The cycle begins to repeat itself today.

"That's perfect, I'd like to too. It would be great to go to the same university as each other."

She nodded shyly.

"But things can't go on like this. How about I find someone to teach us?"

Are you planning to enroll in tutoring classes?

I shook my head and looked at the group of top students at the front of the classroom who were still reading their books instead of leaving with the flow of people. March was among them, of course. I patted Yezi on the shoulder, signaling her to stand up: "I'll ask the class monitor later if he'd be willing to tutor us. Let's go eat now, otherwise there really won't be any seats left in the cafeteria if we wait any longer."

She stood up, a slight hesitation on her face—I knew she would inevitably look that way—so I quietly took her hand, smiled at her, and she seemed to relax a little, then softly responded. I released her hand, and we walked out of the classroom together, downstairs, and headed towards the cafeteria.

In just a short while, a considerable number of people had already gathered here, hesitating about where to eat. I spotted Lin Yin in the crowd. She was walking towards the cafeteria, seemingly unaware of me. However, the way she walked alone in the crowd made her look very lonely, which was quite noticeable to me. Even walking in such a crowd, I could still spot her at a glance.

I wanted to go up and say hello, but then I hesitated because Ye Zi was standing right next to me. But then I thought again, the relationships between Ye Zi, March, and Lin Yin were all a bit strange… I had to arrange for them to meet, not just Ye Zi and March, but also Ye Zi and Lin Yin. Lin Yin was March's younger sister, and she knew perfectly well what had happened between us. I hoped nothing bad would happen; after all, I could accept it if they could get along normally, even if it wasn't a very pleasant one.

"I know a friend up ahead, let's go say hello," I said to Yezi. Yezi stopped in her tracks. I thought she didn't want to come with me, but when I looked at her, she said, "I'll wait for you here."

"Why don't you just come with me?"

"But isn't that your friend?"

"Do we need to make so many distinctions between us?"

Her face seemed to turn even redder, but after hesitating for a moment, she nodded in agreement. So I led Ye Zi and walked quickly toward Lin Yin. She wasn't very big or tall, and she didn't walk very fast. I easily caught up with her and called out to her. She seemed a little startled and turned around, but breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was me.

"Are you going to eat?"

"Ah."

"We're just about to go eat, do you want to come along?"

After I said that, she noticed Ye Zi standing behind me. She seemed a little awkward, wanting to greet Ye Zi, but quickly fell silent, unsure of what to do. Ye Zi had the same expression; perhaps the two of them got along surprisingly well.

As the intermediary, I introduced myself to the two of them. Ye Zi was slightly surprised when she learned that Lin Yin was the class monitor's sister, then looked at me, probably noticing the connection between what I had said to her earlier, but she didn't say anything. Lin Yin, on the other hand, didn't show any particular expression. I invited them both to go to the cafeteria together. Lin Yin initially refused, but eventually agreed after my insistence.

And so, I went to the cafeteria with the two girls. Although the cafeteria was still quite crowded, I stood out even in the flow of people with two girls, and being secretly watched didn't feel pleasant. Ye Zi and Lin Yin both seemed a little uncomfortable. I wondered if I had done something wrong.

Chapter 180 A Brand New Beginning

I sensed that something had changed, but I couldn't find any trace of this change.

There's clearly a problem with this skipped 48 hours. Previously, whether the regression was due to death or the failure to meet necessary conditions, it only lasted 24 hours, and the same applied to subsequent regressions. But this time, something went wrong.

Moreover, I made such a major mistake. The time span changed from twenty-four hours to forty-eight hours, a jump of two days, but I didn't notice it, which is what I find most unbelievable.

I was taken back to the early morning of the 11th by March, and I left home early for school. I ambushed Lin Xue on that road because I knew that day was the early morning of the day after I saved Ye Zi. If March killed me, I would only return to the early morning of Monday. In that case, March would definitely appear on that road and arrive at school early, just as she said.

But what I received was Lin Yin, the younger sister from March. I began to doubt her identity and used various methods to verify it. I confirmed her identity, but I forgot the most important thing? I went from Tuesday morning to Saturday morning, and I actually ignored those 48 hours?

Lin Yin told me that it was a weekend, so March wouldn't come to school so early, and Lin Yin was only at school that weekend because she had to help the teacher with some work. Twenty-four hours were inexplicably missing—how could that be?

Could it be that Lin Yin is lying to me? Are March and Lin Yin the same person? But that's also impossible.

The classroom that Lin Yin took me to, which was in the second year of high school, did indeed contain proof that she was "Lin Yin" and not "Lin Xue." Since she identified herself as March's younger sister, it was impossible for her to have two identities, because her parents would never allow their child to skip school without a reason. March insisted on coming to school to study every day, so how could she possibly be in Lin Yin's second-year classroom at the same time? That's impossible.

Furthermore, the time I experienced was not fabricated.

The first day, the weekend, September 11th, began when I met Lin Yin. During the day, I contacted Lin Yin and obtained her photo. At night, I used this photo along with some deceptive tactics to control March.

The next day, Monday, September 12th, I went to school with March in the morning and we parted ways at the school gate. At noon, I had some things happen with Lin Yin on the roof of the main building. In the evening, I rescued Ye.

On the third day, Tuesday, September 13th, I arrived early at the meeting place with March and received her service... This all happened not long ago, how could it be fake?

Since this period of time couldn't be faked, then I naturally went directly from Tuesday morning to the early morning of the weekend. Is that normal? Of course not. I was supposed to go back to the early morning of September 12th, intercept March on the road, and force her to abandon her plan. But instead, I encountered Lin Yin, whom I could only meet on the morning of the 11th. In between, twenty-four hours vanished.

Something must have changed, that must be it, otherwise there's no way to explain what happened back then. But what exactly happened that was different from usual?

Was it the strange medicine on the knife in March? No, I was killed by March twice before, but each time I only returned to 24 hours earlier. The medicine on that knife could only be used on me once. After all, after I died, I would return to the time when I had no contact with that knife or that medicine, so it couldn't be that thing.

Is it because I've developed a closer relationship with the Lin sisters in March than I imagined? After all, the various situations happening to me now seem to be pushing me in that direction. That's certainly a possibility, but it doesn't seem very convincing. It's more like the effect of something that's accumulated from my constant regression.

Judging from my current situation, that thing is still accumulating, but the missing 24 hours only happened once in this process, and not at the beginning or in the latter half, but in the middle of the event. So it seems that this matter should not be closely related to what I have accumulated through retrospection, and consequently, it should not be closely related to those things either.

What else has changed? I thought about it from beginning to end, but I still couldn't find anything that was particularly noteworthy.

There seem to be only two ways to go back to 24 hours ago. One is a guaranteed return to death 24 hours prior, but this is currently being interfered with by the phenomenon of returning to 48 hours prior. The other is a phenomenon that, after triggering some unknown condition, will forcibly return me to 24 hours prior.

Based on the current situation, the latter seems more likely.

I've found myself increasingly eager to hear news about what happened to me. Another thing is that I've discovered I've forgotten so many things… While my mental state might play a role in these consecutive major mistakes, it's not entirely fair to attribute it to that. Even if I remembered just a tiny bit, I wouldn't have forgotten so much. There must be other factors interfering.

I can't forget the things that just came to mind; I have to try my best to remember them. I took out a piece of paper, picked up a pen, and wrote down the questions that had just come to mind. I folded the paper and put it in my pocket.

If I die, or if I'm forcibly sent back twenty-four hours, this piece of paper will never exist. So I can't die, and I have to write all of this down, review it every night, and then write it all down when I wake up the next morning.

I don't know if doing this will actually work, but if it can have even the slightest effect, it's something I would find very worthwhile. However, I don't yet know how to begin researching these issues.

For now, I can only do what I know how to do—investigate the true identity of the number on the roster in March.

Chapter 182 The First Meeting

Because I was worried that doing too many things at once would make things get out of control, I didn't plan to deal with Lin Yin's situation at the same time; I just invited her over for a meal. The meal was eaten even faster than I expected. Both Ye Zi and Lin Yin eat quite quickly, and I know Ye Zi's eating speed, but her current pace was a little unusual.

This isn't entirely incomprehensible, because Ye Zi and Lin Yin are genuinely not close. If Ye Zi were Lin Yin's older sister, the situation would likely be quite different. However, Ye Zi's relationship with San Yue isn't exactly good either. Although they're classmates, Ye Zi doesn't know anything about San Yue, and San Yue only started getting to know Ye Zi because she wanted to use her as a substitute. They haven't had much interaction between them.

Soon, they both finished their meals, while I was the slowest one, quickly finishing the rest of my food. I called to them and prepared to leave the cafeteria. Just as we stepped outside, Lin Yin was about to part ways with us, probably feeling that Ye Zi's presence would make her feel awkward. I didn't stop her: "Let's eat together again next time, since the timing works out."

She nodded and was about to leave when the three of us saw a group of girls walking towards us from the teaching building. Among them was someone I now knew very well. She seemed to have noticed us too, exchanged a few words with her companion, and then walked towards us. Now, both March and Lin Yin were standing before me. Any lingering doubts from before should now be gone.

"Xiao Yin".

"elder sister."

In March, I called out to Lin Yin, who responded somewhat timidly, but I didn't sense any fear. However, it seemed that March's purpose in coming over wasn't just to greet Lin Yin. She looked me, Ye Zi, and Lin Yin up and down with a half-smile, but her gaze was mainly focused on me.

There were other people around, so she moved a little closer to me and whispered in a voice that only the three of us could hear, "So you've already started having women on both sides?"

Ye Zi and Lin Yin, who were standing beside me, both changed slightly. Ye Zi became puzzled and a little nervous, while Lin Yin simply became a little afraid to look at me. I glanced at her and shook my head: "Don't bully your sister."

"I would never bully my sister. We have a very good relationship." She walked behind Lin Yin and put her arms around her.

"Sister!?" Lin Yin exclaimed, her face flushing red. I looked at Ye Zi's hand and saw that it was wrapped around Lin Yin's chest. I knew exactly what she was doing without even thinking. But since they were both girls, it probably wouldn't attract too much attention, right? I noticed that no one around us seemed to be looking this way.

March didn't seem to care much about Lin Yin in her arms, but looked at me instead: "Why are you two here together? I remember Xiao Yin didn't like eating in the cafeteria, did she?"

"If we run into her on the way, I'll just invite her over for a meal."

In March, she seemed to ponder for a moment, then whispered something in Lin Yin's ear. Lin Yin shook her head. March kissed her cheek; they looked like very close sisters. Perhaps even that "looked" could be removed—their relationship was indeed quite good, if one ignored March's hand and Lin Yin's shy expression. What struck me as somewhat strange was that Lin Yin didn't seem to resist March's actions too much.

"Perfect timing, there's something I wanted to tell you." Now that March has already broken away from that group, I don't want to waste this good opportunity. After all, the sooner you do things, the more opportunities you'll have. I pulled Ye Zi, who had been standing silently to my side and behind me since the beginning, to my side. She looked a little awkward: "You should all know each other, so I don't need to introduce you, right?"

“Of course.” March nodded, then looked at Ye Zi: “Your deskmate, Ye Yuqing. I remember the names of almost everyone in this class, but for most of them, I only remember the names.”

Hearing March call her name, Ye Zi looked very surprised. After a brief moment of surprise, she responded with a mix of excitement and timidity, "Class monitor..."

March waved her hand: "Just call me Lin Xue." She then looked at me: "You too."

I understand what March meant. She meant that I should just call her that at school, because it would be troublesome if people heard me using the nickname I gave her here.

"Tell me what it is. Of course, there's a reward for it."

"I want your help. Could you tutor me and Ye Yuqing when you have free time? We want to improve our grades."

"Hmm?" March's gaze swept back and forth between me and Yezi. "This is indeed a good thing. After all, there's nothing wrong with acquiring knowledge and skills. But... what will I gain?"

"Sister..." Lin Yin whispered in her arms. San Yue just said something to her softly again, and then she became quiet.

I sensed that Ye Zi was secretly watching me, seemingly reluctant to let things continue. But this wasn't what I wanted. I was absolutely certain I could succeed, but now, facing Lin Xue instead of San Yue, I needed a plausible excuse.

"Isn't it enough to have a lot of relatively easy time?"

“That would only be icing on the cake for me…” She looked at me and smiled mysteriously. “Okay, I agree. But… you’d better be prepared.”

"...Don't go too far."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." She then looked at Ye Zi: "You came very early this morning, compared to usual. My deskmates are all talking about why you two came so early. If I told them we were studying, they'd probably be shocked. Remember to keep it up!"

Ye Zi nodded.

"I'm going to eat now. I'll talk to the teacher about it later."

In March, I let go of Lin Yin, said goodbye again, and turned to leave. Lin Yin also said goodbye to me and Ye Zi, and then walked towards the main building. Ye Zi and I went to the classroom.

Chapter 183 An Unexpected Visitor

As I was going upstairs, I felt someone tug at my sleeve. At that moment, no one else but Yezi would do that. I turned around and looked at Yezi, only to find that she wasn't looking at me, but had her head down, though her hand was definitely tugging at my sleeve.

"what happened?"

I asked her, but she didn't answer. It should still be quite early. I took out my phone to check, and there were still two hours before class, which was plenty of time.

"In that case, would you like to go upstairs and rest for a while?"

I said this to her, and she probably understood what I meant, since it was there that I successfully prevented her suicide. Although it wasn't exactly our first meeting, it should have left a deep enough impression on Yezi.

I saw Yezi nod, and then she let go of my clothes. I went upstairs first, and Yezi followed behind me.

Yezi and I finished lunch relatively early. When we arrived at the floor where our classroom was located, we didn't see anyone else. After confirming that no one would suddenly appear, Yezi and I went into the lecture hall.

Watching the leaves skillfully climb up the windowsill, I followed suit. I've climbed up a few times now, and I no longer feel that particular tension I had when I first started. However, this experience didn't bring me the same enjoyment I had imagined.

As soon as I climbed up and got my footing, I saw Ye Zi standing in front of me, staring intently at me. But she didn't make a move as I expected; she just looked at me without doing anything or saying anything.

I looked around. The rooftop, exposed to sun and rain for so long, wasn't exactly spotless anymore, but finding a place to sit was relatively easy. So I pulled Yezi along and headed there. But the lingering feeling when I touched Yezi still reminded me of that incredibly tempting thing.

I stroked Yezi's hand to soothe my desire and ease the effects of the lingering feeling, but Yezi seemed increasingly embarrassed. I pulled Yezi to a cleaner spot to sit down, but I didn't let her sit on the floor. I knew that once she was up there, she wouldn't be allowed to get down without anything happening, and I was prepared for that. However, to prevent anything from going too far, I had Yezi sit on my lap, and I wrapped my arms around her as she sat sideways.

"The weather's just as nice today, isn't it?" I said something unrelated, trying to distract Yezi, but she didn't answer. My words didn't seem to work. I looked at Yezi and thought it would be better to get straight to the point: "If you have anything to ask me, just ask me. I won't lie to you."

That's what I said, but I couldn't possibly tell everyone I knew. I figured Yezi just wanted to know about the Lin sisters in March, and it turned out I was right.

"Are you close to the class monitor and his sister?"

I shook my head, then nodded: "Actually, I haven't known them for very long. Our relationship..." I hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell Yezi first, to see her reaction: "Our relationship is a little special, like, like you and me right now."

My hand moved up from Yezi's waist to her profile, and I lowered my voice, trying to sound as gentle as possible: "Are you angry?"