Chapter 92 Lilly (7)

After a few days, Lilly was taking a stroll all on her own. In her hands is what looks to be a bunch of paper, filled with various scripts and texts that she is reading.

While she made her way through the courtyard, Lilly saw her grandmother, who is sitting in the shade of a tree, the one where she got her face slapped.

Her cheeks suddenly began to feel hot, seemingly reliving the pain. But a small smile appeared on Lilly's face before she began walking over to her grandmother.

As she approached, she asked. "G-grandmother?"

"Oh, Lilly. What is it?"

"N-nothing. I just saw you sitting over here... Oh?" Lilly was talking to her grandmother, but her attention was taken away when she saw little paper figures on the ground in front of her grandmother.

Seeing Lilly's curiousity, her grandmother suggested. "Why don't you sit with me, Lilly? It's nice and cool under the shade."

"I-I guess...."

Lilly then walked over and sat not too far and not too close to her grandmother. After placing her papers between them, Lilly asked. "G-grandmother, what are these?" Pointing at the paper figures on the ground.

"Ah, these! These are an old hobby of mine. Origami, that's what it's called."

"O-origami?"

"Yes. Do you want to try making them, Lilly?"

"A-ah, well, I still have to memorize all of these papers, you see? M-maybe another time." Lilly said as she pointed at the large pile of paper she brought with her.

Her grandmother exchanged glances between the pile of paper, to the paper figures, to Lilly, who is smiling bitterly at her.

She crossed her arms as she said. "No need to come up with excuses, Lilly." A faint mischievious smile appeared on her face for a second, causing Lilly to not see it.

"It's literally just folding paper. Here, let me show you." Her grandmother said before grabbing a piece of paper from the pile Lilly has brought.

Before Lilly could realize what was going on, her grandmother has already folded her paper into a beautiful paper swan.

Lilly then asked with a surprised tone. "G-grandmother?! That wasn't one of my paper, was it?!"

Her grandmother looked at her with death in her eyes as she said. "Oh? Well, well. Look who's finally decided to raise their voice against me?"

"Eek!" Lilly squeeked as she met her grandmother's terrifying glare. She then took the piece of paper she held and hid behind it.

Her grandmother, who Lilly couldn't see right now, formed a proud and satisfied smile. She then said to Lilly. "I was just joking with you, Lilly. It's fine to raise your voice a bit."

"R-really?" Lilly asked, slightly peeking behind the piece of paper.

"Really."

"You know what? I'll show you a little trick that I learned when I was little." Her grandmother said before placing the paper swan onto her palms.

"You were... little?" Lilly asked with an innocent look on her fully revealed face.

"Oh hohoho! Look who just learned how to be sassy?" Her grandmother giggled, causing Lilly to giggle as well, completely unaware for the reason.

After her grandmother stopped giggling, she blew into the paper swan, sending it flying forwards.

Lilly sent her hand forwards, attempting to catch it, but something unexpected happened. Instead of falling to the ground, it began to float in the air, riding the wind.

Lilly's eyes were soon filled with amazement and wonder, which grew larger when she inspected the paper swan in the air further.

It wasn't just riding the wind, it was flapping it's wings, almost as though it's alive. Lilly looked at her grandmother with wide, smiling eyes as she asked. "How is it doing that, grandmother?"

But when she looked back, even more paper swans began to fly up ahead, reaching for the sky up above. Filling Lilly's gaze with their graceful movements.

With a smile on her face, her grandmother stated. "It's a secret, Lilly."

"C-can you tell me?"

"No. But do you want to hear another secret?"

"Yes!" Lilly cheerfully agreed as she moved closer to her grandmother before sitting in a dignified position.

With a mischievious smile fully revealed on her face, her grandmother said. "The secret is about your question earlier.... Those pieces of paper, belongs to your pile."

Lilly's mind then began processing the information her grandmother just told her. It took a few seconds for Lilly to react, but when she did, she immediately began panicking. "N-no! I only borrowed those papers!"

As Lilly began panicking, looking at the paper swan high up in the air, her grandmother giggled for a bit, enjoying Lilly's torture before she said to her. "Here, Lilly. I'll tell you how to bring them down."

"R-really?" Lilly asked, but when she went to look at her grandmother, a piece of paper was shoved into her hands.

Her grandmother turned her around, placed a hand on her shoulder while the other pointed at the flying paper swans. She then said to her. "The solution to your problems can be fixed with that piece of paper?"

"My problems... can be solved by this piece of paper?" Lilly asked, staring at the blank piece of paper in her grasp.

"Yes, it can be solved by using that piece of paper. But I won't help you, solve it yourself." Her grandmother said as she moved back a little.

Lilly's mind then began to work once more, producing a single course of action. Lilly then threw the piece of paper towards the paper swans in the sky.

Like what you would expect, the paper that Lilly childishly threw fell to the ground without even coming close to the paper swans.

While Lilly looked liek she was processing what went wrong, her grandmother menacingly approached her before turning her towards her.

"What was that?!" Her grandmother screamed into her face.

With her body shivering from the intensity of her grandmother's voice, Lilly asked. "D-did I do something wrong?"

"You bet you did! Go pick up that piece of paper before someone mistakes this house for a messy garbage can!"

"Ye-yes, grandmother!" Lilly screamed in agreement before running over to pick up her piece of paper.

When she returned she saw her grandmother ominously standing there with a rock and paper in her hands. Lilly cautiously approached her from the side before asking. "W-why do you have a rock and a paper, grandmother?"

While menacingly standing still, her grandmother replied. "I'll show you how it's done, Lilly."

She then wrapped the piece of paper around the rock before throwing it towards the paper swans, knocking a bunch of them out off the sky.

As Lilly observed the downed paper swans with a speechless expression, her grandmother struck a pose as she said. "Yamato-1. Lilly-0."

With her mouth still wide open, Lilly turned to her posing grandmother before asking. "I thought you said this piece of paper would help me solve it?" Slightly crumbling the piece of paper in her hands.

Her grandmother returned to a normal stance before she said with a straight face. "I did. And I just showed you how to do it." 

"B-but... you cheated."

"How did I cheat exactly?"

"Y-you used a rock."

"I never did say you couldn't use a rock."

Upon hearing her grandmother's irritatingly honest words, Lilly crumbled the piece of paper in her hands before throwing it to the ground.

She then sat on the ground, arms crossed, face full of disappointment, and her mouth forming a frown. She then grunted. "Hmph!"

Her grandmother couldn't help but giggle at Lilly's childish behavior. After making herself stop, she said to her. "Now, now, Lilly. This is no time to be a sore loser. Your papers are getting away."

Lilly begrudgingly accepted her grandmother's words and helped her knock the paper swans off of the sky, by throwing rocks at them, which then landed on the roof of the mansion.

As Lilly went over to pick up the pieces of papers that was folded into swans, a servant approached her grandmother, who stayed behind. The servant then said. "Miss Yamato. Please refrain from throwing rocks at the roof, it may break something."

"Huh?!!!!" Lilly's grandmother  turned to the servant with an angry expression before screaming. "Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?!!! Also! That's Madam to you!"

The servant felt their lifespan significantly shorten as they met the old woman's wrath. They bowed elegantly as they said. "I understand, Madam. Please. Continue on what you are doing." Before she ran back towards the inside of the mansion.

Lilly's grandmother then crossed her arms, formed a face full of disappointment as her mouth formed a frown. She then grunted. "Hmph!"

Lilly, who got back long ago, watched the exchange happen. She shyly walked up to her grandmother as she asked with a low voice. "M-madam?"

"Huh?!!!" Her grandmother turned to her angrily after hearing her name. She then screamed while grabbing Lilly by the shoulders, petrifying her in place. "Who do you think you are?!! That's grandmother to you, young lady!"

With eyes filled with complete terror, Lilly replied. "Ye-yes, grandmother!"

Without letting go of her, her grandmother continued. "Why do you stutter when talking?!!!"

Still looking like she is facing death in the eyes, Lilly responded. "I-I don't know!"

"Huh?!!! You just did it again!"

"Eek! I-I'm s-sorry!"

"Scream Confidence!"

"H-huh?"

"Do it or your face will know CONFIDENCE!"

"C-confidence!"

"Louder!"

"C-confidence!!!"

"LOUDER!!!!"

"CONFIDENCE!!!!" Lilly screamed at the stop of her lungs.

"Now, scream your name!"

"LILLYYYYYYYYY!!!!" Lilly screamed, so loud in fact that everyone inside the massive mansion and everyone in the immediate surroundings wondered. "What is that noise?"

As Lilly, who is on her knees, began to catch her breath, her grandmother let go of her before asking with an arrogant face. "Do you feel embarassed?"

"Ye-yes!"

"Do you know why your stutering?"

"N-no!"

"It's because you lack self-confidence. You don't believe in yourself."

"I-I guess... that's true." Lilly said as she stared in her palms which she then closed.

Her grandmother placed a hand on her shoulder, causing Lilly to look her in the eyes, before she said. "Now. If you feel like you lack confidence, just remember. You just made the entire Sun region aware of the fact that you were the one who just screamed CONFIDENCE at the top of their lungs."

"Let that sink in, LILLYYYYY!!!" Her grandmother said before imitating what Lilly just did a couple of seconds ago, all but a little quieter.

Despair and shame filled Lilly's red face before she fell on all fours, hitting the ground with her fist while saying. "Why? Why did you do this to me?"

Her grandmother turned away from her while saying. "Because I care about you, Lilly."

She then began walking away from the scene of the crime where she just killed her own granddaughter with embarrassment.

She then walked away with a face that doesn't belong to someone who just bullied their own granddaughter.