33: save4 Liu Lili's Confusion
"What a good girl~"
Lu Lele, having received her childhood friend's promise, seemed very happy. She patted Liu Lili's head, her eyes curved into smiling crescents, gentle as water.
Liu Lili quietly allowed Lu Lele to stroke her. Clearly, she knew that making Lu Lele happy was the most important thing at this moment. Even if her hair got tousled into a mess like a clump of weeds, it didn't matter at all.
Lu Lele didn't know how much of Liu Lili's promise was sincere. After all, in her previous attempt, Liu Lili had deceived her, which left Lu Lele both heartbroken and furious, and she would never fully trust Liu Lili's words again.
But even so, as long as Liu Lili acted obediently now, that was enough.
Lu Lele's heart was that easily satisfied. She already had everything she wanted. As long as Liu Lili was willing to be obedient, then Lu Lele would give her all to satisfy Liu Lili. Even plucking a star from the sky, if Liu Lili wanted it, Lu Lele would go to any lengths to get it.
Through prolonged roleplaying, Lu Lele had basically grasped the behavioral logic and inner core of her own self, simultaneously, that of the possessive type yandere.
Possessive type yanderes were extremely insecure. Once their beloved was not within reach, they would feel frantic and uneasy. Especially now, as Lu Lele's Acting Value frequently reached its peak, these symptoms had become very severe.
Even when she went out shopping while Liu Lili was unconscious, Lu Lele's mind was completely filled with Liu Lili. She kept worrying whether Liu Lili might wake up early, worrying from start to finish, only relaxing completely upon returning home.
The terror of the possessive type yandere lay in losing rationality during an episode, leading to actions that hurt their beloved. The root cause of these episodes was precisely this lack of security. As long as their need for security was satisfied, then the possessive type yandere would be the gentlest, most considerate partner in the world.
"Lili, I know you're still very afraid right now, but please, don't worry."
While stroking Liu Lili's head, Lu Lele spoke softly:
"Although I did some excessive things to you during the day, that was only because you weren't being good at all, actually thinking about running away. That is something I absolutely cannot accept, something that crosses my bottom line. At that time, I simply couldn't control my emotions, so I punished Lili in that way."
"But, as long as Lili promises to be good, to obediently stay with me, to obediently not think about escaping, then I absolutely, absolutely will not harm you. I promise."
"So, Lili, will you be good?"
After speaking, Lu Lele's gentle yet captivating eyes locked firmly onto her childhood friend's face.
This was the yandere's daily trial of love. Even though such a question seemed silly, it was very important to Lu Lele.
She was both eager and curious about Liu Lili's response.
"...Mm." Liu Lili remained silent for two seconds, then nodded.
"Just a simple 'mm' isn't enough."
Lu Lele seemed to feel Liu Lili was being somewhat perfunctory. Pouting slightly in dissatisfaction, she said capriciously and with a hint of punitive meaning:
"I want Lili to say to me personally, 'I will obediently listen to Lele. If I'm lying, I'm a puppy.' One hundred times!"
Liu Lili's face instantly turned bitter. She said softly:
"Lele, can the number be less..."
Lu Lele shook her head very firmly:
"No. I want to hear Lili say this one hundred times. Not one more, not one less."
A look of helplessness appeared in Liu Lili's eyes. She took a deep breath, then, with a hint of shame, complied.
After all, Liu Lili had previously repeated words that were even more damaging to her dignity. At least the phrase Lu Lele made her repeat this time wasn't as excessive as last time, though the number of repetitions required hadn't decreased.
This was, in a sense, a broken window effect. Once a bottom line had been trampled once, crossing that line again seemed to become an insignificant, unimportant matter.
"...I will obediently listen to Lele. If I'm lying, I'm a puppy..."
"I will obediently listen to Lele. If I'm lying, I'm a puppy."
"I will obediently listen to Lele. If I'm lying, I'm a puppy!"
Unconsciously, Liu Lili began treating the repetition of Lu Lele's designated phrase as an opportunity to vent her inner emotions, saying it louder and louder.
But Lu Lele didn't get angry either. As long as Liu Lili behaved as if she was following her command, Lu Lele wouldn't micromanage the specifics of the execution.
In fact, Lu Lele just wanted to hear Liu Lili say this phrase.
And one time wasn't enough. Lu Lele needed to hear it many, many times to feel satisfied, obtaining strange happiness from it again and again.
...
Time after time, Liu Lili's throat grew dry from speaking; time after time, Lu Lele listened happily, holding her face in her hands.
Finally, Liu Lili finished. Lu Lele smiled and handed her a drink to moisten her throat:
"Since Lili said it one hundred times, then I'll reluctantly believe Lili one more time."
While handing over the drink, Lu Lele also took the opportunity to gently kiss Liu Lili's cheek, smiling as she said:
"No matter what, Lili, I still love you. My love has never changed; it remains the same as always."
Liu Lili seemed to have grown accustomed to Lu Lele's occasional declarations of love. She simply leaned against Lu Lele's chest and happily drank the beverage. Then, rather boldly, she asked:
"Lele... how did you figure out back then that I wanted to escape?"
This was something Liu Lili was also very curious about. To this day, she still couldn't understand why Lu Lele's attitude had suddenly done a one hundred eighty degree turn at that time.
Lu Lele didn't get angry because Liu Lili asked this sensitive question. She answered seriously:
"Because Lili didn't react at all when I told you about the plan to live in Black Rose City."
Liu Lili couldn't help but be stunned:
"Was it really like that?"
"Of course."
The smile on Lu Lele's face grew deeper:
"If Lili was truly interested and wanted to participate, you would definitely join in and offer many of your own opinions, not just sit there quietly listening. When Lili usually reads shoujo manga, don't you have many of your own insights? But you didn't this afternoon."
"This made me have to start suspecting... that Lili who placed her hand in mine~"
Lu Lele placed her index finger on Liu Lili's soft neck, gently sliding it back and forth:
"Exactly... were you lying to me or not?"
Liu Lili swallowed her saliva, a deeper sense of fear appearing in her eyes as she looked at Lu Lele.
Actually, all of this was just Lu Lele's hindsight wisdom. In her last attempt, the lovestruck Lu Lele hadn't noticed anything at all. But reasoning backwards from the result, one could indeed explain it this way.
When facing something she was interested in, Liu Lili truly couldn't possibly stay completely silent, especially about a plan concerning her future fate.
But the current Liu Lili didn't know that Lu Lele had a cheat like save loading. She only thought Lu Lele had really discovered it through this detail, which was rather terrifying.