Alright—she let it slide.
When Haru heard Lillie say that, it felt like he had just been granted a royal pardon.
He knew it wasn't really over yet, but at least the worst hurdle had been cleared.
"Yeah… I know what I need to do. I'll make sure to give Mew a proper scolding."
He glanced at Lillie with a trace of worry.
"But... are you really okay? If there's anything—"
"Please leave."
"…Alright. Got it."
Seeing that the girl was determined, Haru could only stand up. With one last look at her—face flushed with a fury that made her resemble a longsword user who just whiffed their spinning finisher and broke their team's DPS chain—he slowly walked out of the room.
In any case, best to retreat for now… he'd talk things out with her once the storm passed.
---
Soft light glowed from an ornate crystal chandelier. Rose petals blanketed the plush carpet, and the gilded edges shimmered with embedded diamonds.
Paintings of ancient nobility and various Pokémon adorned the walls, and atop the grand bed lay silk sheets embroidered with delicate gold thread—elegant and lavish.
At the long table in the room, two girls—identical in hair color—sat facing off.
Yes, it was Lillie and… Lusamine.
The two of them were currently "peacefully discussing" matters regarding Haru.
"Why would you do something like that? Are you seriously that into a man you've only met once?"
"The Queen of Aether Paradise is really that starved?"
The slightly shorter girl's voice was cold and sharp.
Lusamine, seated across from her, simply shook her head. Her tone, oddly enough, was gentler than Lillie's.
"Lillie… I didn't expect you to say something like that."
"But I don't blame you. What happened is my fault."
...But I'd totally do it again.
Despite the apologetic words coming out of her mouth, Lusamine was already mentally adding that part.
"Then why him? There are so many good men in the world. Why'd you have to go for Haru of all people?"
Lillie's voice rose, emotion creeping into her words.
She wasn't just questioning Lusamine—she was questioning Iono, Lana, and every girl who seemed to circle around Haru like moths to a flame.
She couldn't figure it out. Why him? Was she really cursed to be some kind of natural-born cuckquean protagonist?
And the worst part? She couldn't even bring herself to do anything to Lusamine.
Not long ago, Lusamine had willingly taken her place to block an attack from an Ultra Beast in order to protect her.
She had to admit—Lusamine still cared about her.
But Lusamine just countered:
"Lillie, do you even understand filial piety?"
"I raised you without asking for anything in return, and now I just want a little happiness. Is that too much?"
"Besides, Haru didn't even belong to you back then. You were just too slow to make a move."
Lillie froze: "Excuse me, what did you just say?"
Seeing Lillie's mood turn, Lusamine instantly dropped into a dramatic kneel: "I confess! I was wrong!"
"But what's done is done. We can't change the past."
"All I can do now is… try to make it up to you."
And in all fairness, Lusamine did feel guilty.
When she saw Lillie's devastated expression earlier, she seriously considered cutting ties with Haru.
But right in the middle of that critical moment, her brain had the worst possible idea—one she absolutely should not have had at a time like this.
Now that Lillie was officially Haru's girlfriend, wouldn't doing those kinds of things with him be even more thrilling?
Cosplay? That's nothing. This was the real deal. Forbidden fruit, full immersion. The ultimate high.
"…I see."
At this point, Lillie had pretty much realized just how unreliable Lusamine really was.
She might regret things... but that didn't mean she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
This woman was hopeless. Completely and utterly hopeless.
But then again, why wasn't she surprised?
With a headache starting to throb, Lillie rubbed her temples and spoke again:
"I know this won't be easy, but I don't want to see you and Haru doing anything you shouldn't again."
"I will come check on you both. This isn't over."
So as long as I don't see anything, it's fine…?
Lusamine thought to herself, then instinctively replied, "Of course! Trust me, Lillie! I won't let you down this time."
Lillie didn't believe a single word of it.
Without another word, she turned and pushed open Lusamine's door, planning to go have a talk with the two girls whose "crimes" were the lightest.
Only… as she left, she spotted a girl in the distance with long pink hair.
Based on the "intel" she'd received from others, she immediately recognized who it was.
"…Mew? But weren't you locked up by Haru?"
"I'm pretty sure I told him to punish you, right? What are you doing here? Did you escape?"
The pink-haired girl spun in place, a suspicious blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Oh, that's just my clone! A substitute, you know."
"I would never run from Haru's punishment. No matter how urgent the situation, the real me is still back there, obediently enduring his... lashings."
"…So what do you want from me?"
Thanks to everything with Lusamine, Lillie's tolerance for Mew was paper thin.
If Mew hadn't stirred the pot, there was a very real chance Haru wouldn't have gotten involved with either Lusamine or Lana.
"To help you, obviously! I know you must be having a hard time, right? So here I am—your friendly neighborhood Mew, ready to lend a hand!"
"Took quite a bit of effort to prep this clone, you know."
"…What do you mean by that?"
Recalling Mew's previous "directorial" antics, Lillie instantly tensed up.
Was she seriously trying to set her up again? Did Mew just have it out for her or something?
"I'm talking about helping you punish my dear master—and Lusamine, and whoever else you want!"
"I promise you'll be satisfied."
"But before we get to that, I recommend taking a quick peek at how he's punishing me. You might find it… inspiring."
Mew's cheeks grew even redder, and who knows what exactly her real body was experiencing right now.
***************************
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