They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

"However, because of her awkward age, we can't do much besides hugging her and greeting her every day. Oh, but she occasionally watches us when we're doing things."

“…How disgusting.”

That's what I said.

"You can probably still say that with a straight face now, but in a thousand years, no, maybe a few hundred years, you will definitely understand us."

“After all, that’s how I got here,” the woman who looked exactly like me said with a smile.

I fell silent. The longer I spent with Aning, the more I believed that these "me"s who had traveled from another time were not lying to me.

That's right, I am an immortal time traveler.

For me, this timeline, like a long river, is like a fixed bus route, where I can get on and off at any time. And whether it's old age or an accident, when I encounter death, I will retain my memories and be reborn as a child.

Before I met Aning, I kept this secret very well. But the day I truly fell in love with him, someone called my name.

"Hey, past 'me,' let's chat."

That day, I realized that... around Aning, the high school and junior high school girls were "me", the shop owner was "me", the teachers were "me", and even her childhood sweetheart, including her single mother, was "me".

All the women around Aning are "me" who traveled back in time after his death, feeling lonely. At first, they only appeared when he was an adult, but as more and more of the past "me" appeared, we went further and further back, even dressing up and playing roles.

"I feel like I'm sharing my lover with you guys... It's disgusting."

"Oh dear, there are no parallel universes in our world. In the end, we are you."

"I" said to me with a smile, "If you feel disgusted, then blame yourself for still clinging to him after he's gone. Self-blame, haha, isn't that word perfect for us?"

"Although you just told A-Ning a lot of lies, you are right about one thing."

The "I" narrowed its eyes.

“Only Aning is Aning. Everyone else is unimportant to us.”

End

[Next chapter preview: ...Are you some kind of Talking Tom?]

"Cat food?" I exclaimed in surprise.

Since the other party brought it up themselves, I have no reason to be tactful anymore.

I recognize that expression; Ning Ruoxin sometimes looks like that when she's extremely angry.

In my past life, I heard a senior colleague say something really awful.

Chapter 108: The Motive for Justice

"..."

I glanced at Sister Zhang, who had been secretly observing me.

"!"

When she saw my gaze, she quickly turned her head away and even whistled.

...Are you Talking Tom?

I finished making the coffee and placed it on the counter. After making this takeaway drink, the morning's business was almost over.

"Sister Zhang, is there something you want to tell me?"

"actually……"

"I'm taking it!"

Qiu Luxi finished packaging the coffee, winked at me, and asked softly, "What are you talking about?"

"Absolutely not! Xiao Ning and I never chat privately, let alone have any private interactions!"

ha?

I stared speechlessly at Sister Zhang, who exuded an air of righteousness. Was this yet another little game played by a long-time employee of the coffee shop?

"Oh, um."

Qiu Luxi nodded, then picked up the coffee bag and the tray next to her and left.

Sister Zhang wiped away non-existent cold sweat from her forehead with a sigh of relief, and looked at me with a weak, forced, yet loving smile.

"Xiao Ning, I've protected her."

"So what exactly did you manage to protect?"

I don't understand it at all.

"I will absolutely not tell anyone what happened a few days ago. Don't worry, your Sister Zhang is on your side!"

Sister Zhang gave me an OK sign and a knowing look.

"Whether it's Xiao Qiu, Xiao Wu, or the boss lady... it's really a difficult choice. I completely understand. If it were me, I'd want them all too, hehe..."

"I'm going to report this to the boss lady, okay?"

"!"

Sister Zhang's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

"Fine, how cruel—Secretary Li, you be the judge! I clearly abandoned my principles of exclusive and pure love to stand on Xiao Ning's side, and not only did he not appreciate it, he even reported me!"

"Yes, yes, Xiao Ning, if you report it, remember to call me. I have evidence that she secretly ate the store's food at noon."

"Cat food?" I exclaimed in surprise.

"You're the one who eats cat food!!!" Sister Zhang roared angrily. "Speaking of which, Secretary Li, you're not getting away with this either. You ate plenty of the cookies the boss lady made! Everyone got some except for Xiao Ning, who wasn't on duty at the time!"

Wait, could the cookies Qiu Luxi brought me to the rooftop yesterday at noon also be...?

I decided to remain silent and nodded with a pained expression. "I never expected that everyone would secretly eat cranberry cookies while I was away."

"...We don't think we mentioned that the cookie had cranberries in it?" Sister Li glanced at me.

Oops, I've become "Pancake Guy" (a derogatory term for someone who makes pancakes).

"Never mind, that's not the point. The point is, Secretary Li, you don't know, Xiao Ning is practically a woman..."

"Xiao Zhang! Could you come over and help me take inventory of the goods here?"

"...Sigh, I keep getting interrupted today. I have the body of a princess but the life of a maid."

With a dejected look on her face, Sister Zhang walked towards the warehouse, not forgetting to give some instructions.

"I'll tell you all about Xiao Ning's misdeeds when I get back!"

However, once the somewhat boisterous Sister Zhang left, leaving Li Wanying and me, the atmosphere became a little awkward.

Because of our different job duties, I'm not that familiar with Sister Li, who is in charge of introducing fees and recommending packages at the front desk. We usually get along well with Sister Zhang, who is more cheerful and loves to joke around, and most of the time we just complain about Sister Zhang's antics.

This familiar feeling that's not quite friendship becomes more apparent when we're alone together.

"Um, I heard Zhang Yuexin say that Xiao Ning and you guys seem to be asking about Wu Suian?"

That's brilliant! I was thinking of finding a suitable time to subtly probe, but I didn't expect that college students these days are all about being decisive and straightforward.

Since the other party brought it up themselves, I have no reason to be tactful anymore.

"Hmm. There was a senior in our high school who seemed to be related to Wu Suian—Sister Li, have you ever heard him mention the name 'Wu Yuehua'?"

“I’m sorry, when we were together, Wu Suian rarely mentioned his family.”

I frowned.

Do you have a bad relationship with your family? Have you lost contact with them or something?

"I'd like to ask a question, if you don't want to answer, Sister Li, you can just say it—what kind of person is Senior Wu Suian in your eyes, Sister Li?"

"It's alright. Although my identity sounds a bit strange, Wu Sui'an should be considered a 'correct' person, right?"

This is the first time I've heard this description. Did Sister Li study philosophy or Western classical literature in college?

"It's hard to understand, isn't it? Let me give you an example—once when we were on a date, there was an old lady selling fruit at a subway entrance. He walked up to her and told her that this was a scenic area with designated areas for street vendors, and that she couldn't set up her stall there, so he asked her to leave."

"????"

Is the Wu family's axis truly inherited from the same lineage?

“I had the same expression as you at the time,” Sister Li smiled at me. “But before the old lady left, he bought all the fruit.”

"The date turned out to be a complete mess. I admire my courage back then for actually spending the whole day with a guy carrying a huge basket of apples. We even got mistaken for apple sellers by passing city management officers and had to explain for a long time that we weren't selling apples."

Although it was said in a complaining tone, Sister Li seemed to reminisce more, "According to his roommate, he ate apples for almost a week during that time."

"Don't let his seemingly stoic demeanor fool you, he's actually quite popular, probably because he's always helping others. Because buying apples put a strain on his allowance, and everyone offered him money but he wouldn't accept, so they had to trade him things for apples—in the end, apples practically became the common equivalent of currency on their dorm floor..."

I listened quietly to Sister Li's description. In her gentle voice and story, I could vaguely see the lively yet ordinary outlines of the boy and his friends.

They may do many foolish and stupid things, but they will always adhere to their own sense of right and wrong.

In my past life, a senior colleague once said something terrible: he said that the motivation behind so-called justice is mostly nothing more than jealousy of evil. The senior colleague was a scoundrel, but this seemingly self-justifying statement wasn't entirely wrong.

Why should selling one's body make money so easily? Why should cheating get one high score? Why should using connections get one a job? — Is the focus on the moral condemnation that follows? No, the focus is on "why".

So to be honest, when I heard Sister Li laughing and complaining about how clumsy those senior students were, I was probably a little envious.

I can't imagine someone upholding justice for something that has nothing to do with their own interests.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're back so soon?"

I was a little surprised.

"That supermarket owner is really something, he made another mistake." Sister Zhang sighed. "There have been some security issues in Lucheng lately, and as a result, the number of coffee beans we have here is always off."

"Oh, that's not the point. The point is, what are you guys talking about? Are you talking about how the senior was taking the postgraduate entrance exam and the two of you broke up peacefully in your freshman year?"

...Very good, thank you for asking me the question so directly.

"Although I was going to say it too, but Zhang Yuexin—"

Sister Li was all smiles.

I recognize that expression; Ning Ruoxin sometimes looks like that when she's extremely angry.

"I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong!"

Σ( ￣□￣|| )

Sister Zhang looked like she was about to die, and muttered something.

"Good morning! I should have gone to pick up the order slip with Xiao Qiu and the boss lady! I don't want to be tortured!!!"

[Next chapter preview: "...Be careful."]

"They already...they already know?!"

"No, no, you're still children, aren't you? This kind of thing, this kind of thing, is happening way too fast!"

"Are you looking for death?! Make her stay!"

Interlude: Go to hell!

"Hehehehehe~"

Wearing Walkmans, Qiu Luxi hummed a tuneless song along with the music coming from her headphones, while Chu Qingya frowned slightly as she looked at the order form in her hand.

"...Be careful."

When Qiu Luxi gently pulled her closer, Chu Qingya realized that she was walking a little too far out on the street.

"Oh dear, I really am."

Chu Qingya smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Xiao Qiu."

"It's okay, but you can't get distracted even when walking on the steps by the roadside—Ning Ruoyu taught me that!"

Seeing the girl puff out her chest with a hint of pride, Chu Qingya gently patted her head.

"Whether it's Ning Ruoyu or Xiao Qiu, you are both amazing."

For Chu Qingya, who witnessed Qiu Luxi's transformation from a caged bird to her current state, she probably felt it more deeply than anyone else.