The setting sun burned like fire, igniting the whole of Tokyo.

Amid the familiar sound of musical instruments, suddenly there came a crisp sound as a metal baseball bat struck a ball.

"You, what did you say?" Xiaoquan Aonai replied in a fluster.

"Where did Dubian go?"

"What are you talking about? How..."

"Answer me!" Kiyono Lin's voice was deeper than usual, with a slightly heavier tone.

Backlit, her face was indiscernible, but Xiaoquan Aonai felt an immense pressure.

Her throat parched, she involuntarily swallowed saliva.

In early April, the still chilly wind swept across the fifth-floor overhead walkway, whipping Kiyono Lin's long hair and slightly lifting her skirt hem, swooping into her collar and sleeves.

But she paid no attention to her uplifted skirt, nor did the wind inside her clothes make her feel any colder; all she wanted to know was one thing...

"Dubian, Dubian Che, where did he go?" Kiyono Lin took a step forward, moving into the shadow of the club building.

Deprived of light, Xiaoquan Aonai could finally see the girl's complexion in front of her.

Cold, pale, hands clutching tightly at the straps of her backpack.

Anger, surprise, fear.

Xiaoquan Aonai stared, dumbfounded, at this sight.

Though they had only spent the day together, the composed and aloof impression Kiyono Lin had made on her was deeply ingrained.

Yet now, she displayed an expression akin to a child who has lost their parents.

Xiaoquan Aonai remembered something from long ago:

As a child, her grandmother had kept a cat, and after her grandmother died, her father, who disliked cats, prepared to abandon it.

Riding a bicycle, with her sitting in the rear seat holding a cardboard box that contained the soon-to-be-abandoned cat.

They had gone quite far, to her at the time it seemed like another country far away, where the cat and box were discarded by an unknown roadside.

When her father brought her back, the cat kept chasing them.

Her father pedaled desperately, and the cat tried desperately to keep up.

Eventually, her father, exhausted, stopped the bicycle and while picking up the cat, said, "Let's go home."

That incident happened when she was nearly four years old. She had completely forgotten about it, but now it emerged vividly in her mind.

The present Kiyono Lin reminded her of the cat desperately chasing the bicycle.

"Let's go home," the words her father had said while holding the cat echoed back in her ears.

Xiaoquan Aonai made the same choice her father did, saying:

"I'm sorry, I don't know where he went, but he must still exist, he hasn't left you. It was only during the first class this morning, during physics, when I said 'This isn't a dream,' that I came into this body."

Hearing her words, the beautiful girl in front seemed slightly reassured, then furrowed her brows, a gesture so poignant it was heartbreaking.

Xiaoquan Aonai even wanted to walk over and smooth it with her hand.

"Who are you?" Kiyono Lin asked again.

"My name is Xiaoquan Aonai, I'm sixteen, and it seems I'm from the past," Xiaoquan Aonai replied uncertainly.

"Xiaoquan Aonai?"

"Yes," Xiaoquan Aonai nodded, "I look very much like Dubian Che's English teacher; her two friends, Fujiki Akiko and Miyazaki Mieko, are also my current classmates, but we aren't on good terms."

"From the past to now, the body you occupy is..."

In the corridor, members of the Calligraphy Club were coming out with buckets.

From their conversation, it seemed it was during recruitment when a freshman had spilled ink on the floor, and they were preparing to clean it up before heading back.

Kiyono Lin shifted her gaze from them, subconsciously casting a glance towards "Dubian Che," hinting they continue talking outside the school.

Then, she remembered.

In front of her, only the body named "Dubian Che" remained; the person who could read her expressions was already gone.

Like the sunset in view, orange-red like firelight, but without a trace of warmth.

"Let's go," she murmured, heading towards the academic building.

"Oh, okay." Xiaoquan Aonai hurried to keep up.

Arriving at the shoe lockers, Xiaoquan Aonai awkwardly watched Kiyono Lin.

"This one," Kiyono Lin pointed to Dubian Che's locker.

"Thank you, Kiyono!"

Xiaoquan Aonai quickly opened the cabinet, and it burst open with a swish, spilling out a stack of letters like a tide.

"What's all this?" Xiaoquan Aonai scrambled, thinking she definitely wouldn't catch them all, but not a single one fell to the floor.

"Love letters." Kiyono Lin put on her shoes, "Also, from now on, no laughing."

"No laughing? Why?"

"That's why." Kiyono Lin pointed to the pile of love letters.

Usually, Dubian Che only received a few love letters from fervent fans in the mornings.

But today, because Xiaoquan Aonai had laughed many times, a number of girls couldn't help pouring out their feelings of affection.

After changing shoes and leaving Goda, Kiyono Lin brought Xiaoquan Aonai to her apartment.

Xiaoquan Aonai told Kiyono Lin everything she knew.

Regarding "kissing the mirror," "changing rooms for an hour," she definitely wouldn't mention that, and absolutely couldn't let a second person know.

"From what you said, and given that Dubian Che was indeed himself before today's physics class, it can be concluded: as long as you fall asleep over there, you will enter Dubian's body."

"Yes," Xiaoquan Aonai nodded.

"But," Kiyono Lin's right index finger touched her lower lip, "Dubian should have realized his situation immediately, why didn't he tell me?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.