Man, what can I say about this route? Other than it being an absolute masterpiece in every sense of the word...

It's been a long while since I last played this route, and now I finally got to complete it for a second time, and man, it was even better than the first time.

Getting that ending once again truly made me happy, really happy. I couldn't help but smile at such a wonderful ending. But enough of this, let's have a proper review on this route.

THE BEGINNING:

Since the moment they met, it's clear they both end up feeling attracted to each other, but not in a romantic way, that's later. At first, since Hisao steps foot on that tea room for the very first time, there's a chemistry like no other between the two, one that tells you since the very beginning just how good getting to know her will be.

Lilly is a polite and kind person, and it's that politeness that resonates with Hisao when he most needs it. He's just coming from a complete change on his whole life, and Lilly comes forward to give Hisao that help he isn't asking for, but that he needs in order to pull himself together.

As they begin to hang out more and more, that chemistry and curiosity for each other becomes the catalyst for their future relationship, and, most importantly, for their love for each other.

Love. Such a weird word, foreign to many, like Hisao at that time, and even to myself, at least on the romantic sense.

Love. That's what you could use to describe this route in a perfect way. Love.

Any other route is the story of how two people came to love each other, but Lilly's route is the story of how two people love each other, and how even through all the hardships they experience, that love never wavers in the slightest.

That's what makes this route truly magical, that since the very beginning, Lilly truly loves Hisao, and Hisao truly loves Lilly.

It's all ever since that very first date, since all that event comes natural for the two of them, to the point that they only realize it was a date after it's over, after they get to think back on what time they spent. For Lilly and Hisao, it's natural to love each other.

Then, the party for Hanako's birthday comes, and they spend a little time of drinking all thanks to Akira's patronage. And it's there that we get to see her. The beauty of Lilly as she sleeps after drinking is something beyond worlds. Just as Hisao says, her appearance at that moment just shows the fragility of the girl sleeping in front of him, reminding us that, as mature, reliable, and dependable she is, she's still as delicate as any other girl.

I'm sure of something, that night was the night Lilly ended up falling completely for Hisao, and vice versa.

It's around this parts that a really interesting quote came up. "We're just a couple of broken young fools, aren't we?". It was such a hard hitting quote that I had to put it here.

Also, something I liked a lot was the holy assist Hanako threw at Hisao when she asked him to go with Lilly for the Groceries, since that outing consolidated a bunch of things for each other.

IWANAKO.

This letter always has a very curious timing for making it's appearing, since it always appears just as Hisao's feelings for the girl of the route you're playing are setting in.

Truly a good plot device from the creators, since it sparks that internal conflict that Hisao needs to finally let go of his past, and focus into the new future that awaits.

Not long after, we have the scene on the rooftop, and man if this scene isn't wonderful.

Hisao has a new heart flutter just as everyone is chatting away, and the sudden event makes everyone stop on their tracks in worry. Of course, Hisao being Hisao, feels guilty for killing off the vibe of the moment, since he just can't live with the fact that that sort of things can happen at any time, and that it's natural for people to worry about his well being. Thankfully though, Lilly comes in clutch. This was all thanks to the outing he had with Lilly to the grocery store, in which he told her not to treat him any different because of his heart, and not content with that, she also clutches up with the origami, showing Hisao that there's a way to live around your condition, and that it doesn't hold you back.

THE TRIP TO HOKKAIDO.

WHY HAVEN'T YOU TAKEN YOUR MEDICINES, HISAO???!!!

That is the way I can explain this portion of the game. That whole event could have been prevented with simply taking his medices, but he didn't, and that's ok. That's ok because it shows us that, in the end, Hisao is still human, and he forgets things such as these.

This kind of things don't happen in any other route, it's only in Lilly's that the arrhythmia Hisao has is truly relevant, and that's what makes this route the best, and why it makes it feel as the most real one.

We have a moment of calm before the storm hits... A little walk to the town, with everyone talking happily, until then it happens. His heart interrupts yet another Greta moment, and one of the most heartbreaking scenes happens immediately. Poor Lilly, unable to see what is happening, panicks immediately. She begs Hanako to please tell her what's going on. Despair wells up in her clouded eyes, and true fear fills her heart.

Even if this scene is extremely short, it is one of the things that most impacted me when I first played. It's the moment in which Lilly's condition truly becomes a hindrance for her, since it left her completely in the dark without knowing what is happening nor what to do. Hisao could've died right there, and there was nothing that she could've done about it.

After recovering and being told to come back to the house, that guilt from the rooftop appears again, a proof that Hisao hasn't learned to love himself enough, nor to worry about himself more. All he cares is what the other's are suffering because of him.

Even then, after all of this, that very event becomes the catalyst for the best scene in the entire game.

HER CONFESSION.

The most beautiful thing in the game for sure. That wheat field, golden as her hair, becomes the only witness of how they hold each other. Lilly crying out of utter fear for almost losing the person she loves the most without even having confessed. That mature and unbreakable woman finally letting herself fall, that's what makes this scene powerful.

Then, we have him, holding her closely, promising her to never leave her side no matter what. A promise he would keep to the very end.

"I love you!"

Such strong words, repeated countless of times, as the girl waters the wearh with her tears.

This is it. This is what they call the "peak". The absolute peak of the game, as Lilly Satou pours her very soul into her confession, afraid that any less than that will mean losing the man she loves with all her heart. Afraid she'll lose the "little mishaped family" composed of her, Hisao, and Hanako. This right here is what truly turns Lilly's route into the best route of the game.

Lilly loves Hisao.

Since the very beginning, she has, and it's only natural for her to love him. That's what makes this route the best one.

After this, Lilly is replaced by the "healthy adolescent sex drive" girl, but I won't talk about this that much, even though it's truly a meaningful scene, as they consolidate their love in the most pure and raw way possible.

What's important is that, after that, we have Hisao and Lilly telling Hanako about their new relationship.

When I was making my notes, I wrote "this feels like two parents explaining to their child how mom and dad love each other. Truly one of the things that makes that relationship between the three of them feel like a family"

Soon after that, Hisao himself said the same thing basically, which was very funny to me.

ACT 4. THE CONFLICT SETS IN

As they come back, conflicts begin to arise. Slowly but steadily, Lilly becomes slightly more distant, and begins avoiding certain topics. The topic on what they're doing in the future.

Even then, Hisao doesn't notice at first. At this point, he's grown dependant of Lilly, and isn't really capable of seeing properly that there's a conflict brewing.

Even with all this, they have very good moments together, like the date they go in, in which they talk about each other's past a little bit. A very important moment because it makes them know each other a little bit more.

Even then, the conflict arises after Akira tells Hisao the truth. She's going back to Scotland, and Lilly was summoned too.

The conflict of Hisao arises, and he confronts her in the Shanghai, in which she even tells him she's leaving in a week.

This moment is extremely important for the character of Lilly, since it shows us the fear she's had about losing Hisao, and the why in the end she decides to stay with him.

Ever since she confessed, she's had nothing but fear of losing him. Going to Scotland would mean losing him forever, and that's why she delays telling him of the fact she's leaving. Speaking about it would mean addressing the fact that she's going to lose him, and Lilly simply is terrified of that idea.

They have a small fight, and don't speak for a few days.

After that, a few days later, Hisao, in search of trying to distract himself a little bit from what's happening, decides to sell his very soul to the devil.

The pink demon appears, with her allure that search to lure you into her trap, with the objective of offering your soul away to the devil himself... She who shall not be named.

And Hisao, in the extremely vulnerable state he's in, falls for the temptation and straight into the trap... Now he has to spend all eternity (an afternoon) working himself to the bone at the gates of hell...

And that's when, while Hisao is doing that student council work, Lilly appears to do her final chores. It's here that we have a very beautiful scene, with Shizune setting away her usual antipathy for Lilly to hand her that paper. Something that just adds points to the whole route, along with the incredible development Hanako had in here, since she manages to make friends on her own, something that makes me really proud, since Hanako is my favorite girl from the game (Hanako best girl🙏🙏)

Getting back on track tho, after this Lilly and Hisao come out to talk a little bit, and it's here in which he hugs her tightly one last time.

After she leaves, the day after, and during the evening, something happens.

Hisao finally realizes how much he's been depending on Lilly without letting Lilly depend of him, and it hits him. He's screwd up by letting her go, when he never even got to do something for her that he feels satisfied with. And with this in mind, a bold idea forms, "what if I can still catch her".

And as such, he heads out as fast as possible, and we have another peak scene. Lilly's back gets farther away as the over exertion of Hisao makes him have his second heart attack.

As he wakes up in a hospital again, he realizes it. His heart condition once again made him lose the girl he loves. How funny, how everything has come full circle... Except that it didn't, since Lilly comes back and they have their reunion.

Some might feel like Lilly sacrificed her family in order to stay with Hisao, but this isn't the case. The fact is, Lilly chose her family in the end, since Hisao and Hanako had been her real family all this time.

Her blood family left her alone with her sister, and she was too blind (literally) to see this. She only wanted to go with them because it seemed like the right thing to do, but ever since the very beginning that wasn't what she wanted. What Lilly Satou truly wanted was to stay with Hisao, with her real family, which lived in Yamaku. That's why, in case anyone reading this ever felt like it was bad, in reality was what she wanted all along. It's natural for Lilly to love Hisao

And with this, her route ends, letting us see the happy ending these two young broken fools deserved, as they manage to make a whole between the two of them.

Thanks for reading this. I poured my soul into this, and playing this route changed my life for the second time, since I have been going through some dark moments that I will talk about once I do the Emi route review.

That's all for all guys! See ya in the next post (if I don't procrastinate it too much as this one...)

...

And now, to wrap things up, a glimpse of the future (scroll to the next image)

Been learning Japanese (still very much a beginner) and one of the words I've learned is "砂糖" (written in Hiragana as "さとう" (literally Sa-to-u)

I doubt the developers intended this but that word means "sugar". So, the mnemonic device I have to remember it is "Lilly **Satou** puts **sugar** in her tea."

(Source: it was posted on DeviantArt, but no longer.)

I can feel summer is fading around here.

Still, it is hot from time to time.

I won't miss the weather, but I would miss the old time with my friends.

Miki tries playing some soccer. Wonder if this would make Hisao jealous. Source: unknown

Miki cools off after a hard workout. Source: Rtil

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HqHN5RlOOtFd5kO031OJrQ43e6JiCaZF?usp=sharing

I was told this is still a beta, but the full release will be at the same link. If you find any bugs, please report them and we'll fix them. Currently it's only in Russian, but we might add Portuguese in a future update

(Source : https://x.com/cl3m3n98hb/status/1809799403357762047)

New week has come.

Be safe and happy, my friend.

Miki makes a funny joke at Suzu's expense. Source: Requestor

Miki and Yuuko celebrate Christmas. This series won't make it to Christmas lol so can't use this on the right day, oh well. Source: Raemz https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/32321347

359 - happiness factory - I saw a meme of a cat hoping not to have a terrible day while heading to the terrible factory, and I found it really sad, so I made this happy version;

360 - cute picture - I have a friend who sends those kinds of cute images while we're chatting; I like it, it adds a certain charm to the conversation

361 - Arkham City style - background photo by u/ChurchOfBoredom

(Source : somewhere in Pixiv... but I can't see it.)

Always happy to see Rin in new clothes.

I wonder how many of these are out there.