"The way we’re going to catch this man is with the help of the girl he’s after," Shirori said, her gaze turning to Yuki. Yuki’s eyes widened slightly before narrowing in determination. "I see… Very well then. If that’s what we have to do, then so be it."

  "But Yuki-" I muttered, quickly stopping myself. I needed to trust Yuki and Shirori, too.

  "It’s fine, Souta. I’m worried too, but we can trust Yuki, can’t we?" Arisa said, giving me a light bump with her shoulder.

  "Yeah, sorry."

  "It’s fine, Souta…" Yuki replied, a small smirk growing on her face. "I have you… and the others."

  "Ohhh, she said you~" Arisa smiled.

  "Yeah, yeah."

  Shirori folded her arms, her expression much more serious than we'd ever seen her.

  "This only works if everyone sticks to the plan..."

  We all glanced at each other before nodding in agreement.

  "Good. Now, Yuki will be our bait. It’s a risky task, but if we want to uncover this creepy man, we need to lure him out. From there, we can have them meet up in a secure spot, and when we get him, that’s when we pounce and catch him."

  We all nodded in agreement.

  "It is risky," Reina muttered. "But I think if Yuki wants to do it, then I say it’s our best shot."

  "But Yuki, can’t you just beat him to a pulp?" Nao asked, tilting her head slightly as if it were a normal thing to ask.

  "That’s if she doesn’t sprain her ankle," I snorted, holding back laughter from Yuki’s earlier heroic moment that failed miserably.

  "Hey! That wasn’t my fault! It’s Souta’s for not learning how to fight!" Yuki shouted, her face flushing red.

  A short laugh passed between the girls, but it faded just as quickly.

  Once we had settled down, we all realised one glaring issue. Don’t get me wrong; Shirori’s plan is amazing and could really solve everything, but there was one glaring concern.

  "How do we get in contact with this guy? After all, it’s only been him doing the contacting," I asked, tilting my head slightly.

  "Yeah, that’s the only thing I haven’t figured out yet… how to get in contact with this man," Shirori thought, scratching her chin.

  Nao kept moving side to side, humming to herself.

  Reina was staring straight into Yuki’s soul as if she were her worried mother.

  As for Arisa, well, she was kind of an airhead, so God knows what she was thinking about as she nodded side to side as well.

  And me? I was terrified.

  All I could think about was how easily this could go wrong.

  What if she gets attacked straight away and we can’t get there in time?

  What if the guy figures out our plan beforehand and doesn’t show up?

  With a plan this risky, anything could go wrong. But I guess nothing could happen if we can’t establish a line of communication with this guy.

  As we sat in silence, the sudden movement of the curtains behind both Shirori and Nao caught us by surprise.

  "Oh great, you’re all still here," our teacher said, smiling.

  My stomach tightened. And before I could ask her about the situation with the stalker, she looked at me.

  "Kannazuki, can I borrow Nao, Arisa, and Shirori if you don’t mind?"

  I furrowed my brow. "Um, sure. Why?"

  "Oh, it’s just to get some decorations for some of the sets. I heard from a friend of yours that you guys are all good at painting. Maybe the others… but not me."

  "Um, sure? Are you guys down?" I asked as I stood up.

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  The others looked at me before they shrugged their shoulders.

  "And also, Yuki, if you’re free, you can come too?" The teacher asked.

  "Um… I think I’ll go to my room if that’s all right?" Yuki said, after a brief pause. She nodded her head, and before long, the group began to split, Shirori and Reina heading out first.

  "Let’s meet up tonight," Shirori said before leaving.

  "Sure," the others and I replied.

  I took one more look at Yuki, and it seemed she could feel my worry.

  "Don’t worry, I’m going straight to my room," she said with a smile.

  "Yeah, sorry," I replied.

  "Oh yes, Yuki, I’ll escort you to your room. The rest can make their way to the art room in the main building," the teacher replied.

  And just like that, we were separated.

  And as time went on, I realised...

  I should have stayed with her.

  ***

  "Yuki dear, have you been sleeping alright?" the teacher asked as they walked through the corridor.

  "Well, yeah... I mean, it's only been one night, but I slept well considering the situation," Yuki replied.

  The corridor was quiet, too quiet. Every step echoed longer than it should have, and Yuki found herself listening for sounds she didn’t want to hear. But her mind was focused on Shirori's plan.

  "Just how do we lure him out...?

  He's been hiding, apart from that one time."

  "Yuki dear?"

  "Oh, sorry! Um, thank you for escorting me," Yuki responded with a forced smile.

  She nodded. "It's the least I can do for you, so please get inside quickly," she said, her tone firm now, her eyes lingering down the corridor for just a second longer than necessary. She dug into her pocket before handing her number. "If anything happens, call me right away. Don't hesitate, okay?"

  "Thank you... And let's hope I don't need to call you," Yuki chuckled.

  The teacher smiled, but Yuki could tell it was more reassurance than relief. But still, if it eased the tension just a bit, it was more than enough. And just like that, the door clicked shut behind her.

  ***

  The hallway went silent again.

  For the first time since agreeing to the plan, Yuki wondered if Souta had been right to worry.

  The door clicked shut behind Yuki, the sound echoing louder than it should have. The room felt different without the others, too still, too quiet. For the first time since arriving, the ticking of the wall clock stood out.

  “Jeez, it's uncomfortably quiet in here,” Yuki murmured, flicking on the lights with a shaky finger. The room remained pristine, neither she nor Arisa having bothered to unpack. She sank onto the edge of her bed, the mattress barely yielding beneath her weight as thoughts swirled in her mind like autumn leaves caught in a tempest.

  “Does Souta hate me?”

  She traced the memory of her palm striking his cheek, the sound still echoing in some dark corner of her consciousness. “I slapped him... I mean, it was deserved and all, but still...” A sigh escaped her lips, heavy with something she couldn't, or wouldn't, name.

  “If he really does hate me now, then things might get awkward.”

  Her expression hardened suddenly, jaw clenching. “No, forget him. Let him hate me if he wants, but if he does anything to the others, I'll make sure hate is the least of his concerns.” Yet even as the words left her mouth, something tugged at her, an emotion that refused classification.

  She rose abruptly, fingers working through her hair, desperate for distraction. Curling raven locks, scanning lines of script, diving into the mindless abyss of videos.

  But nothing quieted the storm brewing inside her chest.

  “DAMN THAT JERK!” she shouted, her phone slamming against the innocent bedspread with a muted thud.

  Her voice softened to a whisper, betraying her. “I did say sorry and everything... But why do I still feel guilty?”

  Ping.

  The notification sliced through her ruminations like a blade.

  “Why the hell are they texting me now? Arisa should know where we are,” Yuki muttered, crawling across the bed to retrieve her phone.

  “What the-” The sender wasn't Arisa. Wasn't Reina. Wasn't Nao.

  “I'm very happy that you're going to be the princess. But I cannot let him have you.”

  Her fingers trembled slightly as she typed:

  “Just who are you and how did you get my number?”

  The response materialised almost instantly:

  “The man who loves you more than him and your number... I got it from someone close."

  "Close… What the hell does that mean? Could he have got it from the teacher's office?" Yuki muttered outloud.

  "Please, my darling. Forget him and come with me.” He continued.

  “Ew, what a creep,” she whispered, but the words lacked conviction.

  But then, a dangerous thought crystallised in her mind. This was an opportunity…

  She knew what Shiori would say.

  She knew what her sisters would say.

  And she knew what Souta would say.

  But despite all that, the stalker was desperate now, desperate enough to make direct contact. This was an opportunity. Everyone else was occupied. If she met him now, confronted him alone, this nightmare could end before it truly began.

  “And Souta... Wouldn't have to be involved or get hurt...” She murmured. The notion of burdening Souta annoyed her, or so she told herself, but beneath that irritation lurked something more tender, more frightening.

  Her heart pounded against her ribs, the drumbeat of adrenaline and something darker, more complex.

  “I have to do it,” she declared to the empty room. “Then we can finally put this behind us. Then we can finally enjoy this trip...” Each word strengthened her resolve, even as uncertainty coiled around her spine like a serpent.

  Her fingers hovered over the screen, composing a message that felt both reckless and inevitable:

  “Listen, if you want to know me better, we need to meet up?”

  A single bead of sweat traced the contour of her forehead as “Delivered” transformed to “Read.”

  Typing:

  “Of course we can! Can I see you now at the bridge down near the cafe?”

  She hesitated, logic battling impulse. “That's far... But still... If I'm careful. If I'm quick.” Her fingers moved of their own volition.

  “Sure. I'll be there in 15 minutes.”

  “Great, I'm looking forward to seeing you, darling.”

  Those last words made her stomach lurch. The reality of what she'd just committed to crashed over her like a tidal wave. “Holy shit, this is happening,” she thought, breathing becoming shallow and rapid as the enormity of meeting her stalker alone settled into her bones.

  “I have to, I have to,” she chanted, a mantra of questionable courage as she prepared herself with mechanical efficiency.

  “This is for the best,” she whispered, the sound of her closing door punctuating her decision with terrible finality.

  DeadEndYuto!