Chapter 7: A Fellow Soul From the Past

"Sooo… what’s this about, huh?"

During recess, Towa and Yui stood facing each other in an empty classroom. With Yui blocking the exit, escape was impossible—leaving Towa no choice but to cling to a strained smile.

"Don’t look so scared. I just have a question for you."

"That’s why I’m scared! ‘A question’? N-N-N-NO THANKS—Ehehe…"

Towa forced a laugh, scanning Yui’s expression for an opening—

—only to find her beaming. A radiant, full-faced smile.

Oh hell no...

No escape routes came to mind.

There’s a term: poker face. Most think it’s about hiding your thoughts behind a blank expression, but personally, Towa believed there were two types.

The first: a neutral mask.The second: a smile.

People assume smiles can’t be poker faces, but they’re actually more effective. Why? Because a smile is a finished product.

Think of it like Pokémon’s Eevee. Before evolving, it could become Vaporeon, Jolteon, or Flareon—but a smile is like starting as Glaceon. No further upgrades. No changes.

In other words—

A permanent smile is TERRIFYING—

But Towa had opened with a smile too. And now, Yui’s eyelid was twitching slightly.

"Hey."

Towa’s alertness spiked to maximum—without letting it show.

"Why are you here?"

"Did I just get my existence invalidated??"

"Not like that. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be here. I’m just wondering how."

"As a classmate? Or… as someone who knows Yuuki?"

"The latter."

???

"See, I’ve known Yuuki-kun for a long time. But I’d never seen you before. So I’m curious."

"??? That makes zero sense."

"Yeah, yeah, I know how it sounds."

……No way.

"Does the phrase ‘cliché romance trope’ mean anything to you?"

"Wait—you too!?"

"…Well, damn."

Shizuka Yui was a reincarnator—just like me.

"First question: When did you realize you were a reincarnator?"

"Hard to say—around the time I became self-aware, I guess?"

"Hmm. Same here."

"I tried reaching out to Yuuki-kun immediately after realizing, but I didn’t even know where he lived…"

"I see."

Lucky me, then—I got to meet him right away.

"Second question: Do you still have Shizuka Yui’s consciousness?"

"More like… my past self’s memories were dumped on top of Shizuka Yui’s."

"Elaborate."

"Imagine Shizuka Yui is a bowl of rice, and my past life is the raw egg cracked over it—like tamago kake gohan."

"Your analogies are… unique."

Did the original Yui talk like this? …Nah, probably not.

"...So Yui’s the PC, and your past self’s the hard drive?"

"Mmm, not quite~"

"Hmm?"

"Feels more like both are main dishes."

"Ah, so neither overpowers the other—balanced, like scales."

Equal influence from both personalities.

"Not exactly."

"Urgh…"

"Think curry rice. Or omurice with yakisoba inside."

"So both exist, and together, they make the current Yui."

"Yes! Nailed it!"

"Got it. Also, are you hungry or something?"

Basically, like Reshiram and Zekrom fusing into Kyurem. Makes sense.

"Third question: How do you feel about Yuuki?"

"I like him—that much is certain. But it’s not pure ‘love’ yet. My past self’s memories are skewing me toward him, but it doesn’t feel forced. Whether it’s genuine… still ambiguous."

"Understood."

"Final question: What was your past self like?"

"Me? Ultra-popular, sunshine-and-flowers gal, duh."

"Lie. Your eyes flicked up-right. Blinking increased."

"Wha—ESPER!?"

"Nope. Just normal human intuition."

"...Fine. I was a closet otaku who scavenged romance manga from the clubroom corner."

"...Were you female in your past life too?"

"Huh? Wait—don’t tell me you—"

"Sharp as ever."

That’s right…

I’d been a man.