Hearing Bai Yuxi say that meant she was admitting it, right? She was admitting that she’d been reborn from seven years in the future.

And from what she’d just observed, Yuyang had been reborn too.

Since that was the case, Lin Qingyu had to ask something.

“Yuxi, since you admit it now, why didn’t you tell the truth when I first asked? Were you up to something? I knew you little brats couldn’t be trusted.”

“……”

That was why Yuxi was usually so cold toward Qingyu. The little brat could be so rude, casually letting barbs slip into her words.

Though, to be fair, they were both as bad as each other.

She picked up the empty teacup from the coffee table. “Why didn’t I say anything? You should know the answer, Sister Qingyu. Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to. You foxes who cling to my brother really are more cunning than the last…”

“W-Who are you calling a fox?!”

Lin Qingyu tried her best to protest, her face already burning red at the word.

But now wasn’t the time to fan the flames. When Yuxi brought up the subject, the light in her eyes seemed to dim.

Qingyu was worried that if she said any more, she’d get beaten up in a moment. She might act tough, but with her tiny frame, her combat ability was still zero.

“All right, all right, Sister Qingyu, who definitely isn’t a fox. Then tell me why you didn’t want my brother to know you’d been reborn. Don’t think I’m that easy to fool.”

Now it was Yuxi’s turn to question her. “From the moment you came in until my brother went to wash up, you acted like everything was perfectly normal and never said a word about being reborn. I don’t believe you were just testing me.”

“Well…”

At first, Qingyu hesitated over whether she should explain everything. But now that they’d laid it all out on the table, there was no point in keeping things under wraps.

The little girl lowered her head. It was hard to tell what expression she wore. She was usually so loud, but now her voice was barely a whisper, soft as a mosquito’s buzz.

“It’s just… Ah, didn’t Yuyang make his choice seven years from now? So… so I thought it’d be best to act like I didn’t know anything. At this point in time, everything’s only just beginning.”

Everything was only just beginning.

There were still so many people Yuyang hadn’t met.

Including the woman he’d eventually choose.

If she told Yuyang everything now, wouldn’t it be just like seven years later?

But what if she said nothing?

Then they’d have plenty of chances to start over, racing again from this “starting line.”

That meant there was no telling who would cross the finish line first and be chosen by Yuyang!

“That’s why I say, Sister Qingyu, you really are a fox. You’re always scheming to steal my brother…”

“You’re thinking the same thing yourself!”

“You can’t just say that…”

Creak~

At the sound of the door opening, Yuxi and Qingyu immediately stopped talking in perfect sync.

Yuyang had finished washing up and come out of the bathroom.

He took the towel from around his neck and hung it on the rack nearby.

“All right, let’s go. We might still make it in time for the opening of the school ceremony.”

Even though her brother had said that…

There was still something Yuxi wanted to confirm with Lin Qingyu. They hadn’t finished talking about it.

Should she ask another time?

No, no. This was about her brother. Yuxi wasn’t going to let it slide.

She had her own way of handling it.

She quickly composed herself and spoke as naturally as she could.

“Brother, go wash your hair too. We can wait a little longer.”

Weren’t you two in a hurry a moment ago?!

“Huh? There’s no need, is there? Didn’t you say we’d be late for the school ceremony?”

Lin Qingyu shrugged. “I don’t mind. We’re already late anyway, so a little longer won’t make a difference.”

She still had something she hadn’t finished saying, too.

And Yuxi’s next move made Qingyu bristle.

Yuxi walked over to Yuyang, rose onto her tiptoes, and gently smoothed his hair down with her slender hand.

But as soon as she let go, his hair sprang right back up.

He’d just gotten out of bed, and his hair had been pressed down while he slept. It wasn’t exactly messy, but it wasn’t at its neatest, either.

“Brother…” Yuxi smiled. “It’s the first day of school, after all. Don’t you always say you care about what those foxes—cough, the girls at school—think of you? You’ve got to look your best. As your little sister, it’s my duty to make sure you do.”

“Y-You’re right.”

Actually, Yuyang wasn’t as vain as he used to be. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with his hair sticking up a little.

Thinking back to high school in his previous life, Yuyang had seemed especially concerned about his appearance. Maybe it was because he’d been younger then.

Of course, Xiao Xi had something to do with it, too.

From the time they were little, the neighbors and everyone around them had always said Xiao Xi was a little fairy descended to earth. Her beautiful silver hair was especially rare.

Yuyang was proud to have a little sister like her. Without realizing it, he’d started paying more attention to his own appearance, all so Xiao Xi wouldn’t lose face in front of her classmates.

He wanted her to be able to say proudly, “Look, my brother is so handsome!”

There was one thing he didn’t know, of course.

Yuxi thought the same way he did. She always paid attention to how she dressed and did her hair, wanting to look good beside Yuyang while continuing to be a source of pride to her brother.

The siblings were each other’s pride.

Those caught up in it couldn’t see clearly; those watching from the sidelines could.

That was why Qingyu called them a pair of idiot siblings. They were always finding ways to look their best when they went out, just so they wouldn’t embarrass each other.

But do you two honestly have any idea that your looks are already at their peak…?

Anyway, back to the present.

There was no need to worry about anything else. Since Xiao Xi had asked, Yuyang simply smiled fondly at her.

“All right, I’ll wash my hair, then. Just wait a little longer. I’ll be quick.”

“Mm-hmm. Don’t rush, Brother.”

Yuxi helped Yuyang close the bathroom door again, then returned to the sofa.

“Let’s keep this brief, Sister Qingyu. Do you think any of the others could’ve come back with memories of the future, like us? We’re heading to school soon, so this is important.”

“How would I know?”

Lin Qingyu answered honestly. “It took me that much effort just to prove that you and Yuyang had been reborn. As for the others, I haven’t even met them yet. How could I possibly know?”

“So we still have to test them… Tch, they’re all foxes. Even if they were reborn, they definitely wouldn’t say anything.”

“……”

Qingyu couldn’t even be bothered to complain. Yuxi had just insulted herself along with the rest of them. She wasn’t being honest about being reborn either, was she?

But the little girl, who was usually so loud and boisterous yet thought things through carefully, was concerned about something else.

She tapped the table with her finger. “We know too little right now. Forget the others—we don’t even know what’s going on with most people out there.”

Yuxi just smiled. “Don’t worry about that, Sister Qingyu. Maybe only a few of us came back with our memories. Most people are definitely ‘natives’ of this timeline.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“The TV.”

Yuxi pointed at the television on the living room wall, which she’d turned on earlier. The morning news was playing.

“Look, Sister Qingyu. The morning news is just like usual. Nothing special is happening, and they’re even reporting on the start of the school year.”

“If everyone had been reborn, don’t you think the whole world would already be in chaos?”