Cursed Villainess’ Obsession

From the start of the morning, Laphne wasn’t feeling well.

She had a fever and was coughing, likely due to catching a cold.

That’s why I decided to take the day off from the academy and stay by Laphne’s side, nursing her and watching over her condition.

After her fever subsided and Laphne fell asleep, I left briefly to gather some clothes and other things from the dormitory.

That’s when I found Emily sitting under the tree.

“So, please, just let this go for today. When today ends and today starts again, I won’t...”

“......”

“I won’t... bother you anymore, Ken...”

Then, out of nowhere, came Emily’s sudden confession.

And something about her explanation was bothering me.

‘...When today ends... and starts again?’

It was something that didn’t make any sense, yet it reminded me of something from my memory.

It was a random event that would happen to Emily in the game.

One of the Academy Invasion events by the Demon Lord’s army.

The ten-day time loop event.

“...What... did you just say?”

When I asked her how many times she had died, Emily stopped crying and looked at me blankly.

How many deaths.

In a time loop event, this was the most crucial detail.

It indicated how many lives remained.

It might be a misunderstanding, but her words seemed to match up with what I remembered.

Even if it sounded strange, I had to ask.

This was reality.

In this world, there was no restarting after the tenth death like a save-load in a game.

“When you die, do you start again from the morning? How many times has that happened?”

“K-Ken... how do you...”

It seemed my guess was correct.

Emily looked at me, her face filled with disbelief.

Understanding the meaning of my words, tears welled up in Emily’s eyes again as she approached me.

She placed her trembling hand on my shoulder, then collapsed as if her strength had left her.

I supported her as we lowered ourselves to the ground together.

With a tear-stained face, Emily managed to speak through her sobs.

“K-Ken... I... I’m... Hic, I’m right now...”

“I know. It’s okay, Emily. I can help you.”

“Hic... Ken...”

And with that, as if she couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer, Emily buried her face in my chest and cried.