15

"You know me? Wait… are you Chihiro-neesan's relative?"

"…Hah? What kind of nonsense is that?"

Iseri Nina looked completely baffled—maybe even a little scared. The girl standing before her had an intense expression, practically radiating intimidation. Was she about to bite?

But at the same time, Nina couldn't deny that this girl did bear a resemblance to Chihiro-neesan. That familiarity put her somewhat at ease.

"…You're sure your name is Iseri Nina?"

"Uh, why would she lie about her own name? Are you looking for a fight or something?"

Ignoring the annoyed tone of the girl sitting beside Nina—Momoka, was it?—Nagasaki Soyo kept her focus locked on the reddish-brown-haired girl in front of her.

No, don't get the wrong idea. It wasn't like that.

She had simply come to a stunning realization—she truly was heaven's chosen one.

What were the odds?!

On her very first attempt, she had already unraveled two of that substitute teacher's lies. The first, she had figured out thanks to the advantage of being a regressor and her own intelligence.

The second… well, the answer had just delivered itself right into her lap.

She had thought she had hit a dead end, but in reality, all she had to do was keep moving forward.

So what if this Iseri-sensei didn't exist in the previous timeline? Against Nagasaki Soyo, Second Run Edition, she didn't stand a chance!

"…My bad. I think I might know the person you were talking about—uh, the one you mentioned earlier."

"For real?!"

This time, it was Nina's turn to get excited.

Soyo observed her carefully. There wasn't even the slightest hint of anger or resentment—no how dare that scam artist trick me vibes. Instead, the girl looked genuinely happy, like she was about to reunite with an old friend.

Soyo sighed internally.

Just how damn charming is that woman, to get this kid wrapped around her finger like this?

"Can you tell me her full name? I only know her English name."

By now, Soyo's beef bowl had arrived. She picked up her chopsticks and, without hesitation, sat down next to Nina.

"Ah… well…"

"Tsuzuki Chihiro," Momoka interjected with an eye roll, seeing Nina hesitate.

"Momoka-san!"

"What's the big deal? Besides, this girl might actually help you find her."

"…That's true…"

"Tsuzuki Chihiro, huh?"

Soyo repeated the name to herself. It still didn't ring a bell.

But given everything else, it was highly likely that this was yet another alias.

What if 'Tsuzuki Chihiro' was just her previous victim?

Damn it! Just how many innocent girls had this woman deceived?!

…Wait.

Did she even have the right to criticize anyone for that?

Well, technically, she hadn't gotten around to actually executing any of her old plans in this timeline. So, for now, she could still consider herself a law-abiding citizen… right?

"Um…" Nina spoke hesitantly, glancing at Soyo while munching on her food. "Do you know where Chihiro-neesan is living now? She should've gone back home, right?"

"Gone back home?"

"Yeah, she ran away after fighting with her family."

"…And you believed that?" Momoka let out an exasperated sigh. "Then again, who knows? Maybe it's true."

"..."

"I don't actually know where she's staying. I only saw her this morning. She might disappear again by tomorrow."

Soyo thought for a moment and decided not to tell Nina everything.

It wasn't because she was worried about hurting her.

She was just being cautious. Nina didn't seem as level-headed as she was. If she went looking for Tsuzuki Chihiro right now, it could tip the woman off.

And if that con artist bolted, then all of Soyo's efforts would have been for nothing.

"…So, is Chihiro-neesan really a fraud?"

Nina's voice broke the silence between them, catching Soyo off guard.

For a moment, she wasn't sure how to answer.

In the end, she lowered her gaze and spoke softly, her voice much calmer than before.

"Maybe… everyone has their own secrets. I think, deep down, she's probably a good person."

---

Wakuraku Moving Company – 4:30 PM

Tsuzuki Chihiro glanced at the location on her phone and confirmed she had the right place before stepping inside.

Since she had called ahead, she was quickly directed to the hiring manager and led into a small conference room.

"Do you have a résumé?"

"Uh…"

"It's fine if you don't." The woman in the work uniform had a warm, friendly smile. She looked like someone who had been married for a few years but hadn't had kids yet. "Are you looking for part-time or full-time work?

"If you go part-time, your schedule will be more flexible, but the pay will be lower, and you won't get the benefits and allowances that full-time employees do."

"…Can I start with part-time for a few days? I'm pretty busy this week, but from next week onward, I can work full-time."

Chihiro kept her tone steady and confident.

Sure, she had no formal education, and besides guitar and decent English skills, she wasn't particularly qualified for anything.

But that didn't mean she had to settle for this.

The moment she found her family, quitting would be the first thing on her to-do list.

"…Alright."

The hiring manager furrowed her brows in thought before nodding. "That works. For the next week, just come in whenever you're available.

"The hourly wage is 1,000 yen. Any shifts under an hour won't be counted. Is that okay?"

"…1,000 yen."

Seriously?

For someone who had spent years freeloading off others, the idea of working an entire hour for so little was… demoralizing.

But maybe she needed to correct that flawed perspective.

"If you go full-time later, the wage will increase to 1,500 yen per hour."

"Alright, I accept."

"Good. If you have time today, I can take you to the customer service floor so you can familiarize yourself with the work process.

"I'll also assign someone around your age to show you the ropes. But since today is just training, your pay will be cut in half. Sound fair?"

"No problem."

Even with the pay cut, Chihiro didn't mind. This was basically a training shift. She wasn't in a position to be picky.

After settling her schedule and pay details, she followed her supervisor, Oda-san, out of the conference room.

The work floor was actually just the call center—an open space lined with rows of computers, each with a customer service rep seated in front of them.

Most of the employees were women, with a few men scattered among them. They all seemed relatively young.

But 16-year-old girls?

Probably a rarity.

"Togawa, pause your calls for a moment."

Oda patted a blue-haired, twin-tailed girl on the shoulder. When the girl turned around, Oda gestured to Chihiro.

"You have a new task—train her in our work procedures. That's your only job for the rest of the day."

"Huh? Wait… you're—oh, never mind. My mistake."

Togawa Sakiko barely glanced at Chihiro before doing a double-take, seeing something vaguely familiar about her.

But after a closer look, she realized her mistake.

Their face shape and height were similar, but their details—hair color, minor facial features—were distinctly different.

"Just walk her through your tasks. I'll count today's pay as double for you."

"…Alright."

Chihiro sighed.

It was painfully obvious that Togawa had been reluctant at first.

But the moment she heard double pay, she had agreed way too fast.

Still…

Togawa?

Why does that name sound so familiar…?

"Nice to meet you. I'm Togawa Sakiko."

"…Ah. I'm Tsuzuki Chihiro. Looking forward to working with you."