Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation
87. You Like Girls?

“Ah! It hurts! Jin Shu, go softer~” Li Xue cried out, wincing.

“Haa… haa… it's really painful…” Biyu panted, catching her breath.

Tian Li, in contrast, twirled out of the way of Jin Shu’s blade with ease. “It’s not so bad. Actually, it feels better than I thought it would.”

Jin Shu’s knife missed its mark, and he stepped back swiftly—vanishing into a shimmering portal.

The three girls shifted into a tight formation, backs to each other, scanning their surroundings.

Jin Shu reappeared at the battlefield’s edge, pistol raised. Three quick shots rang out—not with the sharp crack of gunfire, but with the hiss of compressed air as round pellets launched from the barrel.

Tian Li reacted instantly, conjuring a wall of fire to intercept the projectiles.

The flames momentarily obscured their vision, and Jin Shu seized the opportunity. In a blink, he vanished again—only to reappear behind the wall, his knife flashing toward Tian Li’s neck.

But her body moved in an unnatural, fluid motion. Her head snapped back, her torso bending at an impossible angle as the blade skimmed past.

Before Jin Shu could adjust, two palms struck his chest with force, sending him stumbling. Before he could regain his balance, Tian Li’s leg swept low, taking his feet out from under him.

He landed flat on his back, staring up at three triumphant, smirking faces.

“Hehe! Knocked on your ah—!”

Li Xue’s gloating was cut short as Jin Shu kicked her shin. She yelped, stumbling forward. At the last second, he softened her fall with a flicker of the Wind element, preventing her head from crashing into his.

“You—!” She started to yell, ready to berate him, but then a devilish smirk spread across her lips. Before Jin Shu could react, she closed the small gap between them and pressed her lips to his.

Jin Shu froze, torn between pushing her away or letting her have her moment of mischief.

A few seconds passed before Li Xue finally pulled back, laughing triumphantly. “Haha! I finally got my kiss!”

Jin Shu exhaled, unamused. “Alright, get off me now.”

“Hmm…? Nope!” She giggled, shaking her head, letting her hair fling about wildly. “Not unless you give me another kiss.”

Hearing her hair whip through the air brought back memories of their first meeting. “Haa… fine. Lean down,” he said, motioning her closer.

Excited, she eagerly obeyed, blushing in anticipation. As her face neared his—

Bop!

“Owie!”

Jin Shu flicked her forehead and tossed her off his chest.

Tian Li and Biyu burst into laughter as Li Xue clutched her sore forehead, pouting up at them with an aggrieved look.

“Hmph! At least I got a kiss first!” she declared, sticking out her tongue.

Biyu tilted her head. “I already got a kiss, though.”

“Uk!” Li Xue stiffened, biting her tongue. “You did?! When!?”

“Three years ago, on the way here.”

Li Xue gritted her teeth, then turned to Tian Li. “What about you?”

“Me?” Tian Li blinked. “Why would I kiss Jin Shu?”

“…Wait, you don’t like him?” Li Xue asked, confused.

Tian Li glanced at Jin Shu, who raised an eyebrow, curious about her answer. He knew she didn’t like him in that way, but he had to admit—narcissistic as it sounded—most women found him attractive. At least, the maids and a few others back home did. Maybe his dataset wasn’t the most reliable, but still, he was intrigued.

While Jin Shu mulled over this, Tian Li hesitantly replied.

“I… I’d rather get a kiss from you two… if you know what I mean.” A faint blush dusted her cheeks as she glanced away.

“From us…? Why—Oh? Ohhh! You like girls?!”

Tian Li nodded.

“Wow! Really?” Li Xue asked, eyes sparkling with interest. Before Tian Li could respond, she barreled on. “You know, a girl confessed to me once. I was in my guard outfit, so she couldn’t tell I was a girl. When I took off my helmet, she ran away crying.”

Jin Shu shook his head, wondering where she got all that energy.

Then, suddenly, Li Xue nodded to herself as if coming to a grand decision.

“Okay!”

Everyone stared at her in confusion.

“…Okay, what?” Jin Shu finally asked.

“I want to kiss her.”

Jin Shu did a double take. “You want to what?”

“I wanna kiss her. I mean, when else would I get the chance to kiss such a beautiful woman? Just look at her! She’s seriously the most gorgeous person I’ve ever seen.” Li Xue turned to Tian Li expectantly. “So, can we?”

Tian Li blinked, too stunned to respond.

Jin Shu sighed. “Alright, Li Xue, stop messing around.”

“No! I wanna kiss her!” Before anyone could react, Li Xue stepped in, reached up, and swiftly pulled Tian Li toward her.

“Mm—!” Tian Li gasped as Li Xue locked lips with her.

A second later, Li Xue pulled back, smacking her lips thoughtfully. “Hmm…? Not that different. They both feel good.” Then, with the same casual air, she grabbed Tian Li’s chest. “But these are an added bonus. So soft.”

That finally snapped Tian Li out of her daze. Face flushed, she yelped and stumbled back, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Wait, let me feel more,” Li Xue said, undeterred, lunging forward.

Tian Li quickly dodged, darting behind Biyu for cover.

Jin Shu watched the chaos unfold in stunned silence, unsure whether to step in or let fate take its course.

Li Xue, however, wasn’t one to give up easily. She set her sights on her next target.

“Fan Biyu, you’ll let me feel them, won’t you? And maybe a kiss too? I wanna know if it feels the same with everyone.”

Biyu’s brows furrowed. “No. Feel your own.”

Li Xue glanced down at her chest.

Silence.

Then—

“Bitch! Are you mocking me?!”

“What?” Biyu blinked, then followed her gaze. “Oh…”

While not flat, Li Xue was definitely lacking compared to the other two.

Her expression darkened. With a burst of Qi, she lunged forward.

Tian Li and Biyu, in perfect synchronicity, sidestepped—directly behind Jin Shu.

Spinning on her heels, Li Xue barely had time to stop before she crashed into him. Her outstretched hands landed firmly on his chest.

She paused, squeezed experimentally, then frowned. “Hmm… yours are too hard.” A contemplative nod. “Though… not bad.”

Jin Shu let out a long, suffering sigh as he grabbed Li Xue’s wrists, prying her hands off his chest.

“Knock it off, will you?”

Instead of backing down, she grinned up at him. “So, who was better?”

“…What?”

“Who’s kiss felt better? Mine or Fan Biyu’s?”

“I don’t know. I’ve only gotten a peck on the lips from both of you,” he answered honestly—only to regret it immediately.

“Oh?” Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “Is there another way to kiss? How?”

When he didn’t answer right away, she tugged at his sleeve. “How?”

Still, he refused to respond.

She pouted, cheeks puffing out like a squirrel hoarding nuts, and blinked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. “Pwease~?”

Jin Shu sighed again. He found her whining annoying—but begrudgingly cute, like a little puppy being for attention. He had a soft spot for cute animals… even after that little forest devil nearly got him killed by a tiger.

Desperate for an escape, he glanced behind him, hoping for backup from Biyu and Tian Li.

Big mistake.

They were both staring at him, just as expectant.

“…What? You two as well?”

Biyu merely shrugged. Tian Li gave him a silent, urging look.

Jin Shu groaned. “Ugh… fine, fine.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he reluctantly explained, “In the world I was—part of me was from, they call it ‘French kissing.’ Not sure what they’d call it here. Maybe just a deep kiss?” He shrugged. “Basically… you open your mouth and use your tongues to kiss. That’s the easiest way to explain it.”

Silence.

Then—three simultaneous blushes.

Li Xue, Biyu, and Tian Li all turned beet red, their faces so hot they looked like they might combust on the spot.

Li Xue, predictably, was the first to recover. “Show us!”

Jin Shu facepalmed. “Why did I know you were going to say that?”

Once again, he turned to Biyu and Tian Li for help.

Once again, they disappointed him—staring at him with curiosity instead.

He groaned. “How am I supposed to show you? I can’t exactly kiss the air.”

That was supposed to end the conversation.

It didn’t.

Li Xue practically bounced with excitement, while Biyu hesitantly raised a hand.

They exchanged a competitive glare before, as if reaching an unspoken agreement, both turned toward Tian Li.

Tian Li took a cautious step back. “…What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You do it,” Li Xue declared.

“What? I don’t even like him! I like girls!”

“Exactly!” Li Xue nodded as if it was the most logical thing in the world. “That’s why you’re perfect. It’s just for research.”

Tian Li and Jin Shu spoke at the same time.

““…How does that make any sense?!””

Both Biyu and Li Xue shrugged.

“Okay, enough. Both of you stop messing around. If we’re done with training, then I’m leaving,” Jin Shu declared.

Tian Li frowned. “You don’t want to kiss me?” she asked, her voice tinged with resentment.

“Huh? No—well, yes, but no… I don’t know!” His thoughts warred against each other. Half of him very much wanted to kiss her, but the other half—while still tempted—urged restraint. Which only made things worse. “Why? Didn’t you just say you didn’t want to?”

“I never said I didn’t want to…” She looked away, blushing. “I don’t… but if it’s just for research…”

Jin Shu shook his head. “If you all want to conduct research, do it amongst yourselves.”

He waved a hand, attempting to summon a portal to escape this bizarre situation.

Nothing happened.

Nope. We’re staying, his youngest soul declared.

What are you doing? Jin Shu asked inwardly.

You keep chickening out at the last second. I’m just helping you. Helping us, really.

Meanwhile, Li Xue had already latched onto the idea. “Oh! We could do that! Tian Li, let me kiss you again.”

“No!” Tian Li adamantly refused.

“…Then kiss Biyu.”

“She can’t kiss me. That would be cheating,” Biyu said.

Li Xue blinked. “Cheating against who?”

Biyu hesitated before glancing at Jin Shu.

“Well, Senior Sister Li probably has a girlfriend, right?” she asked Tian Li.

Tian Li shook her head. “I don’t.”

Jin Shu's youngest soul let out a mental wail. Ahh! Damn it! You messed it all up! Now my goddess isn’t going to kiss me!

Since when was Tian Li your goddess?

Uh, since the moment we saw her! the youngest huffed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Biyu is better, the older soul chimed in.

You too?

The older soul didn’t answer. Instead, Jin Shu saw a mental image of his older self shrugging.

Jin Shu exhaled sharply. “Okay, enough is enough. I’m leaving.”

With that, he spun on his heel and strode off toward his lodging.

Silence followed.

Then—bursting laughter.

“Did he seriously think Tian Li was going to kiss him?” Li Xue wheezed, tears of mirth in her eyes.

Biyu nodded.

Tian Li blushed faintly. “Right…? Why would I do that?” she added, her chuckle just a little too weak.

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