The cycle begins to repeat itself today.

"There will be other opportunities in the future," I said softly to comfort her, and her anxious expression subsided slightly.

"But……"

I shook my head and took her hand. Her hand still felt warm and calming, even as the images in my mind kept assaulting me, I remained unmoved. This wasn't kindness, nor was it repentance; it was just hypocrisy, a moral high ground I stood on, believing it was all for Yezi's good, for my own good, looking down on all my actions. But this hypocrisy was necessary for me.

I crave these girls' bodies, but now is not the time. I can't let this continue until it's all over.

"laugh……"

I heard that soft laugh again. I looked around and saw that the room was empty except for Ye Zi, who was staring at me blankly. There were only a few students at the front of the classroom, but they were all reading and didn't pay any attention to Ye Zi and me sitting in the back.

That laughter couldn't have come from them. I looked out the window into the corridor and saw a shadow flash by, but I had no intention of chasing it. I knew I couldn't catch up with him even if I went out now. What I needed to do now wasn't to follow him and try to catch his tail, which he had never shown himself, but to find him using my own methods.

As long as I can find him, even if all this isn't over yet, I'll still be able to take that step towards tomorrow.

Chapter 177 Observation Location

I lowered my head and continued to think. Recent events had disrupted my train of thought, but I had already enjoyed myself enough, and it was time to refocus and get back to work.

Now, I feel like everyone around me is hiding something from me. This feeling is especially strong with Yezi and Sanyue. Although I don't know if they did it intentionally or unintentionally, I've felt this strange feeling ever since my relationship with them became so chaotic, even before this laughter. And when did I first hear this laughter? It was on the roof of the old teaching building. I was resting with my eyes closed when I heard that laughter.

That brought me back to my senses. Although I couldn't control my body, I was still wary of that laughter, but my attention was quickly drawn to Lin Yin's service. This was the first time I had seriously crossed my own boundaries without a clear reason. But now, thinking about it, why did I want to come to Lin Yin in the first place?

Because I saw the sky outside the classroom window, my mind suddenly flooded with many erotic images, causing a splitting headache. Just when I was about to collapse, the headache subsided abruptly. I became hesitant to look out the window and didn't even want to stay in that classroom. But why did I want to leave the classroom? I clearly had a fear of the sky outside the window, so why did I think of going to find Lin Yin? Even if it was just a whim, why did I follow Lin Yin all the way to the roof of the main building?

Why did I suddenly reach out to her face in the corridor? Why did I suddenly lose control of my body? Why does Lin Yin have the key to the roof of the main building? If she was so eager to keep her position as class monitor, she should have tried her best to avoid this from happening. Her concern for that position even exceeds the fear and demands I've created for her. She shouldn't be the kind of person who would do something like this so easily.

And then there's that key... There's no place to make keys near the school. I knew this before. Apparently, a student once got hold of a key to the school building, made a copy, and then committed a large-scale theft, resulting in his expulsion. Since then, there haven't been any key duplicators near the school.

This is the town's only high school, and a source of great pride for it. The school's opinions are highly valued. The area had been under cleanup for a period, and to get a key made, you had to go to the other side of town. Would Lin Yin really be the kind of girl who would go to such lengths to have a key made on the other side of town? She simply said, "I had a key made," but it takes more than twenty minutes to walk from the school to the other side of town. Was she really going to spend about half an hour to an hour going back and forth to the school, risking being caught, just to have a key made?

This is somewhat unconvincing. Lin Yin didn't have a compelling reason to go to the roof of the main building; her actions lacked motivation, making the whole picture incomplete. Perhaps there are underlying factors I'm unaware of that compelled Lin Yin to go to the roof. Assuming Lin Yin's story is indeed credible, who are the people connected to her? She's not doing well as class monitor, and probably doesn't have many friends in the class, unlike Lin Xue who hangs out with the top students.

Besides her parents and sister, there's probably no one else she could have a close relationship with. So, could her need to go to the rooftop of the building be related to her parents or sister? It's possible, but I think we can exclude her parents; I don't think they would let their daughter do such a thing. That leaves her sister, March.

Did March have a reason to go up there? At first glance, no. Although March was also in the classroom in the main building during her second year of high school—after all, all the second-year classrooms were there—there was really no need for her to go up. I can't think of any reason why she would need to go there, especially something risky and thankless. However, if I were to be a little more sensitive, I think March might actually go up.

She didn't need to plan ahead and get the key in her second year of high school, but it became necessary when she got involved with Ye Zi.

I still remember the view from the rooftop of the main building. I could see the old teaching building's rooftop, partially obscured by leaves, but still quite a lot visible – from the rooftop of the main building, the view was commanding, and although quite distant, it was indeed a good observation point. Considering March's intention to tamper with the leaves, this reason actually holds true. And consequently, the two close sisters naturally became connected.

But doubting this means I don't trust March and Lin Yin. If it just stays in my heart, that's fine, but if March finds out… I might not be able to handle the consequences. If I want to investigate, I can only come back tonight… There's some information about March that needs to be confirmed again, so I can come over today or tomorrow morning. Also, regarding Ye Zi… I'm afraid I need to investigate more carefully. I can't go back directly today; I might have to go back to Ye Zi's house and stay for a while longer.

There are still quite a few suspicious points about the Ye family, so going there to investigate them more carefully this time should be quite meaningful for me.

Speaking of going back… After rescuing Ye Zi yesterday, I stayed at her house until 11:30. When I went back, I didn't see that drunkard… I remembered something. When I left Ye Zi's house, San Yue was already watching me. This time, because I had already dealt with the matter beforehand, I didn't hear San Yue's footsteps. This proves that she wasn't following me… or rather, she deliberately concealed her footsteps while following me, but I think given our relationship at the time, it's unlikely she would do that.

Since the incident with March wasn't happening anymore, I went straight home. I definitely didn't see the drunkard... because the timing was off. If I spent one or two minutes walking from the entrance to the police station and then back, the drunkard should have appeared within that one or two minutes... no, I should have waited there for a while, so there should have been plenty of time, but he didn't appear. This whole thing is definitely related to March.

I shook my head, confirming the matter once again, but then I suddenly discovered something that almost made me forget to breathe in surprise.

Chapter 178 Suspicious Police

That night, at that intersection, how many people were there? Who were they?

I was a participant and observer in this whole affair, so naturally I was present.

And then there was March. March started following me from the hospital, all the way to the place in front of the police station, and then suddenly disappeared and went into hiding.

That drunkard, although he didn't show up this time, he was there properly the first two times.

Is that all? No. Me, March, and that drunkard—the three of us were bound to be there at that time and were beyond my control. I had to go home from there, and March had to follow me. Although I don't know why that drunkard was there, it should also be related to me. But… there were three people who shouldn't have been there at that time.

Those three policemen.

It's not that they neglected their duties or that it was around 11:30 PM and they were off work and going home, but rather that the opportunity for them to act, the prerequisite for their appearance, was in my hands.

The first time I saw that drunkard, March chased me to the section of road in front of the police station. On my way back, I saw the drunkard, but because I wasn't in a good mental state, I overlooked some of the problems and breathed a sigh of relief before going home. The police never showed up.

The second time I saw the drunkard, I realized the inconsistency of his appearance. A drunkard wouldn't have such a regular gait, and the place where he collapsed was far from where I couldn't hear his footsteps. He couldn't possibly be the person who had been following me. Not wanting to risk my own safety to verify his identity, I called the police, asking them to come and check his identity from a location only a minute away.

In other words, if I hadn't called the police, those three officers wouldn't have shown up at all. But that's not strange, at least not in this particular case. Arriving at the scene within a minute or two at this late hour is quite commendable.

The problem isn't with the police; the problem lies with the police officer who spoke to you.

I remember now, I remember every single detail clearly.

The officer who seemed to be in charge struck up a conversation with me, his expression friendly, yet tinged with a hint of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing regret, regret, and apprehension). He patted me on the shoulder, urging me to hurry home, as it was already quite late. Then, he added something, something I had initially overlooked…

My daughter is a junior in high school this year. She'll be coming home this late next year at this time. You all need to work hard!

He said his daughter was in her second year of high school, and by this time tomorrow, she would be a senior like me, no problem. But... it was at least 11:30, almost midnight, more than an hour and a half after the seniors' evening self-study session ended. This town is so small, and the school is right in the center of town, so it wouldn't take long to get anywhere. Even if you walk slowly, you should be able to get there in half an hour.

An hour and a half? It didn't take an hour and a half at all. Our town only has one high school. It takes at most twenty minutes to walk from there to the entrance of that residential area. Yet, as a senior high school student, I appeared there at almost midnight and called the police... Didn't they, as police officers, suspect me? To put it another way, it's because nothing bad has happened in this town for a long time, so they didn't forget the worst.

However, I genuinely arrived there close to midnight. They certainly wouldn't have a very good impression of me, much less pat me on the shoulder—a student who's likely a troublemaker wandering around late at night—and say something like, "Next year she'll be coming home this late." How would he feel if his daughter came home this late every day? Would he speak to her with such a kind and gentle expression like this?

Considering the strictness of the March family, which even has a curfew, I don't agree with this possibility.

That policeman is suspicious.

I couldn't help but bite my thumb.

Unexpectedly, three more suspicious individuals appeared. I don't know if this is a good thing or not. After all, more clues mean more information, but if I investigate, I won't know what the information is, and I might not even find any useful information. Instead, it might interfere with my search for the correct clues.

However, now that he's already in front of me, I have no reason to let him go. It's just that his identity and professional stance are perhaps the biggest challenge I've faced so far. I have absolutely no idea how to extract the information I want from someone who specializes in this kind of work.

For now, I can only remember this and focus on solving other problems. Showing off my investigative methods—which are utterly devoid of any skill—to someone with professional knowledge and skills would be incredibly time-consuming and exhausting, even if it yielded any progress. I still have many things I need to uncover the truth about. I made this mental note and continued to think about it.

Thinking about those three policemen made me expand the scope of my investigation. The first person I thought of was Ms. Mu, whom Ye Zi had mentioned had a good relationship with March—our homeroom teacher. She must have filled out that class roster, so she should know something about March… I have a plan. And it's quite simple.

All I need to do is borrow something from March that clearly belongs to her and that she urgently needs… No, does March even have anything like that? March doesn't have a cell phone at school, so what could she possibly have that I absolutely have to return immediately? Homework or notes? I can just leave those on her desk. A cell phone? She claims she doesn't have one. Clothes? Are you kidding me…

Or perhaps I could try a different approach? I started thinking, and suddenly, I glanced at Ye Zi beside me. She was staring at me, and seemed startled when I suddenly turned my head. My eyes, however, lit up.

I have a perfectly reasonable reason that Teacher Mu absolutely cannot refuse... but I need to talk to March about it first. I don't know if she'll be willing...

She has no choice but to listen to me now; she can't refuse me.

I sensed that evil thoughts were stirring within me.

Chapter 179 Major Changes

Thinking about March again, my thoughts started to wander, but not in any particular direction; I'm fairly clear-headed right now. I feel like I'm in a very good state, and my mind is very clear. It's good to readjust my thoughts.

The solution I came up with wasn't complicated, but it was perfect for the current situation. I planned to have March spend more time with me under the guise of tutoring me and Yezi, which would give me more opportunities to observe them, and it would also be good for Yezi.

Moreover, this plan is clearly feasible.

First of all, as one of the better students in our class, March is capable of tutoring students like me and Yezi who are in the lower middle range. With her personal abilities, she is fully capable of taking on this role.

Secondly, this aligns perfectly with March's role as class monitor. The class monitor serves as a bridge between students and teachers, and is also the most direct helper when students encounter problems. There's nothing wrong with Yezi and me asking for her help because we wanted to improve our grades.

Furthermore, I can assure you that March will absolutely agree to my request. She can't refuse me now, and she has no way of refusing me, which is a bit underhanded, but that's exactly what I want to use to achieve my goal. If we can be together openly during the break between classes, I don't think she'll refuse me.

Finally, setting aside any other motives, the teacher wouldn't stop such behavior. Yezi and I asked her for tutoring ostensibly to improve our grades, and as long as she remains a teacher, she's unlikely to hinder such a thing. This is probably what she'd most like to see. If she interferes with my plans… then she herself becomes a suspect in my eyes.

If everything goes smoothly, as long as I can ask the teacher at lunchtime in March, using the excuse that I can't find her and don't have her contact information, I can use the simplest method to confirm the significance of the number in the roster that belongs to March's personal contact information.

Whether March was deceiving me or that it truly was just a string of numbers unrelated to her, I would be able to tell in an instant. At the same time, I would also have the opportunity to observe March's behavior closely.

Let's just make a note of this. When I'm alone in March, I can easily talk to her and resolve the issue. We've already found a solution for this part of the problem, so let's move on to the next one.

That night, the night I obtained March's phone number, some things happened that are worth noting. March knew I would run upstairs, so she was waiting for me there and then attacked me with a knife, but I narrowly dodged it. I went downstairs, only to find the iron gate closed. After that, I subdued March, and the security guard appeared. I figured there was nothing more I could do to investigate that guard, so I had to leave him for now. March's attitude had undergone a very obvious and abnormal change, which seemed to have some basis in fact.

And then, I was sent back by March Ichikado... sent back...

My mind started to get a little muddled, and I realized I couldn't remember the specifics of what happened. I picked up a pen, randomly grabbed a notebook, and started drawing on the paper.

Initially, because of Ye Zi, I lingered on September 12th for several days, and I wrote down September 12th. Then, on this day, I resolved Ye Zi's problem and successfully arrived at the next day. I left Ye Zi's house at 11:30 pm on the 12th, and was subsequently followed by San Yue. I encountered that drunkard, and then on the night of the 13th, I was killed by San Yue.

Back to twenty-four hours earlier? It seems so. Yes, that's it. The anger I felt when March killed me was vented on Yezi twenty-four hours earlier. I regretted it. Yezi gained my trust, and I decided to investigate the truth. Then, on the night of the 13th, I witnessed March rapidly approaching me, intending to kill me. Yezi shielded me, dying alongside March… Then I chose to commit suicide, returning to twenty-four hours earlier.

There are no problems with this part either.

Then…then I went back to the time before I bullied Yezi. I felt lucky and got a little intimate with Yezi. Then I took Yezi home, and left her house at the same time, only to be followed by March again, and saw that drunkard. In the early morning of the 13th, I got up and left home, went to school, and died at an uncertain time in the early morning at March's blade, returning to the 12th…no, that's not right, I didn't return to the 12th…

I went back to... the 11th, not Monday, it was the weekend... I went back to forty-eight hours ago!?

Why?! Why didn't I go back to the 12th, which was 24 hours ago, but instead went to the 11th, which was 48 hours ago?

What happened? What exactly happened?

Before this, everything was 24 hours, so why did it suddenly become 48 hours? What was I doing when I was supposed to be back? Twenty-four hours ago, I… was following Ye Zi to the school? No, no, that was when I specifically went to wait for her that night to find out what she was doing; that happened in the early morning of the 12th. But I arrived in the early morning of the 11th, and my plan to wait for Ye Zi didn't happen…

Where was I again? The night of the 11th... that was before all of this happened, so I should have been at home. I usually get up around six o'clock every day, until my relationship with March turned out like this, then it started a little earlier. At that time... I should have been sleeping at home, there shouldn't have been anything to worry about.

At that time, I hadn't saved Ye Zi yet, nor had I had much contact with March, so they shouldn't have affected me... It must be that something was wrong with me, but... why? A lot happened before and after that, but none of them changed the time span I was able to rewind to. Why did things suddenly change this time? Most importantly, why did I overlook such a crucial issue?

The time span has changed from one day to two days. I could not possibly ignore such an important change; absolutely not.

In the end what happened?

I clenched my thumb harder and harder.

Chapter 181 An Accidental Encounter with Lin Yin

I sat in the classroom waiting for time to pass by on its own. There were no more problems that required my attention. What I lacked now was the ability to find solutions to these problems.

More and more people filled the classroom. It wasn't until I saw the teacher enter and start the lesson that I focused my attention on what was happening. I began to pay attention to what was going on in the classroom, but it was basically the same as I remembered. The students in front were listening attentively, or at least they seemed to be. In the meantime, March didn't even turn around to look at the back of the classroom once, just like always.

As for the students at the back of the classroom, those who didn't want to study were quietly doing their own thing, just like always. I believe that if they weren't worried about disturbing the students at the front who wanted to study, they would also become unruly. But the teacher wouldn't allow that. Letting them quietly do their own thing was already the limit of what the teacher could accept. Forcing them wouldn't work if they didn't want to learn.

Yezi was studying very diligently beside me, but that alone probably wasn't enough for her. We don't have that much time left. To ensure Yezi's life goes smoothly, it would be best to start improving her grades now. And this also aligns with my wish for March to give me a reason to visit a teacher.

As for the promise with Yezi… I remain optimistic. Raising her grades to a level sufficient to achieve that goal in such a short time is extremely difficult, almost unrealistic, especially considering Yezi's foundation isn't strong enough to accelerate her learning. The tutoring in March was only supplementary; Yezi could easily fill in the gaps in her grades during that time. Knowing we've already failed, I will use some kind of extra compensation to help her complete the process, extending the time until she reaches her goal as much as possible.

It's a win-win situation to achieve the greatest results with the least amount of effort.

It wasn't until all the morning classes were over that I finally had a reason to act. I looked at Yezi, who was secretly watching me instead of following the crowd out of the classroom, pretended to glance at the things on her desk, and then looked up at her again: "Yezi, do you want to improve your grades?"

"Huh?" She looked at me with some confusion, then nodded.