I like you 7

Author: Read the auxiliary chapter in volume 0 first

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Early morning. Li household. Four days later.

At the back of the house. In a vast and open backyard leading to the outside world.

The Li family house was built at the edges of the city walls. With an underground passageway leading to the monumental fire lord's dwelling. Not all noble houses had one... It showed the importance Ukano had in Ozai's eye.

At any rate, this place behind her house was the place from where the old Shaolan previously attempted and successfully made her getaway. After a clever and strident diversion.

The girl was sick but living thirteen years confined home, she developed a few tricks.

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The new Shaolan had the same tricks in her bag the old Shaolan did. She wasn't planning to run, though.

Training in the big backyard, for a moment, she sat and took a break. Not minding the many guards observing her.

If they watched her more out of caution and mistrust the first few days, their attitude had changed altogether. Their eyes were filled with admiration looking at her today. For a very plain reason, Shaolan managed to firebend the first day she started training. Alone, as far as they could tell...

After four days, she was showing a dizzying talent for the fire skill.

When Ukano heard the news from the prying guard's mouths, he was taken aback. Face-slapped and inarticulate, yet proud of his daughter, he decided to pay her closer attention. And find her skilled sparring partners.

An offer which she rejected.

Shaolan wouldn't lose any of her newfound freedom, but she had her own plans. She didn't want people from the outside to find out about whoever she was and whatever she was doing yet.

Shaolan was equally busy doing her own stuff… The past few days she thought a lot about something and finally found the solution. Just now.

Seeing Mai coming toward this favorite training spot of hers, Shaolan pushed back whatever she was about to do. The postponing would only be a matter of minutes, though. And with all the surrounding guards, in the neck of the woods, it didn't have much to do with secrecy.

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"What's up?" When Mai arrived, Shaolan greeted her and said. They generally saw each other twice a day at least. Whenever Shaolan didn't skip a meal. She skipped a lot of those…

"I already reminded you, but I really don't think you should train firebending here." Glancing around the green spot, Mai came to a stop and told with a caring, wry smile. Though she could never firebend herself, there was no jealousy in her eyes.

In the past four days, Mai remained the same Mai that Shaolan discovered in the memories. Calm, composed and gentle. Not always kind… But Shaolan wasn't a believer in objective kindness. To her, it was often circumstantial or subjective.

Mai could keep a secret, too. She had yet to tell anyone about her sister's new skill.

She knew because ever since the incident at the Imperial bookstore with Ty Woo, some simp was looking for her, for an Agni Kai.

It was Mai who told her about this when she easily identified her sister's description at some young fire nation elites party.

Not even Ukano knew about this. Because the next day, when Shaolan failed to attend the youngsters' event, the idiot who organized it posted her portrait in the streets. Mai asked someone important to have it removed. Now it was banned.

Shaolan didn't ask who put a ban on her face, but she could take a guess. In the capital, the number of people Mai's age who could do that needed to have some weight.

The person Shaolan thought of probably liked a good Agni Kai, so she was pleasantly surprised. Mai had some pull.

It wasn't always so clear watching the show, with Azula being a fearsome, tyrannic maniac.

But then again, Zuko had a gift to make his sister go fully berserk, fully madwoman…

In this life, Shaolan wasn't going to let him drive a wedge between Mai and the princess.

Choosing not to brag about her growing bending dexterity or speak about forest fires, Shaolan was instead reminded how she needed to start corrupting her sister soon.

Looking at Mai's dress, she replied, "I think you'd cause a fire sooner than I would…you know, with the way you walk around the house. Those clothes are nice on you."

"Aahh? Thanks?" Confused, Mai said. She grabbed her clothes, and looked at her long, beautiful legs. With her style, a good part of them was naked for everyone to see.

In the memories, Mai was never scared of showing a little skin. Though she often showed a lot… More than in the PG version of the show.

Shaolan didn't mind. Thick things needed to be flaunted. She wasn't a child watching Nickelodeon.

"Ooh. Is it me or it's hot in here? Did you bring me some water?" Shaolan continued.

"Hot? With all this wind?" Mai frowned. She didn't understand that Shaolan was flirting with her.

Shaolan didn't have skills to charm people yet, either. She wasn't going to learn any soon. She had other priorities.

Shaolan clothed herself like a woman, but she stopped wearing the dresses Michi gave her growing up. According to the system, the snake in her more comfortable red pants was good to make the most important difference already. In the bedroom. A place women loved a lot. Especially when it was luxurious.

With all the training Shaolan was doing, she didn't argue. She would see.

After she was teased some more, Mai finally understood that her sister was flirting with her.

She took it as a joke, though. Getting back to the house, she told Shaolan not to stay out too long and catch a cold when her clothes dry with sweat.

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Left alone, Shaolan was looking at a list of Meta Essence CYOA used in some fictions. She had to dig deep on the internet to find those.

Relieved, she was finally going to upgrade the system. And get rid of its last limitations.

With four charges saved, she had a lot of options. Four. But she meticulously made her picks. Starting with an Essence of the Butler.

Despite the system telling her how their souls were tied and how it would never try to harm her, she wasn't a complete idiot.

With her next pick, she solved the system's teaching-related limitations and her future multiverse-tied troubles.

That CYOA stuff was strange, so she wasn't too surprised anymore. Strangely strong. Before she found out about it yesterday, she never thought she would be able to travel the multiverse this easily.

This brazenly...