Chapter 154: She Is A Gone Case Chapter 154: She Is A Gone Case Leo opened his eyes, only to be met with total darkness. "Huh? Where am I—" he muttered, his voice rough with grogginess. Instinctively, he extended his senses. A moment later, he realized there was no immediate danger around him and let out a slow breath of relief. He tried to move. Nothing. Only then did it register—his arms and legs were bound tightly to a chair. His wrists and ankles were secured with rope, and a blindfold covered his eyes, shutting out what little light there might have been. "What the hell?" he muttered again. Strangely, he wasn’t panicking. His body felt unharmed, almost relaxed. There was a faint warmth in the air, a comfortable ambience that made the situation feel unsettlingly calm rather than threatening. He considered freeing himself. The ropes weren’t particularly strong, and the chair itself felt flimsy enough that he could probably snap both with a bit of force. But just as he was about to exert himself, he heard footsteps approaching. Bare feet. They made soft plat sounds against the floor as they drew closer. "...Lily?" Leo spoke up cautiously. He recognized them instantly. Even without sight, he could feel her presence standing before him. "Leo~ You’re finally awake." Her voice was gentle, almost affectionate. Yet it sent a chill down his spine. What the heck? What happened? he thought, tension creeping into his chest. "Um... Lily, where am I?" he asked carefully. "With me," she replied softly. "In a safe place. No one will harm you here." As she spoke, she moved closer, stopping directly in front of him. He could sense her standing just inches away. Ah—fuck that demon bastard. He really had to hurt me in front of her, Leo cursed inwardly. In his previous world, Leo had done a ridiculous amount of research on yanderes—half out of curiosity, half because he’d once thought he actually wanted one. Because of that, he knew exactly what they craved. Love. An overwhelming, consuming amount of it. Deny them that love, and their thoughts twisted into delusion. If something threatened it—anything—their minds narrowed to a single conclusion. Eliminate the variable. It didn’t matter whether the obstacle was another person... or even their beloved themselves. In their eyes, everything they did was for the sake of love. Leo had been extremely careful with Lily’s yandere tendencies. He showered her with affection, attention, reassurance—so much so that the darker side of her persona practically vanished. What remained was a sweet, loving and caring Lily. And Leo genuinely liked that version of her the most. Seeing her cute, soft side always warmed something deep inside him. So what went wrong this time? The answer was obvious. The demon. It had threatened her love by severely harming Leo, almost killing him—right in front of her. And now, in Lily’s mind, what was the safest way to ensure such a thing never happened again? Neither of them was strong enough yet to deal with monsters like that demon. So the only solution she could arrive at was simple. Hide Leo. Keep him somewhere safe until she became powerful enough to protect him from anything. "What do you mean, Lily?" Leo asked, already guessing where this was headed as he quietly planned his next moves. "It’s simple," she said cheerfully. "If I lock you up somewhere safe, no one will ever be able to harm you again. And you’ll be forever with me." She leaned closer. "Don’t worry, Leo. I’ll make sure you grow stronger too. Then we can be together until the end of time—no... even after the end of time~" Her face drew near his, and before he could respond, her lips pressed softly against his. Leo didn’t resist. He kissed her back just as eagerly, the kiss deepening as seconds stretched into nearly a full minute. After being pent up for almost an entire month, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was about to burst. The moment Lily kissed him, his body reacted instinctively, heat pooling low as he grew rock hard, the outline clearly visible beneath the soft fabric of his pants. Still, he forced himself to restrain his urges. If he slipped up now, if he let things spiral out of control, he might really end up locked away—especially if Lily ever grew stronger than him. "Um~? You want me, Leo... don’t you?" she whispered, her hand already moving down to wrap around his member. The contact sent a sharp jolt through his entire body. "So cute," she giggled softly. "I love your reactions so much. Don’t worry... I’ll take care of you soon enough~" With that, she stepped away. He heard her moving around the room before she returned, something held carefully in her hands. "Here," she said sweetly. "You must be hungry, right? I made this for you. Say ahh~" Leo complied, opening his mouth as she fed him a spoonful of warm porridge. The rich aroma filled his senses, and the taste was unexpectedly comforting. His brow lifted in surprise. "How is it?" Lily asked eagerly. "It’s really delicious," he admitted honestly. Despite the situation, he found himself genuinely enjoying it. Part of him was curious—just how far would this go? She giggled again, clearly pleased, and continued feeding him by hand until the bowl was completely empty. "You want more?" she asked. "No, I’m full," he replied. "But now... may I ask why I’m like this?" Her expression immediately darkened into a frown. "Didn’t I already tell you?" she said. "I’m keeping you safe." "How exactly?" Leo asked. "I’ll hide you until I’m strong enough to protect you wherever you go," she said proudly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "And what about me?" he pressed. "As I said, I’ll make sure you’re strong enough to defend yourself when I’m not around," she replied. "No," Leo said gently. "Not that. What about my happiness?" "Huh?" Her voice wavered. "Are you... not happy with me?" "No," he said immediately. "You’re my most precious thing, Lily. There’s no doubt about that." Her eyes lit up at his words. "But," he continued softly, "do you really think I’d be happy watching you overwork yourself just for my sake while I sit around doing nothing? Why would that make me happy? Shouldn’t we grow stronger together... and be there for each other when it really matters?" "B-but I’m fine!" she protested, her voice trembling. "I’m fine working hard for you. It’s always been like that... ever since our parents died..." Her gaze dropped, shadows crossing her face as old memories surfaced. ...Huh? Am I missing some memories?