Back at the Linjian Household, the main hall was strangely empty. I decided it was time to talk to Nanami Hayashi. *Thud thud thud.* I knocked on her door. A weary voice came from inside: "I said I don’t want to eat." I cleared my throat. "Sorry, even if you wanted to, I can’t cook." Quick footsteps followed. The door swung open, and Nanami threw herself into my arms. "Big liar!" I played along. "Yeah, yeah."

"That’s how it is," I explained. I wasn’t immortal—I just revived after death. The revival time could be preset. This time, I’d set it to twelve hours to avoid causing a scene by suddenly popping back to life. Nanami glared at me, her red-rimmed eyes still swollen from crying. "Why didn’t you tell me? I worried so much." I scratched my head. "I didn’t expect to die so soon. Or that you’d worry this much. How about you be my girlfriend?" I grabbed her hand, putting on a serious face—though it was all an act. Nanami’s cheeks flushed crimson like a boiled lobster. "Y-you’re joking, right?!" "Of course I am," I said, dropping the act and slipping back into my usual lazy grin. *Starting a relationship this early would ruin my harem plans,* I thought—but kept that part to myself.

Neither of us had eaten dinner, so we called for the maids to prepare something. Luckily, Nanami hadn’t told them anything when she returned, sparing me another round of explanations. "By the way," I asked, "how’s that girl who jumped off the building?" Naturally, I hadn’t known the outcome while dead. Nanami speared a floret of cauliflower. "Since you broke her fall, she’s not in critical condition. But promise me you’ll never do that again!" Her tone wasn’t pleading—it was a command. "Sure, sure," I replied. *Like hell I will.*

Meiko Shiraishi, the jumper, only had minor injuries. She was back at school after three days. Meanwhile, most students mourned my "death," suddenly painting me as some heroic figure. *Don’t flatter me so much—I’ll get shy.* Thanks to the time distortion, I’d stayed in the classroom during the incident. Though puzzled, no one could disprove my alibi.

Yesterday, I hadn’t properly seen the school. During lunch break today, Nanami offered to give me a tour. "This is the second-year hallway on the fourth floor. By the way, that girl you saved yesterday? Meiko Shiraishi. She’s a class beauty. No idea why she’d jump." I cut her off. "Don’t gossip about that. Let’s just go."

As we passed the last second-year classroom, a tall beauty blocked our path. From my intel, I knew exactly who she was. "Senpai," I said, "is it really proper to corner a new underclassman like this?" Meiko Shiraishi—class beauty of 2-B, yesterday’s jumper—fixed her gaze on me. "You’re the one who jumped with me yesterday. Cold Creek."

*Damn. I forgot to give her my name. I’m probably the only ‘Cold Creek’ at Yulin High.* "Sorry, senpai. You’ve got the wrong person." I grabbed Nanami’s wrist to leave. Meiko stepped back, spreading her arms to block us. "I heard you died. But I’m sure you can resurrect. That’s why you dared to jump with me."

Sometimes, chuunibyou really works. "Senpai, resurrection isn’t real. Get a grip. I have an alibi—I was in class all day." Meiko shook her head. "If you *can* resurrect, faking an alibi would be trivial. I won’t be fooled!" I glanced at Nanami, but she was no help. "Fine. You win. It was me. Now move."

"No." Meiko refused. "I’d lost all reason to live. But now I have one!" *This plot is so cliché.* Honestly, these days, people who ignore others in danger or forget kindness are everywhere. I’d thought such melodrama was just fantasy. "And what reason is that?" Before I could react, she lunged. I dodged instinctively—her soft lips brushed only my left cheek. Nanami’s face turned scarlet, words tumbling out incoherently: "Th-that... th-that..." I stayed calm. "Alright, senpai. Can you move now?" Meiko rose on her toes, whispering in my ear: "Heh. You can’t escape me." After that cryptic remark, she stepped back. "See you later, Cold Creek."

On our way back, Nanami seemed restless. "What did White Stone senpai say to you?" I glanced at her. "She said she’d bear my children." "What?!" Nanami’s blush deepened. Honestly, she looked adorable like this—I loved teasing her. "Kidding. Just some weird stuff."

A week of school life flew by. In my endless timeline, it was nothing. The killer who’d target Nanami still hadn’t shown up. Had they transferred schools? Whatever. If there’s no movement in three more days, I’ll rewind Nanami’s memories to find them.

After school, I opened my shoe locker. Inside lay a letter sealed with a heart-shaped sticker. "Nanami, what’s this?" I asked, though I guessed. Nanami opened it and read. Her face flushed violently. *If it were just a love letter, she wouldn’t react like this. Must be some NSFW content. Pity I can’t read it. Maybe next time send a voice note?*

"Hey," I tapped Nanami’s shoulder. She’d been staring at the letter, utterly absorbed. She jolted. "Ah! It’s... just a thank-you note." I eyed her skeptically. "Really? No lies?" She avoided my gaze, trying—and failing—to look innocent. "Absolutely not!" *Such a terrible liar.* "Alright. Let’s go home." We walked off together. From the shadows, a girl watched my back, a sly smile playing on her lips.