"I still don’t know your name. I’m Qiu Li’er."

"I’m Xi Xi."

"Xi Xi? Seriously… Are you still using your childhood nickname?"

"…Shut up! Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re in front of fans!"

Guided by Xi Xi, Qiu Li’er pushed through the dense crowd and finally squeezed past the library doors into the relatively open interior.

Lilith Academy’s library was strikingly minimalist—only bookshelves lining the walls and four-person study tables for resting. Students used teleportation gates to choose their desired floor.

"How can you not know *anything*? Even how to use a teleportation gate? This is the most basic spatial magic!" Xi Xi said, puzzled, after they reached the 66th floor.

"It’s because I have amnesia… and my situation is a bit special."

"How special?" Xi Xi plopped into a seat, pulled a lollipop from nowhere, and popped it in her mouth. "Crunch… You’re not expecting *this* detective to restore your memories, are you?"

"Not that simple." Qiu Li’er sat too and summarized what happened.

Xi Xi sat cross-legged, gaze drifting. She’d occasionally pull the lollipop out, then pop it back in—trying to mimic a detective smoking, unaware her childish appearance just came off as deliberate cuteness.

No. More like *tempting*.

"Hmm…"

After hearing Qiu Li’er’s account, Xi Xi cupped her cheeks. "How did you conclude someone deliberately framed you?"

"It was… a divine revelation!"

Qiu Li’er picked the most plausible excuse.

"Divine revelation? As unreliable as gut feeling," Xi Xi said, eyes half-lidded. "Who’s your homeroom teacher? I’ll start by checking your classmates’ motives."

"Teacher Xi Kefeng."

Xi Xi’s petite frame trembled slightly.

"Huh? Sister Feng… I mean, Teacher Xi Kefeng? Oh… oh…"

She shuddered. "Then it’s one hundred percent *not* her."

"I also think Teacher Xi isn’t the culprit," Qiu Li’er mused. "But my past self was pretty introverted. I shouldn’t have enemies…"

"Not necessarily." Xi Xi spat out the lollipop and pointed at two nearby girls. "Live example: what do *you* think they feel about you?"

Qiu Li’er’s eyelids twitched.

*No way!* Nan Shi and Yuenina?!

When did they sit there?!

Sensing her gaze, the two quickly looked away.

"Why’s Little Fox staring at us?"

"Dunno…"

They stiffly held books, pretending to be model students.

"I think… they don’t know me," Qiu Li’er feigned ignorance.

"Obviously. You’re not a celebrity. It’s *how* they look at you."

"Gaze?" Qiu Li’er blinked, confused.

*Aren’t they just my roommates? Friendly looks, right?*

Xi Xi’s lips curved into a cute smirk. "You didn’t notice. When they looked at you… their pupils held a faint, almost imperceptible trace of *pos*-*ses*-*sive*-*ness*."

"P-possessiveness?!"

Qiu Li’er’s heart dropped.

*Seriously? Just roommates? Why "possess" me?!*

"Don’t panic. You might not know them, but they’ve definitely seen you before—and developed quite the *in*-*ter*-*est*." Xi Xi grinned mischievously. "*Gender*-kind interest. Especially the big-chested one on the left."

"…I see." Qiu Li’er shot Nan Shi a strange glance.

*I thought we were just joking… You actually want to "have" me?!*

She slightly clenched her thighs. *Must fox girls face discrimination from birth? Shaking with anger—can this world get any worse?!*

……………

"Feels like Little Fox is glaring at me…" Nan Shi scratched her head. "Is that loli detective sowing discord?"

"Stop talking. Read," Yuenina whispered.

……………

"See that big-chested girl? Classic 'big breasts, no brains.' Her eyes are glued to you—she’s holding her book upside down!" Xi Xi crunched the lollipop to bits. "You’re the type people obsess over. Someone might kidnap you to a basement for… unspeakable things."

She leaned forward, voice dripping with mockery:

"*I* could~"

*(She’d had the thought—mostly just wanted lewd pictures.)*

"…"

Qiu Li’er’s ears drooped. Spirits sinking.

*If only I knew fox girls could be…*

*No! Not like that!*

*If it were beauties like Nan Shi or Yuenina… I’d actually be okay with it. Maybe even happy.*

*Who doesn’t love soft, sweet-smelling girls?*

*But if others… trying to turn it into a doujinshi scenario…*

*Ew—*

Her petite body trembled.

*Life’s tough. Gotta get stronger!*

Xi Xi caught every flicker of emotion and smirked. "I know what you fear. You don’t want that tragedy repeating, right?"

"Yes!" Qiu Li’er clenched her fists. "That’s why I’ll grow stronger—to protect myself! I’ll ask Teacher Xi for training after this!"

*Damn it, fired up!*

"No, no—that’s not what I meant!" Xi Xi flustered. *Why keep mentioning Sister Feng?! She’s the scariest person alive.*

Powerful. Mature. Elegant. Effortlessly perfect. The ultimate counter to her useless little sister self.

*Crossing Sister Feng? A little sister like me definitely won’t get away with it.*

Xi Xi straightened up, tilted her chin, and patted her flat chest firmly:

"You don’t need Xi Kefeng. Just come find *me*~"