Tears wouldn’t stop.
Yulia cried and cried, nestled tightly in the arms she missed so much.
What on earth was I struggling for all this time?
For happiness.
Yulia could undoubtedly say that.
But looking back, Yulia realized she was on the wrong path.
Happiness wasn’t far away.
It wasn’t in some difficult place.
It was right next to her.
So close, a stretch of her hand could reach it.
But greed brought forth anger.
Her overwhelming desire to monopolize Yoo Jin ruined everything.
How many times had Yoo Jin been hurt by me during his regressions…?
Yulia didn’t know the exact count of Yoo Jin’s regressions.
But it wasn’t hard for her to infer that in every one of those instances, she had been the greatest obstacle.
Because I would have been in that situation.
If she had been a person who wasn’t skilled at relationships, yet full of greed.
In those foolish times, she would have undoubtedly hurt Yoo Jin while demanding him.
It was obvious without even looking.
But Yoo Jin never brought up any of those things.
Not a single word about what the previous Yulias had done.
Not a word about the injuries he suffered.
Instead of talking about the past, he spoke about “from now.”
About how much their relationship could improve.
And what future they could paint from now on.
It felt like a dream.
A story she thought she would have to give up a long time ago.
Just the fact that she existed in the future Yoo Jin envisioned filled Yulia with a bubbling joy.
It took too long…
It wasn’t a difficult path.
It wasn’t a long journey either.
Yet, that path had twisted and turned through such a long time.
Even after walking in the complete opposite direction,
the fact that she was finally led by Yoo Jin’s hand to the place she desired made Yulia unable to stop her tears.
No more foolishness.
She wouldn’t be greedy and drive herself to ruin anymore.
So many of her past selves had failed.
Yoo Jin’s regressions proved that.
It was as easy as the problems given in exams.
By the way, what happens with the Priestess now…?
Suddenly, Jill crossed her mind.
Such an awkward woman.
In previous loops, they had scratched at each other until they exploded and even started a war.
Was it only in the loops I experienced that their relationship was so bad?
But seeing Jill acting awkwardly towards Yulia suggested that Jill’s experiences in previous loops were similar.
Thinking she had to get close to such a woman from now on made her a bit dizzy.
“Is it over?”
…
Outside the door.
Facing Jill, who had been waiting like a small animal, Yulia clicked her tongue softly.
This kid might have a harder time than I do.
Just moments ago, she had worried about how irritated she would feel upon bumping into Jill.
But now, she felt a surge of sympathy.
No matter how you look at it, Jill Diner seems to have difficulty accepting Yoo Jin wanting all three of them.
Yerina was also confused and outraged, but that anger seemed directed outward.
But in Jill’s case, it seemed to turn inward, further denting her already low self-esteem.
That was why Yulia decided to say just one thing to Jill.
“A, a little… I’ll go in later… I, I think I’ll need time to organize my new thoughts about Yoo Jin…”
“…!”
Going straight in might lead to miscommunication.
Yoo Jin was in an emotional state from speaking with her.
Jill was in a state of high nerves.
After giving Jill some sort of advice, Yulia went back to the round table and suddenly felt something was off.
The words she had just said…
Recollecting her stuttering, gloomy words, her eyes widened in realization.
It could be interpreted differently from the listener’s perspective.
“Ah…!*”
As soon as Yulia turned back in a hurry, the door had already closed, sealing the room with the sacred power of the Priestess.
This is bad! I didn’t mean to create any barriers!
Yulia’s mind went blank.
Lack of communication caused trouble once again.
.
.
.
Next, it was Jill.
Reflecting on what I felt for Jill, I recalled past memories, but all that came were chains of memories of being with Jill.
Jill helping people without a care if her clothes were muddy or sooty.
Jill joyfully riding the Transcontinental Train like a child.
Jill crying, not as a priestess, but as an ordinary person who despised commoners.
As she shook her head, believing there was no meaning in having only good memories, she heard a soft click.
She hadn’t heard Jill enter.
Jill was already inside, closing the door behind her.
“It’s been a while. I’m sorry I didn’t properly say goodbye back then.”
…
There were many meanings in those words.
In the first loop, she had just left a note before disappearing.
And this time, she had left a fainted Jill behind and stolen only the dagger to flee.
“Do you know… how much I wanted to see you?”
…
“I wanted to see you, to hug you… But the situation was urgent, so I held back,… and then suddenly disappeared.”
…
“Even now… before you came in, I had so much to say,… but the moment I saw your face, it all slipped my mind… I don’t know… Right now it’s impossible…”
Jill, with red eyes, turned her back, sniffing and ready to leave.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
…!
But just before she turned the knob, I quickly approached, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her wrist up.
As I tightened my grip to prevent her escape, I felt Jill’s uncoordinated squirming tickle me.
“Let go of this…”
“If you go out now, there might not be another chance.”
“I’m not in the mood to talk right now…”
“Then when do you think would be okay? Tomorrow? Three days later? Or a week later? Time isn’t endless. Look at my face before it’s too late. Don’t regret it again later.”
…
Thereafter, even her weak resistance began to fade.
Jill, instead of trying to escape, leaned against me, curling up and starting to sob.
“I’m sorry. It’s too late. I couldn’t keep my promise to come back.”
“Huh…”
While others approached me too closely, Jill was different.
She sulked on her own, got hurt on her own, and kept her distance.
If I didn’t go up to her and hold her close then, there might not be a next time.
I learned that in the first loop.
You can’t give her time.
Jill, who got mad and told me not to come closer, was secretly crying out for me to come near.
I realized that too late.
I, foolish and dumb back then, thought giving her time to cool off was good and left her.
And that was the last time.
If I had known that future, I wouldn’t have made such a mistake.
If I could have just entered through the locked door…
And held Jill, who was startled and attacking me, gently in my arms, I would have apologized.
Just like now.
“Mia… I’m sorry… Huh, sniff… I was too harsh on you… I said things I didn’t mean… I didn’t want it to be like this… Huhuh…”
If that were the case, Jill would have been crying and apologizing in my arms like she was now.
I should have held you this way.
It was wrong to think you’d meekly give in as I pushed you away.
Both of us were too foolish back then.
“I love you… sniff, I love you… I didn’t know how to express it… No, I was scared to express it… Thinking about my pathetic pride, I wished you would confess first… That you would apologize first… That you would accept all my tantrums and annoyances… I thought you’d tire someday, your patience would run out… I didn’t realize that…”
…
“After my memories returned, I kept thinking about how I should confess first this time… How I should draw closer first… But it seems people don’t change easily… Upon hearing about other girls, the first feelings that surged were jealousy and anger… So before I knew it, I almost ran away the moment I came in… But, but… I don’t want to lose Yoo Jin anymore… I don’t want to be discarded by you anymore…”
Jill turned around and tightly hugged me.
As if wanting to get closer, she wrapped her legs around my waist.
In the end, I ended up holding Jill’s behind as I lifted her.
With her height finally matching mine, Jill kept sobbing and rubbing her cheeks against mine.
“So I wanted to say it first… But suddenly you took the initiative and it was chaotic… If you’re going to confess, at least say it first…”
“I forgot.”
“You better pretend it never happened. Cancel it, quickly. Cancel it now.”
“Cancel? How do you do that?”
“Just say you cancel it. Say that confession never happened.”
“Okay. I’ll cancel it. The confession never happened.”
“Okay… Then that means I confess first?”
With that, Jill’s face brightened after previously sobbing.
To eradicate something that had already happened so easily… The power of the Priestess is indeed tremendous.
For a moment, while she buried her nose in my shoulder, regulating her breaths,
Jill loosened her arms around my neck and looked into my eyes, lips trembling as she spoke.
“Huu… I love you… I love you. Please be with me for the rest of your life as allowed by your remaining lifespan…”
“Aaaah! I said it! I said it!”
Then, her face turned as red as a tomato, and she hugged me tightly, hiding her face again.
That sight was too cute, and before I knew it, I wanted to tease her.
With that, as I stepped toward the bed, Jill finally felt something off and let out a confused sound.
“Huh?!”
I pushed Jill onto the bed and forced her arms away.
Then, holding her shoulders, pinning her to the bed, she faced me without any way to escape.
“Huuuu… Don’t look at me…”
With a face more adorable than I had expected, Jill twisted her head in a plea.
Unable to hold back, I burst into laughter.
Agh, how adorable!
Gently caressing Jill’s blushing cheeks, I professionally said,
“Okay. I have been waiting for those words. I love you too.”
“Huuuu…”
And then softly,
I pressed my lips against hers.
I could feel the strength in Jill’s legs wrapping around my waist growing stronger.
