded and responded.

……

Watching Aine gradually drift away from her on the tram, Alex gently hugged the pink rabbit doll with its drooping head in her arms.

She was actually reluctant to end her trip so soon.

Alex found that she seemed to enjoy being around Aine.

Hearing her voice, which sounded like her own mother's, and experiencing the feeling of being cared for that she never felt when her own mother was still by her side.

Alex understood something more deeply.

Aine and her mother are completely different people.

She is gentler, more considerate of others' feelings, and more willing to try to understand others' thoughts.

But Alex couldn't help wanting to stay by her side; the sense of security she felt when she was close to her was so familiar that Alex lingered there.

She probably started treating Ai Yin like her own mother as she heard that familiar voice.

That's why I didn't object to Aine's suggestion at all.

Just hearing that voice made her want to follow the other person's will.

Is this a habit, or a search for a replacement?

Alex was confused, but she couldn't figure out why she felt this way.

Alex didn't snap out of her daze until the tram disappeared from sight and a light bell suddenly rang.

She lowered her eyes, tucked the doll under the arm holding the violin case, and used the other hand to take out her phone and glance at it.

What woke her up was Xiangzi's phone call.

"Alex? Are you coming home for dinner tonight?"

A slightly distorted voice came through.

If Aine hadn't suggested ending the conversation, then perhaps she and Aine would be looking for a place to eat right now?

It's also possible that the two went back to the hamburger shop together, where she prepared dinner for Ai-yin and Xiang-zi.

"Yes, I'm about to go home. What would you like to eat? I'll make it for you when I get back."

With these thoughts in mind, a slight smile appeared on Alex's lips. She quickly snapped out of her previous emotional state and asked Xiangzi on the other end of the phone.

Volume 1: Chapter 76 Treat me to a parfait!

"Parfait."

Beside an alleyway, two white fluffy balls, one large and one small, were entangled together.

To be precise, it was the little white fluffy ball that was tugging at the hem of the big white fluffy ball's clothes, looking up at her with its cheeks puffed out.

"Parfait!"

She repeated what she had just said.

Alex, who was being pestered by this heterochromatic-eyed, white-haired girl she had met once before in the mall, looked down at her with some distress.

为什么事情会变成这样呢：

……

"Okay, I'll be home soon."

As Alex hung up the phone after finishing her conversation with Xiangzi, she happened to be passing by an alleyway.

"Meow~"

The sudden meowing of a cat made her stop in her tracks.

I glanced at my backpack subconsciously. Since I hadn't been fishing, I naturally didn't have a single live fish on me.

However, the urge to tame and capture a cat upon seeing it is merely a conditioned reflex inherited from my mother.

Alex, who was about to give up on the idea, turned her head to look at the alley from which the shout came. Just as she was about to continue walking, she found a little girl standing inside. She was gently stroking a big fat cat that was curled up on a trash can. The cat looked somewhat familiar.

Alex remembered.