Soul Trigger

Chapter 636 Brother and Sister
The next day was still calm and peaceful, and everything seemed to be brewing.

To counter Sally's sailboat offensive, Anya tossed the keys to her sports car to Ji Li early the next morning, indicating that she wanted to give it to him.

Ji Li chuckled at this and indicated that he didn't need it.

"If you really want to give me something, why not ask the mayor to give our family some tax breaks to help my sister and aunt with their basic living needs?"

Anya listened to this and didn't show up at school for the entire afternoon.

After Ji Li and Ai Guier finished their sailing training under Sally's supervision, they arrived at the seaside training ground, panting heavily.

Upon seeing that the three of them were standing on a sailboat—a completely matte black sailboat at that—it was clear that Sally's uncle's sailboat had arrived, and they immediately began to run.
"Ji Li! I did it!"

Ji Li maneuvered the sailboat to shore:

"What did you succeed at?"

"Tax exemption policy and new resident plan! The county has a new policy recently. My father originally didn't plan to join because of the county evaluation, but I persuaded him and included your whole family in the new policy."

You now have 80% of your taxes reduced or exempted, plus additional housing subsidies and full school meal subsidies!
Even my aunt's pension is included in the resident plan; all you have to do is apply!

Sally immediately pouted:

"You're really something... How could Father agree to something like this?"

Anya smiled with her hands on her hips:
“I told him that Aquile would win first place in the county election with a flag bearing the Red Maple Town and Foster family crest! That way, his achievements as a father would be even greater!”

As he spoke, he glanced at Sally with a provocative look:
What's the value of your sailboat? National policies are what truly matter.

Then he looked at Aquile:
"Is this request okay?"

Aquil, who was adjusting the sails, was stunned after hearing Anya's words. He only came to his senses after being called out to him.
"No, no problem, I will definitely win the championship..."

"Who said that? With Pulitzer around, the championship is a piece of cake, isn't it? I was talking about our family crest!"

"Of course... that's fine too."

Aiguiel was momentarily stunned, glanced at Ji Li subconsciously, and remained silent.

When Sally said she was going to send a sailboat yesterday, she initially thought it was a joke. But when Sally's uncle's people actually brought the sailboat today, she was truly shocked by the realization that her worldview had been shattered.

A clash of class and worldview.

At school, people are judged by their interpersonal relationships and grades, and Equiel is quite outstanding in these areas.

But the reality is that the sailboat you look up to with awe is something that an ordinary town mayor in a town like White Island could easily take out and give away in a fit of jealousy.

When she was navigating the boat today, she couldn't concentrate for a while, still immersed in this intense class conflict.

Anya's arrival today only intensified this impact, leaving her feeling unsettled for a while.

The new sailboat, the family-friendly policies—it all seemed to echo what I had yelled at him about yesterday: could the friends he made really change the family's situation?
But Pulitzer has only been sailing for a few hours, what makes you think... that having him guarantees first place? Am I that insignificant?

Looking at the blonde sisters starting to make noise again, and Ji Li's seemingly indifferent expression, Aiguier suddenly felt a pang of sadness in her heart—

She seems to be the one who's superfluous.

The smile on his face seemed to be something he was used to.

Gazing at that smile, Aquile suddenly felt that her brother, whom she had always disliked, had become a complete stranger.

Overwhelmed by this intense worldview shock, she momentarily forgot her spiritual nature and superpowers, leaving only a strong sense of escape:
“That… Pulitzer.”

She looked at the other person:

"Are you going to a party today? Then I'll sail the sailboat back to school first."

Ji Li raised an eyebrow, sensing that this guy was acting a bit strange all of a sudden:

"Can you do it alone?"

"No...no problem. The wind has calmed down a bit by now, so you guys go ahead and have fun..."

At this moment, Anya jumped onto the boat and grabbed Ji Li's hand:

"Aquar, aren't you coming along?"

Sally tried to pull him away but failed, and grabbed Ji Li's other arm instead.
"Hey, he's my date tonight!"

Anya ignored her and just cuddled with Ji Li, acting coquettishly.

"How did I do today? I want a reward too..."

Looking at the scene before him, Aiquil silently began to prepare the sails.

These two clearly didn't want her to go; they were just being polite.

The two of them were already busy vying for Pulitzer's attention, and at this party they might even be thinking about having something happen with him that night. What was she going there for, to be a third wheel?
But a hand grabbed her arm, and Aquile looked up to see Pulitzer:

"You two go first. The new sailboat, Aiquiel, might be difficult to control on its own. I'll take her back."

Anya, still absorbed in demanding her reward, wanted to say something more, but suddenly noticed Aquil's somewhat vacant gaze and shoved Sally, who was beside her, into a jab:
"Then we'll wait for you at the school gate!"

This beach is not far from the sailing route of the sailing competition. You can see the end of the race, which is a small island in the sea, just a tiny dot in the distance.

The two sailed back to school along the riverbank and the river:
"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

"I'm happy, but... I feel a little dazed."

Aquil touched the sailboat at his feet:
“Pulitzer, even if I win the White Island National League and the BO Commercial Series, I still can’t afford this boat…”

Ji Li, who was at the helm, glanced at Aiquier:
“That’s normal. The Foster family is a family of politicians. They’ve been the mayors of this town for generations. The politicians on White Island are not short of money.”

"No, I mean..."

After entering the river, the wind and waves gradually calmed down. Aiguier loosened the rope and squatted down on the sailboat, hugging her legs, which were red from the sun.
"I feel like I'm from a different world than them."

"And... it's not with you either."

Her red ponytail cascaded down her back in large waves as she turned to look directly at Ji Li.

The colors of the setting sun cast a bright, rimmed glow on her cheeks; the bluish river water reflected a cool light onto her lightly freckled face; the window lights of the houses along the riverbank shimmered with a hazy glow, flickering in her emerald eyes.

“I’ve had this feeling since yesterday, no, maybe it started around the time of the bear, or even earlier…”

The girl's lips trembled slightly:
Are you really Pulitzer?

She began to waver.

Aunt and Aquile were the people who knew Pulitzer best, but Pulitzer's relationship with his aunt was limited to home; he spent most of his life outside of home at school and other places.

So the person who truly understood Pulitzer was Equiel.

She increasingly felt that this person was not Pulitzer.

He doesn't look like Pulitzer, he doesn't speak like Pulitzer, and he doesn't behave like Pulitzer.

Could a loser like Pulitzer really steal Anya from Jason and then have her and his sister on either side of him in front of someone from such a wealthy family?
Obviously impossible.

Even if Pulitzer could do this before... no, could Pulitzer really do this before? Was he really that kind of person?
Suddenly, Aquile's eyes trembled:
"you……"

Boom!
With a sudden thud, the sailboat shook violently as if it had hit something.

Amidst a panicked "Sorry" from the shore, Equalton, sitting on the small deck, tumbled overboard.

Ji Li instantly stopped the sailboat, jumped into the water, and scooped Aiquier up in his arms with lightning speed:

"Are you okay?"

Aiquier coughed twice, looking at Ji Li with a strange gaze. He paused slightly when he noticed the outline of a four-leaf clover beneath Ji Li's wet clothes on his chest, before continuing downwards—

“Pulitzer… I can swim. And the water here is shallow…”

The water only reached Ji Li's belly. He stood in the water, without even needing to tread, and effortlessly lifted Aiquier into his arms.

"Then why are you choking on water?"

Aiquier coughed again, turned his head away to look at the seaweed hanging on his hand, and said nothing.

Suddenly she fell into the water and couldn't help but scream. As a result, a large mouthful of water was swallowed, and she almost crashed into the sailboat again.

In shallow waters with aquatic plants, it is indeed possible to get tangled up and drown.

Just then, a figure rushed over through the water, causing Aiquier to instinctively tighten her embrace around Ji Li.

"Sorry, sorry... my son's surfboard fell off... is your girlfriend alright?"

Ji Li smiled:
"My sister is fine."

The man suddenly realized:

"It's your sister...wait, isn't that Aquil? Is this your new ship?"

Aquil then realized it was a middle-aged man with a full beard; he wasn't exactly familiar with him, but he recognized him.
"Mr. Ansel?"

Passersby stared at the ship in surprise.
"You got commercial sponsorship? Volleyball team or sailing... My God, you can't get that boat for less than 40,000 pounds..."

Upon hearing this, Aiguier simply looked at Ji Li with burning cheeks, completely at a loss for words.

But Ji Li remained calm and said:

"Yes, the sponsor's boat, isn't it beautiful?"

"That's amazing! Which company is it? Is it famous?"

"You'll see when the race starts; we'll rush to the finish line as fast as we can."

The passersby burst into laughter:

"You must be Pulitzer? My son told me you're really good at math; I thought you weren't good at this. Well, I'll be watching closely. Good luck to you two siblings!"

After saying that, the passerby took his surfboard and went back.

They're probably not saying he's "good at math," but rather that he's a "bookworm."

Ji Li carried Ai Guier back onto the sailboat.

Because of being in the water, the girl's body temperature was somewhat cold, and her soaked clothes clung to her skin, clearly revealing the outline of her white underwear.

Just as Ji Li was about to put her down, Ai Guier tensed up, seemingly in refusal:
Pulitzer.

"Don't you want to get down?"

"You found the necklace."

Aquil pulled the necklace from the chain around his neck, from under his clothes, and held it in his hands.

"I didn't lose it, you just don't believe me."

When she was pulled out of the water, the water cascaded down her face like a waterfall. She saw his face, which was shrouded in darkness by the setting sun, his features obscured, cold and mysterious.

The ensuing embrace, along with the curtain of water, washed away all of Aquile's chaotic thoughts, as did the silver light reflected from the necklace:

"I'm tired, I don't want to work on the sail anymore. There shouldn't be any wind here, can you carry me home?"

So I'll have to steer with one hand?
Ji Li glanced at the straight waterway in front of him, then simply lay down on the ground and sat on the deck with Aiquier in his arms.

Aiquier simply pulled him down to lie down together, her gaze shifting from his profile to the darkening sky, the only sound the tranquility of the splashing water.

She shifted her position, pressing closer to Ji Li's side. After a slight hesitation, she rested her head on his shoulder.
“Pulitzer, do you remember the last time we lay like this on a sailboat?”

"Last time? I think it was last time."

Aquil chuckled:
"It was my father's sailboat. There were so many stars in the sky back then."

"Yeah."

"yes……"

She was silent for a moment:

“If we do get sponsorship after the competition, I’ll take you to him.”

"Him? Your father?" Ji Li didn't understand.

"Stop pretending. You've had his poster hanging in your room the whole time, and you're only thinking about going to Sword Sky University to see him, right? I've agreed this time."

That professor's poster... is he your biological father?

Ji Li suddenly realized that the professor Pulitzer admired was actually his former adoptive father.

This appears to be one of the key factors contributing to the conflict between Equiel and Pulitzer.

Tsk, is it true that you have to spend your whole life making up for the misfortunes of your childhood?

Fortunately, Odin didn't have a proper family during his childhood. Ji Li didn't even know what his parents looked like. They probably died in some corner with a needle in his hand before he became a mercenary.

Aiquier could feel the contours of Ji Li's muscles with her hand, which made her blush slightly, because she suddenly remembered the scene of spying on Ji Li standing in the middle of the room that day.

I instinctively looked down and my pupils dilated in shock:
“Pulitzer, you…”

"You're such a perverted bastard!"

Aiquier's face went from flushed to ripe, and she suddenly pushed Ji Li away and got up.

Ji Li sat up and rubbed his shoulders:

The younger sister's figure was actually quite good, but it felt a bit hard to the touch, as if she was wearing a bra.

He habitually raised his wrist to look at it, his expression narrowing slightly:
The gravedigger seemed to have obtained something and began moving towards the town.

Ji Li guessed that the other party was probably heading towards the marked location they had made earlier.

He glanced at Aquil, who was sailing with his back to him, and silently thought:

Clementine.

The nun emerged from beneath the sailboat and drifted into the night.

Aiquier felt as if a cold wind had blown through her body. She shivered and then suddenly remembered something. She turned around sharply to look at Ji Li, whose blush had gradually faded.

But when he saw the outline of a four-leaf clover under Ji Li's equally soaked clothes, his expression relaxed.

Scanning the surroundings but seeing no trace of the female ghost, Aiquier called out to Ji Li:
"Hey."

"Ok?"

"I had a great time tonight, I'll tell my aunt."

"You really aren't going?"

"I...don't like it, maybe next time, at least I don't like it today..."

"Then next time, get a good night's sleep."

For the first time, Aiquier showed Ji Li the smile that belonged to a younger sister:
“Don’t play too late.”
-
PS:

I wrote all night long.

I'll release two more chapters around noon. If I do, I probably won't update tonight; I'll take a break.

(End of this chapter)