At that moment, Lulu Lu understood what kind of treatment Lily Liu had once suffered under her hands.

She understood why Lily Liu had developed all those stress reactions.

She finally understood the cruelty and self-righteousness of a yandere.

Sometimes, people simply can't understand what kind of harm their actions can do to those around them.

Not until their roles are reversed, and they experience it for themselves.

The moment she thought about how she had once mistaken something like this for love toward Lily Liu, Lulu Lu felt a wave of nausea.

At this moment, Lulu Lu hated those yandere methods more than ever before. She hated what she had done.

And yet, for some reason, Lulu Lu's roleplay value did not drop. It stayed fixed at 99%, and no new save file was created.

At the time, Lulu Lu had no idea that this was the strange god's "mercy."

At the same time, it was also a sign that the final chapter was approaching.

Lu Yanyan seemed determined to make Lulu Lu remember the mistakes she had made, so she hit hard.

No matter how Lulu Lu begged for mercy, she wouldn't stop.

That was an afternoon Lulu Lu never wanted to remember.

Only after Lulu Lu's butt was swollen and she was crying so hard she could barely make a sound did Lu Yanyan finally stop. She pulled Lulu Lu into her arms, hesitated, and raised a hand to the top of Lulu Lu's head. But in the end, she didn't pat her. Instead, she reached into her bag and took out a cigarette and a lighter.

"My dear little sister, you should know I'm not very used to comforting people. But I don't want to see you crying like this either. So let me tell you some good news."

Lu Yanyan lit another cigarette. She still didn't smoke it, and simply let it burn on its own.

Through the hazy smoke, Lu Yanyan looked gently at the younger sister trembling in her arms and wiping away tears. Then she said calmly,

"Lily Liu has already agreed to stay forever, and she won't leave. In other words, your wish has come true, my foolish little sister."

Lily Liu's name could always touch Lulu Lu's heart at once. Lulu Lu quickly asked,

"Big Sis, you... what did you say to Lily Liu?"

"Nothing much. I just told her I'd taken care of her worries."

"Her worries mean...?" Lulu Lu asked.

"For a girl from a family like hers, money is naturally the only real concern. I looked into her parents' information. They're just ordinary factory workers, and it seems they owed quite a lot of debt too. I spoke with them just now. They were acting like they were ready to die over Lily Liu's disappearance, but the moment they heard the amount I was willing to pay, they immediately switched to a respectful attitude."

Lu Yanyan said this in a very calm tone, but Lulu Lu could still hear a slight contempt in her voice.

"Obviously, they don't really care about Lily Liu at all. All they care about is how much money they can get from me. I don't actually want to throw money at a family like that, but for the sake of not breaking my promise to your little sweetheart, losing some worldly possessions is no big deal."

Lu Yanyan stubbed out the cigarette in her hand. Then she cupped Lulu Lu's cheeks and said with complete seriousness,

"Don't let there be a next time. Otherwise, I may not come help you again, my dear little sister."

After saying that, Lu Yanyan closed her eyes and leaned in. Her cold lips pressed lightly against Lulu Lu's temple, leaving behind a soft kiss.

"Treat Lily Liu well. Since you've already gone this far, then take responsibility for her. If you dare bully her, I'll let you experience what hell really means. Understood?"

It was a blessing, and also a warning.

"Mm!"

Lulu Lu nodded hard.

"Good. Then get some proper rest. I'll go make dinner for the two of you."

Lu Yanyan's tone softened a little. Then she stood up and left.

Did this mean... the trouble was completely solved now?

Once she realized that, Lulu Lu's mood, which had sunk after the punishment, rose again.

Not for any other reason, but because this meant she really could possess Lily Liu. And she no longer had to worry about school or the police interfering.

Only her sister knew about this, and Lu Yanyan's attitude was clearly supportive. Her punishment had come from the huge trouble Lulu Lu had caused her, not from the fact that Lulu Lu liked Lily Liu itself.

Lulu Lu felt like one of those weighted roly-poly dolls. Even if someone pressed her down hard, she would still rise again. As long as there was even a trace of hope, she would never give up pursuing Lily Liu.

That was the twisted, insane obsession of a yandere.

Although the price of confessing the truth had been a brutal punishment from her sister, the result wasn't bad at all. In fact, it far exceeded Lulu Lu's expectations.

Lu Yanyan already knew everything.

And the choice she made was to help the deeply guilty Lulu Lu.

Lulu Lu realized that this older sister she had only recently gained actually loved her very much. She wasn't as cold and distant as Lulu Lu had once thought.

With her help, Lulu Lu no longer needed to worry about anything.

From here on, all she had to do was live out the endless, happy days she had imagined from the very beginning with Lily Liu, all the way until death.

Was this... what people called a "perfect ending"?

Lulu Lu began to indulge in that fantasy.

If things could end like this, if this damned roleplaying game could finally be over, then honestly... that wouldn't be so bad.

...

...

How much time had passed, exactly...?

Lily Liu didn't know.

One repetitive day after another slipped slowly through her fingers. Life in the basement was unbearably dull. Stripped of her freedom and her social life, the only things Lily Liu could do each day were watch TV, read manga, and wait for Lulu Lu to come home from school.

Like a concubine in ancient times waiting for the emperor's favor.

When the weekend came, Lulu Lu would stay with Lily Liu the whole time. She would also let Lily Liu out of the basement, allowing her to move freely around the villa.

Life repeated itself like this, over and over.

To be honest, it was very boring. Most of Lily Liu's love for Lulu Lu had already drained away because of all those excessive things she had done. Even when she got intimate with Lulu Lu now, she felt little joy. It was just Lulu Lu using her body for self-satisfaction.

But whenever she thought about how her family was already living a wealthy life, hope would ignite in Lily Liu's eyes again.

It was boring, but at least it had meaning.

Until one day, half a year later, Lily Liu saw a report on the TV news about a drunk-driving accident.

She saw an unfamiliar car. It was luxurious and beautiful, but it had already been reduced to fragments.

Beside that luxury car lay her parents and younger brother. They were wearing unfamiliar but beautiful clothes, and they too had been reduced to fragments.

First came shock.

Then incomprehension.

And after understanding came a dazed numbness, as if everything she was seeing was only a dream.

After confirming that it was not a dream, Lily Liu let out the wildest, most unrestrained laughter of her life in the basement. She laughed at her fate, at her own cowardice, at her own lowliness.

Lily Liu completely broke.

With almost no hesitation, she took out a small cloth pouch from a hidden corner of the basement.

Inside was a white pill, with no sugar coating.

It was something Lu Yanyan had secretly given her.

Along with it had come one calm sentence:

"Lily Liu, little sister, I know all of this may be too cruel for you. If one day you truly can't endure this life anymore, then swallow this. You'll meet your end without any pain."

Staring at the white pill, Lily Liu remained silent, her eyes full of exhaustion.

There was nothing left worth clinging to.

Everything had been destroyed.

Lulu Lu had treated her well. After being punished by Lu Yanyan, she had never done anything excessive to her again.

But so what?

The moment she thought about how Lulu Lu had ruined her life, the anger and unwillingness rising from the bottom of her heart completely overwhelmed that last remnant of love she still had for Lulu Lu.

The instant she saw her family die in that accident, Lily Liu no longer had any reason to keep living.

"Goodbye."

The girl in the basement murmured softly to herself. Leaving behind this final farewell, she silently placed the pill into her mouth.

Born insignificant, and in death, unnoticed.

That was the brief story of the girl named Lily Liu, the only life she ever had.