Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

It is known that Miss Wildcat's favorite food is matcha parfait, and that she dislikes being forced to choose between matcha parfait and a boy named Kazama Akatsuki.

"Maybe Rakuna-chan simply values ​​Kazama-kun very much—at least on par with matcha parfait, which is why she wasn't happy when Sose-kun asked her that question?"

Banami rolled her eyes; she was currently in a state of speaking whatever came to mind.

Little did they know that her answer was the one closest to the truth.

Lena, who had found a corner to sit alone away from the crowd, was still engrossed in eating. Her reflection could be vaguely seen in the matcha parfait cup that she had devoured.

"Wakaba...Akatsuki".

She murmured the name that had surfaced in her mind along with a certain memory, in a voice only she could hear.

"Xiao... Xiao."

Finally, she called out the boy's name affectionately, using the same tone she would use to address him many years later.

“Funny kid.”

Please submit a leave slip.

I have to work overtime today, so I simply don't have any spare time to write.

Please bear with me... I'll resume updates tomorrow! ?(???‵‵)?

The plot continues in a wildly unpredictable manner. Can you guess who will be the next one to stir up a storm? (?????)

Chapter Twenty-One: A Tribute to the Legendary Scapegoat Su Shi

"Wait, so... Su Shi showed Li Xi that video of me as a child with a woman who looks just like Le Nai?"

When Lixi told Kazama and Chuka, whose expression was not exactly gentle, everything she knew, Xiao repeated the whole story that Lixi had told her in an incredulous tone.

Of course, since Lixi was completely unaware of the consensus reached between Su Shi and Banami, she naturally attributed the source of the video to Su Shi.

"Of course, I said I would be your partner, right? Between partners, is it necessary to hide something like this from you?"

Her unwavering certainty made Kazama gasp, and Chu Hua frowned unhappily at her beautiful brows.

Although their expressions differed, their inner thoughts were similar.

What does this mean? Aunt Su Shi is actually so secretive? Could it be that the previous photo... was also information she deliberately leaked to mislead me?

This is Kazama's idea.

I never expected Su Shi to have such a trump card... Could it be that she knew Xiao Jun's secret all along, but was pretending not to know it, like a wolf in sheep's clothing? She's a truly formidable opponent...

This was Chu Hua's idea.

"What's wrong? Why do you two look like that... Let me make it clear beforehand that I'm not lying, and I would never lie to my companions."

Lixi curled her lip at the two people whose expressions were uncertain; this was not the scene she wanted to see.

"In short, that stray cat didn't give us any useful information. Kazama, do you have anything to say? Well, personally, I'm still more inclined to believe it was just a prank AI video created by someone..."

Although Li Xi still held a skeptical attitude towards this outrageous matter, if she were to simply follow her opinion and gloss over the matter, it might arouse her suspicion in the future.

Since Hatsune already knows my secret... If my true identity will be exposed to everyone sooner or later, wouldn't it be a better choice to tell Riki at this point in time?

However, before this thought could linger in Kazama's mind for long, someone he hadn't expected to react suddenly spoke up.

"—Yes, I also think it's probably just a prank by some mischievous gentleman or lady. After all, as far as I know, Rakuna's heterochromia is unique, right? Even her family members probably don't have similar features."

Chu Hua suddenly joined their conversation, then smiled slightly and successfully persuaded Li Xi with impeccable common sense and meticulous logic.

"If this video is real, the fact that the young and innocent Xiaojun and the woman who looks to be at least thirty years old are appearing in the same frame... it just goes against common sense no matter how you look at it."

"Well, that's true."

Lixi nodded. For someone like her who was convinced of common sense and had never imagined anything beyond the ordinary, Chu Hua's explanation was indeed the most convincing statement.

"Who is it that has such a twisted sense of humor... Oh, hello, please order here."

After saying that, Lixi muttered to herself as she ran towards another customer who pushed open the door of the beverage shop, carrying the menu, and began to fulfill her duties as a waitress.

"..."

Shiina Tatsuki returned to her ordinary daily life, leaving only Kazama and Hatsuka to look at each other in silence.

"As expected, Lenai is just like me, right?"

Chu Hua lowered her voice as much as possible to confirm the current situation with Xiao, whose eyes were darting around.

"Is she also one of the so-called 'aunties'?"

"What do you mean... She's just my aunt. Just like Chu Hua, you, and Li Xi. It's just that..."

Xiao's expression remained relaxed throughout, and Chu Hua probably guessed what he was troubled about.

"However, Xiaojun doesn't remember if what happened in that video actually happened?"

Chu Hua chuckled softly, once again becoming a confidante and offering insightful advice to Kazama's troubles.

"You can even see through my little thoughts, Chu Hua..."

"Hehe, don't underestimate me, okay? Xiaojun's eyebrows are furrowed in different ways, I know what's bothering you~"

"What...you've even mastered this kind of skill?"

Xiao did not immediately deny Chu Hua's conjecture, but this was for a very simple reason.

What she said is true.

"I really can't remember anything about that video at all."

"Hmm, is it possible that it's been too long... that's why Xiaojun can't remember?"

"That's not true. I will never forget any memory of any of you."

"Wow, they really seem very confident..."

Chu Hua spoke softly, suppressing the slight smile that filled the corners of her mouth.

She had originally thought she could gain some special recognition from Xiao, but she didn't expect that all the aunties were treated equally by him.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't disappointed, but of course, Mitsubo Hatsuka wouldn't give up so easily.

It's okay if Xiao still treats everyone the same.

She would always stand by his side and prove through her actions that she was the only one who deserved special treatment.

"In short, since Xiaojun has such a high degree of trust in her memories, it seems that the problem is more complicated than we thought."

Watching Lixi patiently and responsibly take orders for the high school girl who walked in, Chu Hua slowly recounted her thoughts during this period.

"It's already illogical that you would come to this space-time that doesn't belong to you, but now you're gradually losing your past memories..."

"Moreover, these memories have become tangible and have appeared around us."

Xiao shook his head helplessly, but no matter how at a loss he was, he still understood and followed Chu Hua's reasoning.

"Hmm, it seems the situation is not optimistic."

Chu Hua said this, but a slight smile played on her lips.

"The situation is not optimistic... Why?"

"Because this proves that whether it's Xiaojun's time travel, the loss of her memories, or her physical manifestation—there must be someone behind all of this, right?"

Chu Hua smiled meaningfully and tilted her head slightly.

"And this person is very likely the one that Lixi just mentioned."

"what……"

Kazama immediately understood what Hatsuka meant.

"You mean... Su Shi?"

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Dangerous Beast Within Me

Chu Hua's reason for targeting Su Shi was very simple.

"Since Su Shi showed that video to everyone, it proves that she and Xiao Jun have a secret connection... she might even be the mastermind behind it all. Of course, this conclusion is just speculation at the moment."

She patiently rationalized her prejudice against Su Shi in front of Xiao, and her explanation was indeed seamless.

"No matter how you look at it, Su Shi is at least an insider."

So when Hua came to this conclusion with a smile, Kazama did not immediately refute it. Instead, he pondered for a moment and agreed with her reasoning.

"……that's true."

He also wanted to know why Su Shi possessed this video, but there aren't that many "whys" in this world.

Asking them rashly might only alert them, and there's not much they can do right now.

"Keep your opinions to yourself, and don't speak rashly and alert the enemy. Then..."

Chu Hua very considerately summarized the action plan for Xiao's next steps, but at the end she added a thought-provoking paragraph full of her own subjective opinions.

"Keep an eye on Su Shi, but it's best not to get too close to her."

"Ugh……"

Xiao shook her head, looking somewhat troubled, as if she didn't understand why Su Shi would do such a thing.

"But if Su Shi really knew my true identity, why didn't she acknowledge me as her friend, and why did she show this video to Li Xi and the others?"

"Who knows? Maybe Su Shi has her own secrets too."

Perhaps to avoid making her instigation too obvious, Chu Hua thoughtfully considered how to balance Kazama's relationship with Su Shi from Kazama's perspective.

"Although I understand Xiaojun's feelings that you don't want to gradually drift apart from Su Shi... I never said that I hoped the two of you would drift apart, did I? It's just that we still have to be careful around Su Shi from time to time. You can't be too careful around people."

I feel like Chu Hua's well-intentioned words sound familiar.

"...Chu Hua, your next sentence isn't going to be something like, 'Beautiful women are the best at lying, so you have to be careful,' is it?"

"Ah, you even anticipated this? Xiaojun really is on the same page as me, hehe."

Chu Hua smiled shyly, a little embarrassed, but from the corners of her eyes and the light upturn of her lips, it was clear that these were the words she had been secretly waiting to say for a long time.

Kazama was a little puzzled. Was being in sync with him really something to be happy about?

Anyway, even if Hatsune Miku was like this before, she wouldn't have made it so obvious.

"Sigh... Should I keep a certain distance from Su Shi? It seems that's the only way."

Xiao rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache. If she wanted to keep her secret at this stage, she really had to be wary of Su Shi first.

"Uh-huh."

Chu Hua smiled brightly throughout, seemingly pleased with Kazama's reaction.

The reason is also very simple.

Since Xiaojun will keep her distance from Sushi, her most troublesome and equally formidable rival has been directly labeled with the "suspect" debuff.

With just a few words, he directly propelled his most formidable rival to the top spot, proving that even the cutthroat competition for resources in the entertainment industry is easier and simpler than this kind of romantic affair.

Thinking of this, Chu Hua couldn't help but relax her brow and hum a little tune.

Kazama Akatsuki certainly didn't want her secret to become common news, but the same was true for Hatsuka.

As long as he remains the only one who knows Xiaojun's true identity, she will always be his most capable assistant and his most trustworthy and reliable comrade-in-arms.

She only used Xiao's secret to blackmail him in order to achieve her own goals and to see the troubled expression on Xiao's face when she made unreasonable demands.

Although it was a bit much, I believe Xiaojun won't really be angry with me because of this.

Chu Hua was secretly pleased with her scheme to sow discord, unaware that the greatest crisis was quietly approaching.

The crisp sound of wind chimes rang out as the beverage shop door was pushed open, followed by a series of footsteps so light they were almost inaudible.

"Xiao, I'm here."