"Oh, so you're saying that the five hundred glances from our past lives brought us to this encounter in this life?"

"Eh?"

Suddenly, I had a feeling that I had misunderstood what he meant.

"That's right..."

"What's... wrong?"

"Um, nothing!"

I shook my head, only to be quickly denied... No, what am I even hoping for?

After settling the bill, we walked out of the cafe together. By this time, only a few scattered drops of rain were still falling, and many people had already put away their umbrellas.

"Ah, the rain has stopped. My name is Yuanhui, you already knew that, what's your name?"

"Tsubaki Juxi."

"Alright! We will meet again, Juxi! Hahaha, bye!"

Hmm, he's still surprisingly optimistic. Yu Nai is still so cold and indifferent towards strangers (even strangers with whom the relationship isn't good), and Yuanhui is still as friendly as before, easily getting along with people around him.

Yuanhui came back bouncing.

"Wait! Before you go, let's exchange phone numbers and emails!"

"Oh." I felt a familiar uneasiness building up in my head again, as if the food in my stomach was about to come out.

What I never expected was that when I took out my phone and looked at the screen, there was a contact labeled "Yukari" in my list.

My heart suddenly felt a mix of emotions. Should I...?

"Hey!"

A big hand waved in front of my eyes, "Are you okay? You're spacing out."

"Um, sorry, I didn't realize..."

"Eh? Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm really, really fine!"

Yuanhui smiled slightly, "Then goodbye for now!"

"Ah! Goodbye~"

After saying goodbye, I hurriedly returned home, pondering along the way how to dial this number. I got it! I'll call and let the other person speak first, I'm so clever!

There's no doubt that in this world, I had already met Yukari long ago.

But I was very worried about how to face the new her. Perhaps my place in her heart had already been taken by another man.

I dared not think any further.

I took a shower, turned on the TV, and tuned to some entertainment programs. The late night comedy show was just two fools fighting, so I turned off the TV and lay down on the bed.

Talking to myself while staring at my phone, "Should I call this number?"

Hmm~ Mm~

It's better to call and ask, but...

(Fantasy 1)

Calmly dialing my sister's number, "Hello, um..."

"Oh, little brother! Why are you calling so late? Our mom... huh? Little brother! Say something?"

(The other side of the phone has been petrified)

(Fantasy 2)

I nervously dialed that string of numbers, "Hello, um... hey..."

"Oh, that's my little brother. He's so annoying. Oh, stop it, darling... Hey, sorry, what did you say just now?... Hello? Why is there no sound?"

(Completely vanished)

It's true that confronting her face to face would provide some self-comfort, or perhaps... Yukari is working at a nightclub? Thinking about it, my eyebrows furrowed.

That's impossible! Just thinking about it, with Yukari's personality, there's no way she would do such a dirty job. But what was that phone call all about? It's really bothering me.

Finally, I mustered up the courage and made the call!

"Hello? This is the Shiranui residence. May I ask who's calling?" A voice with irresistible magnetism answered the phone.