“Are… are you okay?”

Su Tong asked.

The boy in front of her seemed to have taken quite a knock. He was covering his chin, lips pressed shut, eyes narrowed as he occasionally sucked in a little breath.

Maybe he’d hit his chin and bitten his tongue?

That was certainly possible.

As she considered it, though, most of Su Tong’s attention was fixed on the appearance and clothes of her own self from thirty years ago.

Hearing “Little Apple” playing on the street meant it was sometime after 2014. And from the way this foolish kid was dressed, she could guess he was still in high school. Three years of studying so hard he’d forgotten to eat or sleep had left him with that unmistakable, awkward teenage look from head to toe.

But was he a sophomore or a junior?

Her thoughts were still wandering when the boy in front of her looked up.

His tongue must still have hurt. His face twisted with pain as he spoke, and his voice came out rather muffled.

“I-I’m fine.”

The boy gave her a very brief, calm answer.

But Su Tong, a wily old fox who’d spent years navigating the great vat of dye that was society, keenly noticed that his gaze only touched on her for an instant—faster than a dragonfly skimming the water—before darting aside. He then began studying a little stone on the ground with intense concentration.

Oh, my.

He was embarrassed.

Su Tong wore a mischievous smile.

Then again, that made sense.

Thirty years ago, she’d still been a pure-hearted virgin boy. He might’ve looked calm on the surface, but talking to a girl was enough to make his face flush and his heart race. And the body she was in now belonged to a beauty among beauties. She’d have been surprised if he hadn’t gotten shy.

A mischievous urge to tease her innocent former self rose in her heart.

So she reached out and, as naturally as could be, touched the boy’s chin, gently stroking around it once. Then she narrowed her eyes and put on an innocent, worried expression.

“Are you really okay? You took quite a hit, didn’t you?”

Then she got to enjoy the sight of the boy jerking back as if he’d been electrocuted. He looked as though he’d seen some terrifying beast, and instinctively took a step back, turning his head so he wouldn’t have to look at her.

“I-I’m really fine.”

He mumbled his reply.

His voice was even softer and thinner now, barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz, and tinged with embarrassment.

The innocent little virgin was getting even shyer.

A little physical contact was already thrilling enough for a teenage boy. The prettier the person touching him, the more thrilling it was.

Satisfied, Su Tong narrowed her eyes, her big eyes curving into crescent moons. Then she bent down and started picking up the books scattered on the ground, one by one.

Halfway through, the boy finally came to his senses. He pressed his lips together and silently bent down to help pick up the books, though his movements were stiff and he deliberately avoided getting in Su Tong’s way.

Su Tong smiled and shook her head, a little wistful. What was this? She’d thought she’d hate and despise the self she’d been thirty years ago, but now she found him…

Pretty cute.

Cute in every sense of the word.

In the eyes of a seasoned flirt like her, the boy in front of her was just an adorably green newbie—so soft and fresh she could practically pinch him and squeeze out water.

Her smile grew even wider.

At last, they’d gathered all the books from the ground. She casually flipped open one of them, admired her own youthful handwriting from thirty years ago, then deliberately read the name aloud with exaggerated ups and downs:

“Su↓Tong↑?”

“…Yeah.”

“That’s a nice name,” she said shamelessly. “I’ll remember it.”

The boy just stared at her blankly, probably at a loss for what to do. After a long silence, he gave a stiff nod.

But he didn’t say anything else.

Su Tong pursed her lips in annoyance.

A girl had gone this far to make the first move. Even if he didn’t know what to say, he could at least give her some kind of response. But this blockhead just stood there, dumbfounded. No wonder he’d been single for so many years. He really was…

He really was herself.

Realizing that made her feelings even more complicated.

Maybe she’d lost interest in teasing him, because she listlessly tossed the stack of books into his arms, patted him on the shoulder, and offered a casual bit of encouragement.

“The road ahead is long, and I’ll search high and low. Keep it up, brave young man—go make a miracle happen!”

Then she turned around.

She’d finished messing with him. Time to make her escape.

But a hesitant voice suddenly came from behind her.

“Wait… who are you…?”

Hm?

Since he’d asked…

Su Tong turned around, hands behind her back, and smiled.

“Since you asked so sincerely, I’ll graciously tell you. I’m just a beautiful girl who happened to be passing by. As for why, well, I only moved here recently, so I thought I’d take a little walk and get to know the neighborhood.”

She’d made up a reason on the spot.

Her former self had been a shut-in kid who didn’t care about anything happening around the house, so claiming she’d just moved in sounded plausible enough.

But, to her surprise, the boy’s face lit up with sudden understanding.

“Oh, you’re the neighbor who just moved in?”

Huh?

She’d made up a lie on the spot—and it turned out to be true?

Su Tong’s feelings turned a little complicated. She clicked her tongue and asked,

“That’s right… But how have you heard of me?”

It might’ve seemed like an abrupt question to someone else, but for her former self, it was perfectly normal.

Just as she’d expected.

The boy froze for a moment, then answered at once.

“Yeah. Mom mentioned it once or twice. She said someone bought that big house next door. She saw a moving company there when she went grocery shopping, and said one of the new residents was supposed to be a really beautiful girl. That’s you, right?”

As he spoke, he instinctively looked up at Su Tong, then immediately turned his eyes away again, deciding it wasn’t polite.

That was completely beyond what Su Tong had expected.

Though, she could sort of guess how it happened.

She’d woken up on a nearby street after being reborn, with no vehicle or wallet. So she’d figured her home was somewhere within roughly two kilometers of where she’d woken up, in any direction.

Girls naturally didn’t cover as much ground on foot, and this body didn’t seem to be in great shape. She’d only walked a short distance since waking up, and was already feeling a bit worn out.

She stood out enough for people to remember her, so she’d figured she could wander around and find her way home. But she’d never expected it to be near the home she’d lived in thirty years ago.

Was this fate playing tricks on her?

Su Tong raised her brows, her feelings complicated, and let out a soft sigh. All she could do was nod.

She looked at the boy in front of her and gave him another meaningful once-over, from head to toe. As he fidgeted under her gaze, she nodded, rubbed her chin, and wore the calculating expression of a merchant sizing up merchandise.

“Not bad,” she said. “I look forward to getting along with you, little Su Tong~”

By the end, she’d slipped back into that mischievous tone without even thinking.

Teasing him again.

The boy, still an innocent little virgin, had never encountered anything like this. His face turned red, and he moved his lips, unable to figure out what to say. In the end, his embarrassment reached its limit, and he could only nod stiffly like a puppet.

“Yes!”

He raised his voice as he answered.

For some reason, he sounded like an elementary school student reporting to a teacher.

Given her mental age, there wasn’t anything wrong with thinking of him that way. But no matter how she looked at it, she really did have that sort of thought.

With that in mind, Su Tong smiled.

So cute.

But good things were best saved for last. Teasing him felt great, and teasing him over and over felt even better, but she shouldn’t fish the pond dry.

It was all about sustainable development, after all.

So she waved to the boy and laughed brightly.

“I’ll be going now. I’ve still got a few things to take care of.”

“W-wait!”

“Hm?” She looked at the boy with interest. “What is it? Is there something else?”

“There is…”

The boy awkwardly looked up at her. He hesitated for a long time before finally asking,

“Can you tell me your name?”

“Oh?”

Su Tong’s expression turned mischievous in an instant. She tilted her head and answered playfully,

“Well… I’ll keep that to myself for now. If we’re meant to meet again, we will. I hope you can find out my name on your own, little boy~”

“…”

The blush on the boy’s face grew even more noticeable.

Su Tong thought to herself that her former self really was cute, then chuckled.

“All right, I’m off. See you!”

“O-okay… see you.”

His farewell was awkward and timid.

But Su Tong didn’t really mind.

There was plenty of time ahead, a whole future waiting for them. She had time to change her former self’s personality, habits, and behavior. Maybe that was the greatest meaning of being reborn, wasn’t it?

Redemption.

Life is a bitter journey. From beginning to end, you keep moving forward. How many storms, hardships, and thorny paths you endure along the way isn’t something you can easily tell others.

There was just one thing.

The girls you once let slip away, the things you once did wrong, the times you took a wrong turn and lost sight of what was right… A life is bound to be full of regrets.

There’s no pill for regret, no gun that lets you start your life over. Every step you’ve taken has become an established fact, part of history—and history can’t be turned back. How many times have humans dreamed of defeating time, building time machines out of wild ideas to undo past mistakes, reclaim lost loved ones, or reverse a death that was certain?

But there wasn’t the slightest chance.

Time had always been the fairest thing in the world, and the cruelest.

She took a deep breath.

But things were different now.

A new life, a new future. Starting over with the memories of her past life meant she had an absolute advantage over history—and the chance to make up for her regrets.

Su Tong turned to look at the still-dazed boy, the corners of her mouth curving into a complicated smile.

So the plan to raise her former self was going to have to get underway… right?

Other people get reborn to raise a loli. She gets reborn to raise a boy.

Interesting.

But it was a long road ahead, so there was no need to rush.

With that thought, she waved at the boy again.

“See you around, little Su Tong~”

Then she turned and made her escape before he could reply.

[To be continued]