This was it. She, Ayano Aishi, Yan-Chan, was going to confess to Senpai.
She clutched her message tightly, and dropped it in his locker before she could reconsider one bit. She was going to ask him to meet at the tree…
The next few hours were agonizing as she waited for class to be over. But she bolted to the tree the second she could, excitement in her veins.
Well, that was until she slammed right into Kokona Haruka.
"Ah! Yan-Chan! I'm sorry!"
Ayano stood up and looked at Kokona, who had her boyfriend beside her. A match made. Since then, Kokona had claimed she owed Ayano a million. Ayano grumbled something out, and then started to walk to the tree.
"Oh! You're gonna confess to someone?"
Ayano nodded at Kokona.
"Good luck Yan-Chan!" Ayano smiled at her, and then continued walking. She finally reached the tree, where her beloved Senpai stood.
"Aishi-San?"
She nearly clammed up, but her hand managed to grab the confession note and hand it to him, a blush creeping over her face.
He opened the envelope and then looked at her.
She looked at him. She prayed mentally. The lives of the three that had died. They couldn't go to waste…
Senpai smiled warmly at her.
"You waited for a while, didn't you?"
"H-huh?"
"What took you so long to confess?"
…Getting rid of her rivals took so long.
Matchmaking 7 of them took so long.
Killing his best friend took so long.
Mentally torturing Midori took so long.
Killing that substitute teacher took so long.
Ayano gasped softly. She stepped backwards from Senpai. She had done this all for him. She had killed his best friend! She had tortured someone to murder suicide! Her breaths grew uneven.
"Aishi-San? Are you okay?" He stepped towards her, a hand outstretched.
"No…" She stumbled. "No no no!" He placed his hand on her shoulder, and she roughly shoved him away.
"Ayano!"
"I can't feel anything! I'm nothing! I've never been able to feel anything! I'm not like you, I'm a monster! A soulless monster! I killed them!" She screamed.
"W-what?"
"I killed Osana! I killed Midori! I killed that substitute teacher!"
"Aishi-San…!"
"Stay away! Get away from me!" She was screaming. Her feet took off on their own, blasting her past the tree, away from Senpai. She blew past Saki-Chan and then headed for the gate, shoving past everyone.
Saki Miyu looked at Senpai, who was running after the girl.
"What did you do?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I…I didn't…" He huffed.
"Did you hurt her? Did you hurt my friend?!" She snapped, looking at him fiercely.
"She…we need to…catch her! Miyu-san, please!" Saki looked at him, but, understanding the urgency in his voice, started running after Ayano.
"Yan-Chan! Stop!" Taro yelled after the girl, as he ran alongside Saki.
"Don't talk to me!" She screamed in reply. Her voice had gone hysterical, and it was obvious she was crying.
Saki and Taro ran through the streets and around corners, barely managing to keep Ayano in sight. Eventually they reached her house.
"Is…this her…house?" Taro managed to ask.
"I…think so…" Saki replied. They took a second to calm themselves down.
Ayano, in her panic, had left her door wide open. The two went inside.
"Yan-Chan?" Saki asked. No response. She yelled louder.
"NO!" Came a muffled yell. Taro found a door leading to the basement stairs. The two climbed down slowly, to find Ayano scrambling away from the stairs, a rather large knife in her hands.
"Yan-Chan…please…" Taro whispered. Ayano dropped the knife and it skittered a little away. She dropped to her knees, and started fumbling to pick up the blade. She only succeeded in pushing it farther. She pounced after it.
"Ayano, stop!" Saki yelled. But Ayano didn't listen. She grabbed the blade and backed up into a corner.
"St-stay away from me…Senpai…Saki-Chan… I killed them…I'll kill you too…!"
"Who's 'them'?" Saki asked.
"Osana…Midori…That stupid substitute teacher… It's my fault they're dead!"
Taro slowly stepped towards her. But he realized that it'd be hopeless. With every inch he moved forward, Ayano moved the blade closer to her body.
"Their lives went to waste…" She muttered.
"Ayano…don't…" Taro softly pleaded.
"So I'll pay for their lives!" Ayano declared.
Saki screamed as Ayano's knife pierced through the flesh of her stomach.
"AYANO!" Taro ran beside the girl, who, even as she was dying, tried to push him away, but weakly.
"Yan-Chan!" Saki cried with horror.
"Wh-what do we do?" Taro panicked.
"Don't touch the knife…we don't want to be incriminated for this…" Saki muttered.
Taro's hand slowly moved away from the blade.
"Call…the police." Taro said carefully.
"No."
"What?" Taro asked her, in disbelief.
"I'm calling Kokona."
"Why?"
"…I can't think straight right now. Kokona might be able to give us a clearer head. Plus, she's in drama club. She might know how to act…" Saki explained shakily, numbly attempting to unlock her phone.
"O-okay…"
"Is Yan-Chan still alive?"
Taro felt the girl's pulse, and listened carefully.
"…Barely."
Saki stepped out of the basement to make the call. Taro sat there, kneeling before Ayano's bloody corpse. Despite the blood, he pulled her head into his lap.
"…Sen…pai?"
"Ayano…"
"Why…are you here?"
"Because you're dying, Ayano! Don't you realize?"
"…Yes…"
"Why did you do this?!" Taro didn't realize he was crying.
"Don't…cry."
"But Ayano! I wouldn't have said no! I would have accepted your confession! Why did you run off? Why did you-"
"…Stop." She closed her eyes.
"H-huh?"
"…Stay." Taro held the girl's wrist as he watched her struggle to breathe.
"It…hurts…Taro."
"Then why did you stab yourself?!"
"…To keep… you safe."
"A-Ayano…"
She let out a small breath. Then there was nothing. No pulsing on her wrist. It was empty.
Taro Yamada felt something inside of him shatter.
"Ayano! No! Please! Breathe! Breathe!" Nothing.
Taro felt nothing at all. He kept his eyes focused solely on Ayano's head in his lap. He grabbed for the blade that had ended Ayano's life.
"Taro! What are you doing?!" A new voice. Kokona Haruka had arrived.
"Stop it!" Saki shrieked.
What Taro felt next was pain and a lot of warm stuff pouring from his chest. His hand grabbed Ayano's cold one, and he slumped over her body.
Saki and Kokona were screaming their throats out and they were begging him to stop but there was nothing they could do.
Nothing.