The person standing in front of me wasn’t some other girl with the same name—it was Evin herself, the one who’d said she was heading home and left in a hurry.
“Huh, what a coincidence, An An. I didn’t expect us to be neighbors.”
Her little mouth fell open in surprise when she saw me, but the sly glint in those sapphire eyes made the whole act look ridiculously fake.
Naturally, she got smacked for it.
“Ow… An An, you’re so mean! Why’d you hit me?”
“Start by explaining why you’re here.”
I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but with this girl, the only way to stay ahead was to strike first.
“I’ve always lived here.” Seeing my suspicious stare and the way my hand casually clenched, Evin ducked behind her door, though she still stuck out her stubborn, adorable little face. “I’m not lying.”
She didn’t look like she was making it up, and her unusually rushed behavior earlier seemed to back up her words.
I frowned and lowered my hand, but deep down, I was still full of doubts.
If she really lived here, wasn’t this just a bit too coincidental?
My new home just happening to be right next to hers—if someone told me this girl had nothing to do with it, I wouldn’t believe them for a second.
But then I remembered what Aunt Anrou had said about the developer of Seabay Garden, plus the family name Evin had casually mentioned and her obvious rich-young-lady vibe. Suddenly, things clicked.
“Wait—your mom isn’t the chairman of Lin International, is she?”
“Eh…” Evin clearly froze, then quickly looked away and started babbling about nothing, as if the question had never been asked.
Her reaction only confirmed my guess. I pressed on.
“This sea-view apartment was arranged through your mom’s connections, right?”
Even if Dad’s side had the best possible hookup, getting a prime-view unit like this would already be a huge favor. There’s no way it could’ve been sold for just five million like Aunt Anrou claimed.
The only explanation was that Evin’s mother had pulled strings to let go of a unit that could easily fetch eight or even nine million.
Casually throwing away millions—just like that. So this is what rich kids are like.
“I don’t know the details of your family situation, but money isn’t meant to be spent like that. If you run into bad people, you could get scammed out of everything.” I reached out, pinched her cute cheek, and lectured her seriously.
“Mom did it on her own—it has nothing to do with me.”
Evin pouted, then took advantage of my distraction to burrow into my arms and nuzzle affectionately. “Besides, An An isn’t a bad person. Just think of it as my future dowry~”
Could Evin’s mom have found out I was the reason their mother-daughter relationship improved and decided to thank me indirectly?
If that was true, the “thank you” was way too extravagant. It only made me more curious about this mysterious mother of hers.
But clearly, now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
“As if I’d ever marry you.” I snapped out of my thoughts, huffed, and lightly bonked her head before turning to leave. “Perfect timing—come help me put up wallpaper.”
Evin puffed out her cheeks. “Hmph, if you won’t marry me, why should I help you with wallpaper?”
I couldn’t figure out the logic there. After a moment, I said, “Consider it for harmonious, loving neighborly relations.”
“Wouldn’t being married be even more harmonious and loving~?”
It sounded so reasonable that I actually didn’t know how to argue back.
So she got hit again.
“Cut the nonsense and come on.”
That said, putting up wallpaper turned out to be a bit too challenging for two lolis.
Mixing the wallpaper paste in the right ratio was already tough enough, and then we had to cut the paper to fit the walls. In the end, we only managed to trim enough for a few sections.
“No way.” I collapsed onto the sofa, panting as I rubbed my sore arms. “Just the two of us—it’s too hard.”
Evin looked just as exhausted beside me, yet she stubbornly picked up another roll. “How will we know if it’s impossible without trying? Isn’t that what you always say, An An?”
I never thought I’d get lectured by her of all people.
I pursed my lips. Just as I was about to stand up, I heard her voice turn flat, almost resigned.
“Never mind, An An. Let’s just give up.”
Standing on tiptoes on a chair, Evin stared at the top of the wall. Even stretching as far as she could, it remained as unreachable as Mount Everest.
Height really was the ultimate unavoidable weakness for lolis.
“…Anyway, let’s wait for Aunt Anrou and the others to get back.”
I twitched my lips, secretly relieved. Otherwise, I’d be the one embarrassing myself right now.
Evin hopped down from the chair and plopped unladylike onto the floor, enjoying the sea breeze blowing in from the balcony. “An An, I want a cold drink.”
“Me too. Let’s go downstairs and buy some?”
I was thirsty myself, but no way the fridge in a brand-new home would be stocked with drinks yet.
“The cold drink shop is kinda far. Let’s just order delivery?” Evin started pulling out her phone, but I pushed her hand back down.
“No need. Isn’t there a new one that just opened nearby?”
In my previous life, right after moving, I’d gone there to rest.
Evin blinked in confusion. “Huh? How does An An know about it?”
I froze, realizing this was technically my “first” time here—and I’d been blindfolded on the way over. Explaining it with something I saw from the car wouldn’t work at all.
“Um… I just searched for it on the delivery app earlier.”
I quickly came up with a plausible excuse.
“Oh, okay. What’s it called? Let’s order delivery.” Evin pulled out her phone again.
I stopped her once more and coughed. “Going downstairs is quick too. You can’t be that lazy—you won’t even walk a few steps.”
“Fine.” Evin nodded. “But I’m tired, so An An has to hold my hand!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I rolled my eyes and agreed. Getting her to cooperate at this small price was already a win.
Leaving Seabay Garden, I followed my memories from my past life and quickly found the new cold drink shop.
“Four Ice Snow Blueberry, please.”
“Coming right up. Please wait a moment, little ladies.”
Without giving the twin-tailed girl beside me a chance to argue, I ordered the shop’s famous signature dessert from my previous life—and grabbed portions for Aunt Anrou and Aunt Yuyu too.
Just as I was about to sit down and rest, Evin suddenly tugged my sleeve.
“An An, look over there.”
“What is it?”
Following her finger, I spotted a very familiar petite figure.
Silver hair, crimson eyes—her distinctive appearance aside, the way she was utterly fixated on the dessert samples inside the display case, ignoring everything else around her, was incredibly memorable.
“The girl from the cold drink shop near the swimming center?” I recognized her instantly. Evin, however, wasn’t happy.
“You remember her that clearly? And you still say you’re not interested in me?” Evin puffed her cheeks, looking totally jealous.
Is this some kind of entrapment?
I rolled my eyes. “How could I forget? She’s a mixed-race kid like you, and super cute.”
The best way to handle girls is flattery, and the twin-tailed loli was no exception. She immediately forgot her jealousy. “An An, if you like me, just say it!”
Ignoring the narcissist, I glanced at the girl, thought for a moment, and asked the staff for an extra freshly made shaved ice.
The silver-haired loli turned away from the counter. Just as she was about to leave, a clear voice rang out beside her.
“Want some?”
She looked at the shaved ice held out to her, then up at the two kids around her age. Something about my cute face seemed to spark a memory; she tilted her head.
Clearly, she was puzzled by the situation.
Evin, trailing behind, pouted unhappily. “This is a gift from An An, so accept it with tears of gratitude and wish me and An An a hundred—ow!”
I knocked her before she could finish and coughed. “We’ve seen each other somewhere before, and you looked like you really wanted one.”
Seeing her still silently staring at me—and remembering how she hadn’t reacted at all when the staff called her earlier—I suddenly understood. “Wait, you don’t speak…”
Before I could finish, the girl across from me spoke up.
“Thank you, but desserts like this have no soul.”
Her tone was flat, her pronunciation clear. Though her accent was still a bit off, it was already quite good.
I’d considered she might refuse, but I never expected a reason so utterly profound.
Evin couldn’t help asking, “What do you mean, no soul?”
“They lack any heartfelt intent. Made purely to cater to mass tastes, valued by rigid numbers, identical like products off an assembly line—they hold no meaning worth tasting.”
Her long, eloquent explanation left Evin and me dumbfounded and impressed. Even the staff behind the counter wore complicated expressions, wanting to argue but finding themselves at a loss for words.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, I gave a small cough, though I sort of understood what she meant. “You want the kind made with personal care?”
“I don’t know how to make them.” The silver-haired loli answered honestly, not denying that my guess was close.
“I can teach you. Want to come to my place?”
Evin immediately shot me a strange look.
“You know how?”
“Shaved ice is pretty simple.”
And just like that, I somehow lured a mixed-race loli home. Even though Evin wanted to complain, when she heard I’d make one for her too, most of her resentment faded.
On the way, I learned her name through casual questions: Cecilia. She’d just moved here recently for school due to certain circumstances.
“Living alone—doesn’t that cause any inconveniences?”
“No, I think it’s fine.”
Hearing her answer, I couldn’t help marveling at how mature kids were these days. In my previous life, I couldn’t have imagined living abroad alone.
As I thought about that, I noticed her occasionally glancing at me. “Why do you keep looking at me? Is there something on my face?”
“No. I just think you’re very cute.” Cecilia said.
Before I could react, Evin—who’d already been wary of her—exploded first. She clung tightly to my arm like a little tiger guarding its food. “I knew you were up to no good! But An An is mine—I won’t let you have her!”
To our surprise, Cecilia simply added, “You’re very cute too.”
So it was just a normal compliment?
That’s what I thought.
But the twin-tailed loli’s brain clearly worked differently. “You cheater, trying to build a harem? Give up—I’m devoted to An An. I’ve even given her my first ki—ow!”
“It was you who stole it first.”
I ground my teeth and pulled my hand back.
I’ve definitely developed the reflex to prepare for violence before she even opens her mouth. If I ever develop anger issues, it’ll absolutely be this girl’s fault.
Though the process was a hassle, we eventually took the elevator up to the twenty-first floor where my new home was. After sending Evin to grab some ice from her family’s fridge, I heard a voice beside me.
“You all live on the same floor?”
Cecilia’s expression looked a little odd.
“Yeah. Why?”
“No wonder you became friends.”
“No, I just moved in.” I explained. “I didn’t even know she lived here before.”
“What a coincidence.”
I thought she meant me becoming neighbors with Evin, so I nodded. “It really is.”
But she didn’t seem interested in continuing the topic. She looked around, occasionally glancing back at me.
A strange kid.
I silently complained, though I realized I probably seemed just as odd to her—inviting someone I’d just met to my home was pretty weird no matter how you looked at it.
The first time I met Evin had been similar, and ignoring the chain of misunderstandings that followed, it all came down to me being too nosy.
Fortunately, the awkward atmosphere didn’t last long. Evin soon came running back with a small box of ice, though she still shot Cecilia a wary glance as she reached me.
“An An, while I was gone, this girl didn’t try to seduce you, did she?”
“…Don’t assume everyone’s like you.”
Opening the door to my new home, I declared upfront, “Let me say this first—if you want shaved ice, you two have to help out a bit.”
“Okay!” Evin cheerfully raised her hand.
“Mmm.” Cecilia nodded.
With their agreement, I put the cold drinks in the fridge to chill, then directed the two little ones behind me. “Evin, you and Cecilia peel three mangoes.”
“Roger that.”
Evin, eager to show off, grabbed the mangoes we’d bought that afternoon from the fridge. She hugged two to her chest and reluctantly let Cecilia take the last one.
I took the small box of ice Evin brought, loaded about a dozen cubes into the shaved ice machine. I’d teased Aunt Anrou about buying it and letting it gather dust, but now it was coming in handy.
After turning roughly three boxes of ice into shaved ice, Evin and Cecilia finished washing and peeling the mangoes.
“Evin, mix the sugar syrup. Cecilia, use that mold to grind about twenty strawberries from the freezer into powder, then mix it with the syrup and put it in the freezer for a bit. I’ll dice the mangoes.”
I’d planned to handle the cutting myself since knives could be dangerous for them, but I couldn’t find any in the kitchen.
“Aunt Anrou probably didn’t buy any. Evin, do you have a fruit knife at your place?”
Just as I was about to send Evin, Cecilia spoke up.
“Will a combat knife work?”
“That’s fine.” I assumed she meant a multi-tool folding knife. But when I turned, I saw a genuine military knife placed on the cutting board.
Evin examined it closely and realized it wasn’t a toy or plastic. “It’s a real combat knife—cool!”
I wasn’t as calm as Evin. I stared blankly at Cecilia. “You… carry something like this around everywhere?”
“Is there a problem?” Cecilia looked utterly confused, as if she didn’t grasp the issue at all.
“No… just try not to take it out in public next time.”
I comforted myself. Maybe the laws abroad were a bit more relaxed.