There’s no need to rush.

There was still plenty of time—plenty to waste, even—so she could put her plan to mold little classmate Su Tong on hold for a while. After all, he wasn’t willing at the moment, and one-sided enthusiasm didn’t get you very far.

Just like when you’re doing certain things you enjoy.

Doing all the moving yourself can’t compare to working together with someone else. The pleasure you get on your own is probably only half as much as when you’re with someone… No, probably not even half.

Some things only become fun when both sides are willing.

With that thought, Su Tong calmly glanced at the boy in the corner of the classroom, then walked out.

The school day was over.

Maybe it was her looks, or her aura, or some other unfathomable thing. Whatever the reason, none of her classmates dared strike up a conversation with Su Tong, and she was perfectly happy to enjoy the peace and quiet and learn alongside her teachers.

She’d been given another life, with all this youth and all this time ahead of her. It’d be a waste not to put it to good use and study hard.

She plunged into the sea of math and science, soared through the skies of history and civics, and before she knew it, the day had flown by. She was so absorbed in studying she couldn’t pull herself away.

Even after leaving the classroom, she kept thinking about a math problem she still couldn’t figure out as she headed for the school gate. So she didn’t notice the figure drifting into her path.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, a soft, fragrant warmth collided with her and landed in her arms.

It was a girl.

The collision had left the girl curled up in Su Tong’s arms, her face hidden as she lowered her head. Su Tong could only catch the faint scent of gardenias in her hair.

Then she heard the girl’s quiet, delicate voice:

“L-let… Su Tong, could you let me go?”

Su Tong lowered her eyes.

From where she stood, she had a clear view of half the girl’s nape. Her long hair was tied up so neatly that her skin looked smooth, fair, and utterly immaculate—the sort of thing that really appealed to Su Tong’s obsessive side.

Like a morning glory blooming at dawn, its petals still wet with dew, sweet and tender.

It made her feel strangely nostalgic.

Su Tong’s narrowed eyes relaxed, and her expression grew calm again. Smiling, she helped the girl to her feet and apologized.

“Ah… I was thinking about a math problem and got distracted, so I didn’t see you… Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” The girl quickly waved her hands, flustered. “I’m the one who suddenly ran into you, Su Tong. It wasn’t your fault, so you don’t have to apologize!”

Her earnest expression was tinged with panic.

So Su Tong nodded.

“Mm… I understand. Then, Class Rep, what did you suddenly run up to me for?”

The girl grew even more bashful.

“School’s over now, so you don’t have to call me Class Rep anymore, Su Tong. You can just use my name.”

“Um, okay. Tang Yanhua, right?”

“Just call me Yanhua!”

“…”

Su Tong had no idea where this sudden enthusiasm had come from, but she’d always been pretty easygoing, so she simply went along with it.

“All right, Yanhua. What did you want to talk to me about?”

But she didn’t get a direct answer.

Tang Yanhua just blinked up at her with those big eyes, then ventured a question of her own.

“Since you’re calling me by my first name now, Su Tong, can I call you by yours too?”

“…Suit yourself.”

Her answer sounded casual, but inside, she was anything but calm.

She’d been played.

Su Tong narrowed her eyes.

Whether she’d done it on purpose or not, the girl in front of her—with her seemingly innocent, delicate-flower act—had already closed the distance between them with a simple but effective trick. In just a few exchanges, they were calling each other by their first names.

Dangerous.

Su Tong silently labeled the girl as such. The smile on her face grew faint and hollow.

In her previous life, she’d often used that same smile to deal with both superiors and subordinates. It was fake, but it worked.

Like a mask.

“So, Yanhua, what was so urgent that you had to come find me?”

“Eh…” The girl’s face suddenly turned red. “It wasn’t that I was in a hurry to find you! I was walking behind you, trying to decide whether to call out. I’d just made up my mind to say your name when someone beside me suddenly bumped into me… and that’s how I ended up crashing into you!”

“Mm-hmm.” Su Tong listened patiently to her explanation. “So, Yanhua, what did you want to find me for?”

“I wanted to see how you were settling into the class!”

This time, Tang Yanhua answered without any hesitation.

“…Huh? That’s all?”

“Yeah.” Tang Yanhua tilted her head again, looking puzzled. “What did you think I was looking for you for, Su Tong?”

“…It’s nothing.”

In her previous life, when she was Su Tong, she hadn’t been very close to the girl in front of her. She’d only heard that after graduation, Yanhua went to a really good university. After that, she’d lost track of her completely. So many years had passed that Su Tong had forgotten nearly everything about her. The only thing she still remembered was that the boys had apparently nicknamed her “Miss Curiosity” back then.

Or maybe she was remembering it wrong.

Those memories had long since been ground into the dust of history, scattered in broken pieces. Even if she could pick them up, they’d changed in shape and taste.

She might as well treat this as a fresh start.

So…

“It’s been pretty good,” Su Tong said with a smile. “Everyone in class is friendly, and I can keep up with what the teachers are teaching. And having a class rep as kind and considerate as you looking out for a new student… I’m very satisfied.”

“Mm!”

After being praised, Tang Yanhua blushed adorably.

“N-no… not at all! I was only doing what I’m supposed to do… It’s my responsibility as class rep!”

She was a little silly, but so earnest. That only made her cuter.

The two of them walked and chatted until they reached the school gate. Su Tong casually asked her little class rep which way she was headed, only for Yanhua to point in the opposite direction from what Su Tong had expected.

There was nothing for it but to say goodbye.

Smiling, Su Tong waved.

“See you next week, Yanhua.”

“Mm-hmm.” The little class rep waved back, very seriously. “Be careful on your way home, Su Tong!”

“You too.”

And finally, they went their separate ways.

Then came the waiting.

Only after the little class rep’s figure had completely disappeared into the traffic-filled street on the other side did Su Tong wave toward the roadside.

Two little maids in school uniforms slipped out from behind a roadside building like a pair of thieves. Nia, the silver-haired one, took the schoolbag from Su Tong, then followed behind her. Dongli, the blonde, walked ahead, respectfully leading the way.

They followed close at her heels.

Only after they got into the car did the two little maids finally let out the faintest sighs of relief. Dongli drove, while Nia sat upright beside Su Tong and gently massaged her shoulders.

As Su Tong luxuriated in her decadent little-bourgeois lifestyle, something occurred to her, and she asked:

“By the way, Dongli, do you have a driver’s license?”

The blonde little maid immediately answered:

“Yes, miss.”

A glimmer of something indistinct flashed in Su Tong’s eyes. She asked curiously:

“Um… are we going home now?”

“No.” The little maid hesitated for a moment. “We’re going to pick up the second young miss… It’s her day off today, too.”

“The second young miss?”

Su Tong murmured, narrowing her eyes slightly.

So she… had a younger sister?

[To be continued]