Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

A certain image suddenly flashed through Su Shi's mind.

Chapter 84 The Confession of Those Who Know the Truth

For Lena, happiness is a very simple thing, and it's also very simple to become happy.

First, pick up the guitar and play to your heart's content.

Second, enjoy the matcha parfait to your heart's content.

In the past, Lena lived a very leisurely life as a stray cat. All she had to do was wander around the streets and accomplish these two things to make every day carefree and leisurely.

However, recently, a new rule has been added to the happiness regulations of wildcat Lenai.

The third rule is to keep Xiao's secret, practice guitar until he can master it completely, and then become Xiao's proud mentor.

Lena's idea was simple, so she firmly implemented her own happiness law and did not let slip the secret about Akatsuki.

However, sometimes, interpersonal communication is not like turtle soup, where information can only be judged by black-and-white yes or no.

"A secret I'll know someday... Interesting."

Lena didn't explicitly state anything, but based on her ambiguous words, Su Shi could gradually connect the secret she mentioned with the strange behavior between Lena and Li Xi these past few days.

The Detective rarely relies on his intuition, but occasionally it will lead him in the right direction.

"Hey, Renai-chan. Did you... also see something?"

Recalling the fragments of memory that had flashed through her mind before, Su Shi smiled and patiently coaxed Miss Wildcat.

"It's like when you come into contact with a certain object or see a certain video, similar memories start playing in your mind—it's like your brain instantly becomes a private cinema."

"...Su Shi also has it?"

The unsuspecting Miss Wildcat confessed without being asked.

"Hmm, it seems that I'm the same as Renai-chan."

Cats are not malicious; cats are good.

Su Shi had ulterior motives, and Su Shi was corrupt.

"So... I should be even closer to 'our own people' than Lena thinks."

She left those words with a knowing smile, waiting for Lena to blink and then willingly take the bait.

"……what."

After a brief moment of thought, Lena suddenly realized.

"Su Shi, is she also an old lady?"

"...Auntie?"

Unexpectedly, Lena would use such an unrelated word, and Su Shi's beautiful eyebrows twitched.

Why did this word suddenly appear at this time?

"Yes, is Su Shi also Xiao's aunt?"

It wasn't until Lenai, seemingly understanding, continued to bring up the next keyword that Su Shi finally realized what was going on.

Come to think of it, when they first met, Kazama kept calling her "Auntie," and it seems he even offended Shoko because of that. Could it be...?

Su Shi remained silent for a long time before finally blurting out his guess.

"Lanna-chan, you've become Xiaojun's aunt too?"

She had only asked the question tentatively, but to her surprise, Le Nai readily agreed.

"Yeah, that's right."

Like some kind of cute little animal, Lena nodded without hesitation.

"Does Su Shi also know that she is Xiao Lai's aunt?"

However, this news was still too shocking for Su Shi.

"What... that guy really said the same thing to you, Renai-chan?"

"Hmm? I guess so... but I discovered it myself first."

Compared to the usually taciturn and sparing-of-words Miss Wildcat, Lena spoke a lot today—or perhaps it was simply because it was a topic that interested her and made her feel proud.

"I saw the future first before I acknowledged Xiaoxiang. Didn't Su Shi go through the same thing?"

For Lena, there really was a flashback memory, and she was absolutely certain that it was something that would happen in the future—

"what……"

Nagasaki Motoyo was momentarily speechless.

Yes, things that will happen in the future.

Why did she only realize this possibility now, when even Lena could make the connection so easily?

No, it's definitely because this fact is just too illogical. Predicting the future—such extraordinary phenomena occasionally appear in movies and novels, that's one thing. For it to actually happen in real life is simply too fantastical—

"...No?"

As Su Shi's thoughts began to struggle with their own, Le Nai noticed something amiss in her expression.

"Su Shi was unaware of this."

Lena's tone was calm and composed, but her keen observation had already detected something amiss in Su Shi's astonished expression.

"……you do not know."

Miss Wildcat, who seemed easy to fool, blinked her eyes, her captivating heterochromatic pupils taking in every move Su Shi made.

"It's boring."

She realized that she had been set up by Su Shi.

"Su Shi, is he not a companion?"

Lena left behind this concise statement in her usual indifferent tone, and unusually, she pushed aside the half-eaten matcha parfait on the table, stood up, and turned to leave.

"Wait, Renai-chan—"

Perhaps it was a misperception born of suspicion, but Su Shi always felt that there was a hint of disappointment in Le Nai's eyes when she looked at her at the end.

However, by the time she stood up and tried to stop Le Nai, it was too late. The white-haired girl walked straight towards the entrance of the dessert shop without turning her head, not even glancing at Su Shi.

"Ugh... I've messed this up..."

Su Shi watched as Le Nai's figure disappeared at the entrance of the dessert shop, and finally could only helplessly plop back down in her chair.

Although she did manage to extract some remarkable information from Lena, it seems she has completely destroyed all the goodwill she had built up with Lena over the years.

How can I explain to Lena that I didn't intentionally deceive her?

Perhaps Su Shi could use sophistry like "I didn't lie, I just didn't deny your speculation" to argue with others—but Le Nai wasn't the kind of person who cared about whether she was in the right or not.

In her eyes, people who deceive her are meaningless and not companions; the equation holds true.

"………and."

With a worried expression, Su Shi touched her hairline and wiped away the beads of sweat that were already seeping down her forehead.

"I, like Lena... am Xiaojun's aunt...?"

What does it mean?

Is this the secret Kazama asked Rakuna to keep? What nonsense! Has he used that "auntie" excuse again to deceive and anger the naive girl? Only a child like Rakuna would believe him.

But if this is the same thing that has been troubling Lixi lately.

If the memories that flashed through my mind earlier also point to this explanation.

Nagasaki Motoyo sat there speechless for a long time before finally swallowing.

"...That's a lie, isn't it?"

Chapter 85 Su Shi: No Traitors Allowed in Aunt's Front

Once you eliminate all the impossible options, the one that remains, however unbelievable, is the undeniable truth.

The information provided by Lena wasn't exactly clear, but it was enough for Su Shi to combine it with her own experiences and Li Xi's recent unusual behavior to draw a conclusion.

Although it is a very absurd conclusion.

"...He was telling us the truth from the very beginning. It's just that we didn't understand that truth, right?"

Rewinding to the present, Li Xi listened to Su Shi on the other end of the phone explain the ins and outs of her search for the answer to the mystery, and couldn't help but stand there stunned.

"So Taki-chan, you already know? We are actually all Akatsuki's aunts, and he is our junior who traveled from the future... that's the truth."

Su Shi's voice was still trembling a little, and it seemed that it took her quite a while to process this fact.

"...I knew that stray cat wasn't reliable."

However, instead of denying her guess, Li Xi took the opportunity to express her dissatisfaction with Le Nai.

It seems that this is a common reality, at least for Lixi.

"Taki-chan, you really are..."

"...Now that things have come to this, Su Shi, you should face reality."

Damn it, Shiina Riki promised Kazama that she would never leak the news—but I never expected that Suze would find out about this information by going to Rakuna through another route.

"...This kind of speculation is really crazy, but only such crazy speculation is most in line with the current situation."

Su Shi smiled sarcastically, seemingly having accepted the possibility that she would be seen as a delusional lunatic.

"Taki-chan, you know this secret too, right? That's why you've been acting so strangely lately, isn't it? How did you know this—"

"Since you already know about this, Su Shi, there's no need for me to keep it a secret any longer."

Before Su Shi could ask for more information she didn't know, Li Xi interrupted her questioning loudly.

She had already realized that Su Shi had been inquiring about a secret that Kazama didn't want to publicize, but now it was no use avoiding Su Shi's questions.

It's impossible to stop Su Shi from seeking the truth, so there's little left Li Xi can do for Xiao.

Since that's the case—it's better to use an even stronger approach than Su Shi to prevent her from causing further trouble for Kazama.

“That’s right, no matter how unbelievable the truth may be, this is the reality I accept. And if you don’t believe it, Su Shi… you still have other options.”

Instead of stepping onto the platform to go home, Li Xi stood there watching the backs of the pedestrians who brushed past her, and offered Su Shi another way out in a cold voice.

"If this is too difficult for you to accept, then Su Shi can pretend that she knows nothing and return to the [daily life] that she is most familiar with."

Perhaps there was also a bit of selfishness involved in not wanting more people to share this secret. In any case, Lixi decisively gave Su Shi another option.

"If you don't want to face this part of the truth, then pretend you know nothing and go back to your normal life. No one will blame you, and I'll keep it a secret from Kazama too."

"I……"

"If you want me or Kazama to be honest with you, you'll have to pay a price, Suze."

Li Xi seemed to still be brooding over the unpleasant argument from before, or perhaps he was just using this blunt tone to test Su Shi's true feelings.

Yes, she wanted to know how Su Shi viewed the absurd idea of ​​time travel—if Su Shi couldn't accept it, would she do something further detrimental to Kazama?

Whether Su Shi accepts it or not, Riki must prevent her from doing anything that might give Kazama a headache.

"You can still pretend you know nothing and go back to your daily life, but if you choose to accept the truth... you have to be mentally prepared to face these illogical things from now on."

She could only use this stern and forceful approach to test Su Shi's heart.

"……I see."

It felt like an eternity had passed, yet also like only a fleeting second, before Su Shi gave her answer in a muffled voice.

"Although honest advice is hard to hear... it's true that what Taki-chan said was really for my and Akatsuki's sake."

Su Shi resumed her usual slow, gentle, and sweet voice, and her next words made Li Xi's brows furrow slightly.

"It's obvious that Taki-chan has completely sided with Akatsuki... So you've been keeping this from me all this time?"