Staring at Haru's face, Lillie finally felt her heart grow firm.
She clenched her fists and quietly cheered herself on.
That's right—yesterday's weak and timid Lillie was gone! Today's Lillie was invincible.
All she needed to do now was launch her attack, and everything would work out.
As for that blue-haired woman…
Hmph. Haru had always liked her, after all. Even if something had happened between that blue-haired loser and Haru, the one who would claim victory in the end would still be her—Lillie.
Buffing herself like crazy, Lillie straightened out the hem of her skirt that had been ruffled by the wind and sat primly across from Haru.
She first gave a simple account of the attack she'd experienced today, along with various other trivial matters, then finally said seriously:
"Haru… you've been busy today, haven't you? I hardly saw you around at all."
Technically speaking, she'd come back to Aether Paradise this time at Lusamine's invitation.
And Haru had accompanied her here mostly to make sure Lusamine didn't try anything.
Essentially, he was still acting as her bodyguard.
In reality though, while Lillie had run into some danger today, it hadn't involved Lusamine at all.
Or rather, she'd barely even seen Lusamine or Haru today—most of the time she'd been on her own.
From what Lillie could guess, Lusamine was likely busy with her own work.
And Haru had probably left to keep an eye on Lusamine, just in case she did anything out of line.
Which meant Haru had no doubt spent a lot of energy today just to ensure her safety…
He was simply too kind. Kind enough to melt her heart.
What Lillie didn't know was that Haru's own feelings right now were even more complicated than hers.
Busy? Sure, he'd been busy—busy doing things with Lusamine.
In fact, thanks to Lusamine's… rather creative cosplay choices, Haru kept finding himself distracted by certain dangerous images whenever he looked at Lillie now.
Lusamine's cosplay skills were honestly among the best.
Lillie had no idea that while she'd been touring Aether Paradise today, Haru had also been busy "touring Paradise" in a very different sense.
But of course, there was no way he could say that out loud.
Especially not to Lillie. To Lillie, he absolutely couldn't reveal the truth. In a way, that too was a form of protection.
So all he could do in the end was nod guiltily.
"Yeah… I've been pretty busy. Didn't really have time to spend with you all."
The girl smiled faintly and nodded:
"I thought so… You've worked so hard, Haru."
"These past few days, you've been taking such good care of me. Without you…"
"But really… you didn't have to be this kind to me, did you? We've only known each other for a short time, and yet you've already done so much for me."
Lowering her head again, Lillie hid her flushed cheeks beneath her hat brim.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Finally, seeing that Haru still hadn't said anything, Lillie tilted her head slightly and glanced at him:
"Don't you… have anything you want to say to me?"
"W-What?"
Already feeling a bit guilty, Haru's heart started pounding even faster at her words.
Had she figured something out?
Why else would she be acting so strangely?
When Haru kept playing dumb, Lillie couldn't hold back anymore:
"You like me, don't you? Why else would you go this far? There's no such thing as love or hatred without reason in this world."
"If that's the case, why won't you just tell me how you feel? If feelings like this aren't spoken out loud…"
"?"
Haru froze mid-thought, staring wide-eyed at the girl in front of him.
"You… why would you think that?"
Honestly, it wasn't like Haru had zero interest in her. Lillie was an incredibly cute girl, and he genuinely liked her personality.
If Lillie wanted to be with him, he'd be more than happy to oblige.
After all, men are such pitiful creatures. Haru had no intention of resisting this kind of temptation.
But… could he really just say yes? If he did, what about Lusamine?
It didn't feel right—not yet, anyway.
Otherwise it wouldn't just be him and Lillie "joining forces." It'd probably end with Lillie and Lusamine becoming allies too… in a rather different sense.
Damn it—this isn't the kind of "spiritual cultivation" I signed up for!
And on Lillie's side, hearing Haru's response left her stunned too.
Wait, hold up—
Had she gotten this totally wrong?
Maybe Haru didn't like her as much as she'd thought?
Had everything she just said… been completely delusional?
Assuming he loved her, then demanding that he confess his feelings, only to find out that wasn't the case at all—
I'm doomed! This is so embarrassing, so embarrassing, so embarrassing…
Lillie, what the hell are you doing?! Now you just look like a total fool!
At this point, there was only one thing to do—
"Uuu~"
Lillie completely lost it. She wanted to defend herself somehow, but anything she said would only make her look more ridiculous.
In the end, all she could do was clutch her head and let out a pitiful groan.
And Haru had no idea how to comfort her either. Was he really supposed to just go along with her words and "confess" right now?
Say something like "Actually, I've wanted to XYZ summon with you for a long time"?
Luckily, Lillie soon managed to pull herself together.
Shaking her head, her cheeks still pink with lingering embarrassment, she said:
"I was too forward… but Haru, you're just too kind. It's hard not to misunderstand."
Saying this, she covered her face and quickly took a few steps toward the bridge, as if trying to flee.
But then she stopped, turned back to face Haru, and said:
"But a girl in love won't give up. I'll make sure you truly fall for me, Haru!"
"This is my challenge to you—and I'm not going to lose!"
With that, Lillie tugged her hat down and bolted forward, as if trying to run off her embarrassment—leaving Haru frozen in place.
He simply stood there watching her retreating figure, completely unsure of what to say.
He had to admit: in that moment… he really was a little moved.
***************************
Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell