“That’s right, you said you wouldn’t run away anymore, remember?”

The irritating voice echoed in my mind. Yes, I did say that. I did, but still!

“Lily, if you truly don’t want this, I won’t hold you back. But if you’re only running away because you’re embarrassed and flustered, then I can’t let you go.”

With those words, I couldn’t pull my hand away. After hesitating for a long while, clenching and unclenching my fists, I finally took a deep breath and nodded.

“I, I won’t run away. So, please, your hand…hah.”

I had asked him to let go, but instead, Odil interlocked our fingers. His firm hand gently enveloped mine as he stepped closer. I couldn’t even lift my face, and his low laughter filled my ears.

“Until now, I thought you were running away because you truly disliked it.”

He was too close. There had been times when he was even closer, but still, it felt too close.

“But that wasn’t the case, was it?”

I squeezed my eyes shut. From the corner of my vision, I could see his hair shimmering transparently, maybe he was lowering his head. My eyelids and lips trembled.

“….Odil, you don’t usually act like this.”

“I want to be like this with you.”

“That’s, that’s not what I meant. You don’t usually say things like this! You’re usually so harsh…”

“When I say the same things, you say, ‘He’s actually kind.'”

His voice, tinged with amusement, was exactly what I had expected. As the tension in my rigid body melted away, Odil gently pulled me back to the sofa. The difference now was that he was sitting beside me instead of across from me.

“….You didn’t say anything hurtful.”

“I was only being honest. Even in the dream yesterday, didn’t I show you through my actions that I didn’t care what you did?”

“Well… yes. But it feels strange to hear that and still feel happy.”

“I hope you understand that my feelings are deep enough to want to stay by your side despite everything.”

“….Odil, you say such things with such a straight face. It really doesn’t suit you.”

“I’m actually trying to emulate Endymion quite a bit. Lily, it might not be as easy as it sounds, but I hope you can feel more comfortable around us… like you are with Damian and Regulus.”

His words flowed smoothly until he hesitated, causing me to blink in surprise.

Earlier, he mentioned that we had become close, and now he was implying the same thing. I recalled Damian laughing about how our relationship had improved. Though the phrase felt awkward, it was true that, in a way, they were the ones I felt most comfortable with.

“Odil, do you really want me to treat you like I do Damian or Regulus?”

“Damian’s straightforward nature made it easy to get close to him quickly, but sometimes I feel envious of that.”

“Envious? Of what?”

Had I ever acted overly familiar with Damian in front of the other commanders? I couldn’t recall. As I tilted my head in confusion, Odil, his face slightly flushed, cleared his throat. He then spoke hesitantly, as if embarrassed.

“The way you address them…like so.”

“What?”

“You call them by their names so comfortably… Damian and Regulus.”

His trailing words and averted gaze made me feel embarrassed too. Using different forms of address wasn’t necessarily a sign of intimacy.

“Regulus asked me to. He’s younger and said he’d prefer being called by his name rather than ‘Commander.’ And Damian… well, honestly, his behavior is so annoying that I never felt the need to address him respectfully.”

I felt awkward even saying it. It made sense for Regulus, but imagining calling Damian ‘Damian’ was chilling. Odil, who had been looking elsewhere, tilted his head and met my eyes.

“Then Lily, I want you to call me casually. Just my name.”

“What? I do that sometimes.”

“Not just sometimes. I want you to do it all the time.”

Using a familiar form of address wasn’t difficult. After all, I called Regulus and Damian ‘Commander’ in front of others, so it wasn’t confusing. But the way Odil looked at me, filled with anticipation, made me feel uneasy as I nodded.

“Odil?”

I had no issues with it, but Odil, despite making the request, couldn’t hide his unbearable embarrassment. So much so that his expression made my own face flush red.

“If you’re going to be so embarrassed, you shouldn’t have asked in the first place.”

“…Sorry. For now, let’s just leave it as it is.”

When I nodded, he slightly pulled his lips into a smile. My mind was still chaotic and confused, but I felt a sense of things slowly falling into place.

“Thank you. I feel like I’ve sorted things out a bit. I, um, I won’t run away anymore. Probably.”

“It’s okay. If you run away again, I’ll come after you.”

No, I don’t want you to chase me, that’s why I won’t run away.

Sighing at the cheerful voice that came when I least expected it, I nodded. After all, it was because of Lilith’s constant prodding that I could finally speak up. As I felt my racing heart calm down, Odil spoke again.

“But Lily, I’m sorry to bring this up now, but about your grandmother…”

“Oh, yes.”

“The reason I mentioned having a disturbing dream was because I saw you and her crying. It was fragmented, as dreams often are, and towards the end, I couldn’t hear anything. But it seemed like you were arguing.”

He couldn’t hear anything? Did that mean he hadn’t heard my grandmother saying that she had stayed in my body, causing me to become a succubus? Now that I thought about it, Damian and Regulus hadn’t mentioned it either.

Earlier, I was too overwhelmed to think clearly, but now it was evident.

Damian and Regulus were not the kind of people to ignore the truth just to hear what they wanted. They understood that I hadn’t chosen to become this way out of my own will.

“Well, it wasn’t really an argument…”

I didn’t know what to say. The situation was too complicated, and honestly, being a succubus no longer felt as horrible as it used to. Part of me didn’t want to blindly blame my grandmother.

As I furrowed my brow, revealing my complex emotions, Odil placed a hand on my head.

“Even though I only saw her briefly in the dream, it was clear that your grandmother worries about and loves you deeply.”

“…Really?”

“From what I gathered, it seemed like she might have done something wrong to you. Is that true? If it is, I understand it’s a family matter, so I won’t speak out of turn. But Lily, didn’t you give us a chance too?”

“Oh, but I wouldn’t really call that giving a chance…”

“Still, thanks to you, it brought us to where we are now. I hope you’ll think it over carefully and make the right decision. If you need someone to talk to, I’m always here for you. It’s been quite some time, we should go get something to eat. You probably skipped breakfast, and if you remember, you didn’t eat dinner last night either.”

“Ah, yes. But Odil, we didn’t get any work done today.”

“That’s alright. This was more valuable than work.”

“…I agree. Just deciding not to run away anymore makes me feel content.”

“Is that so?”

My grandmother had said she wanted to talk to me. Whatever the Pope had told her, I hoped Grandmother would call me back soon. With that thought, I opened the door.

“Ah, Lil—”

“Aack!”

Seeing Endymion standing right in front of the door, I instinctively screamed and slammed it shut, locking it. I was shocked at my own swift actions, and I heard Lilith laughing in my mind more cheerfully than ever before.

“…Lily.”

Behind me, Odil sighed.

I turned to face him with a red face. As I fumbled with the door, intending to open it, Endymion entered as if the lock didn’t exist. He held a key identical to the one Odil had used to unlock the door earlier.

With an expressionless face, he stepped inside and then gently curved his eyes into a smile.

“Good morning, Miss Lily.”

“He, hello. I didn’t mean to do that…”

“I understand. You must have been startled to realize it wasn’t just a dream. I can fully understand your reaction.”

“…How did you know, Endymion?”

“From your reaction, it was obvious. It hurt my feelings a bit when you screamed like you saw a pervert.”

“I’m, I’m sorry. I was just so surprised.”

“….You seem more at ease than I expected, which is a relief.”

Endymion smiled as he looked back and forth between Odil and me. His demeanor was as calm as ever. I awkwardly returned his smile. Odil then spoke up.

“You seem more nervous than usual, Endymion.”

“Oh dear, it shows, doesn’t it? Damian already gave me an earful downstairs.”

“…Nervous?”

“Yes, very.”

Where…? I frowned, scrutinizing him, and noticed Endymion’s cheeks had slightly reddened.

“Being stared at like that is embarrassing. Especially when I’m trying to hold it together.”

“Uh, um, I probably shouldn’t ask what you’re trying to hold back, right?”

“If Miss Lily is confident she won’t run away, you can ask…”

“I won’t ask anything. Nothing at all.”

“That’s a pity.”

Endymion, who didn’t look disappointed at all, extended his hand to me. As I was about to say I was fine, he quickly added.

“They say it takes two hands to clap. Miss Lily wouldn’t refuse my hand after saying you wouldn’t run away, would you? Surely not.”

“…Endymion, you really make it hard to say no.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll do my best to ensure Miss Lily can only say yes, as long as it doesn’t make you run away out of embarrassment.”

“That, that kind of effort isn’t necessary!”

He smiled as he took my hand, looking genuinely pleased. He really doesn’t let a single word pass by lightly. Without a key, I had to wait outside while Odil locked the door. As we started down the stairs, Odil, as if in competition, took my other hand.

“Odil…”

“It’s like children holding hands on a picnic.”

“I’ll let go if anyone comes.”

The staircase was wide enough for the three of us to descend without any issue, but I kept my head down, too embarrassed to look up.

Meanwhile, Lilith continued to giggle in my mind.

__