Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

"What—Taki-chan knows about this too?"

However, upon hearing these words, Su Shixian became somewhat uneasy.

How could Li Xi, who looks so honest and kind with thick eyebrows, have been keeping this from her all along?

"Ah... I thought Su Shi had already guessed it."

Chu Hua covered her mouth slightly in surprise. Although her tone was so calm as if she were just asking a casual question, it was impossible for others to tell whether her expression was genuine surprise or mockery of her opponent.

Even if it was a mockery, Nagasaki Motoyo had no choice but to accept it.

Shiina Tatsuki is such an easy person to understand, and I've already noticed the clues myself—why didn't I think about these two things in connection?

"It's...it's because that guy's mouth is too tight..."

Left with no other choice, the stubborn Su Shi could only try to compensate for her lack of sensitivity in this way.

"Alright, alright, I asked Lixi not to tell anyone. It wasn't her intention to keep it from you, Su Shi, so don't pursue it. If you want to pursue it, pursue me instead. It's me who's been keeping these secrets from you all, isn't it?"

Even though he was still shaken by what had just happened, Kazama still managed to wave one hand, trying to calm Suze down while attempting to smooth things over.

Chu Hua and Su Shi already don't get along enough, if Li Xi is added to this chaotic situation...

This family would definitely fall apart without him.

"As for your suggestion, Chu Hua... I have considered it before."

After calming Su Shi down, Kazama then turned his attention to Chu Hua's thoughts.

"But... to say that I am her son from decades in the future is not only difficult for me to say, but also something that no normal person would accept."

Kazama honestly expressed his concerns, while the remaining members of the group, Su Shi and Chu Hua, exchanged another glance.

Indeed, the two of them were able to accept this outrageous truth so readily, either because their minds actually had memories that matched it, or because they had gathered piece by piece of evidence that could corroborate their conjecture—but...

"Mu seems to know nothing yet."

Kazama pursed his lips.

Since those who knew his secrets initially suspected him, it was only through a series of coincidences that they learned of some inexplicable memories or evidence—

So, for Mutsu, who knows nothing about all this, isn't it too early for Kazama himself to tell her the truth?

Kazama was actually a little unsure of what to do.

"........."

Su Shi remained silent for the time being, but her eyes, as she looked at the boy's profile, were filled with complex emotions that were hard to describe.

When it comes to matters of harmony, he becomes extremely cautious and deliberate, only taking action when everything is absolutely foolproof. This is quite unlike his usual carefree and seemingly frivolous self.

It seems that Xiao's special person has never been any other girl, nor is it the aunt who taught him how to grow up in his memories—

It was Wakaba Mutsumi who took him from the orphanage and rewrote the trajectory of his life.

Such a level of appreciation... it's truly enviable.

Su Shi tried her best not to let that hint of disappointment surface in her eyes, and simply looked away without saying a word.

However, if it were Xiao Mu... it wouldn't be a big deal to just tell her the truth directly.

Although the child was taciturn and had a unique way of thinking, she was the kind of person who could calm down and listen to people finish speaking without being stubborn. She would never be like her and Li Xi, who would start to wonder if it was a bluff or a lie halfway through a conversation.

not to mention……

Su Shi pondered this point, and couldn't help but glance at Kazama casually.

Moreover, this special treatment was not actually a one-sided affection between Kazama and Mutsumi.

They were once close partners, and had a few intermittent exchanges and interactions. Su Shi was able to tell from the lines that Xiao Mu also treated Kazama as a special person.

Since they both regard each other as special beings... perhaps it would be better for their "mother-son reunion" to be more open about it sooner rather than later.

Even though she was feeling a little down, Su Shi still decided to put aside her personal feelings and give this suggestion.

"Personally, I think..."

However, Su Shi hadn't had a chance to offer her objective advice yet—

"I think Xiaojun doesn't need to rush. These things can be done slowly, can't they?"

Then another, louder and brighter voice drowned out her suggestion and won over the boy's full attention.

"what………"

Su Shi fell silent, because Chu Hua had already smiled and said something completely opposite to her opinion.

"Even if Xiao Mu unconditionally believes Xiao Jun, without a suitable opportunity, she'll probably just think it's your nonsense. So I think we should refrain from making any rash moves. After all, the number of people who know this secret hasn't yet gained an overwhelming advantage to convince everyone of what we're saying."

Chu Hua gently touched the tips of her fingers together, as if she were a strategist outlining her thoughts.

Her advice was indeed objective and rational enough that it was hard to find fault with it.

"That's true... It seems we can only keep it a secret for as long as possible."

After a moment's thought, Kazama agreed with Hatsuka's idea, and the blonde girl smiled sweetly.

Only Nagasaki Motoyo felt that something was not quite right.

"Su Shi, what were you trying to say just now?"

Kazama tilted his head curiously, looking past Hatsuka with a question in his eyes.

"Cough...it's nothing."

Su Shi cleared her throat and looked away, making sure her gaze lingered on Chu Hua less noticeable.

"Indeed, it's not appropriate to tell Mu now. Let's wait and see."

She waved her hand in agreement with Chu Hua's suggestion, which made the smile in the blonde girl's eyes even more pronounced.

Chapter Seven: You're just afraid of Xiao Mu, aren't you, Chu Hua?

"Ha... In short, now that we've reached an agreement, I have no secrets to hide from you. Let's all get back to our posts for now, shall we?"

After a false alarm, another humiliating incident involving a man's buttocks occurred, causing him to feel a blow to his self-esteem. Kazama was already finding it difficult to deal with these two quirky and meticulous girls.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head home now."

He couldn't wait to go back and embrace his own private time.

"Have a safe journey, Xiaojun. I won't see you off."

Surprisingly, Su Shi didn't try to persuade him to stay, but instead smiled slightly like a host who had just warmly entertained his guests.

"Oh, by the way, when you go back, you can tell the security guard at the front desk downstairs that you are a guest here—that way you won't need to register your information next time, and they will let you upstairs directly."

"Actually, I don't think there will be a next time I come to the Su family..."

Kazama touched the stray hairs on his cheek, muttering to himself.

"Who said that? What if there's some unexpected situation? Besides, Xiaojun used to come to visit me often, right? We should be even closer than before."

"Alright, alright... since you've said so, Su Shi..."

Kazama let out a helpless sigh. He always found it hard to refuse the aunties' requests—and that was still true now.

"So, do you want to come with me, Chu Hua? Or do you want to stay here a little longer?"

"Ah, my words—"

"I still have something I want to discuss with Chuhua, Xiaojun, you should go back first~"

This time, before Chu Hua could even express her opinion, Su Shi interrupted her with a smile, and she even caught Xiao off guard by giving her the order to leave.

Chu Hua seemed to have anticipated that Su Shi would ask her to stay a little longer, so she smiled and turned her head to nod to Kazama.

"Well... since Su Shi seems to have something else to say to me, Xiao Jun should go back first."

"Well……"

Are these two whispering something to each other?

If it was a private conversation that was deliberately kept from him, I have a bad feeling about it...

"Next time Xiaojun comes to my house, I will definitely prepare a special surprise for you~ You can look forward to it."

But before Kazama could think further, Suze smiled and sent out a second order to leave.

"Uh... I hope it's a pleasant surprise rather than a shock."

Kazama glanced at Su Shi, then at Chu Hua who was determined to stay put, and finally turned around with a suspicious look on his face and walked towards the entrance.

"Well then, I'll be going now. You two are not allowed to devise any battle plans behind my back that exclude me."

"How could that happen~"

Like a fox, Su Shi covered her face and smiled slightly.

"Xiaojun, have a safe journey."

Chu Hua watched with longing, like a golden retriever, as the boy, still feeling the lingering pain in his bottom, left from the direction of the entrance.

The moment the door to the Nagasaki house closed, the two girls' previously warm and gentle expressions changed.

"...the underwear that Xiaojun was holding in her hand."

Chu Hua turned her head and met Su Shi's gaze.

"If possible, I'd like to buy it from Su Shi."

"Huh? You... why did you buy my underwear?!"

Su Shi was terrified upon hearing this, her composure completely vanishing – she had never been wary of Chu Hua in this regard.

"Um, please don't misunderstand... I just thought that these were Su Shi's personal belongings, but Xiao Jun had held them in his hands before... If you're a little bothered by this, you can leave them to me to take care of."

Chu Hua scratched her cheek, seemingly a little embarrassed, but actually made this astonishing request in the most natural and ordinary tone.

"How can you say such an abnormal thing with such a natural expression?"

This was no longer something that could be resolved with a mere gasp of shock; Su Shi's gaze towards Chu Hua now held a scrutinizing quality, as if he were looking at an abnormal being.

"Wait, putting aside whether I should give you what belongs to me or not—did your actions just now have some hidden meaning, Chu Hua?"

Before the conversation could spiral out of control and become uncontrollable, Su Shi stopped it in time and raised her concerns in front of Chu Hua.

"What's the action... what's the deeper meaning?"

To everyone's surprise, this girl tilted her head for no apparent reason, even though the gesture looked quite cute on her.

"Don't try to play dumb and get away with it. It's about the matter of Mu that you just brought up, Chu Hua."

Su Shi was not distracted by Chu Hua's expression; instead, she reiterated her doubts in a firm tone.

"In that situation just now, it wouldn't have been necessary to mention Xiao Mu... Besides, you know that if we told Xiao Mu the truth, she would definitely accept Xiao Jun's version of events unconditionally, right?"

Su Shi frowned and blurted out all her doubts without any attempt to hide them.

She really didn't know what Chu Hua was trying to do.

If you want to expand the team, there's no big deal about telling Xiao Mu these things directly.

"After all, that child actually trusts Xiaojun more than you and I do. They are the ones who, even without shared memories, still care about each other and trust each other unconditionally."

Despite the slight frustration and resentment she felt between the lines, Su Shi still managed to tell the truth with the utmost objectivity.

"Ok, I know."

Mikasa Hatsuka was not surprised by this, and simply nodded.

But what she said next was what left Su Shi somewhat confused.

"That's why we need to delay as much as possible... Su Shi."

"Huh? Why would you say that?"

"If they were to recognize each other sooner, Xiaojun, who has memories, would definitely be overjoyed at the reunion of mother and child—but that would certainly not be the case for Xiaomu. She clearly doesn't have any memories of spending time with Xiaojun."

Chu Hua's tone was calm, yet highly persuasive and infectious, easily soothing Su Shi's depressed mood.

"Just like we don't actually possess that memory that perfectly matches his, so we can't feel at ease becoming his 'aunt'—nor do we want to become his aunt."

"You guy..."