It all started with a sock.
Not even my sock.
Rosette had given me a carefully pressed "laundry schedule," complete with high-level alerts for each girl's preferred fragrance-based proximity rating. (Yes, that's a thing now.)
And somehow, while fleeing from Drakana's latest "affection tackle," I'd slipped, fallen, and crashed through Lilia's half-open door… with the worst possible timing.
"Uh," I said from the floor, dusting myself off, "this isn't what it looks like."
Lilia stood frozen by her bed, a black lace nightgown fluttering slightly from the window breeze. Her violet eyes gleamed with a light I'd learned to recognize: part embarrassment, part wrath, part possessiveness, and part 'I've already prepared the wedding rings.'
"You stepped into my sanctuary," she said softly.
"I was framed," I muttered. "By a sock."
Lilia tilted her head. "Would you like to see something?"
That was the moment I should've run.
But I didn't. Because I was an idiot.
She walked to the far wall of her room, fingers brushing the curtains drawn across it. With one smooth motion, she pulled them open.
And there it was.
A shrine.
Not a small one. Not a modest one. A wall-sized photo mosaic of… me.
Sleeping.
Some with my mouth open. Some snoring. Some mid-drool.
One with a daisy tucked behind my ear.
"...WHAT IN THE GLITCHY SYSTEM IS THIS?!"
I staggered back, heart lurching. "Is that—how—WHY are there so many?!"
Lilia's cheeks turned the faintest pink. "One for each year you were asleep. Twenty in total."
She walked up to the wall and gently touched one of the photos with the kind of care one might give to an ancient relic or a cursed vampire lover.
"I took a picture every morning," she said softly. "It was the only time you ever looked peaceful."
[SYSTEM WARNING: Yandere Affection Levels Exceeding Safe Emotional Stability Thresholds.]
[New Tag Unlocked: "Coma Crush: Love Beyond Consciousness."]
"Lilia," I said, trying to sound calm while casually backing toward the door, "do you… think maybe this is… a bit much?"
She looked genuinely puzzled. "Too small, you mean? I've already started building the second wall behind the wardrobe."
"No, that's—definitely not what I meant—wait, WHAT?!" I darted over, yanked open the wardrobe.
A second photo wall was under construction.
Each photo was carefully labeled with timestamps, weather data, and a brief note like:
"Rainy Day #14: He twitched slightly. I cried."
"Winter #6: He sneezed once. I almost proposed."
"Sunny Day #19: I considered cuddling. I resisted. Barely."
My brain was short-circuiting.
The system, unhelpfully, chose this moment to chime in.
[SYSTEM ALERT: You Have Unlocked a Secret Room – "The Shrine of Sleepy Love!"]
[New Hidden Trait Detected: Sleepy Charisma Lv. MAX]
[Passive Buff: Women are now 80% more attracted to you when unconscious.]
"WHY IS THAT A BUFF?!"
Lilia stepped beside me and held up a Polaroid camera. It was black and silver, with my initials engraved.
"I can add one for today," she whispered. "You look adorably panicked. That'll go next to Coma Year #12."
I backed away. "Lilia, this is—this is next-level! This is shrine-level! This is unholy-level!"
Her expression softened, but her eyes burned with a quiet, unwavering devotion. "I waited twenty years. I documented every breath. I know you better than anyone."
"Yeah, including what my nose hair looks like while I sleep!"
"It's cute."
I screamed internally.
Desperate Escape Plan #232: Reverse Psychology
Time for genius tactics.
"Okay, okay," I said, raising my hands, "I admit it. This shrine is amazing. Super touching. Let's celebrate by going outside for a bit, huh? Nice romantic walk?"
Lilia blinked. "Outside?"
"Yes," I said, nodding furiously. "Fresh air. Sunlight. Cameras that aren't immortalizing my REM cycles."
She hesitated. "Only if I can bring the camera."
"Sure!" I said too quickly. "Sure. Absolutely. Great. Wonderful."
[SYSTEM QUEST TRIGGERED: "Run Before the Flash Goes Off!"]
[Objective: Evade Lilia's photo ambushes for 60 consecutive minutes.]
[Reward: Privacy. Maybe.]
[Penalty: Your blushing face will become Shrine Wall #3's centerpiece.]
Location: Royal Garden Maze
Lilia followed me through the winding rosebush pathways, skipping slightly. Her camera clicked like a sniper rifle.
"Smile, Rei," she cooed. "Look terrified, Rei."
"You don't need that many expressions of me suffering!"
"Every emotion you feel is precious."
At one point, she ambushed me from a bush and took a photo mid-sneeze.
"That's going in the 'Seasonal Allergies Album,'" she said dreamily.
I collapsed against a marble fountain, wheezing.
Lilia knelt beside me. Her fingers brushed against mine. "You're not upset, are you?"
"I… just need to sit for a second. Maybe two. Or eternity."
Her lips curved upward. "I could take a picture of this moment too."
I sighed. "Why not. Immortalize my emotional defeat."
She gently raised the camera. I gave her the most exhausted, 'this-is-my-life-now' expression possible.
Click.
She beamed.
"That one," she said softly, "will be my favorite."
And then she hugged me.
A gentle hug. Not bone-crushing. Not tackle-hug. Just… warm. Real.
And for a second, I forgot I was still in a nightmare comedy version of a romance visual novel written by a deranged god.
Just for a second.
Until she whispered, "If you ever fall into another coma… I'll make you a scrapbook this time."
[SYSTEM ALERT: Yandere Pressure Building. Estimated Explosion Time: 3 Days.]
[New Feature Unlocked: "Coma Care Plan."]
[User Feedback: Rei has stopped blinking.]
Nightfall: Return to the Scene of the Shrine
I returned to Lilia's room after dinner. Against my better judgment.
I needed closure. Or a fire spell.
But instead of running, I stood in front of the wall.
Lilia stood beside me, quietly.
"You think I'm scary," she said.
I shook my head. "I think you're…"
"A terrifying goddess in the shape of a fiancée?"
"No. I think you're the kind of person who loves with her whole soul. Even if that soul might smother me with a pillow while humming a lullaby."
She laughed quietly. "Not unless you ask."
"That's not as reassuring as you think it is."
Still… I glanced at the wall again.
Twenty years.
She'd waited. She'd watched. She never gave up.
It was creepy. It was over-the-top.
And it was also—
Kind of amazing.
But I'd never tell her that.
I liked my kidneys right where they were.
"Goodnight, Lilia," I said finally.
She smiled, reached for her camera.
"Smile, Rei."
"NOPE—"
Flash.
Too late.
She'd already taken one more for the wall.
To be continued…