These Dangerous Girls Placed Me Into Jeopardy

After school that day.

Yawning, I walked toward the library in the general building.

Even though Lillian Ji had said we’d go home together tonight, I had evening study hall, so she went home first.

I’d finally gotten away from that lunatic. Which meant today had passed safely.

It was Friday, which meant tomorrow and the day after were the weekend. If everything went well, I wouldn’t have to see Lillian Ji again until Monday. Then, if she kept her word, she’d give me the photos back... assuming she didn’t go back on it.

It was a gamble with no real guarantee, but I felt like Lillian Ji was the kind of person who would keep her word—not because she’s trustworthy, but because she exudes that absolute, unshakable confidence.

Probably because she’s convinced she’ll end up killing me anyway.

So even though the weekend was coming, I couldn’t afford to relax. If I could, I’d try to stick close to family.

I pushed open the library doors and reflexively called out:

“Ms. Yang, I came to pick up my uniform—uh...”

“Ah...!”

Bang!

Not “Ms. Yang”—Lily let out a soft cry and slammed her forehead into the desk with a loud thud. That looked like it really hurt...

“Nngh! I told you not to call me teacher!”

Red in the face, Lily lifted her head and clutched her forehead, scolding me in a pouty voice.

“Uh, sorry. Habit, I guess... It’s just, as a student, I’m supposed to call you ‘teacher’...”

Bang!

Again!

Tears welled at the corners of Lily’s eyes. She puffed up her cheeks and glared at me like a sulking child.

“Ugh! You! Jerk! I’m never talking to you again!”

Bang!

Looks like that sentence also violated the contract—Lily triggered her own magical backlash again.

“Uh...”

So ‘teacher’ really has become a completely forbidden word. But I’d gotten so used to calling her Ms. Yang, I couldn’t just switch to her given name like that. I could catch myself when I was conscious of it, but sometimes it just slipped out.

Wasn’t there anything I could call her instead?

“Haaah... Seriously! Hurry up and get used to calling me by my name already! Here, your uniform—I’ve fixed it.”

Lily sighed, pressing a hand to her chest as she calmed down, her expression returning to normal. She pulled a repaired school uniform out of a paper bag and handed it to me.

I didn’t take it right away. Instead, I rubbed my chin, raised an eyebrow at her, and tried calling her something else, experimentally:

“Miss Yang?”

“Yaaah!”

“Director Yang?”

“Ngh!”

“Miss Lily?”

“Ah!”

“Lily-nee?”

“Mmph...”

After cycling through the options, I noticed something: the more respectful the title, the stronger the contract backlash. But when I tried something a little more affectionate, like “Lily-nee,” the reaction was much weaker.

“...Haa...haa...”

Lily was collapsed on the desk, flushed and soaked in sweat, trembling faintly as she panted for breath. Drool dribbled from the corner of her mouth, sticking to a few strands of hair, which were now damp and disheveled.

In short—she was completely wrecked.

“Cheng-kun! What the hell are you doing?!”

“Just testing. Based on your reactions, ‘Lily-nee’ seems to cause the least trouble. I mean, yeah, calling you ‘big sister’ is kinda weird, but it’s still better than using your name outright. So I’ll just go with ‘Lily-nee’ from now on.”

“Cheng-kun... You really have zero regard for other people’s feelings, huh... I’m going to wash my face. You’ve made a total mess of me.”

Sighing, Lily took off her glasses and stepped out from behind the desk.

And that’s when I noticed... there were tears in the corners of her eyes.

Great. I made the teacher cry again.

...

After evening self-study, I stayed behind in the library, mopping the floors in silence. Lily had gone home only after changing into a tracksuit. The entire evening session, she stared at me with pure resentment, making my scalp tingle.

I’d wanted to ask her some questions, but after all that, there was no real chance to talk.

As punishment, I helped organize the books and documents. By the time I finished, it was nearly 10 p.m.

Ugh... what a crappy mood.

Strange things kept happening these past two days. It felt like my whole life had flipped upside down.

There wasn’t any smog in this city. When I looked up, I could still see stars in the sky.

And also... smooth, pale legs.

“Good evening, Cheng-kun.”

I stared dumbly, mouth agape. That voice came from somewhere above me.

She was sitting high up on the rain canopy at the main entrance of the general building, legs swinging playfully. Her long chestnut hair shimmered in the starlight, swaying gently in the breeze. Her fair, dewy skin still glowed in the night. She tilted her head ever so slightly, watching me with a soft smile on her elegant face.

She was facing me... but I couldn’t see her face.

No—not that I couldn’t see her face. It was more like... I could only see her smiling lips.

Everything else was hazy, like looking at someone from far away. But for some reason, that chilling smile stood out perfectly clearly—like one of those urban legend ghost girls with a slit mouth.

The only difference was that I didn’t feel scared at all. Even with just a smile, she was so beautiful... If I died at her hands, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad...

Suddenly, clarity jolted through my brain, snapping me out of that trance. A wave of dread washed over me.

What the hell was I just thinking?! I actually thought dying for her would be fine?!

I shook my head furiously, forcing myself to focus.

This time, I finally managed to see her entire face clearly.

Her calm expression radiated confidence, an innate aura of pride. The way she stared at me was filled with obsession.

Her title’s color had changed—a deep, unnatural purple I had never seen before.

Ominous. Abnormal.

And beyond the suffocating killing intent... there was something ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) else buried within it.

“What are you doing here?”

“I told you at lunch, remember? ‘Let’s go home together tonight, Cheng-kun.’ That’s why I waited here for you all this time.”

“Well... that’s awfully thoughtful of you.”

“It’s my duty. After all, I am your girlfriend.”

Girlfriend, huh...

That fake relationship was the only thing connecting me and Lillian Ji. There wasn’t an ounce of real trust between us.

“Um, just to be clear, when you said ‘go home,’ you meant each of us go to our own homes, right?”

“Obviously we’re going to my home.” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Yeah... figured as much.

Once we were alone—once there were no more eyes on us—she dropped the mask. In this deserted school, she revealed her true face.

“Cheng-kun, I really want to keep your corpse. Would you be willing to die for me?”

“...I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”

“Then you’d better run. If I catch you... you’ll die, okay?”

Was that a warning? Or a last flicker of conscience?

Maybe just a tease...

“I’m not really a fan of weapons, you know. They damage the body too much. So I’ll strangle you gently, with my own hands.”

Her voice was light and airy—like she was talking about a toy. Not a person.

“Ah, they say people experience a kind of suffocation euphoria while being choked. So why don’t you come test that out for yourself, Cheng-kun? Hehehehe~”

Ah... I was such a damn fool.

She wasn’t joking.

Only now did I realize how naive I’d been.

I told myself not to lower my guard. Told myself to be wary of Lillian Ji.

But deep down, I’d still been clinging to foolish hopes.

She wouldn’t really kill me, would she? She wouldn’t actually dare to go that far. Maybe she’s just messing with me.

Those kinds of thoughts had still been lurking in my heart, giving me a false sense of reassurance.

And now, all of those illusions collapsed.

The ‘normal’ in my life was draining away quietly, and the ‘abnormal’ was waiting for me with open arms.

“Shit!”

I turned and sprinted for the academic building, slamming the doors open and rushing inside.

I didn’t even realize I’d picked the worst possible route for an escape—all I could think about was getting away from Lillian Ji.

And so, late at night, I found myself playing a deadly game of hide-and-seek in the school building.

A game filled with murderous intent, possessiveness, regret, and terror.