I'm Shenji, what are you doing?

The memory is like an old photo, yellowed, blurry, even with some defects, blurry and unclear.

However, under certain special circumstances, a certain part of the photo will suddenly become clear and vivid, as if it happened just yesterday. Shiki Tono is currently in such a state.

Although seven years have passed, the Tono family's mansion has not changed much, which makes Shiki feel less alienated and even nostalgic. Obviously just now I thought it was a little hard to accept returning to the Tono family, but now that I think about it, it's not that bad.

The home where Tohno Shiki lived until he was nine years old.

After seven long years, most of the memories of that period have been forgotten.

Even so, there are still scenes that are deeply imprinted in his heart, and they become more vivid with his return.

He is not the only child living in the Tono family, and the one who has the clearest memory is naturally his sister Qiuye.

When I was a child, Qiuye was always quiet, often showing a nervous expression that was afraid of doing something wrong.

Occasionally when she was playing with other people, she would always follow him closely with tiny steps.

Long black hair, cute dress, looks like the most exquisite doll.

I remember that when I first moved to Arima's house, Akiba came to visit several times. But because we often go to the hospital here, it's hard to come across. Later, after Qiuye was sent to a boarding school by his father, opportunities to meet him became even rarer.

In addition there are twin girls.

A very energetic girl who cheers up even just by looking at her. Her never-worried personality made everyone in the mansion find her adorable. Coupled with the fact that we are close in age, I get along very well with her, and we run around in the courtyard every day.

"Shiki, let's play together."

With a cheerful smile, she found herself locked in the room, holding hands with the introverted Qiu Ye. As long as she was around, no matter how stern the elders were, they would cast a forgiving look.

In contrast to her, there was another girl.

The identical girl with an expressionless face was on the second floor of the mansion and had never come out. She just looked at the children playing in the atrium silently with cold eyes.

In the end, he only said a few words to the girl.

"Those children are still in the mansion now..."

After waking up from his memories, Shiki put his hand into his schoolbag and quietly held a white ribbon.

The ribbon is very old.

That was what he took from her at the end. ——Seven years ago, after the "accident", the day he was fostered from Tono's mansion to Arima's house.

Just before leaving the mansion, the girl who didn't know what she was thinking handed over the ribbon.

"I lent this to you, so you must return it to me."

Saying these words, the girl ran away quickly.

This ribbon cheered up Zhiki who was abandoned by his father more than once. When he thought of the girl waiting for him to return the ribbon, a certain place in his heart would soften.

It was precisely because he missed them and wanted to see them again that he was willing to return to this house.

"It's surprisingly deserted." Qianye stood in front of the exaggeratedly large iron door and looked around, "Is anyone here?"

"No need to waste your efforts, Qian Ye, there is no one nearby and the door is not locked, so we should be allowed in directly." Shi pushed the door open with both hands and walked in first.

"Shiki..." Qianya just wanted to stop him, but saw Zhiki also following in, so he had no choice but to follow at the end.

Just as Shi said, there was no one in the front yard, which seemed a bit inconsistent with such a huge mansion.

Fortunately, at the end of the stone road, at the thick entrance, I finally saw a figure who was an acquaintance.

"Hey, Shiki, long time no see. And Mikiya and Shiki-nee, why are you here? Can't wait to say hello to Shiki's family?"

Waiting outside the entrance was, of course, the instigator of the scene before him, Matou Shinji.

"Long time no see, Shinji."

Shiki and Mikiya smiled and greeted each other, but Shiki said angrily.

"We are afraid that you and Chengzi have prepared some conspiracy waiting for Shiki."

"Oh, oh, Shiki-san, your sensitivity is really distressing."

"Sure enough, there is a conspiracy. Let me recruit it from the ground up."

Hearing what Shenji said, Shiki's face suddenly darkened.

Shenji didn't care either: "Haha, since it's a conspiracy, it won't work if you say it. Zhiki, remember my words, don't just use your eyes to see everything, observe more with your heart, compare your heart with your heart, that is the Buddha's heart."

"Huh, pretending to be a ghost."

"Well, I understand."

Two people with the same pronunciation, different attitudes.

The door of the bungalow opened, and someone came out again, it was Cheng Zi.

"If you want to chat, come in and chat, not at the door... Shiki and Gan are also here, so there's no need to be so hasty in saying hello."

"Why do you all say that?" Qianya said helplessly.

"Forget it, you're already here, come in first, the new head of the Tono family has been waiting in the living room for a long time."

The corners of Cheng Zi's mouth curled up into a wicked smile.

"The arrival of the heir to the Aysi family will definitely surprise her."

"Um...who is the new head of the Tono family——?" Zhiki asked with some anxiety.

"You also know/your good sister - Miss Tono Akiha. She misses your brother very much."

Orange and Shinji spoke at the same time, while Mikiya and Shiki looked at each other, with the latter complaining: "Bad taste."

However, Zhiki could no longer hear what they were saying.

"Qiuye is the head of the family?"

Shiki was not dissatisfied at all about being fostered into Arima's family. The only exception was leaving Qiuye alone, leaving his one-year-younger sister alone in that deserted bungalow.

His father, Makijiu, is a stubborn person and has very strict requirements for his children, especially heirs. Thinking back to the education he received as a child, Shiki still feels numb now.

And after he was abandoned by his father due to his weak health due to a "car accident", this burden fell on Qiuye, who was only 8 years old.

"——Qiuye, she must be resenting me."

Because of his own escape.

Just like this, with a confused mood, he came to the living room and stared blankly at Cheng Zi knocking on the door and telling the news of his return.

Then, the door opened.

Shiki saw the beautiful black-haired eldest lady, and the twin maids standing on the left and right, cheerful and indifferent.

"Welcome home, brother/Master Shiki."

Although he has grown up and is no longer as immature as he was when he was a child, he still looks the same as he did when he was a child.

The chaotic mind suddenly calmed down, and all worries disappeared.

"Ah, I'm back."

It's like meeting for the first time.

PS: How wonderful it would be if life could only be like the first time we met.

PS2: Shiki's memory of Nanaya has been almost washed away, and Shinji has no intention of revealing this past.