Wang Yue felt a sudden, sinking dread.
Her Medeili—her sweet, gentle, adorable Plum—seemed like a completely different person.
Medeili’s delicate skin was pulled taut against the cold wind, shimmering with a luster like white porcelain. Her exquisite features were devoid of emotion, as if carved from ice. Even her hair, usually as soft as curling leaves, now felt as rigid as molded resin.
The orange-haired girl moved toward her with the stiff, mechanical gait of a wind-up toy. Her piercing gaze was so severe that Wang Yue was forced to look away, not daring to meet her eyes.
“I—I don’t have anything going on with Lilith! You know that. We were just acting so we could protect everyone and escape together…” Wang Yue stammered her defense.
“Stop pretending. To kiss another girl before you’ve even ended things with the first… surely someone who prides themselves on justice and loyalty knows what kind of behavior that is?” Medeili asked, her voice chillingly calm.
“But… that’s all in the past…”
Wang Yue continued to make excuses, though her back was tingling and slick with cold sweat. She raised a hand to rub her face, trying to force a natural-looking smile as she explained:
“I just got caught up in the moment when I kissed you… we had just cheated death, after all! Didn’t I risk my life to save you? I was prepared to die! So… so that was just a ‘Kiss of Friendship’ between comrades!”
“You hypocrite!”
Medeili lunged forward, grabbing Wang Yue by the lapels. Her small fingers bunched the fabric tightly as she gritted her teeth.
“Witches have desires. Most people are honest about them, but then there’s you. To satisfy your own sense of moral superiority, you use ‘sincerity’ to mask your wicked thoughts… On the surface, you’re strict, just, and kind, but behind the scenes, you use hollow promises to lure in the innocent Lilith. You use her to achieve your goals, satisfy your whims, and then you toss her aside using ‘loyalty’ as an excuse. You’re despicable!”
“I… I…”
Wang Yue was speechless. Her face burned with a heat so intense she felt like she might melt from shame.
“You’re happy to enjoy the perks, but you refuse to take an ounce of responsibility. You make up ten thousand different excuses—who do you think you’re fooling? Don’t think you can just bully girls because you’re clever and good at playing with people’s hearts!”
With that, Medeili scooped the black-haired girl up by the waist!
“Plum… you…”
Wang Yue felt her body go light as she was hoisted into the air. Before she could react, Medeili shifted her grip, holding her up like a toddler with her legs forced apart into a wide M-shape.
To make matters worse, Lilith chose that exact moment to burst through the door!
“Eek—!”
Wang Yue let out a panicked cry. Her toes curled and her waist twisted in a desperate attempt to squirm away, but she was held fast, unable to move.
“No… you can’t…”
Facing the steadily approaching Lilith, the restrained black-haired girl looked like she was facing her execution. She was drenched in sweat—the cold sweat from a moment ago having turned into a feverish heat. Her pupils trembled until they lost their shape, and ‘classic scenes’ from various stories flashed through her mind like a premonition of her fate.
Lilith rushed over in three quick strides. She planted her hands on her hips, her thin lips pressed tight as she struggled to contain her glee. A surge of vengeful satisfaction rose in her chest.
“Hahaha! The bastard Wang Yue has been caught!”
“You guys… you can’t do this to me… I saved everyone! I know I’ve done some things wrong… but I’ve done good things too! So… please, just let me off this once…”
Wang Yue’s mind was a chaotic mess. Even though she possessed a Rule Construct, she couldn’t bring herself to use it against Plum or Lilith! All she could do was beg for mercy.
“That won’t do,” Medeili whispered softly into her ear. “Bad children need to be punished. You’re the one who said that, remember?”
“I don’t remember saying that…”
“Hehe! The bastard Wang Yue looks so small when she’s folded up like this! She acted so smug and dignified before!”
The intense contrast sent a rush of excitement to Lilith’s head. Her temples throbbed as she reached out and grabbed the black-haired girl’s snowy-white feet. They were cool and soft in her hands. Seeing the curled toes and the rosy soles made Lilith want to tickle them just to see the girl squirm. She leaned in closer to admire the black-haired girl’s shy, flustered face… Agh! So cute! She’s incredibly cute!
“Don’t come any closer! Lilith!”
Wang Yue’s cheeks were crimson as she screamed at the top of her lungs, “No, no, no… absolutely not!”
“Absolutely not what? Hmm?” Medeili’s voice rang in her ear again, dripping with playfulness. “What exactly are you thinking about?”
Wang Yue’s heart sank. Crap, I’ve given myself away…
“I get it!” Lilith’s eyes lit up. “Just like Medeili said, the stinky Wang Yue pretends to be serious, but she actually knows more than anyone else! She’s a total pervert!”
“I am not!” Wang Yue argued passionately, though her words felt hollow and weak in her current position.
Silence followed as no one spoke for a long moment. The atmosphere grew heavy. Medeili eventually set Wang Yue down gently, but then wrapped her arms around her from behind, tightening her grip around her waist.
Hate her as they might, they loved her just as much.
Now that her hypocritical mask had been shattered, Wang Yue actually felt the weight lift from her shoulders. She shamelessly leaned into the embrace and blurted out:
“Then… why don’t you both just stay by my side?”
“Eh? You’ve completely lost your sense of shame, haven’t you? You’re really just leaning into being a scoundrel…” Medeili frowned, though her voice lacked any real bite.
“Exactly! Look at that smug face—she’s actually expecting us to agree! How shameless! I—I would never agree to that!”
Lilith was breathing heavily, her mind feeling like it had been stuffed with cotton. The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Deeply.
However, she had never expected things to turn out this way.
It had all started when the students, escorted by the Lantern-Bearers, had arrived at Fishmouth Town on their Sonic Spiders. Once the danger had passed, Lilith had intentionally hovered around Wang Yue, hoping for some kind of reward for being an ‘extra good Lilith.’
A touch of the hand, a stroke of the hair, a brush against her collarbone… even a hug or a kiss. Honestly, she would have even settled for a few sweet lies.
Instead, Wang Yue had just given her corporate platitudes, saying things like, “Yes, you saved everyone, we’re all very proud of you.”
I didn’t do it to save everyone!
Why did she lie to me?
At the time, Lilith had felt angry and wronged, but she couldn’t bring herself to blow up given the ‘solemn atmosphere’ of their arrival. She had eventually worked up the courage to complain to Medeili, and Medeili had promised to have her back. She just hadn’t expected it to escalate like this.
The night wind ruffled the curtains, making the room feel even more secluded and quiet. The black-haired girl kept her head down like a child who had done something wrong, occasionally stealing glances at the other two girls.
Medeili sighed, her soft fingers gently brushing past Wang Yue’s ear. Her tone softened.
“You really are a person who’s hard to love and hard to hate… What do you plan to do now?”
“Let’s just go into seclusion, the three of us. The academy is finished anyway. We’ll have one last meal with everyone, send them home, and then find a place with plenty of sunshine. We can start a farm, plant an orchard, raise some cattle and sheep… we’ll brew wine, make cheese, whisk up some mayonnaise, dig for truffles…” Wang Yue described a scene that sounded remarkably like a heavily-modded session of Stardew Valley.
“Eh? I wanted to go on an adventure…” Lilith muttered.
The three of them sat at the table and began to discuss the possibilities.
Wang Yue was thrilled, her sleepiness completely vanished. She felt a premonition that her happy days were finally arriving. Carefully hiding her joy, she brewed several cups of lemon tea and served them diligently.
As they chatted, a ripple suddenly appeared in the tea. The ground trembled, and an invisible vibration radiated through the walls, shaking dust loose from the ceiling.
“An earthquake?!”
Wang Yue started to rush outside, but Medeili grabbed her.
“Put your underwear on first.”
“Ah…”
Wang Yue dressed in record speed. The three of them hurried out of the room and down to the open space in front of the Town Hall.
A massive figure in a black hooded robe stood in the center of the clearing, drawing everyone’s attention.
Decaying Aminata.
Night-Watchers were sprinting through the hallways, evacuating personnel in a tense but orderly fashion. Amidst the chaos, the Decaying Excellency extended a long, withered arm from beneath her black robe. She held a pen-shaped measuring instrument toward the sky, its dial slowly spinning.
Wang Yue caught a glimpse of her grim expression and asked, “What’s happening?”
