As Narahashi escorted (Y/n) toward the lunch tables where the boys usually sat, she began to feel her cheeks warm up. Before, he said that he would protect her, but she didn't know exactly what that meant. At first, she thought it a confession of sorts, but the more she thought about it, the signals were mixed.
"Well, this is your stop, huh?" the boy said, clearing his throat nervously, "I'll see you later. Maybe we can sit together during health?"
"I would like that," she responded, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, making the male place his hand on her cheek. He gave her a soft look and gently caressed her with his thumb before blushing and taking his hand back to rub the back of his neck.
"Sorry, I just, you look really cute when you do that," he stuttered, "Well, I...goodbye, (Y/n). I'll see you later."
With that the boy walked away, mumbling to himself about being so bashful around her. He looked back once and once he noticed the girl was still watching him, his blush turned red and he began to jog away. It was incredibly mortifying for him. Not that the girl thought he was at all unattractive when he did that.
However, she turned back to see a girl standing eagerly in front of her, clutching at her books that were hugging against her chest. She was unusually happy for someone so shy as to normally stay in the background, but it made (Y/n) smile. The dirty blonde haired girl went up and down on her tippy-toes as she said her greetings.
"Do you mind if I spend lunch with you?" she asked, enthusiastically.
"Yes, of course, here, sit next to me," (Y/n) responded as she sat down beside an open seat and Haru.
Yamato and Akari joined the table soon after she took her seat and began to look with great confusion at the new addition to the table. He shrugged it off, uncaring and sat next to Haru, giving his hair a ruffle. The gamer tried to fix his hair, hoping the female didn't see him with unkempt hair. That it just might turn her away from him was his reasoning for being anxious about it.
"Hey, guys, this is Yui Kenko. She's one of my friends and the secretary for the student council. I was hoping that she could sit with us?" the (h/c) female asked.
"Yes, of course," Shota smiled gently, intending to make the other female feel appreciated, "She would be a most welcoming companion to this mostly male group, wouldn't she?"
The others shrugged, uncaring as long as (Y/n) was happy, but Takuya inched away from the girl who took a seat next to himself. He felt largely uncomfortable with her presence and didn't trust her enough to speak in her presence. Of course, since she was (Y/n)'s friend, he would try to play nice in hopes to please the girl and gain some affection.
Yui put a lock of her brownish yellow hair behind her ear as she shyly looked to the white-haired male, focusing her attention on him. She only stopped when Shota cleared his throat, instructing her silently to do her job. She nodded and turned to (Y/n) with a sweetening smile.
"Are any of these guys your boyfriend?" she asked.
"What? Oh, no. I'm not dating. You know that," the (h/c) girl blushed, "And if it was...you know who it would be, don't you?"
"But you have all these attractive guys that are clearly interested in you," Yui chuckled, before looking up in contemplation, "but I guess they have their flaws, too, huh? That's kind of a shame."
Yamato raised his eyebrow in suspicion and crossed his arms over his chest as he peered at the new girl. Rei did the same, catching onto the brunette's thought. He rested his chin in the palm of his hand as he looked around, wondering what they had done to get such an annoying female. From his personal experiences, he knew that the girl was acting and it was entirely too fake for his liking.
"Flaws?" Haru asked, sitting up straight, "Wh-What do you mean?"
"Well, you're spoiled rotten and take everything you want without common sense. Um, the tough guy over there is kind of a bully, the blonde next to him is super pushy and annoyingly cheerful, and the other blonde with the green eyes is super judgemental of others. I mean, I guess you're handsome but that's all you have."
"What about Shota and Takuya?" Rei asked, angrily, wanting them to feel the same humiliation he just did, "Or are they perfect?"
Despite their original suspicions of the girl, both Yamato and Rei forgot about it when they were enraged of the very true statements she had said. The fact that she would do that in front of (Y/n) made them want to strangle her right then and there. However, since they couldn't they decided to take it out on those whose pride hadn't been damaged.
"Well, Takuya's just a little shy is all," Yui blushed, "He's a very sweet person."
She continued to ramble on about every little thing she loved in the white-haired boy, making the boy smile, hoping (Y/n) felt the same. It didn't matter if the new girl had told him that, he only wanted her view of himself to work its way into his "sweetheart". Yui only stopped talking when Haru rolled his eyes, reminding her what to do.
"Oh, and that redhead, there's been a lot of talk of him, you know," she smiled, looking at (Y/n), "He's very smart and talented. His grades are near perfect and his drawing and writing skills are fascinating. To top it all of, he's incredibly wealthy and is a true gentleman. He's even better than Narahashi, isn't he?"
"Um...he's great in his own way, I suppose," (Y/n) chuckled, nervously, "but Narahashi is...well, do I really have to say it?"
Shota began to dig his nails into his thigh to stop him from bursting into devastated tears as the girl failed to convince (Y/n) that he was the best choice. He sighed, trying to give her the benefit of the doubt as he moved a stray red hair out of his eyes.
"Is something the matter, Shota?" the (h/c) haired girl asked, tilting her head.
The boy's head perked up as he heard his name spoken by the girl that had shunned him for days. At least, it felt that way to him, perhaps a little more. He beamed, his smile widening in joy, knowing that his plan had worked. The focus was on him, after all.
"Nothing in the least, (Y/n)," he said, confidently, "I'm only appreciating the quality of your presence."
"See?" Yui giggled, "Isn't he great? Maybe you should ask him out. I'm sure he'd love to. You're the most popular girl in the school. At least with the boys, I mean. I - "
"I think you should leave," Yamato growled aggressively, "You're really annoying."
"You really are a bully, 'Kage'," Shota laughed, "Can't you tone it down a little? You're being rude in the presence of ladies."
"Don't call him that," Yusei snapped, "And don't talk that way to him. What right do you have?"
"No, no, it's fine," Yui smiled gently, grabbing onto Takuya's hand, "Would you escort me to my next class? I'd really appreciate it."
The boy flinched, terrified of the physical contact that the female was inflicting on him. It seemed a personal invasion of his boundaries and yet he knew he couldn't refuse. (Y/n)'s pleading eyes made that abundantly clear. He didn't want to disappoint the girl he liked so he began to stand up, letting Yui cling onto his arm.
"I'm going to grab a drink. Would you like one, (Y/n)?" Shota asked, walking in the direction that the other two were going.
The girl nodded, being met with a strong hug by Rei. He refused to be pried off by the female and buried himself in the crane of her neck. He shook a bit, confusing the girl and making her pat his head comfortingly. The blonde leaned into the touch, appreciating the gesture greatly.
"You don't think I'm 'super pushy and annoyingly cheerful', do you?" he asked, in a begging manner.
"I wouldn't say that," she assured him, "I think you're outgoing, that's all. All of you are wonderful in your own way. I wouldn't take what Yui said to heart. She has a bit of a crush on Takuya so I think she just wanted to make him feel special."
"So sweet," Akari giggled, hugging himself.
As soon as he felt the female's gaze on him, he stopped and put his hands in his lap, trying to remain silent. He had believed he'd upset the girl, but she only gave him a cheerful grin, telling him that she enjoyed it when he was himself. His eyes lit up at the thought and he ran over to her before pausing and frowning. His smile then came back quickly and he slowly and cautiously hugged her arm.
"It's so warm~," he exclaimed, "Forgive me, (Y/n), but I've wanted to do this for a long time. It's like a dream!"
"You're like a puppy, you know that?" she informed him.
He responded with a dog-like bark and began to act like a dog, demanding his belly be pet. The girl laughed and played along, cooing at him as you would a dog. Akari blushed, feeling the other males' eyes on him in confusion. Yusei even let out a laugh that he had been holding in, making Yamato take interest in the boy's actions.
He looked with a strange interest, realizing that he missed his dogs. He would've taken them that day but they had to go to the vet for their monthly checkup. Normally he would've been on-edge if he wasn't with them, but since (Y/n) was there, he felt strangely at peace. Not that she gave off the same aura as a dog. Now that he thought about it, she seemed more like a kind of doe or kitten.
He smirked, knowing what that made him. He was the hunter and she was his prey. It was quite an alluring thought to him and he wanted to test its limits. Perhaps if he caught her, he'd be able to do as he wished with her. It was then that he lost his interest in the real world, in favor of his own imagination.
"When's the plan coming through?" Yamato asked Haru, unable to contain his want.
"Should be soon," the brunette shrugged, "Rei's house in two days."
Yamato went back to his thoughts, letting out little hums every now and then. Haru tried to get the girl to play games on his device, but the two blondes were hogging her attention, fighting with each other over her touch. Meanwhile, Shota was walking along the hallway, holding his phone primed with its camera in his hand.
He looked through the window of an empty classroom, making sure he couldn't be seen easily. Then he began to smile as he saw the scene play out before him. Yui had cornered Takuya, forcing him to sit on one of the desks. He looked terrified as he shook time and time again.
Before he could react, the girl leaned into him and took his lips in hers, thoroughly enjoying the feeling. She was not a confident girl or one that went out of her comfort zone but was rather shy. The probability of her doing something like that was near zero, but Shota had encouraged her to perform the act, so she did.
Then without warning, the redhead took many pictures before shoving his phone in his pocket and running off to get a drink for himself and (Y/n). He knew the pictures would be useful in the picture and that everything would unfold exactly as he planned it. At least, so he hoped. That being said, he was going to keep his eye open for any unexpected events.
. . .
As (Y/n) began to scribble down some text in health, I couldn't seem to keep my gaze from lingering on her. Every little action she took seemed to drive me wild. I found myself blushing time and time again. I wanted to "accidentally" touch her but she was so smart, I figured that she'd know it wasn't an accident.
Plus, every time I began to so much as look at her, I received a jealous glare from that one guy with the red hair. Occasionally, I would receive one from the boy with the white hair, but he seemed as focused on (Y/n) as I was. He would occasionally sigh as he looked at her and his hands inched toward hers. Though it seemed as though he just chickened out at the last moment, mumbling excitedly to himself.
"Narahashi," (Y/n) said, quietly, "You look a bit distracted. I hope everything is alright."
"No, no!" I said, rambling about some random events that happened during the day, "I'm fine, was my main point!"
She gave me the cutest of smiles, trying to hold in her laughter. I blushed and rubbed the back of my neck, turning away so she couldn't see my bashful expression. I felt her hand on mine and my entire face heated up. What was she doing?
"I-I told you," I started when I was brashly interrupted by the redhead, who was presumably trying to take (Y/n)'s focus from me for himself.
"(Y/n)!" he chuckled nervously, prying her hand from mine and placing it on his instead, "I don't believe I've told you about Nami! She's my little sister! Um, she quite enjoys spending time with me, and lately, she's been asking about where I keep going. So, long story short, I told her about you and now she desperately wants to meet you. I was wondering if - "
"Have I told you about the stores my family owns?" the white-haired boy asked, speaking up for once. He seemed to be trying to take (Y/n)'s attention for his own as well, very willing to compete for it, "We have a lot of them, but one of my mother's favorites is this boutique and I'd really like to buy something for you there! It would make me so happy!"
The redhead put his arm around his companion and pulled him in close, whispering so that neither me nor (Y/n) could hear their conversation. They seemed to be in a disagreement of sorts. Yet when I tried to start talking to (Y/n), they snapped out of it and worked together to shut me up. It felt odd having them take her attention from me, but I wasn't sure I wanted to challenge them.
They had this deadly aura around them that made me think that they were capable of what Akari was. Then again, I'd be willing to do just about anything for (Y/n) and I wasn't going to give her up without a fight. It was painfully obvious that they thought the same, wanting to both love and be loved by her.
I've spent years by her side, constantly having to deal with the confessions boys would give her. She would always reply with the same answer, declining them gently but offering to hang out or be friends. It kind of hurt my self-esteem since I thought she'd treat me the same. But, I can't just sit around anymore, hoping she'll fall for me.
"Come over tonight, (Y/n)," I smiled gently, "My father's coming home. He'll still be laying down in bed while a nurse tends to him, but at least he'll be with us. It would mean a lot to me if you could join us for dinner."
I saw her tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear again, making me blush a slight shade of pink. She looked up at me before smiling playfully and looking away quickly, giving a little giggle under her breath. I got my hopes up, believing with all of my heart that she would accept my offer. Yet she never got the chance to tell me if she wanted to go or not.
"Sorry, but I'm taking her tonight," a familiar blonde winked.
He had violet eyes and a mischievous smile as he wrapped his arm around (Y/n)'s waist. It truly broke my heart to see that. I thought that perhaps I had been too late to make a move on her and that someone had grabbed her right out under me.
"Since when?" she scoffed, pushing him away from her.
The way he continued to try and touch her and the way that she kept pushing him away gave me hope. It seemed to be a common occurrence, at least from my speculation. I felt a bit better. Maybe he was just a flirt?
"Since now," Yamato said, putting his hand firmly on her head.
He was the one who had warned me about the others, telling me to watch myself around them. I have no earthly idea why, but strangely, I trusted him. Earlier, I even let him listen to my conversation with (Y/n). He seems different than the others. More...more sane, really. Not on the verge of unhinging like the others.
"Hey, Narahashi," the brunette said, giving me the courtesy of a wave. Something that the others who came up behind him threw disgusted faces at.
"Hello," I responded, a small smile appearing, "Did the bell ring? I'm afraid I've been a little distracted."
"That's part of your charm," Akari said, peeking over the masculine male's shoulders and throwing a smirk at me, "You're so stupid, it's cute."
I felt my blood boil as he began talking. It's like his voice was the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard to me; it made shivers go up my spine and made me want to wince. He had adopted a new policy of being more talkative since the last I saw him. Before, I'd seen him around (Y/n) but he didn't look remotely interested.
Yet now, he was staring at her, a strange passion in his eyes. It struck me as odd, to say the least, and I knew I had to look out for her with him around. There was no doubt in my mind that he wasn't the culprit behind the disappearances and murders in the town. Not to mention what had happened to my father.
"That's not very kind," (Y/n) said, defending me.
"Sorry, darling," he chuckled, sticking out his tongue in a playful manner, "But it's true, (Y/n). He was drooling over you just now. I bet he's some kind of pervert. You should watch out!"
"Tch," I said, a very strange sensation coming over me, "We both know that you're the murderer. And that you were behind Akutagawa's 'mysterious' disappearance! I bet my life that you did unseemly things before you killed her!"
"Haha," Akari laughed, his eyes darkening as he looked at me, "I'd be careful what you bet. If you've ever gambled before, you'd know that you can lose everything in an instant."
With that thinly veiled threat, he turned back to (Y/n) and clasped her hands in his, beginning to give her a sickeningly sweet smile. What was so sickening about it was that his anger toward me was so real and one would expect his sweetness toward her to be fake. That wasn't the case. Both emotions were very real yet they changed in the blink of an eye. Who was he?
"Well, I'm hungry, (Y/n)!" he laughed, "Let's grab something to eat, my treat! I'll even feed you myself!"
"I'm all for that!" the other blonde pitched in, "Food, food, food!"
"All you guys want to do is eat," (Y/n) sighed, putting her books in her backpack, "I'm heading to the council."
I began to pack my bag as well, trying to hurry as quickly as possible so I didn't lose track of her. I was worried if I lost sight of her for even just one second, she'd be gone. Whether killed, taken, or simply just disappeared, never to be seen again, all thoughts equally worried me. And the way Akari was looking at her, I wouldn't put it past him to do it himself. I should've paid more attention to the other's gazes. They were just as deadly, one of their even more unstable than the others. Yet you would never have expected it from him.