I think I might be the unluckiest person in the entire world.

My luck stat must’ve gone negative—or someone stole every shred of it. Now I’m not measured by fortune, but by an *unluckiness index*. Seriously, I’m even unluckier than Luck E.

My boring life just took a massive turn.

My girlfriend killed me. With her own hands.

Death by triangle choke. Suffocation. The only silver lining? I died on a woman’s lap…

Ah… Grandpa… Looks like I’ll see you before Dad after all…

If I get a next life… I wanna try being a girl…

I tried to press my palms together in prayer—but froze.

I had no hands.

No. That wasn’t all. Something was deeply wrong.

*Didn’t I die?*

Then why could I still think?

Was this the legendary "lingering state" before death? Soul separation? Or just… a dream?

*Am I… really dead?*

Trapped in endless darkness, senses gone, only thoughts remained. If I stopped thinking, I’d fade away.

But fading… didn’t sound so bad.

Mom’s funeral home had a quote on the wall: *"Death is the great equalizer. The ultimate freedom."* —Victor Hugo.

I’d known death would come someday. Just not this soon.

Freedom? …Eh, pointless to dwell. If I was dead, I’d have to say goodbye whether I liked it or not.

So I stopped thinking.

Memories began dissolving.

I forgot my past. My experiences. My entire history.

Finally, I forgot who I was.

Fading… vanishing… losing my soul… ceasing to exist.

"*No! Don’t die!*"

A voice shattered the silence, jolting my thoughts awake.

*Who was that?*

"*Please! Don’t leave me! Stay with me!*"

*Who is she?*

*Why is she calling for me?*

Suddenly, my fading consciousness found an anchor. Sensations flooded back—lungs gasping, heart hammering, blood surging. Oxygen reignited my mind.

"*Cough…*"

I coughed weakly, forcing my eyes open.

*I’m… not dead?*

*Who saved me?*

Before I could process it, a face burned into my vision.

*Jilianbing.*

The killer stood right beside me.

*Holy shit!*

I jerked upright, scrambling backward on my elbows, shielding my head with my arms. Peeking through my fingers—I stared at Jilianbing.

*Did she… save me?*

No. She’d just killed me. Now she revived me?

Why bother? Was this some twisted game?

No answers came. Confused, I stayed frozen.

My neck still throbbed where her thighs had crushed it.

*Yeah. I definitely died… or at least passed out.*

But while I was unconscious, something made Jilianbing stop. No finishing blow.

I studied her.

"…"

Jilianbing ignored me completely. She buried her face in her knees, hands pressed over her cheeks. Her shoulders trembled rhythmically.

*She’s… crying?*

Why? Grieving my death? Or upset I survived?

No clue. My brain felt sluggish after dying—too foggy to untangle logic or motives.

Then I noticed her title.

**[Lian████]**

**[Jilianbing]**

*It changed!*

Only the first character "Lian" remained clear. The rest blurred into a pixelated mess, like ink spilled over a grid.

First time I’d ever seen a title shift like this.

Had my ability changed? Or was *she* broken?

What the hell happened?

And the color…

Not that eerie purple anymore. Now it glowed pink—no, deeper. Rosy. Like cherry blossoms mixed with blood.

Xinran and Keling’s titles were pale pink, like sakura petals.

Jilianbing’s burned vibrant. *Rose madder?* Art class flashbacks… Anyway, a fierce pink-red blend.

What did *this* mean?

Was she faking it again? She could manipulate emotions to shift her title’s color, tricking me before. Maybe this was another trap.

"…"

*Screw it. Time to bail.*

Who cared what happened? I was alive! And Jilianbing was stuck in standby mode!

Perfect escape window.

*Go! Run! Get out of this cursed place. Shower. Sleep.*

I almost bolted—but seeing her cry tugged at me.

*Tch. Can’t just leave her…*

Stupid. She’d just tried to kill me. Probably a trap. Yet I crept closer like an idiot.

Her sobs grew clearer. I patted her shoulder. No reaction.

Sliding my left arm under her knees, right arm around her shoulders, I lifted her in a princess carry.

Jilianbing stirred. Her hands dropped from her face, clutching my shirt. Before I could see her expression, she buried her face against my chest.

A faint dampness seeped through my shirt.

*Real tears. Not fake.*

*What could make Jilianbing cry?*

Did she see a ghost?

…Like my spirit haunting her?

*Yeah, right. Even I don’t buy that.*

Holding her, I remembered "The Farmer and the Snake." Hope this beautiful viper doesn’t bite me the moment she recovers.

Lili’s library key was still in my pocket. *Head there first.*

But the Liberal Arts Building wasn’t connected to the main hall like the Science Building. The first-floor doors were locked. Ground-floor windows had security bars. Only option: jump from a second-story window.

Risky. Might get hurt. But staying here with Jilianbing until morning? No way. Who knew what’d happen next?

I scoped the courtyard’s shrubbery below. Took a breath.

*Jump!*

Landed squarely on my ass in the bushes. My right leg and hip sank deep, tangled in twigs.

Thank god for the shrubs. Otherwise, my pelvis would’ve shattered. *Haha…*

Jilianbing stayed limp, but her crying had stopped.

Stuck hip-deep without using my hands? Annoying. I tightened my grip on her, thrashed my left leg wildly, tearing through branches until my foot hit solid ground.

My pants were shredded. Leaves clung to my hair. Twigs pricked my legs. A total mess.

*Great. Ruined my uniform jacket yesterday. Now the pants. Unluckiest streak ever.*

"*Haaah…*"

I exhaled, braced my left foot, and heaved my right leg free. Twisted to plant both feet on the ground.

Then pushed off the shrubs in one motion.

*Riiip!*

Fabric tearing.

*Oh crap. My ass is exposed—*

But my legs still felt clothed.

*What ripped?*

I glanced back.

Not my pants.

A skirt. Wrapped around my waist.

*Jilianbing’s skirt.*

"*Uh…*"

*Shit!*

Her skirt tore instead of mine!

Two pale, flawless thighs—and her underwear—flashed in the moonlight.

*Dead. I’m dead.*

Why did this keep happening?! Too many "lucky pervert" moments lately. Was that damned charm magic circle in my head acting up again? I didn’t *want* this cursed blessing!

Predictably, skirtless Jilianbing snapped out of it.

She lifted her tear-streaked, flushed face from my chest.

"…"

The mood shifted. She wasn’t angry. She was… *shy?*

"*Eeep!*"

A soft, breathy squeak.

"*St-stop looking!* Don’t look~"

She yanked her blazer down to cover her panties—but it barely hid the bow on her underwear.

*Wait. Her reaction’s off. Way off.*

A cold breeze cleared my head. Jilianbing covered her backside with one hand, rubbing her thighs together, cheeks burning crimson.

"M-Master Cheng…" Her voice trembled. "*It’s… it’s cold…* Could you… cover me?"

My eyes nearly popped out. *This isn’t the real Jilianbing!*

The shock fried my brain. I did something incredibly stupid.

Panicked, I pressed her head against my shoulder with my right hand—like hiding her face could erase reality.

Then I sprinted back toward the building.

Her title hovered near my shoulder.

*Huh? The black grid’s gone?*

I skidded to a halt by the wall, set her down, and loosened my grip on her head. Gently turned her face toward me.

The blurred title had stabilized. But the words weren’t **[Necrophiliac Killer]** anymore. They read:

**[Devoted Girlfriend]**

**[Jilianbing]**

*…Devoted Girlfriend?*

*Huh?*

Jilianbing cupped her burning cheeks, unable to meet my eyes. Her whisper was barely audible:

"*M-Master Cheng… you pervert…*"

*So soft!*

*My girlfriend could never be this soft!*