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Late at night, moonlight shone through the cabin window, casting a silent, tranquil glow onto Jiuxiao and Kiana's faces. Jiuxiao lay in bed with an ice pack on his head, while Kiana drooled and sprawled across his chest, hugging him tightly.
Jiuxiao felt dizzy. Something was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe. As his consciousness faded, it felt like he was about to die — his life was flashing before his eyes.
He was born into an ordinary middle-class family. His parents were loving and kind. When he did something wrong, he got scolded or spanked; when he did well, he was praised. Once, as punishment for causing trouble, his mom made him read *"JAXA: From Beginner to Giving Up"*, which sparked a strong interest in becoming a bald programmer. He loved making games, watching anime, and was deeply immersed in 2D culture — a pitiful student slightly ostracized by classmates due to his severe case of chuunibyou (delusions of grandeur).
The voice that had come from the stigmata that day made Jiuxiao feel that destiny had finally chosen him. He thought he'd be transported to another world, meet beautiful girls, travel together, and defeat the Demon King to become the world's savior.
But reality hit him like a slap to the face: sure, he got transported, but there were no beautiful girls, no Demon King — just an incomprehensibly powerful force of destruction. And Jiuxiao, frozen and unconscious by a tree.
**"You're awake. You're a beautiful girl now!"**
A sudden voice rang out in his head, startling Jiuxiao so much that the flashing of his life vanished. He shot up instantly, checking frantically below.
Still there. But something soft was pressing on him. He let out a deep breath and realized he was in bed, with an unfamiliar white-haired bundle lying on top of him. Jiuxiao removed the ice pack from his head and quietly sat up a bit, carefully observing the girl in his arms.
Her long, flawless white hair cascaded over his chest. A tuft of hair on her head swayed with his breathing. Her eyebrows matched her hair, and her long lashes framed her slightly babyish face. Her lips curled up sweetly in sleep, like a little kitten. In the moonlight, she looked like the most precious treasure on Earth — a real-life moonlight princess.
Of course, that impression would've been stronger if she weren't still drooling. Even though he couldn't figure out what was going on, Jiuxiao figured she must have saved him.
But where were her parents? How could they let a girl sleep in the same bed with a strange man? Were they underestimating him?! He was a young man full of vigor!
It turns out the novels weren't lying — you really *do* meet beautiful girls after crossing into another world. Could she be his future wife? Heh heh, if it's her, then sure!
As he thought about this, Jiuxiao carefully moved her long, snow-white leg that had somehow gotten between his. Maybe he moved too much, because the girl's lashes fluttered and she slowly opened her eyes. Her sleepy, confused gaze locked onto Jiuxiao, her icy blue pupils reflecting his face entirely.
Who could resist a beautiful girl who looks at you like you're her whole world? Jiuxiao's heart pounded wildly. Even though he'd never been in love, he was already thinking of names for their future children.
"Wow, you're awake! Are you okay? Does your head hurt? I remember when I had a fever once, my head really hurt and my whole body felt weak!" The girl blinked and, as if remembering something, placed one hand on his chest and started poking and patting all over him. Then she leaned in, resting her forehead against his to check for a fever.
Then, wiping her hand on the blanket, she beamed at Jiuxiao and said:
"Hmm—you're all sweaty (actually Kiana's drool), but looks like the fever's gone. By the way, you're so pretty! You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen!"
(Young Kiana had lived only in the snowy Siberian wilderness with Siegfried, so she hadn't seen many people.)
Jiuxiao blushed madly, his heartbeat racing. His eyes spun like swirls — *just let me die here, in this beautiful girl's arms... she's so cute!*
Suddenly, Jiuxiao froze. *Wait a second... you and your family think I'm a girl?!* He looked down at his clothes — they hadn't been changed. Okay, maybe that made it hard to tell. *No way!*
*(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻)*
His heart immediately calmed down. He looked the girl in the eye and seriously said:
"My name is Jiuxiao. I'm not a big sister. I'm a boy! A boy!"
Kiana looked stunned. One hand covered her eyes, the other clutching her chest. Then, under Jiuxiao's helpless gaze, she collapsed onto the bed, flailing and rolling around.
"Ah! No way, absolutely no way! How can a boy be so pretty and have such soft skin? Daddy said beautiful girls are super duper pretty with soft skin! How could you not be a beautiful girl?! Daddy lied to me! Aaaah, I don't care, I don't care—!"
"..." Jiuxiao was silent for a moment and then said,
"Isn't it possible that beautiful girls *are* pretty and soft-skinned, but not everyone pretty and soft-skinned *has* to be a girl?"
"I don't care! I want a beautiful girl, I want a beautiful girl—!"
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After a bit of a commotion, Kiana suddenly remembered something. Her face flushed bright red, steam practically rising from her head like a teapot.
"Um... my name is Kiana Kaslana. You can just call me Kiana..."
"Kiana Kaslana, what a beautiful name. By the way, does 'Kiana' mean the moonlight goddess from Hawaiian mythology? It suits you so well. Just now under the moonlight, you really looked like a goddess—divine, pure, and sacred."
"Hehe, of course! Daddy said Mommy gave me this name when she held me under the moonlight!" Kiana beamed happily as she sat up and pointed at the moon outside the window. But then, as if remembering something, her mood dimmed. Her eyes turned red.
"Daddy said Mommy loved me very much... but I've never seen her. I don't have any memories of her either. Daddy said I had a bad injury when I was eight and lost all my memories. Someone who must have been so important, someone I should never forget... and yet I forgot her..."
As she spoke, Kiana began to cry. Not loudly, but her tears fell like rain.
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