My girlfriend is from the future!

He Tianran's "youthful" personality hasn't truly taken control of his body for some time, but in his spare time, he still relaxes in place of the "writer," such as playing games or watching anime. The amount of time he takes control of his body depends on how fun the game is or how exciting the anime is.

Moreover, the appearance of the "boy" is beyond the control of the "writer." This might be hard to understand if explained from the perspective of mental illness, but it makes perfect sense from his own point of view. This is because the "writer" is a personification created by the "boy" to take over his work and face the adult world. If the "boy" feels that he can handle some things on his own, then the existence of the "writer" is unnecessary.

So what exactly are the things that a "young person" feels capable of doing?
The "writer" had no idea what was going on. If he had been prepared, he wouldn't have been so easily overtaken by the "boy" and lost control of his body.

Since leaving Jiang Xixi's house, He Tianran had been busy with other things. But whenever the "writer" woke up from his exhaustion, his phone would inexplicably contain chat logs with the girl. The content wasn't anything worth investigating. For about half a month, if he wasn't working, He Tianran would receive a short message from Jiang Xixi every night at 9:30:

"Number one——!"

Then, the "writer" suddenly felt dizzy and blacked out. The next day, he woke up in front of the computer or in bed, looking extremely tired and with dark circles under his eyes, yawning as he looked at his phone. The "young man" had replied with the same two words:
"They're here—!"

After that, it would be a three- or four-hour voice chat session, or even a seven- or eight-hour session.

This kind of thing happening once or twice a week is fine, but who can stand it every day? So after the "writer" recorded a selfie on his phone, explaining that he had to work the next day and needed to make sure he got some rest, and then changed the video to his home computer screensaver, the "young man" finally calmed down a bit.

Jiang Xixi's message came suddenly. Judging from the wording in her message, it shouldn't be anything life-threatening. After all, even Cao Aiqing, who also likes to use emoticons, wouldn't add an emoticon before "I'm going to die" in an emergency to act cute. That would be too silly...

But the "boy" doesn't seem to think that way. He values ​​his first "friend" in this world, who is also his "fan" and gaming "partner".

However, no matter how anxious he was, "young" He Tianran still couldn't drive, because psychologically he was still a minor. And since he was familiar with the area, taking the subway would obviously be faster to get to Jiang Xixi's house.

He Tianran: Wait for me, I'm getting on the subway.

Jiang Xixi: Didn't you drive?

He Tianran: ...I'm not very good at it, I wouldn't dare.

Jiang Xixi: What a good girl~

He Tianran: Get lost! What happened to you?

Jiang Xixi: Let's talk about it when we get there, meow~

"Jiang Xixi: Image"

Then, Jiang Xixi sent a photo of herself in white stockings. In the photo, a pair of slender legs were wrapped in delicate white stockings, casually crossed. The background seemed to be a soft carpet in a bedroom, with ambiguous lighting, carrying a deliberately created yet unintentional allure.

While standing on the moving subway, He Tianran's eyes widened suddenly. His hand holding the phone, as if his thumb had a mind of its own, tapped twice with lightning speed to quickly save the picture to the phone's album.

The other hand, which had been gripping the pull ring for balance, loosened its grip and instead used two fingers to frantically enlarge the small image on the screen. Its eyes, sharp as a hawk's, rapidly scanned and confirmed several key details within the limited pixels—

The curve of the ankle, the contour of the knee, and that almost imperceptible absolute territory extending beyond the frame...

Then...

He abruptly turned off his screen, almost awkwardly and stiffly moving to the empty seat in front of him, quickly sitting down, and then...

He crossed his legs...

"..."

Why do I feel like someone is watching me from nearby?

Feeling guilty, he glanced around furtively, his eyes sweeping over the old man reading a newspaper across the street, the girl listening to music with headphones next to him, and the office worker dozing off against the doorframe in the distance...

Seemingly unnoticed by his earlier lapse in composure, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, reopened his phone, and replied to the message:

He Tianran: You're playing this game with your buddies?

Jiang Xixi: Anyway, we're all buddies~ Want more, meow?

He Tianran: Hehe~

He stared intently at the screen, even holding his breath, hoping the other person would send something else. But after waiting for a long time, the chat remained silent. He Tianran then put his phone back in his pocket with some disappointment.

Forty minutes later.

When He Tianran arrived at Jiang Xixi's house, looking at the familiar old doorway, the restlessness in his heart and a touch of shyness unique to young people still throbbed slightly in his chest. The boy took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.

"Ding-dong-"

Almost the instant the doorbell rang, the door was suddenly pulled open a crack from the inside.

Jiang Xixi peeked out, wearing a fluffy pink pajamas with a cat-ear hood. She also seemed to have some light makeup on her face, which made her big eyes look even more lively.

Her eyes lit up the moment she saw He Tianran.

"Brother He, you're finally here! Come in, come in!"

She spoke urgently, pulled him into the house, slammed the door shut, and instinctively locked it from the inside.

He Tianran was a little confused by her commotion. He looked around at the furnishings of the house, the small living room filled with girlish charm and various game consoles and figurines. Everything was normal, and there was no chaotic scene as he had imagined a "level one alert".

"So... what exactly is a 'major event'? What are you going to reveal about yourself?"

He Tianran couldn't help but ask, but his gaze unconsciously drifted downwards. What was visible beneath her pajamas were a pair of small feet clad in ordinary cotton socks, not the white stockings seen in the photo...

Ugh...

What kind of behavior is it to lie to your buddies...?

Jiang Xixi didn't answer immediately, instead putting on a mysterious expression and making a pre-planned onomatopoeic sound:
"Kukuku... I'm fine, but there are some things you've been keeping from me, so I specifically called you here... because I'm going to publicly execute you!"

"what?"

He Tianran was confused. Only when Jiang Xixi pointed to the TV in the living room did the boy notice that it was playing the same episode of "A Day in the Life" that he and Wen Liang had recorded last time!
Unfortunately, the plot was currently at the point where he and Wen Liang were making their choices and testing each other's limits, and those lines that seemed insignificant to those present, but made one's toes clench in disbelief when overheard, were drilling into He Tianran's ears one by one—

"Your heart is beating really fast~ You haven't even started talking yet, and it's already 117. What are you thinking about~"

"The one on your wrist is your heartbeat, this one is mine. I haven't even started and you're already at 117. What are you thinking?"

"I... hurry up, don't keep me... waiting too long."

"Alright, I'll begin then, old classmate..."

"Ah!!! Oh my god... Ah... Holy crap, turn it off! Turn it off!"

This variety show episode only aired last night, and even the "writer" didn't have time to watch it. Instead, the "young man" saw it right under his own nose. So, let alone that he can't accept it, even if he switched his personality to the "lead singer" now, he probably wouldn't be as ashamed to even glance at his own saccharine behavior.

He rushed towards the sofa, intending to grab the remote control and turn off the TV, but before he knew it, a short, dark figure flashed past, jumped onto the sofa, and snatched the remote control...

"Give it to me! Turn it off now!"

"No! Wukong, listen!!!"

He Tianran tried to grab Jiang Xixi, but the girl was quick and jumped onto the sofa next door. Without warning, she turned the TV volume up to the maximum!
"Just now, I... imagined so many things. At first, I thought we might be colleagues secretly dating in the office, or childhood sweethearts, or even strangers who brushed past each other in a sea of ​​people and glanced back at each other..."

"what--!!"

Listening to his other self on TV spewing sweet nothings at Wen Liang, it was truly an inhumane public execution for the "young" He Tianran. These incredibly shameful lines were like a real headband, making him blush and roll around on the ground in embarrassment.

"Don't let go, don't let go, don't let go, it's too embarrassing... too shameful... wow..." However, this little devil wearing a pink cat hood seemed to have no intention of letting go of this chuunibyou boy whose health bar was already depleted. She squatted next to him with a sinister smile like that of an anime character.

"But my intuition tells me that we should have known each other much longer, much longer than..."

"It could be 360 ​​days, 24 months, or even 1,000, 7,000, or 1,000 years...~"

"Wow--!!"

As Jiang Xixi repeated the lines from the TV show to He Tianran with emphasis, the boy's face turned as red as a monkey's bottom. He couldn't take it anymore, so he stood up, ran behind the TV, and ripped off the power!

The world fell silent...

In the living room, only He Tianran's heavy breathing and Jiang Xixi's slightly smug humming could be heard. The boy held onto the cold TV screen, feeling the heat on his face could fry an egg.

"You...you specifically called me here just for this?"

"Hmph, you pigeons, just tell me if you've exploded or not!"

"Fine, fine, so you want me to expose you, huh... Public execution, is that it!"

"It's not just a simple execution!"

Jiang Xixi pouted, her voice carrying a hint of coquetry, yet also very serious, "Brother He, it's been almost three months since you left my house last time. Although you've always been very enthusiastic about playing games with me, every time I ask you about your situation, you give vague answers..."

As the girl spoke, she slowly walked up to him, her hands behind her back, her head tilted slightly, and her cat-ear hood swayed. The smugness on her face slowly faded, replaced by seriousness and worry.

“It’s… it’s okay…”

Actually, besides Wen Liang and Cao Aiqing, Jiang Xixi also knew a little about He Tianran's situation, since she was the first acquaintance she bumped into back then.

However, Jiang Xixi only remembered the "boy" personality. So when she saw the "lead singer" in the variety show who was full of sweet talk skills and always stirring up trouble in games, whether out of concern or some other reason, she naturally had to call him over to confirm.

"Is it better now, or not?"

Jiang Xixi moved even closer, her big eyes blinking, her seriousness leaving no room for misunderstanding.

He Tianran was speechless at her question, his eyes darting around, and he stammered, "Well... it's just like that... Oh, please don't ask anymore!"

His youthful shyness and instinctive reluctance to delve into complex issues made him want to escape.

"No way!" Jiang Xixi puffed out her cheeks, a little stubborn. "Brother He, do you know how shocked I was when I saw you like that on the variety show!"

She pointed to the black screen of the television, a faint blush rising on her face, whether from the earlier commotion or something else, it was unclear.
"The things you said... are completely different from the usual you! The He-gege I know is the kind of person who would play games with me all night, who would get excited and scream when I got a pentakill, and who would just smile helplessly when I messed up... not, not like the one on TV!"

He Tianran looked at her slightly flushed cheeks and her clear eyes that seemed to say, "You're not yourself anymore," and felt a surge of panic.

He wanted to explain, but didn't know where to begin. Should he tell her, "The one on TV is me, but not the me now"?

This is too complicated.

"I...that was work..."

His explanation was dry and lacked confidence.

Is that what work has to be like?

Jiang Xixi moved a little closer, looked up at him, and her sweet fragrance lingered around He Tianran's nose.

She didn't take any further action, but simply looked at him intently, as if trying to find the answer in his eyes.

"Brother He, you're still the Brother He I know... the one who blushes, gets embarrassed, and plays pranks on me, right?"

Her approach and direct questioning made He Tianran's heart skip a beat.

The simple thinking of a "teenager" was thrown into chaos by this pure concern and dependence.

Looking at her delicate face, so close yet filled with expectation and worry, he felt a little dizzy. An impulse to comfort her and prove to her that he was still "the same person" surged up within him.

He opened his mouth, and almost involuntarily murmured:

"I...of course I am..."

Upon receiving this almost promise-like statement, Jiang Xixi's eyes lit up slightly, and the worry on her face faded, replaced by a relieved yet slightly mischievous smile, like a kitten that had successfully stolen some fish.

She seemed satisfied, taking a half-step back to a distance that was both intimate and respectful.

However, just as He Tianran secretly breathed a sigh of relief because she retreated, thinking the crisis was over—

"Dong dong dong! Dong dong dong!"

The heavy, urgent knocking, like hailstones falling, shattered the tranquil silence of their passionate reverie without warning.

The two of them jolted simultaneously and quickly separated like startled fish.

The blush on He Tianran's face faded instantly, replaced by the panic of being caught doing something wrong. Jiang Xixi also looked surprised and nervous.

“Who…who?”

Jiang Xixi forced herself to remain calm and called out towards the door, her voice still trembling slightly.

Outside the door, a woman's voice, both intimately familiar to them yet now chilling like the dead of winter, pierced the doorway clearly, carrying an undeniable question:
"Is He Tianran inside? Open the door."

It is lukewarm.

"Who is it! Who is He Tianran? He's not here!"

Just as He Tianran was about to speak, Jiang Xixi covered his mouth and shouted back at the security door.

After a few seconds, an eerie silence fell outside the door.

Jiang Xixi, who had been holding her breath and was about to lose it, suddenly heard a familiar yet unfamiliar woman's voice coming from outside the door again:
"Xixi, open the door."

And there are pastry chefs too!!!

The kitten inside swallowed hard, then asked again, but this time, it seemed a little less confident:
"Who...who is it? What do you want from me?!"

"It's me, Cao Aiqing."

"..."

"..."

Jiang Xixi and He Tianran exchanged a silent glance. The boy immediately closed his eyes, as if he had fainted, or as if he wanted to switch accounts...

"Get out! Deal with it yourself..."

Deep down, he seemed to hear a voice, like another version of himself, complaining… (End of Chapter)