Watching Lily Liu’s retreating figure, Lulu Lu reaffirmed her feelings for Lily once again.

Yes—no matter what happened, the truth that “Lulu Lu loves Lily Liu” would never shift with the timeline. It was an eternal constant in this world.

Even if Lily had deceived and hurt her, Lulu would still love her. But that love might twist into anger, driving her to act without reason.

Lulu couldn’t help recalling her actions in the kidnapping route—and her sister’s punishment: forcing her to endure the very pain and torment Lily had suffered.

It made her realize how terribly she’d treated her lover.

A resolve slowly formed in Lulu’s mind, growing firmer with every breath.

“This time… I’ll be gentler with Lily Liu.”

She whispered it—a promise to herself, and a silent vow to Lily.

A perfect ending might be out of reach this round, but at least she wouldn’t hurt Lily again. Even if it meant defying her yandere instincts, she’d never cross that line.

Time to prepare.

After the reset, Lulu’s role-play value hovered around 50% from the start. She guessed it was because her theoretical grasp of the “possessive yandere” archetype was solid—only practice remained.

Thanks to lessons from countless saves, this was the one “legacy” she carried forward each loop.

It gave her courage to experiment boldly. Even if she slipped up, the value wouldn’t plummet to zero.

Friday passed quietly, uneventfully.

Lily Liu seemed stuck on the morning’s breakfast incident, barely speaking to Lulu all day.

Still, after school, Lulu looped her arm around Lily’s with a smile.

“Lily, free later?”

Lily didn’t pull away. “Right now?”

Lulu nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

Lily hesitated. “What’s up? I’ve got to help my aunt at six. If it’ll take long…”

“No worries~ I heard a cute new Western spot opened near campus. My treat! An apology for this morning—I saw you’ve been down all day~”

Lily’s face twisted in mock disgust. “You think dinner erases the ‘sin’ of smearing oil on my hand? Ugh, just remembering it makes me queasy.”

(She lied. Her heart had fluttered then. She hadn’t washed her hand after class—kept the spot Lulu kissed. Even snuck a sniff when no one was looking. More than once.)

Why? She’d rejected Lulu’s confession yesterday. So why act so childish… even a little creepy?

She knew she cared for Lulu. But until yesterday, she believed it was controllable—deeper than friendship, yet not love.

What some called “girlship.” A soul-deep bond.

She knew their reality was fixed. Impossible.

But today… her body betrayed her. For the first time, doubt crept in.

*Could I… already love her?*

The thought terrified her. She was just a humble blade of grass. How could she reach for a star like Lulu?

She’d avoided Lulu all day to cool off.

Yet the moment Lulu’s hand touched her arm after school—her composure vanished. She couldn’t pull away.

So she hid behind sharp words.

Lulu pouted, eyes glistening. “Eh… Lily doesn’t want dinner with me? Okay, never mind.”

Lily flustered. “N-no! I’ll go. Just… don’t look like you’re about to cry.”

Lulu’s gloom melted into a bright smile. “Let’s go~”

“Wait—Lulu, that restaurant… isn’t it pricey?”

“I checked! Only forty yuan. Burgers, fries, fried chicken, cola—all your faves~”

Lily frowned. “Forty *lily coins*? The corner store sells sets for twenty. That’s robbery!”

Lulu chuckled. “My treat. You spend zero.”

“…How about we go Dutch?” Lily murmured.

Lulu pouted again. “Too distant! I’m treating *you*. Next time, you treat me~”

“…Fine.” Lily nodded.

Lulu led her across the street to “Crunchy Chicken.”

After ordering, they sat waiting. Lulu cupped her cheeks, gazing adoringly.

“Lily… you’re so cute~”

“Ugh, cheesy. Gross.” Goosebumps prickled Lily’s arms. She turned away. “Why me, Lulu? Plenty of amazing girls at school who like girls too…”

“Because I like *you*,” Lulu cut in, matter-of-fact.

Lily froze. Sighed softly. “…But there’s no future for us.”

Lulu smiled gently.

“How can you know… without trying?”