These Dangerous Girls Placed Me Into Jeopardy

"Well? Surprised? Bet you didn’t see this twist coming, did you?"

"I didn’t think I’d get such a perfect chance to turn the tables either—"

She laughed smugly, using her face, her voice, her body—everything she had stolen—to express her joy.

Stop it...

"I’ve been hiding in the shadows all this time, just planning ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) to escape the roundup later..."

"But I never expected such a nice little gift to show up right on my doorstep~"

Please... stop talking...

"Looks like there’s still some time left, so let’s enjoy this—"

"Shut the hell up!"

The voice cut off, just like that.

By the time I noticed, I had already shouted it out loud.

Even I didn’t expect myself to get that angry. Turns out, I really cared about her. I couldn’t stand seeing her make that face I hated, say those things I hated...

So when I saw Lillian Ji’s body being possessed by that ghost, I couldn’t hold back my emotions anymore.

"I... won’t let you just use her body however you want!!"

"...And what if you won’t let me? Once we possess someone, humans pretty much have no way of breaking free from us. Besides—"

"The dominant will in this body is mine. You think a human soul from District E could ever compete with me?!"

Ye Liusu threw his head back and shouted at the top of his lungs, venting all the pent-up resentment.

Lillian would never make that kind of face. Whether happy, angry, or sad, she’d always smile—graceful, no matter what.

She would probably smile even while sending me off...

Even if she had to kill me, she’d do it with that same elegant smile, you bastard!

So don’t you dare destroy the image I have of her!

"If I kill you right now, I bet this woman’s heart will collapse too."

"And then it’ll be even easier to control her."

Ye Liusu, emotionally worked up, flashed a crazed grin again. She clenched her fist tightly, teeth grinding as she growled:

"So... be a good boy and go die for me!"

Damn it—she charged with terrifying speed! My right shoulder was grabbed—crushed! I screamed in agony, lost my balance, and collapsed. Her right hand was already waiting, ready to strangle me to death!

But then, a silver light flared in the dim surroundings—Ye Liusu sensed the attack instantly and jumped back, dodging Snowy Jiang’s slash.

Snowy stepped in front of me, her white hair stained with blood, messy and tangled.

Ye Liusu looked a bit surprised—but then immediately scoffed and shouted:

"So what?! With that beat-up body of yours, there’s no way you’re a match for me!"

She didn’t even need a weapon—just using Lillian’s raw brute strength at full throttle was enough to overwhelm Snowy completely.

Even if Snowy’s blade could cut her skin, it was only shallow wounds you could barely see—whereas every one of Ye Liusu’s strikes could completely turn the tide.

Snowy’s military knife was knocked away. A sickening crack sounded from her left wrist—it twisted in the wrong direction.

Genius versus monster.

And the monster won.

All the technique in the world couldn’t make up for that overwhelming difference in physical strength. In front of that brute force, pure skill was meaningless.

But with me here to assist, things were different!

"Ye Liusu! I swear I’ll—"

"...You little bastard. You think your willpower alone is enough to stop me every time? Don’t be so naive!"

She paused for just a second when I called her—but then immediately snapped back, blocked Snowy’s downward slash, and turned to glare at me with fury.

She changed targets.

In a blur, she was right in front of me. Snowy reacted quickly and reached out to stop her—but was kicked away, flying backward. With a loud crash, the wall collapsed, and she was buried in rubble.

"Snowy!"

"Well? Doesn’t it piss you off? Your boyfriend’s two-timing you, making out with other women behind your back—"

"Why don’t I go ahead and punish your unfaithful boyfriend for you, hmm? Hehe~"

She walked over, grabbed me by the throat, and lifted me into the air.

I reached out with trembling hands, grasping at nothing.

Then came the impact—my face slammed hard.

I flew in a wide arc, several pearly-white teeth spinning through the air around me. My nose was probably broken—blood gushed uncontrollably from my nostrils.

That slap really... hurt like hell.

I nearly blacked out.

My consciousness barely held on. My vision spun wildly through half-lidded eyes. I didn’t even know where I was anymore.

I staggered to my feet, though I had no idea why. Maybe it was just instinct.

And then... she came over again, stood in front of me, and once more grabbed me by the neck.

"What’s wrong? That’s all you’ve got? Kind of pathetic, don’t you think? You’re just a human after all..."

...

Of course I’m human. What, you think I’m a ghost too? This is really getting on my nerves...

"I’m not going to kill you quickly. I’m going to take my time."

"I’ll break every single bone in your body, one by one. And once that’s done, I’ll dig out your heart while it’s still beating—wrap it up as a present."

"A birthday gift... for this body."

My heart? As a birthday gift...?

You really think so little of me.

I glared at her with contempt and said:

"Lillian would never... accept that kind of thing. You’d be better off leaving me in one piece. She’d like that more."

There it was. You lost your temper. Your expression dropped in an instant.

"...Still talking tough when you’re about to die, huh? Fine. I’ll make sure you can’t say another word."

She said it calmly—but anyone could tell her rage had maxed out.

And as expected, she raised her hand, lifted me until my feet were dangling off the ground—

And landed the most lethal strike of the day.

A brutal blow to the right side of my abdomen—right where the liver is.

Crack—several bones shattered all at once. My skeleton was screaming.

My body folded in half like a V. I couldn’t breathe.

What kind of power was that? It was like a giant hammer had driven through me.

The whole area was crushed! The air was squeezed out of my lungs, bursting from my mouth!

For a moment, the nausea drowned out every other sensation. I coughed and gagged, throat sweet with blood—vomited it out in a thick stream.

It sprayed all over Lillian’s chest.

...She was wearing an open-chest sweater today. Real pretty.

If only I had buried my face in it instead of puking into it... I’d probably be a lot happier right now...

My body couldn’t take any more. One more hit—hell, even half a hit—and I’d be dead.

...

Being a flirt comes with consequences...

But technically, I’m not even really a flirt, right? Me and—

Okay, fine. Can’t deny that.

If I hadn’t gotten involved with so many girls, would things have gone differently?

That’s right... I still haven’t...

Haven’t...

Given you your present yet...

Right after I said that, she suddenly let go of my neck.

"—"

I collapsed to the ground with a thud, dazed, looking up at her. She was clutching her head, face twisted in pain.

Her name was flickering!

The label was glitching—flickering back and forth between Ye Liusu and Lillian Ji. Even the title was changing, the final character smearing out into black, turning into utter chaos:

[Necrophiliac Killer■]

[Ye-Lian]

Lillian... she was fighting back!

And then, in a single instant, she seized control of her body again!

"...So this is what my body’s been doing while I was out. How disgraceful."

"You...! You actually managed to come out again?!"

"Of course I did. You beat Ethan into that state—completely broke my aesthetic. You think I could just sit back and let that happen?"

"You should’ve just surrendered the body to me! A mere human—how dare you defy me!"

"Heh... What even are you? Some nobody dares to interfere with my affairs? Only I get to kill Ethan. Who gave you the right to act on your own?"

Their titles flickered violently, both sides fighting for control of the body. In the end, Lillian barely gained the upper hand and forced Ye Liusu back—for now.

Just then, black mist slithered from the shadows, coiling around Lillian’s body and locking her in place.

"Ethan..."

"You’ll come save me, won’t you?"

She said it as a statement, not a question. Didn’t give me the option to say no...

You’re really putting me on the spot here, Miss.

But it also means she trusts me. She believes I can drive out the killer’s possession and escape this hell.

Just like last time.

"Just like last time—" she echoed my thoughts.

She said it aloud, stealing my line. What else could I say after that?

"No problem. Leave it to me."

This was a perfect chance to make up for everything. Of course I’d say yes.

"Then I’ll be waiting... heheh..."

"Ugh! Why the hell are there still two separate consciousnesses in this body?! Stop interfering!"

"No! I won’t let a meanie like you hurt Ethan anymore!"

That was Soft Lillian at the end, wasn’t it...? Holding Ye Liusu back—probably buying me as much time as she could.

I needed to use that time well.

My leg... was probably broken...

I limped toward the collapsed wall of rubble, thinking of my last resort.

Was it truly impossible to break a possession?

Of course not.

There was one way to drive that ghost out of Lillian’s body...

But slapping the exorcism talisman directly on her would be suicide.

I needed to make her drop her guard.

With that in mind, I turned to the half-buried figure stuck in the collapsed wall—her blue-and-white panties completely exposed—and called out:

"Snowy... can you move?"

...

No answer right away.

But her body responded.

Snowy pulled herself out of the rubble and dusted herself off. Her voice was hoarse but steady.

"I can."

"Good. Get ready—"

"I’m going to take Lillian back."

...

She didn’t answer immediately.

But her body reacted right away.

Snowy pulled herself out from the rubble and brushed the dust off her clothes.

Her voice was hoarse as she replied:

"...I can."

"Good. Get ready."

"I’m going to take Lillian back."