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Lilly Is Just Too Sweet____________________________

"I'm home," Lilly calls out as she steps through the door, her voice cheerful yet routine. She doesn't have to announce her arrival every time—it's not like we're Japanese. Wait, are we? Hell if I knew the genetic habits of the old user of this body.

But right now, Lilly's impeccable timing is more of an inconvenience. I've got two guests—one with a bruised arm and the other sitting across from me on our battered couch, her silence drilling a hole through my skull.

Lilly's bag drops to the floor, the sound like a tear from a woman, while her jaw follows suit. Her gaze locks onto Sohee first, polite confusion forming, then shifts to Mei, the one with the trembling hands. There's a pause when her eyes drop to their chests. Let's just say Lilly's lack of physical attributes compared to the two girls isn't helping the situation.

Sohee turns to her with a sheepish grin. "Sorry for barging in like this, Lilly."

Lilly waves a hand, trying to regain composure, though her face flushes as she stammers, "N-no, Sohee-nim, it's fine, really. It's just… uh, two? Isn't that a bit… much?"

Mei bows her head slightly. "I—I'm Mei. Thank you for letting us stay for a while."

My sister's eyes flicker back to me with a look that could melt steel. Oh, I'm in for it later.

Lilly doesn't say anything to me, though. Instead, she releases a long sigh, kicks off her sneakers, and darts into the kitchen, her feet barely making a sound on the wooden floor.

Sohee's brows knit in concern. "Is Lilly okay?"

I shrug. "Hard to say."

Mei curls into herself, clearly thinking this is all her fault. Her lips tremble, and she pulls her sleeves down, probably wishing she could disappear.

"I'll be back," I mutter, rising to follow Lilly into the kitchen, leaving the two girls to marinate in the awkward tension.

In the kitchen, I find Lilly rifling through the cabinets like a pirate searching for buried treasure. A glass jug stands proudly on the counter, next to two mismatched glasses. She hears me approach and spins around, eyes wide. "Where's the sugar?"

I blink. "You mean me?"

"Not. Funny." Her glare could freeze over the sun. "I'm trying to make juice."

"Juice? Since when do you make juice?"

Lilly huffs, slamming a drawer shut. "I don't. It's just orange drink." She holds up a cheap bottle of store-bought juice. Classy.

"Why do you need sugar then?" I ask, eyeing the jug. "It's already sweet."

Her eyes narrow as she grabs the sugar container from the counter. "Because the sweeter something is, the better. Duh."

I place a hand over hers, stopping her mid-pour. "You sure about that? They're probably fine with it as is. And... too much sugar can give you di...diebetes?"

Her expression shifts from annoyance to pure disappointment. "Diabetes," she corrects me flatly.

I shrug. "Close enough."

Lilly stares at me for a long second, her expression softening ever so slightly. "Are you… doing okay?" she asks, her voice barely above a whisper. But before I can answer, she catches herself, shakes her head, and goes back to pouring sugar into the jug.

Too late to stop her now. I just stand there, watching her turn the already questionable drink into a sugary death trap.

"Two glasses?" I ask, pointing at the tray.

She doesn't bother looking at me. "I'm not staying to entertain your harem. I've got homework."

I smirk. "Why not three?" Like, for me?

She shoots me a deadly glare, "Get your own damn cup."

I watch as she hoists the tray and walks toward the living room. A small part of me considers knocking the whole thing over, saving Sohee and Mei from certain sugar overdose. But then again, maybe Mei deserves it after the whole arm-breaking incident.

I linger in the kitchen while Lilly delivers her sugary offering. Through the doorway, I catch snippets of polite conversation—school, studying, typical safe topics. They're trying so hard to pretend this isn't weird. I hear Lilly laugh nervously, then her footsteps as she retreats back into the kitchen, tray empty.

"Why are you still here?" she snaps at me, her face flushed. "Seriously, our parents would be so disappointed in you."

I raise an eyebrow. "Disappointed? Please. With the quality of my guests, I think they'd be thrilled."

"Wh—how?" Her face contorts in disbelief.

I shrug, glancing toward the living room. "Imagine the grandkids."

Lilly recoils like I just slapped her. "Ew, gross! Don't even joke about that!"

She lowers her voice to a hiss, glaring at me. "One of them broke her friend's arm, and the other is... way too young for you!"

"Lily, are you jealous?"

Lilly's face turns crimson. "Idiot! I'm not jealous, but if you think for one second that—"

"Miss Big Fan," I say, cutting her off. She knows I'm teasing, but it still gets under her skin.

"Fuck you," she spits, storming out of the kitchen. The door slams behind her, shaking the walls slightly.

Well, that's one way to kick someone's soft spot. Wasn't even trying.

I head back into the living room, where Sohee greets me with a wry smile, the tension still lingering in the air like a bad smell.

"Is... is it because of us?" she asks softly, concern in her voice.

Mei looks up, biting her lip, clearly afraid the whole scene is her fault.

They probably heard Lily.

"Nah," I reassure them with a lazy wave of my hand. "That's just our everyday life. Don't let it bother you."

Both girls exhale in relief. Sohee's hand reaches for the glass of orange death Lilly just made.

"Oh, Sohee, wait—" I start, but it's too late.

She takes a long sip.

Poor Sohee.