Part-27

  Lily set down the knife and reached for a pte, her movements slightly robotibsp; She then pulled out ae and began to cut the cake in half.

  As she took a bite, she g James, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of amusement and suspi.

  "So," she began, her voice dripping with feigned sweetness, "where exactly did you get this cake, James?"

  "Uh, it's from… from a girl," he blurted out before he could stop himself.

  Lily's eyes widened in surprise. The pyful smirk vanished, repced by a look of genuine shobsp; Her brother, the shy, invisible James, who wouldn't even make eye tact with the girls in their css, was g to have received a cake… from a girl? Could it be… was he finally ing out of his shell? A sliver of a smile tugged at the er of her lips, a mixture of amusement and ued pride.

  But then, a wave of suspi washed over her. James and girls? It was a cept so alien, so outside the realm of possibility, that it almost felt like a prank. Lily narrowed her eyes, studying her brother with a newfound iy.

  "A girl?" she repeated, her voice barely a whisper. "Did you… did you make a girlfriend, James?"

  The question hung heavy in the air, a challenge and an opportunity rolled into one. James squirmed under his sister's scrutiny.

  "Uh, well," he stammered, his voice crag slightly. "It's not really a girlfriend. More like… a cssmate. We were just talking, and, uh, she offered me some cake."

  Lily's eyebrow shot up. This expnation was even more bizarre than the first. James and a cssmate… talking? cake? The euation defied logibsp; Yet, as she looked at her brother's flustered face, a tiny seed of doubt began to sprout in her mind. Could there be more to this story than he was letting on?

  Lily's pyful smirk returinged with a hint of knowingness. "Alright, alright," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "I won't pry any further. Just remember, James," her voice turned serious, a glint of wisdom in her eyes, "whatever you do involving girls, be careful. In this world, women are a double-edged sword. They have the power to build a man's life up, or tear it right back down. So, tread lightly, little brother."

  James blinked, surprised by the ued seriousness in his sister's tone. He'd never really sidered Lily a source of advice, especially when it came to girls.

  "I… I will," he relied with wary smile. Lily's words echoed in his mind – a double-edged sword.

  Lily finished her cake, a satisfied smile pying on her lips. The tension seemed to have dissipated, repced by a newfound sense of uandiween the siblings. She ruffled James' hair pyfully.

  James let out a nervous ugh, relief washing over him. He'd mao escape the sp (for now) and even gained a sliver of ued advice from his sister. He wasn't sure what the future held, with the Bully System and these newfound abilities, but at least he wasn't alone.

  **Mission plete!**

  **Reward: +1 **