After leaving the somewhat empty and old residential complex, Bai Yu led Loweia toward the Commercial Street; it would be livelier there.
“This area where we live belongs to the Old Urban District of Red Maple City.”
After they left the complex, Bai Yu pointed at the old-looking buildings lining the road.
“The buildings in this area have quite a bit of history. The Central Urban District had plans to reconstruct this area before, but it never materialized. Most people felt that instead of staying in this old place, being fed on the empty promises that had been dangled in front of them for years, it was better to move to the Central Urban District ahead of time. Therefore, most young people have moved to the New Urban District, leaving this area quite desolate.”
Loweia nodded gently as she listened to Bai Yu’s introduction.
Looking around, just as Bai Yu said, there were indeed very few pedestrians on the road.
The entire block was permeated with an air of decay.
“Then, why didn’t we move away?”
To answer this question, she had to mention some painful memories.
At first, Bai Yu had indeed thought about renting a place in the Central Urban District.
After all, even though she was just a C-Rank small fry, she at least held a position within the Ability User Management Bureau.
Although her monthly salary wasn’t high, as long as she didn’t spend it recklessly, it was enough for her.
If she were alone, Bai Yu would have definitely chosen to rent a place in the Central Urban District, or at least in the surrounding areas, rather than this Old Urban District that required a 2-hour commute to work.
But the problem was that Bai Yu had a sister who was a few years younger than her.
Furthermore, their parents had suddenly vanished when Bai Yu was a child.
Bai Yu had tried to find news of them, but she couldn’t find a single trace; it was as if they had simply evaporated from the face of the earth.
Since their whereabouts were unknown, she might as well consider them dead.
They hadn’t been seen for so many years, anyway.
If they were still alive, for the two sisters, it really wouldn’t be much different from them being dead.
After they vanished, only the two sisters were left to depend on each other.
Later, Bai Yu unexpectedly awakened an Esper Ability.
She originally thought it was her moment to turn her life around and finally provide a good life for her sister so they wouldn’t have to live on relief anymore.
However, the awakened ability only made her a C-Rank small fry.
Although she couldn’t rely on her awakening to become one of the elite, she could at least use it to get a position at the Management Bureau.
Once she had a salary, their lives improved.
But considering the issue of her sister’s schooling, that was another significant expense.
After calculating everything, Bai Yu chose to rent a cheap room here.
When she first moved in, Bai Yu was still dreaming that her Esper Ability would rank up one day.
She hoped to be reassessed as a B-Rank or higher, which would allow her to earn a higher salary.
As a result, she had lived here for 2 or 3 years.
During this time, her ability hadn’t improved at all. If it hadn’t been for the mission to suppress the Pale Witch a while ago, where she suddenly awakened memories of her life before reincarnating, she probably would have stayed like this forever, stuck at C-Rank.
After 2 or 3 years, thanks to the cheap rent and her usual frugality, she had managed to save up some money — enough for them to move to the Central Urban District.
“Once Wei Ya’s body has recovered, we can move.”
Considering the situation from last night, this neighborhood probably wasn’t safe anymore.
She had to take Loweia and move as soon as possible, just in case that Evil Organization really sent people to deliver some ‘warmth’ to her door.
If that happened, she might lose the Loweia she had just picked up before she could even raise her favorability much.
Although a large-scale attack had occurred in the Central Urban District 1 month ago, the crisis was quickly suppressed.
Afterward, security was tightened in that area, so similar incidents shouldn’t happen again.
In short, moving there would be much safer than staying here.
If they encountered any danger, they could call the Ability User Management Bureau for help, and they would send high-rank Espers to the rescue.
Hearing Bai Yu’s answer, Loweia was slightly dazed.
She hadn’t even refamiliarized herself with the place they used to live, yet they were already leaving?
However, this was likely a decision made by her past self and Bai Yu together.
All she could do now was try her best to find the memories of their past before they left.
“Then, can you take me to the places we used to go often?”
If she went to those places, the familiar sights might trigger her emotions and help her remember the past.
“There is a place that’s very suitable, but now isn’t the right time.”
“Eh? Why?”
Loweia instinctively questioned her.
If it was a place they frequented, why was it inappropriate to take her there now?
“Because the time hasn’t come yet.”
Bai Yu smiled mysteriously.
“Wei Ya can guess where it is. Also, a reminder — you’ve actually seen it already.”
‘I’ve already seen it?’
But they hadn’t been out for long.
Aside from the old buildings along the road, she hadn’t seen anything else.
So why did Bai Yu say she had already seen it?
Seeing the confusion in the girl’s eyes, Bai Yu smiled slightly.
“It’s fine if you can’t remember now. I’ve made it the last stop for today, so Wei Ya has 1 whole day to think about it. Alright, let’s head to our first stop.”
***
Over the whole morning, Bai Yu took Loweia to many places.
At every new location, Bai Yu would tell Loweia a fabricated story about their past.
As Loweia listened to those tales of their history, a flash of loneliness would occasionally cross her crimson eyes.
Even though Bai Yu spoke vividly — she could even imagine the scenes — those past events remained foreign to her. From beginning to end, it felt as though she were listening to someone else’s story.
Unfortunately… even after visiting many places, Loweia still couldn’t remember a thing.
However, it wasn’t a total loss.
As Bai Yu led her through the relatively livelier Commercial Street, she saw other girls holding hands, and some girls sitting on benches, huddled together while sharing a cup of milk tea.
The passing pedestrians didn’t even give them a second glance.
To them, such a sight was perfectly normal.
‘Maybe Bai Yu is right. In this era, girls falling in love is indeed a common sight.’
Gazing at those girls’ joined hands, Loweia’s gaze instinctively shifted to Bai Yu beside her — specifically, to Bai Yu’s hand.
It was so small.
‘If I hold it, it would probably be very soft.’
‘Was the past me and Bai Yu just like the girls on the street, walking hand in hand?’
‘They must have been very happy back then.’
‘So… should I hold Bai Yu’s hand now? If I do, maybe I’ll find my memories of the past?’
Loweia momentarily fell into hesitation.
‘We aren’t lovers right now. Is it really okay to suddenly grab her hand on the street like this?’
Loweia felt conflicted for a moment.
‘Maybe I should just try? I’ll treat it as searching for the feeling of the past.’
Having made up her mind, Loweia slowly reached her hand out.