Lilith's eyes were filled with disappointment.

Her heart had a thousand words to say, but she couldn't express them.

In a daze, she remembered once asking a certain jerk:

"If I'm a bad woman, will you dislike me?"

At that time he said: "I only hope you won't regret your choices in the future."

Thinking of this, Lilith took a deep breath and said hoarsely:

"Maybe apologizing just makes me feel better; it's normal for you to think this way... I'm sorry, all along, I've been selfish and self-centered...

If you still feel awkward, you don't have to struggle. After all... my time left at school isn't much.

When I've transitioned the work, you won't have to worry anymore.

I'm sorry for not handling my emotions well before."

Fratiss stood there dumbfounded, her feelings too complicated to articulate.

"...It's only now that you say these things; what do you want me to do? I... back then... after that incident, I've never understood why you treated me like that...

The sadder part is that despite hating you and blaming you relentlessly... yet... yet...!"

Fratiss's face showed a pained expression.

"I hated you so much, yet foolishly hoped to perform with senior again."

Lilith's vacant eyes slightly widened as she looked at the crying girl.

From the shade beneath the trees, she watched Fratiss's thin back tremble slightly.

The faint light of fluorescent algae clung to her hair, like scattered diamonds.

"You're always like this... but why am I so unwilling to accept it..."

In a daze.

Lilith recalled the days not long after the two first met.

This girl who often snuck food really caught her attention.

She said, "Senior, senior, how should I handle this part?"

She said, "Senior, shouldn't we accelerate the plot?"

She said, "Senior, stop drinking coffee, it's bad for your health."

She said, "I really look forward to performing with senior. Will I be the lead in senior's Fantasy Show?"

She said, "You truly are impressive, senior. Could you look over this part again for me?"

Scenes from the past echoed in her mind.

Suddenly, Fratiss turned around, her skirt brushed against the surrounding bushes, making a piercing sound.

Her reddened eyes stared dazedly at Lilith.

The next moment.

Lilith stepped forward and embraced her.

She clutched the silver-edged sleeve tightly, looking at Fratiss's pale face, a tear seeped into the sheer fabric, sending a needle-like chill up her spine.

"I'm sorry, Fratiss... I'm truly sorry...!"

"It's all my fault, I'm truly sorry...!"

Fratiss's crying turned into an animal-like whimper; she suddenly clutched Lilith's open collar, pressing her forehead heavily against the hair swirl on the other's head:

"You always... when I'm about to give up, you give me that damned hope again..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Big dummy! So why did you treat me like that back then... what did I do wrong...?"

"I'm sorry!"

"You must have seen that I liked you a lot and bullied me because of it."

"I'm sorry...!"

[I hate the relationship between us, do I want to go back to the past?]

[But do I, who haven't spoken up until now, have the right to go back to the past?]

"I'm leaving..."

Fratiss slowly widened the distance from Lilith, turning to walk toward the camp.

But after taking a few steps, she stopped, back facing Lilith and said:

"...Also, please control that bad temper of yours...! Even I get angry, so why do you think others will just willingly tolerate it!

If you treat me like this again next time... I'll..."

Fratiss turned her head, tears welling, and shouted loudly:

"I'll bash your head!"

Lilith: "...You can't beat me."

"Then I'll have Chloe hit you!"

Watching the little foodie swiftly run away, she was left in place, in a daze.

...

In the corridor.

Chloe leaned against the corner, eating bread bite by bite.

He hadn't eaten much just now.

The situation between those two always made him a bit worried.

When he came back to reality, everyone else had basically finished fighting.

As he was about to have an extra meal, he suddenly saw Fratiss appear in front of him.

"Hmm?"

The little foodie is back?

"What happened, your eyes are red."

Chloe said, pretending not to know.

Fratiss hurriedly wiped her eyes.

"Did you just go out?"

"Mm." Fratiss said, "I... I went to say something to Lilith senior..."

"Oh..."

The little foodie hesitated, wanting to go back to rest.

But after a moment, she obediently squatted down beside Chloe.

"What's up?"

"I... I want to wait a bit before going in."

Chloe smiled and said:

"You're right; if you go in now, the seniors will be super excited and ask who made you cry."

"Mm."

Just admitted that, huh.

Looks like the little foodie is quite emotional.

"Senior, do you remember last time when I asked senior to apologize to me..."

Chloe turned to look at her:

"I remember."

"Senior just apologized to me, although I already had a hunch she was calling me out to apologize.

But when I actually heard it, my mind went blank, and I even got angry with her."

Chloe tried hard to think how Fratiss would act out.

Ultimately, he could only picture the little foodie with a flushed face, clenching her fist, stammering:

"You... big jerk!"

Pfft.

Such a scene, just thinking about it is so amusing.

Watching the little foodie cry really gives you the urge to bully her.

"If I say she's bullying me, I'll smash her head."

"...You can't beat her."

"Hmph, she says so too, so I told you to help me beat her."

Chloe's pupils trembled.

Oh, dear.

Lilith, look at what you've done.

This little dummy has come to seek my help.

But... does Fratiss still retain some of Kasha's feelings?

Instinctively seeking him out when bullied?

Fratiss said gloomily:

"... Shouldn't I be angry?"

"That's inevitable, I guess, after all, you were indeed bullied."

He silently recited in his heart:

[Although it wasn't Lilith's intention]

But Chloe still said:

"Are you unsatisfied with her apology?"

"...Not really."

Fratiss curled up her legs like a small beast, sulking as she said:

"I was just thinking, if she'd apologized sooner, if she'd said sorry about the past on her own initiative, what would have happened?"

"..."

"Would I have been happier?"

"..."

"Would we have gone back to the way things were?"

"Do you want to forgive her?"

"A little bit, not much, four-fifths? Three-quarters? Half? No, maybe just one-tenth after all!"

"Hahaha!"

Chloe couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Senior, don't laugh, this is a serious matter."

Seeing Chloe laugh so happily, Fratiss's face started to flush.

Clearly, it was because she trusted him that she came to talk about this, but instead, it made her angry.

Chloe reassuringly patted Fratiss's head and said:

"I understand why you're so upset."

"Hmm?"

"If the other party is insignificant, when they hurt you, you wouldn't have much emotional fluctuation."

"Is, is that so?"

"In my hometown, traitors are sometimes more hateful than enemies, and as the traitor's relationship with you gets closer, the anger that arises after betrayal will only increase exponentially."

You have to know that, in China, some traitors are indeed more hateful than enemies.

The closer the relationship, the more accurately a traitor's backstab can hit the vital points when it happens.

"You... really like Lilith, don't you?" Chloe ruffled Fratiss's hair.

Fratiss didn't reply, but she also didn't resist:

"That's why you feel, even though she apologized, because it took so long for her to say it, the anger in your heart is hard to dissipate.

But even then, after hearing her words, you still struggle, trying to find a reason to forgive her.

So I think you're pretty amazing.

If it were me, at the moment of betrayal, I might have directly acted first."

Indeed.

Chloe is someone who, compared to enemies, finds traitors more intolerable.

Especially since he likes to get close to people.

Once backstabbed, he would undoubtedly suffer severe losses.

Perhaps, after Chloe's sorting, Fratiss's emotions gradually stabilized, and she said somewhat despondently:

"Is that really the case? Thinking about it carefully, if it were someone else, it wouldn't have been that painful, but it's precisely Lilith who treated me best...

Wanting to forgive her, but unable to get over this psychological hurdle.

Even feeling betrayed, hating her to death, still wanting to make up with her."

"Isn't that even more commendable? You really have a heart of steel."

Fratiss looked at Chloe blankly, feeling suddenly much more at ease inside.

She placed her hand on her chest, and after a long time, suddenly said:

"Then..."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing."

The little foodie swallowed back the words she was about to say, [Will you side with me, senior?].

"I wonder if she's also troubled like I am, thinking about what to do?"

Chloe smiled and said:

"She didn't mean to bully you either, you should be able to guess and guess right."

"Maybe."

"From what I know of her, she's probably hiding in a corner, crying secretly like you."

"Then I hope she cries louder," Fratiss turned her head and smiled, "Hehe, am I very bad."

"Haha."

"I still haven't figured out what I truly want, but thanks to you, senior, I finally feel at peace now."

"Go inside and rest."

"Okay, I'll go first, and you should also go back and rest soon, senior."

"Wait..."

"Hmm?"

"There are some things that can't be said, but you can ask Senior Laura."

"Senior Laura?"

"Yes."

The little foodie looked thoughtful.

...

In the girls' rest area.

Laura looked up and saw the little foodie standing before her.

"Oh? Fratiss, you're back? Wait, why are the corners of your eyes red?"

"Eyes, some sand accidentally got in."

Fratiss pulled Laura over and said:

"Senior, can I ask you something?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.