I chose to give up using air conditioning and instead bought several large freezers and fans.

These would be used to freeze ice and store the ice cream that Cynthia loved.

By placing ice around the house and using the fans, it shouldn't get too hot inside.

If it did get unbearably hot, we could always open the fridge and let the cold air blow directly on us.

But that would require electricity. Although there weren't any power outages in the last life, I still bought a few generators just in case.

Since it was just me and Cynthia, I also bought some surveillance cameras and installed them outside the front door and on both sides so I could ensure the area around us was safe.

Next up was buying food.

Since it wasn't suitable to cook inside the bunker, I first bought plenty of instant noodles and biscuits. To make sure Cynthia could have something better to eat, I bit the bullet and bought a lot of convenience foods.

Looking at all these refrigerators, I thought for a moment and then bought various frozen foods as well. To avoid needing to use a stove, I bought two high-powered microwaves. They could not only be used to heat food but also to cook instant noodles.

Luckily, there were many near-expiry products available online, which were quite a bargain. Having gone through the previous life, I was certain that eating these so-called expired products wouldn't cause any problems.

I also bought some of Cynthia's favorite snacks, candies, and ice cream.

The upcoming sun would be hotter than red-hot iron, so I bought some supplements to ensure balanced nutrition.

Since both Cynthia and I were girls, I made sure to stock up on sanitary products and tissues.

Considering that Cynthia had fallen ill in her previous life, I bought some common medications as a precaution. However, I didn't buy much, since I hardly got sick last time and didn't want to waste money on that.

I wrote the delivery address as the bunker. Even if someone knew there were supplies here, they wouldn't be able to get in, so I wasn't worried.

After buying all these things, there wasn't much money left.

But I still bought two stun batons, a lot of books paid in weight, and various movies and TV shows to pass the time.

Otherwise, long periods of confinement would drive anyone crazy.

Every day, I was either transporting supplies or organizing and cleaning the bunker.

From the moment I woke up in the morning, I'd be busy until midnight when I finally returned home.

Apart from Cynthia, no one really paid attention to me, especially Audrey. After she noticed that I often came home late at night, she stopped cooking for me altogether.

Every time I came home, only Cynthia would still be waiting for me. She'd bring me the leftovers she had saved for me, and as I looked at the sweat on her face, I silently counted down the days in my mind.

Soon, the day before the extreme heat was due to arrive came.

I waited until Gary and the others were asleep, then took Cynthia and left home. I thought I'd need to spend some time explaining things to Cynthia, but to my surprise, she didn't say anything. She just picked up her only doll and followed me.

It took a long time, but we finally reached the bunker. Once inside, I immediately locked the door behind us. Compared to the outside, it was much cooler inside, and it didn't feel hot even without air conditioning.

Cynthia looked around the clean and tidy bunker and then sat on the bed. "Bella, I thought it was strange when you said you didn't want to go to school. I figured you probably weren't going to work either and that you were hiding something from me. Can you tell me now?"

I nodded and told her everything about my rebirth.

Cynthia was calmer than I expected. Eating her ice cream, she tilted her head and asked, "Bella, why didn't you bring our parents with us?"

After thinking it over for a long time, I decided not to tell Cynthia that I had forced her out of the house. I only mentioned that we had both been thrown out and left to fend for ourselves.

Cynthia's eyes filled with tears, her face full of disbelief. "How could they do this to us? We're their children, too."

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just told Cynthia to go wash up and get some sleep.

The next day, I checked my phone, and the weather forecast was the hottest topic. The temperature had skyrocketed to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement.

In the face of such extreme weather, even the authorities couldn't explain it. They could only advise everyone to stay indoors during the day and go out at night if necessary.

Audrey and Gary called me a few times, but when I didn't pick up, they eventually stopped trying.

They probably assumed that Cynthia and I had died out there.

In the days that followed, the temperature continued to rise. Except for the occasional person venturing out at night, the streets were completely deserted during the day. Just as I had guessed, the fallout shelter was warm in winter and cool in summer. We didn't even need ice at night. A fan was enough.

During this time, Cynthia had been eating well and sleeping soundly. She looked much better and more energetic.

Occasionally, people would come by to bother us, trying to get into the shelter to seek refuge. Even the agent who rented the shelter to me showed up, but I wasn't worried. I was confident that no one could get in.

As time went on, fewer and fewer people came by.

One day, Cynthia was eating the instant food I had prepared for her and happily said, "Bella, this place is great, safe and cool."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, as long as we lock the door from the inside, no one can open it from outside."

Cynthia looked a bit wistful. "I wonder how our parents are doing."

I thought, "They?

They're doing just fine."