Marked by My Omega Rival After Moving In (GL, ABO) - Chapter 19
“…Alright,” Xiang Shuhuai said, “I’ll give it a try.”
She carefully picked up the gun, cautiously aiming under the guidance of the vendor and Yu Xiaoxiao, aligning the small red laser dot on the lower part of the balloon.
Xiang Shuhuai took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and then pressed her finger firmly on the trigger.
Bang. The balloon popped with a sharp sound.
Xiang Shuhuai widened her eyes in surprise, still somewhat stunned by what had just happened. Her finger twitched slightly. “Ah…”
Yu Xiaoxiao, sitting next to her, clapped enthusiastically like a little seal.
“You’re amazing, Big Ice Block!” she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “You have a real talent for this!”
Xiang Shuhuai murmured, “…Who’s Big Ice Block?”
“You, of course!” Yu Xiaoxiao replied with confidence, not the least bit embarrassed about calling someone by a nickname. “You never show any expression, and your tone’s always the same. You’re definitely Big Ice Block.”
When she saw Xiang Shuhuai frown, looking a little upset, Yu Xiaoxiao laughed even harder.
By the time Xiang Shuhuai took her second shot, she didn’t seem so tense anymore.
It was like she had finally accepted that this was just a simple street game, no need to take it so seriously as if she were in an international shooting competition.
Yu Xiaoxiao sat on a small bench nearby, watching Xiang Shuhuai pull the trigger. Her movements were a bit awkward but still looked relaxed. Each shot hit its target with a satisfying “bang.”
In the end, Xiang Shuhuai hit six out of ten shots, earning a third-place prize. She squinted her eyes as she looked through the prizes, finally settling on a small pink cat paw-shaped keychain, a little light-up keychain with a button that made it glow when pressed.
Yu Xiaoxiao watched her hold the poorly made keychain, unsure whether she liked it or not. She worried that Xiang Shuhuai might be upset for not getting a perfect score. So she jumped up from the bench and called out, “Xiang Shuhuai!”
Xiang Shuhuai turned her head. “Hm?”
“I want that one.” Yu Xiaoxiao pointed to the little keychain. “The one right there.”
But to her surprise, Xiang Shuhuai glanced at her, then calmly said, “Nope.”
Yu Xiaoxiao blinked in confusion. “Huh?”
“You just called me Big Ice Block,” Xiang Shuhuai said seriously. “So I’m not giving it to you.”
“Come on, please.” Yu Xiaoxiao whined, walking over and grabbing her arm. “I’ll get you whatever you want! Come on, Xiang Shuhuai, just give it to me!”
Xiang Shuhuai used her slight height advantage to raise her hand holding the keychain higher. Yu Xiaoxiao jumped up, but Xiang Shuhuai just raised it higher still.
When Yu Xiaoxiao couldn’t reach it, her face puffed up in frustration, and she made one last attempt. In the end, Xiang Shuhuai relented, giving her the keychain. “Alright, take it.”
Yu Xiaoxiao grinned and proudly raised her chin.
After carefully stashing her prize in her pocket, she took the gun from Xiang Shuhuai and weighed it in her hand.
Then, she adjusted her stance, expertly aimed, and turned to Xiang Shuhuai with a smile. “So, what do you want?”
“I…” Xiang Shuhuai hesitated, her gaze lingering on the prize shelf. She couldn’t decide. “I…”
“It’s fine, take your time,” Yu Xiaoxiao said.
She then turned back to the target, quickly squeezing the trigger.
Bang. The balloon popped immediately.
With a playful tilt of her head, Yu Xiaoxiao smiled at Xiang Shuhuai. “Whatever you want, I’ll get it for you.”
Yu Xiaoxiao loved to play games and had tried her hand at most sports, including shooting. She had even used real firearms abroad and won a few awards in amateur competitions, so shooting games like this were no challenge for her.
Though the laser gun’s sights were a little misaligned, it didn’t matter much. Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t take the time to adjust and quickly scored ten out of ten, a perfect score.
After putting the gun down, Yu Xiaoxiao turned and saw Xiang Shuhuai staring at her in a daze.
Their eyes met, and Xiang Shuhuai suddenly snapped out of her trance, hurriedly looking away.
“I’m good, huh?” Yu Xiaoxiao said, pleased by the astonished and admiring look Xiang Shuhuai had given her. She flashed a smug smile. “So, what do you want?”
In the end, Xiang Shuhuai chose a plush dog, about the size of her two hands.
The dog was light yellow, with droopy ears and unevenly sewn eyes, looking a bit clumsy.
“I want this one,” Xiang Shuhuai said, rubbing the plush dog’s head. Yu Xiaoxiao muttered, “It doesn’t look very smart.”
But Xiang Shuhuai just adjusted the little dog’s head, holding it up in front of her and looking at it for a moment before turning to Yu Xiaoxiao and smiling.
“It’s cute,” she said softly.
Her smile bloomed naturally, lighting up her delicate face like the melting of glaciers, full of life and vibrancy, just like when she had been playing.
From their playfulness, Xiang Shuhuai’s face was flushed with color, her expression relaxed. Her eyes, shining with life and slightly narrowed in a smile, made her seem less like an untouchable ice sculpture, more like an ordinary girl.
Yu Xiaoxiao’s heart skipped a beat.
She stared at Xiang Shuhuai for a while, unable to snap out of it.
It wasn’t until Xiang Shuhuai called her name, puzzled, that Yu Xiaoxiao came back to her senses.
“…Yu Xiaoxiao?”
“Ah, we… we should go look inside!” she said, trying to hide her flushed face as she grabbed Xiang Shuhuai’s wrist.
The summer evening sky was slow to darken. By the time they were done playing, the stars had started to twinkle in the calm night sky.
As a ceremonious end to the evening, the two decided to take the bus home. They were lucky enough to find two seats together in the back.
The bus swayed slowly, its pace unhurried, and the warm wind from the open windows blew in.
Yu Xiaoxiao, still full of energy, kept looking out the window. She spotted the bright, continuous neon lights outside and excitedly turned to call Xiang Shuhuai, but suddenly felt something resting on her shoulder.
It was Xiang Shuhuai, asleep, leaning against her.
Yu Xiaoxiao frowned lightly, with Xiang Shuhuai still holding the plush dog they had won earlier. The little dog’s head bobbed slightly with the movement of the bus.
Xiang Shuhuai was so slender, light as a feather, and only when she was asleep, with her slightly round cheeks, did she show a hint of childishness, much like when they had been playing earlier.
Then, Yu Xiaoxiao realized—this Big Ice Block was probably younger than her.
…Next time, maybe she could get her to call her “big sister.”
Thinking that, Yu Xiaoxiao gently adjusted her position to make Xiang Shuhuai more comfortable, then yawned.
Listening to the steady, soothing sound of Xiang Shuhuai’s breathing, Yu Xiaoxiao, too, found herself feeling sleepy.
With their heads leaning against each other, the two girls fell asleep on the moving bus, under the quiet night sky.