Chapter 4

Caspar tried to speak, but couldn't get a word out.

Seeing how lost he looked, I suddenly remembered that in my previous lives, it was always me who spoke up for him first whenever people wronged him.

But this time... I didn't want to get mixed up with him anymore, but I couldn't just ignore the truth when I knew it, either.

In the end, I pointed at the luggage rack and said with a sigh, "Is that the class fund you guys have been looking for?"

Everyone turned to the luggage rack, where a stack of cash was wedged in the crack.

The whole carriage fell silent. Everyone just stared at each other, too embarrassed to say a word.

Cheney was the first to react, quietly saying, "Sorry."

Winnie blushed and whispered, "Sorry."

But Caspar just stared straight at me, and his eyes were glinting with emotions.

After getting off the bus, Caspar rushed after me, his voice coming out in short gasps. "Ellie... wait!"

I stopped and looked at him, panicked as he was.

The wound on his arm was bleeding again, staining the makeshift bandage red.

"Thanks... for earlier," Caspar mumbled awkwardly, his lips pressed tight.

I nodded, stepping back. "No big deal. It just happened to be you. If it were anyone else, I'd have spoken up, too. I only saw the class fund by chance, that's all."

"I get it now, Ellie," Caspar said, grabbing my arm just as I was about to leave.

He spoke urgently, his eyes full of anxiety. "I was wrong before. I shouldn't have always been chasing after Winnie. From now on, I'll keep my distance from her, seriously.

"Please don't ignore me. Can we... enjoy our own relationship this time?"

Hearing his out-of-the-blue promises, I felt even more certain about my suspicion.

So he did remember it all now.

Since that was the case, I was done with all the cryptic talk.

"Caspar," I cut him off, my voice so calm that even I was surprised.

"I remember everything. Just like you, I remember every lifetime we've shared," I said.

Caspar's face went pale, his lips trembling. "Wait, you... you remember it all?" he asked.

I was done talking and turned to go, but Caspar stepped in front of me again.

He started, "Ellie, I..."

"What are you two doing?" Jake popped up out of nowhere, plopping himself right between us. "Whispering secrets? Count me in."

I used the chance to step away. "It's nothing. We just happen to be heading the same way. Let's go together."

Jake just tagged along, still grinning.

I had no clue that after I left, Caspar just stood there, watching me disappear into the distance, looking helpless and heartbroken.

His injured arm hung weakly at his side, while his other hand kept digging at the barely-healed wound, until fresh blood soaked his arm once more.

After that day, Caspar was like a silent shadow, always quietly showing up in every corner of my life.

After school, he'd trail behind me from dozens of feet away, just to make sure I got home safely.

Every morning, there'd be a bottle of milk on my desk, and on rainy days, an umbrella would be waiting for me at the classroom door.

All those little thoughtful things he used to do for Winnie, he started doing for me instead.

I tried giving the milk back to him face-to-face, but he just looked down and mumbled, "If you don't want it, just throw it away."

The next day, he'd do the same thing.

This went on all the way until the day of the SATs.

As I walked out of the exam room after one test, I overheard a few classmates gossiping.

They whispered, "Caspar didn't show up for the exam today? He missed the very first one?"

"Yeah, I heard his dad sent him to the hospital this morning after a beating. There was blood everywhere..."

I paused for a second.

In all my previous lives, I'd be waiting outside his place, ready to block his drunk dad. But this time, I didn't.

Later, I heard that while he was getting beaten up, all battered and bruised, he kept muttering, "Ellie will come save me..."

But this time, I never showed up.

I finished all the exams like it was second nature, and as I stepped out of the last testing room, after ages, the System notification finally chimed in.

It said, "Host, your approval's gone through. You'll need to wait a bit before you can leave this world. I've set you up with a plane ticket and some cash. Go treat yourself to a vacation abroad."

I looked up at the bustling crowd outside the exam hall. Parents were holding flowers, waiting to greet their kids.

In the sea of people, I caught sight of Caspar.

He was standing at the edge of the crowd. There was a bandage on his forehead, and his arm was in a sling. He was just quietly watching me.

When our eyes met, his eyes lit up for a moment, as if he was about to walk over.

But I quickly turned away and melted into the crowd, never looking back.