A sharp, mocking smirk curled onto the edge of his lips.

16

After calming down, a pang of regret washed over me, thinking that I shouldn't have engaged in a physical brawl with Chloe.

What if she returned home and directed all her burning malice straight toward Sera?

Wouldn't my actions have inadvertently jeopardized an innocent person?

After all, Chloe's premature return in this lifetime was entirely a byproduct of my intervention.

Consequently, Sera's current perilous circumstances were, by extension, a mess of my own making.

Overwhelmed by a sudden wave of distress, I instinctively turned to the boy beside me:

"Julian, do you think I shouldn't have fought with Chloe just now?"

"Why on earth shouldn't you?"

"When Chloe goes back tonight, will she..."

I paused mid-sentence, realizing that as a first-grader, I shouldn't be utilizing advanced idioms like "escalate her retaliations," so I quickly simplified my wording:

"Will Chloe take out all her anger and frustration on Sera?"

He didn't share my bleak outlook.

"Even without the events of tonight, do you honestly think Chloe would ever stop picking on her?"

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

The reality of the situation was undeniably thornier than I cared to admit.

The two of them resided under the exact same roof, destined to collide day in and day out.

If Chloe harbor an explicit desire to make Sera's life a living hell, doing so would be an absolute breeze.

Julian fell silent, contemplating the matter for a long moment before training his gaze upon me:

"Are you genuinely that worried about her?"

Denying it was an absolute impossibility.

The current chaotic predicament was, after all, deeply intertwined with my past choices.

I nodded dejectedly, "Yes."

"The only logical step is to question Sera first, and see if she actually desires to remain within that household."

"If she wishes to leave, we can subsequently find out if her adoptive family is willing to relinquish their legal guardianship. If both parties can arrive at a mutual agreement, we can simply bring her to live with us."

Hearing this.

I froze dead in my tracks, staring blankly at Julian in absolute astonishment.

"Are you... actually serious about this?"

A small, charming smile rippled across his lips.

"Do I look like the type of guy who cracks jokes about this stuff?"

Good grief!

Just how astronomically desperate was this kid to accumulate little sisters?

I was utterly speechless.

"But, would Auntie Judith ever agree to such an arrangement?"

"It's literally just a matter of adding another set of silverware to the dinner table. Why on earth would she refuse?"

Unequivocally, only a young master of immense wealth like Julian could ever utter such a casual declaration.

I was well aware that the J family possessed astronomical riches.

Yet, legally adopting a child required far more than merely providing an extra set of silverware at dinner.

Not long after I had been welcomed into their household, Mrs. Judith had enthusiastically enrolled me in no fewer than six or seven extracurricular enrichment classes.

Every single one of those elite pursuits commanded a staggering financial cost.

Nonetheless, if Sera truly could migrate into the sanctuary of the J family residence, it would undeniably serve as a flawless resolution to her plight.

Suddenly, a thought seemed to strike Julian, and he snapped his head around to lock his eyes onto me.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Why have you never once addressed me as your older brother? You always call me Julian directly."

An abrupt, burning warmth rushed into my cheeks.

There was absolutely no way I could ever confess to him that my psychological core found it utterly impossible to address an eight-year-old boy as "brother."

"Did you aggressively amass all these sisters just because you have a burning psychological need to hear someone call you big brother?"

"Heck yes, I did."

I rolled my eyes mentally.

17

While Julian made the proposition sound like an effortless endeavor, he ultimately spent an entire, uninterrupted week relentlessly pestering his mother.

Mrs. Judith finally relented under his endless begging, agreeing to discretely gauge the stance of the other family first.

If that household displayed a willingness to cooperate, she would subsequently initiate the legal mechanisms to transfer the adoption rights.

Unexpectedly, however, the wealthy family rejected the proposal outright.

Mrs. Catherine maintained that while Chloe had indeed thrown a massive tantrum due to the sudden introduction of a new family member, the entire household had recently been working to correct the young girl's behavior.

Furthermore, she claimed that Chloe had fully acknowledged the error of her ways and promised to coexist harmoniously with Sera moving forward.

The refusal left Auntie Judith standing in a thoroughly awkward, embarrassing predicament, forcing her to retreat empty-handed.

Upon her return, she delivered a stern, sweeping lecture to a thoroughly deflated Julian.

Given that the household maintained such an unyielding stance, it meant any further intervention was a definitive impossibility.

Left with no other recourse, I quietly pulled Sera aside and instructed her that if Chloe ever dared to terrorize her again, she must immediately flee to the J family residence to find me.

Perhaps Chloe had actually taken her family's stern admonitions to heart.

Following that period, I rarely ever witnessed the tragic spectacle of Sera being cast out into the cold night again.

18

Logically speaking, having to endure the monotony of elementary school for a second time should have rendered my days excruciatingly dull.

Strangely enough.

I didn't find the passage of time tedious in the slightest. Instead, I deeply relished the quiet, unhurried simplicity of this carefree existence.

Because I possessed the ultimate clarity of hindsight.

Time flew by with the staggering speed of a galloping white stallion tearing through a narrow crevice.

A human existence was, in reality, incredibly fleeting.

Every single day, every fleeting instant, deserved to be thoroughly cherished and enjoyed to the absolute fullest.

And reality unfolded precisely in accordance with that truth.

In the blink of an eye, I transitioned into a high school student.

Compared to the relatively relaxed days of elementary and middle school, the academic demands of high school were palpably more intense.

Nevertheless, navigating the challenges remained an absolute breeze for me.

"Unbelievable. I swear your eyes are glued to web novels twenty-four-seven, yet you still managed to clinch the absolute top rank across the entire grade level for the midterm exams. You are a literal academic monster, Clara. This is insane."

As the final bell rang to dismiss the school, Sera caught a glimpse of my smartphone screen and couldn't help but shake her head in sheer disbelief.

I clicked the screen off, adopting a perfectly solemn, deadpan expression: "As a literal reincarnated soul, if I still failed to outperform a bunch of actual children academically, it would be an absolute embarrassment to my existence."

"I swear you have completely lost your mind to those stories."

The two of us fell into step, navigating the path toward the main campus gates together.

"Wait, where is your family's luxury car today?"

"I actually have to navigate the public transit bus system to get home by myself today."

"Julian actually permitted you to board a public bus alone?"

"Why on earth wouldn't he?"

"Are you serious? He's completely paranoid that you'll cross paths with some unhinged public transit predator or subway creep. He literally never allows you to commute home unaccompanied."

"Julian actually traveled to the neighboring city over the last two days to participate in an elite physics Olympiad competition. As for our driver, a family elder passed away, so he had to return to his ancestral hometown to handle the funeral arrangements."

Sera let out an enlightened murmur.

"Ah, that explains it."

The high school curriculum naturally demanded a significantly later dismissal time.

By the time my footsteps crossed back into the familiar boundaries of Emerald Hills, the sky had dissolved into an absolute, pitch-black ink.

Sera and I were deep in a spirited discussion regarding a highly popular animated series, when a low, deafening roar suddenly shattered the nighttime tranquility.

In the very next instant.

A sleek modified motorcycle careened around the corner, screeching to a violent halt directly in front of our paths.

A teenage girl swung her leg off the passenger seat, stepping onto the pavement.

The hemline of her school uniform skirt was aggressively short, bearing the unmistakable signs of a custom alteration.

Her hair was a chaotic, shocking explosion of neon reds, greens, blues, and purples.

It was Chloe.

She leaned in to exchange a sloppy, passionate kiss with the reckless young street racer operating the bike.

With a thunderous rev of the engine, the motorcycle tore away into the darkness.

Chloe reached into her backpack, pulling out a sleek black wig to completely conceal her vibrant, multi-colored tresses.

She then shrugged out of her uniform blazer, tying it snugly around her waist to mask her bare, exposed thighs.