As promised to Lillie the day before, in the afternoon Lusamine once again paid a visit to Professor Kukui's residence.
Haru and Lillie had already finished lunch. Haru was currently discussing the details of establishing the Alola League with Professor Kukui, while Lillie rested her chin on her hands, quietly watching them.
Lusamine's arrival took Kukui by surprise.
He hadn't expected that after Haru had asked him just yesterday to help with Lillie, Lusamine herself would show up today.
But seeing that neither Haru nor Lillie showed much reaction, he relaxed and decided to first observe Lusamine's purpose in coming.
However... what truly astonished him was Lusamine's behavior.
Compared to yesterday, she was far more reserved today—perhaps the word "humble" would be even more fitting.
From the very moment Lusamine saw Lillie, she became extremely cautious.
She even hesitated over whether to step into the room with her left foot first or her right, clearly concerned about Lillie's feelings.
And whenever there was even the slightest chance of physical contact with Lillie, she moved as carefully as if handling a full set of perfect-condition holographic trading cards, terrified that one careless move might damage them entirely.
As for Haru, her entire "operating principle" seemed to be: avoid him at all costs. No matter where they were, she kept the greatest possible distance from Haru.
Anyone who didn't know the backstory would've thought she had developed some deep-seated fear of him.
In fact... that's exactly what was running through Lillie's mind at the moment.
To her, Lusamine looked just like someone who had recently committed a serious mistake, while she herself was the wronged party in that mistake.
The guilty party now appeared filled with remorse and desperate to make amends—that, Lillie thought, explained her mother's humility.
Though she wasn't quite sure why the term "wronged party" had suddenly popped into her head...
But for now, Lillie was honestly finding Lusamine's strange attitude hard to take.
Couldn't they just behave normally again?
Watching her mother hovering nervously beside her, Lillie finally spoke up:
"Mother, let the past be the past. I've already forgiven you. You don't have to be like this."
"We're still a family, aren't we?"
Truth be told, Lillie had forgiven her mother the moment Lusamine apologized yesterday.
More than resentment, what Lillie had always felt was worry—she could clearly tell that her mother had not been in a healthy state before.
Now that Lusamine had returned to her normal self, that was more than enough for Lillie.
"Is that... really okay?"
Hearing these words didn't ease Lusamine's guilt. On the contrary, it only deepened it.
She could sense Lillie's sincerity, and she knew her gentle daughter was truly concerned about her.
But the problem was—her guilt wasn't limited to neglecting her children's feelings!
If Lillie ever found out what else had happened...
Lusamine had originally come here today intending to tell Haru: "I've never been so... enthralled by being whipped before", and to end things there once and for all.
But now... how could she possibly do that anymore?
"How about this, Lillie—why don't I take you back to visit the Aether Foundation for a bit?"
"I've canceled some of my projects already. Consider it... making amends for what happened before."
Even though Lillie had already said "don't feel constrained," Lusamine still spoke with great caution.
As for Lillie, she didn't hesitate at all. The moment she heard this, she immediately looked at Haru, clearly wanting him to make the final call.
Lillie trusted Haru implicitly—even if she had already made her choice, she would still defer to his opinion.
"If you want to go, then go. I'll come with you."
"Thank you, Mr. Haru!"
A bright smile instantly lit up her face again.
Mr. Haru really is the best.
---
Riding on Lusamine's private yacht, the group soon arrived at their destination: Aether Paradise.
Aether Paradise was a truly man-made island, designed primarily to shelter and protect Pokémon.
Thus, much of the island consisted of artificial natural environments, carefully crafted to meet the needs of the Pokémon. Only after that came research facilities and the like.
Haru had assumed Lusamine would simply take him and Lillie on a short tour of the island, then explain the details of the canceled projects.
But that wasn't the case at all.
They had barely set foot on the island when an all-too-familiar face came rushing over.
Big green glasses, a hairline more dangerous than even a Traptrix Rafflesia, and a lab coat straight out of Doctor Colress' collection—who else could it be but Faba?
Of course, this Faba in the current timeline didn't know Haru yet, so he came straight for Lusamine.
"President, I just received the notice—you're canceling the Ultra Wormhole project?!"
Faba's voice was full of shock, laced with anger.
He never would have imagined that Lusamine, who had once been so passionate about Ultra Wormholes, would now "betray" the project.
"Yes. Terminate all of it."
"That's...!"
Faba started to protest further, but upon noticing Haru and Lillie nearby, a flash of realization crossed his face. He promptly shut his mouth.
"I understand. I understand."
Turning around, the man in the white lab coat walked away with heavy, reluctant steps, disappearing through the entrance to Aether Paradise.
Watching his retreating figure, Haru didn't make a move.
Faba was undoubtedly a scumbag, but if he was going to be dealt with, Haru preferred to gather solid evidence and let Lillie and Gladion confront him themselves.
"Will that really be alright?"
Lillie, having witnessed the entire exchange, looked worried.
She knew full well that Faba and Wicke were long-standing acquaintances of Lusamine. Their relationship wasn't simply employer and employee—and Faba had clearly been furious just now.
"It'll be fine. Come on, let's go, Lillie."
Lusamine took a step forward but then paused.
"Hmm... but this will likely cause some trouble. I need to handle it quickly."
She bent down, gently ruffling Lillie's golden hair, and whispered softly:
"I'll need to borrow your Mr. Haru for a little while. Is that okay?"
"It won't take long—I'll return him to you in about an hour."
"My..."
Lillie's face turned crimson the moment that simple word slipped out.
Mother... what do you mean by that? Did you figure it out?! But nothing has happened between Mr. Haru and me yet...
Her mind spun into chaos—she even forgot to ask what exactly Lusamine needed Haru's help with.
"I don't mind. As long as Mr. Haru agrees, I'm fine with it."
And so Haru followed Lusamine as they swiftly made their way through Aether Paradise. But the farther they walked, the more familiar things started to feel to him.
Was she... taking him back to her place?
Sure enough, Lusamine's destination was her residence.
She settled Haru in the living room and excused herself to "prepare something", hurrying off to her room.
But in the end... it wasn't Lusamine who returned.
Emerging from the room was a girl whose clothing, hairstyle, and appearance were completely identical to Lillie's.
If she hadn't been a bit taller, Haru might have mistaken her for Lillie herself.
"My dear Mr. Haru... you finally came..."