Why? How did he figure it out? How did he come to this conclusion?
Jian Sichun felt her mind go blank.
Although she had stared at Shi Hai's face in the classroom out of excitement, she hadn't said anything about being reborn.
Sichun knew she might have seemed overly familiar, but Tian Shui had already used the "stalker" excuse to cover for her.
At most, Shi Hai would think, "Maybe she investigated me beforehand."
Being considered a stalker was annoying, but it was better than Shi Hai knowing the truth...
But he still asked.
Where? Where did he get the idea of reincarnation?
In her panic, Sichun forgot that her best response would have been to calmly pretend she didn't understand. This allowed Shi Hai to draw his conclusion directly.
"Well... judging by your expression, it looks like my guess was spot on."
"W-wait! It's not like that!"
Shi Hai continued, "If it isn't, can you explain how you knew my exact address?"
"Ugh—!"
The details of returning home flashed through Sichun's mind. The subway station they entered, the line they took, the road they walked after getting off the subway, the residential complex they entered, the building, the unit, the floor...
All of it! She had shown with her actions that she "knew in advance," even before Shi Hai had mentioned it.
The familiarity of walking with him and the eagerness to get home had made Sichun forget that this should have been her "first time going to Shi Hai's house."
Now she realized she had been careless, but it was too late.
Should she just admit to being a stalker?
Sichun fell into deep thought.
If she admitted to being a stalker, she might be kicked out immediately...
And Shi Hai would avoid her completely in the future. That would be a disaster.
But she couldn't admit to being reborn; if Shi Hai questioned her further, she might have to tell him about his future death.
No... she couldn't reveal this.
Sichun resolved that, even if she had to be considered a stalker, she couldn't admit to being reborn.
"I'm a stalker—"
"If you were going to admit to being a stalker, you don't need to. I already know you aren't."
This was also within Shi Hai's predictions.
"Huh?"
Sichun was completely stunned.
"The reason is simple: why were you so shocked when you saw me in class?"
"Ah!"
Exactly, this was contradictory. If Sichun had "already investigated Shi Hai," she wouldn't have shown such a surprised expression upon seeing him.
At least, for Sichun, it shouldn't have been the first time seeing Shi Hai.
"When you saw me, the shock on your face didn't look like an act."
Shi Hai had locked eyes with Sichun for a long time, and her expression was etched in his memory.
"If that was acting, then I have to say, your performance was too convincing. You could go into acting."
Shi Hai continued, "However, because you wear an eye patch, I considered that you might be a 'late-stage chuunibyou patient.'"
"Do you think I might have taken my delusions as reality?"
"Yes, at that time I wasn't completely sure. There was a possibility that you had investigated everything about me and then created a 'past life connection' setting, immersing yourself so deeply in this chuunibyou setting that your performance seemed real."
Jian Sichun realized that Shi Hai had intentionally guided the conversation towards the eye patch she was wearing.
She had even sworn in front of him that she wasn't a chuunibyou patient...
"But you just ruled out that possibility yourself."
"..."
"You seem normal, able to converse with me naturally, without any chaotic chuunibyou settings."
Jian Sichun remembered that Shi Hai was very smart and meticulous. When playing games, he would search every corner of the map, quickly clear puzzle games, and always achieve full collections and achievements.
"Then, there's only one possibility left..."
Shi Hai concluded directly.
"You are someone who has been reborn."
"I..."
Jian Sichun couldn't think of a way to cover it up anymore. She had no more excuses left, and Shi Hai had seen through everything. She was infinitely shaken, feeling as if she were falling into an abyss...
At this moment, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Don't be afraid."
Jian Sichun looked up in a daze.
"...Eh?"
She saw Shi Hai's slightly bitter smile.
"I'm not trying to pressure you..."
Jian Sichun was still in a daze.
"Are you okay? You look like you're about to cry..."
He's worried about me... Oh no, I've made him worry again...
Jian Sichun tried her best to hold back her tears and forced a very awkward smile.
"I...I'm fine…."
"Sorry, I was a bit too aggressive."
Shi Hai's comforting apology made Jian Sichun feel at ease, like she had finally been released from a prison sentence.
This feeling of liberation made her inadvertently say,
"It's all your fault for making me so nervous... I might have... peed a little..."
"Uh..."
That's something you shouldn't say...
Girl, don't you have any sense of shame?
Shi Hai was puzzled, and Jian Sichun didn't seem to realize what she had just said. She only felt a warm flow from Shi Hai's hand on her shoulder, spreading throughout her body, filling her with a sense of satisfaction.
The comfort made her bladder inadvertently relax. She had drunk a large cup of barley tea and already needed to go to the bathroom.
When the tension subsided, her body naturally relaxed.
"..."
Jian Sichun suddenly realized what she had said.
What did I just say?
Realizing she had said something extremely embarrassing, Jian Sichun's face turned bright red, and she waved her hands frantically in denial.
"No! No! No! I didn't! I didn't pee! Really, I didn't wet myself!"
"Uh-huh... I understand..."
Although Shi Hai said this, he clearly thought Jian Sichun might have really leaked a little. He even sniffed the air to check for any smell. At that moment, Jian Sichun's sensitivity kicked in, and she caught him in the act.
"Don't sniff it, ahhhhh!"
She threw a punch at his chest.
"Ow!"
The punch wasn't light! Shi Hai clutched his chest and fell to the ground, KO'd with one hit!
Jian Sichun got up and ran to the bathroom, shouting as she went.
"Don't breathe until I've used the toilet and cleaned up!"
"I'll die..."
But honestly, the girl's urine didn't really have a smell... at least Jian Sichun's didn't. Shi Hai lay on the ground, looking at the ceiling, a smile creeping onto his lips.
Reincarnated, huh?
"Interesting..."
That was a side of Shi Hai that Jian Sichun had never seen before: an explorer with a keen interest in the unknown.
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