Shiena was putting all of her strength into suppressing her shivers. Her heart raced like crazy and she was fighting the urge to simply run away. But she couldn't. After all she did to arrange this meeting, she couldn't just throw it away. She had to be brave and face them if she wanted to stop them- and help them.

Shinya had lost their crazy expression. They were looking at Shiena with confusion and curiosity in their amethyst eyes.

''How do ya know my name?''

Shinya had lowered their weapon, which reassured Shiena a bit. Maybe they would be able to talk civilly.

''Banba… mentioned you. She called you her sibling.''

At those words, Shinya smiled softly.

''Indeed I am.''

''But… I investigated Banba's past, and… she's an only child.''

Shinya's smile suddenly turned into a frown.

''So… who are you really, 'Shinya'?''

Banba's hand tightened around her weapon, tensing up.

''I'm Banba Shinya, Mahiru's protector. I exist solely for her sake, and I'll do everything I can to help her.''

So Shiena's doubts had been confirmed. She always wondered if the Demolisher was only one person or two people, but now she had her answer. Both. For once, one plus one equaled one.

''You want to kill me because I gave that keychain to Banba, right?''

Shinya giggled, a dark laugh that sent chills down Shiena's spine.

''So ya did that on purpose huh. Smart… yet dumb.''

''You kill people… who give you a gift. They are like… treasures to you-''

''Relics,'' Shinya corrected.

''Right, relics… but why do you need those?''

''I don't need them. Mahiru needs them. Relics from people dear to her… is the best way to fill her empty heart.''

Again, Shiena saw right. She took a risk and stepped closer to Shinya, but still trying to keep a safe distance between them.

''People hurt you- so much so that you feel empty on the inside,'' Shiena began. ''I can understand that. The world was unfair to you, and it was the same for me, too. It hurt, right? But it's not a reason to hurt others. I view Banba as my friend, and I want to help her- both of you. Please, let me help you.''

Shinya recoiled a little, looking uncertain.

''How… will ya help me- us?''

''You have… issues. You are a danger to yourself and others. Not that I blame you, the world made you that way. But it's not too late to change. With the right help you can get through this and get better-''

''Ya still haven't answered my question. How will ya help us?'' Shinya insisted.

They seemed more aggressive and Shiena got worried. If she didn't choose her words carefully she might trigger them.

''Mostly therapy. Maybe medication, or putting you in a place where you will be safe-''

''So drugging me and locking me up!''

''It's for your own good…''

Shinya clenched their fists.

''You're just like all of them. Ya want to steal away my freedom, you're looking down on me-''

'I'm not! But you need help, you're sick!''

''I'M NOT CRAZY!''

Shinya's eyes were full of murderous intent. Shiena began to recoil, feeling like she may have made a mistake.

''Shinya… I know you're in pain, you're suffering, so-''

''You're wrong. You'll be the one suffering soon,'' Shinya interrupted her with a sinister grin.

Shinya quickly raised their sledgehammer and Shiena had barely the time to avoid a hit that would have been most certainly fatal. She nearly fell to the ground but managed to stay on her feet, and didn't waste any time in running away.

Her plan was a failure- she couldn't convince Banba. But it wasn't all for nothing. At least now she had confirmed the Demolisher's identity, she could tell others. If she survived.

Looked like trying to reason with a dangerous, psychotic, and delusional serial killer wasn't a good idea after all.

Shiena continued to run and dared to look behind her shoulder. She thought that perhaps Shinya's sledgehammer would slow them down, but it didn't seem to be the case. Shinya was running after her, a maniacal smile on their lips, looking like a predator chasing down its prey.

Shiena turned when she reached a backstreet, hoping she could escape there. But unfortunately, she was stopped by a dead-end. She turned back, ready to run again, but Shinya was now blocking her way, cackling madly.

''Shinya… please don't do this. I know deep down you don't want to hurt anyone-''

''Oh, but I do want to hurt ya. And kill ya.''

Shinya looked ready to jump on her and smash her with their sledgehammer. But before they could, Shiena pulled out a gun and aimed at them.

''If you don't want to listen to me, I won't hesitate to protect myself and shoot!'' Shiena warned, trying to look threatening.

Shinya stopped before they started to giggle, taunting her.

''Ya ain't gonna shoot. Ya don't have that in ya. Ya don't have the strength to pull the trigger.''

Those words somehow felt like a stab in Shiena's heart. She knew far too well that it was the truth. Shinya continued to laugh as they slowly walked towards Shiena, letting their weapon brushed against the cement. Shiena's hand was shaking, her finger on the trigger, but she couldn't pull it.

Shinya was now in front of her, grinning madly as they raised their sledgehammer, ready to crush Shiena's head.

''Seeya, Kenmochi. Thanks for the keychain.''

Shiena remained frozen, incapable to do anything in front of her imminent death. She eventually closed her eyes, thinking that perhaps it would hurt less if she couldn't see the blow.

But nothing happened. Instead she heard a grunt and the hammer clattering to the floor. Shiena dared to open her eyes and discovered Shinya on the ground, wriggling and crying out in pain, covering her face. Glancing up, she saw Haru standing there, a bottle of pepper spray in her hands. Quickly, she grabbed Shiena's arm and dashed off with her

''Ichinose?! What are you doing here?''

''There's no time to talk, we gotta get somewhere safe,'' Haru replied.

Shiena obeyed and let her coworker lead her, grateful for her help yet wondering how she got there. She looked one last time behind them and was relieved to see that Shinya wasn't chasing them.

Haru led her to her house. A simple bungalow that looked quite cozy. Haru closed the door and looked through the window, probably checking to see if Banba followed them, before she closed the curtain with a sigh.

''Ichinose, thank you-''

''What were you thinking?'' Haru asked as she turned back.

Shiena remained frozen. Never had she seen such a serious and severe expression on Haru's face. There was even reprimand in her eyes.

''I… just wanted to stop her. And help her.''

''You could have gotten killed. That was dumb. Why didn't you at least tell someone?!''

''I didn't want… to endanger anyone.''

''Yet you endangered yourself!''

Shiena couldn't believe that Haru of all people was scolding her. Even if she knew that her coworker was simply worried for her, it also kind of annoyed Shiena, who decided to snap back.

''And you, what were you doing there?''

It was Haru's turn to freeze, looking like she was hesitating, and avoiding Shiena's eyes.

''I… had a doubt that you would try to confront Mahiru-san tonight. My doubts were confirmed when you gave her that keychain.''

''Wait… did you know Banba was the Demolisher?''

Haru didn't say anything, simply nodding.

''How?!'' Shiena asked.

''Well… you remember when we talked about our plans for Christmas? You went to the bathroom shortly after and I may… have looked through your computer and stumbled upon the article you were reading.''

''You WHAT?!''

''I know I shouldn't have, but… I briefly saw it when we were talking and… that picture… that looked just like Mahiru-san. I was too curious, and I needed to know. I'm sorry."

Shiena felt angry and deceived and was tempted to lash out against Haru. But, remembering that she just saved her life, she calmed down and regained her composure.

''Then?'' Shiena asked.

''I decided to investigate too. I come to the conclusion that Mahiru-san was the culprit, but… I couldn't believe it. She is so sweet and shy, how could she commit… those awful murders? I understood too that the gifts her victims gave her was the trigger, so when I saw you give her that keychain… I knew what you were going to do. So I followed you both and when I saw her attacking you. I arrived just in time to stop her…''

Shiena was surprised. She always thought that Haru was kind of slow, but turned out she could be quite clever.

''But still, there is one thing I'm not sure I get… why did the article refer to Mahiru-san as a boy? She's a girl, right?''

Okay, maybe not that clever.

''I… don't know either,'' Shiena pretended, not wanting to break her promise with Mahiru.

''Hmmm."

''A-Anyway, we know now that Banba is the Demolisher, so it was worth it.''

''What are we gonna do next? We should tell someone in AKA-''

''No!''

Haru jolted when Shiena suddenly raised her voice. Shiena took a deep breath to calm down.

''If they know the truth, they will throw Banba in jail. I know she's a murderer, but… she's insane. She needs medical help.''

''I know, but… we can't let her kill more people.''

''I'll try to talk with her, maybe I can reason her when… she isn't in a psychotic rage.''

''You tried today and you failed…''

''That's because I tried to talk to Shinya, not Banba.''

''... Who's Shinya?''

''Banba's other personality.''

Haru stopped talking for a moment and seemed genuinely confused.

''... What?''

''Banba has a split-personality. I don't know if it's the result of psychosis or dissociative identity disorder, but she's not alone in her head. The one who kills is Shinya, so I assume… that it should be easier to talk to Banba instead.''

Haru looked like she was having a hard time processing all of this. She then sighed and softly took Shiena's hand.

"Okay, but we're both going to talk to Mahiru-san, together."

Shiena hesitated a little. Somehow she wanted to do this alone, but at the same time, perhaps it was safer to be accompanied by Haru. And that would prevent Haru from denouncing Mahiru.

"Fine, let's do this together-"

Knock knock knock.

They both jolted. Who could that be so late in the evening? A terrible doubt crossed Shiena's mind. What if it was Shinya? With some hesitation, Haru walked towards the door.

"Ichinose, don't-"

Cautiously, Haru opened the door, fear in her eyes that was immediately replaced by joy.

"Oh, Tokaku-san!"

Tokaku entered the house, Haru kissed her and for the first time, Shiena saw her smile. It felt so weird. Although her smile disappeared quickly when she noticed Shiena.

"What is she doing here?" Tokaku asked coldly.

"We went to the festival together and after that… Shiena-san didn't feel well so I proposed to let her stay here for a little while," Haru explained.

Tokaku continued to gaze at Shiena. She remembered that Haru mentioned that she was supposed to spend the evening with her girlfriend. She then remembered that she too, had something planned with someone.

"I feel better now… and I gotta go. Thanks again Ichinose and seeya at work!" Shiena said as she quickly left the house, feeling unwelcome anymore.

She headed for where she lived, feeling nervous, looking around in case Shinya might have reappeared.

Shiena stepped inside the house and removed her boots and coat. Most of the place was dark, but she noticed light in the kitchen. Shiena headed there and discovered Otoya sitting on the rocking chair, reading a book. When she saw Shiena she immediately put her book away and smiled.

"Oh hey, Shiena-san. You're finally back."

"Yeah, sorry. I got… busy with Ichinose and Banba."

That was an understatement but Otoya didn't need to know the truth.

"We still got some time before midnight," Otoya began as she rose up. "Come. There's something I want to tell you."

Otoya gently took Shiena's hand and led her to her room. Shiena could feel her heart accelerate at this physical contact, but also in anticipation to what her friend wanted to tell her. They entered the room which was, as usual, a real mess. But Shiena got used to it. Otoya gently stroked her shoulder, smiling softly.

"Stay here, I'll come back with something," Otoya said as she left the room.

Shiena waited patiently, but she was certainly a little bit nervous. To pass time, she looked around, examining all the stuff that was scattered in the room. She spotted a piece of paper under her bed with what seemed to be a newspaper article glued on it. Was it part of her binder about Jack? Did it fall maybe? Curious, Shiena retrieved it started to read the article.

"Young girl killed her father after he murdered her mother."

Shiena continued to read, curious to have more details.

"The father would have killed his wife in her sleep with a pair of scissors. He would have tried to do the same to his daughter, before she killed him by self-defence."

Shiena wondered why Otoya kept this news article until she saw the picture of the family. She recognized all three of them.

It was a child Otoya with her mother and father.

"Shiena-san, I'm back."

Shiena started to shiver, her eyes glued to the newspaper, before she finally turned back. Otoya put a bottle of champagne on the dresser as well as two glasses. She then noticed what Shiena was holding and her gaze became stoic.

"Shiena, what's that?"

Shiena didn't know what to say. She was scared yet she wasn't sure why. Otoya didn't seem angry or anything, but she was kind of… frightening right now.

"Takechi… you said your parents were murdered."

"They were."

"And you said… that the police hadn't caught the culprit yet."

Otoya remained silent for a moment and, much to Shiena's surprise, she burst into tears.

"T-Takechi!?"

"I'm sorry… I just… didn't want you to… know… that I was a killer," Otoya said as she continued to sob.

Shiena never saw Otoya cry before, she never saw her look so… vulnerable. It made Shiena want to comfort her. She regretted her initial reaction upon discovering this article, she understood that she was wrong.

"Takechi… you aren't a killer. You did nothing wrong. Your father… attacked you. You just protected yourself."

Otoya took a deep breath and wiped her tears away, seeming to have calmed down a little.

"My father… was a bad man. He treated me and my mother horribly, but I never thought he could… kill her. I loved my mother so much… and he took her away from me…"

Tears continued to roll from Otoya's eyes as Shiena surrendered to her impulsions and hugged her. Otoya continued to sob on her shoulder as she hugged Shiena back, which made her happy. They hugged for a moment until Otoya finally regained her composure.

"Thank you, Shiena-san. For understanding. Living with this weight made me wonder… if I could have become an actual killer. Perhaps this is why… I'm so obsessed with serial killers. Because I can see myself in them."

Shiena could relate to that. She felt like it was time to tell Otoya the truth, about her own obsession with serial killers. With some hesitation, Shiena pulled out her gun, which made Otoya instinctively recoiled.

"Shiena-san… is that… a real gun?"

"Yeah."

"But… that's illegal! How did you even get that and why?"

"I… used to be part of a group. An online group. And some of them… were mixed with illegal stuff. When I told one of them about my… problems, they… sent me this."

"What problems?"

Shiena hesitated to answer. She put back the gun in her pocket. It was the moment of truth.

"In school… I was heavily bullied. My life was a living hell, I wanted to… die. And I wanted them to die."

"No one helped you? Not even your parents?"

At those words, Shiena let out a bitter laugh.

"They never cared about me. They never wanted me in the first place. I was… nothing more than an accident. They got married, but they never loved each other. They got divorced when I was still very young, and whichever house I was staying at, none of them took care of me. They were just so busy with their respective work…"

Shiena stopped talking when she felt her voice cracking. She didn't want to start crying. What she went through was nothing compared to Otoya, so she felt like it would be unfair to cry.

"And your bullies… did you… kill them?" Otoya asked.

"That's the problem. I couldn't."

Shiena's nightmare came back to her mind. This event that could have very well happened but never did. Even if she didn't do that, it was still haunting her nights.

"I… brought the gun to school. I intended to… shoot my bullies. And then myself. But… I didn't have the strength to pull the trigger. I couldn't even pull out the gun. Since that day, I wondered… if things were different, could I have become a killer? Maybe it's why… I'm so obsessed with serial killers. They are the mirror of the worst part in me, yet, I'll never be like them. And somehow, I don't know if… I'm happy or not about that. I'm not even sure what I regret. Nearly killing people… or not doing it…"

Shiena's vision became blurry. She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes, to discover that her hand was now wet. She felt something rolling on her cheeks and realized with horror what it was.

Those were tears.

What she wanted to avoid happening happened. Shiena started to cry. She tried to stop but it was in vain, the tears didn't want to stop. Otoya stepped towards her and suddenly embraced her. Shiena didn't want her to comfort her, she felt unworthy of it, yet part of her felt appeased.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Shiena mumbled weakly.

"Shhh, it's okay Shiena-san. You can cry. Get it out of your system. You did nothing wrong. You can't blame yourself for your feelings. No matter what, I'll be here for you."

Otoya softly rubbed her back, then her shoulder, before she gently wiped away Shiena's tears. Her smile was so kind as she suddenly leaned against Shiena, her face only a few millimeters away.

And then she kissed her.

Their lips met in a warm, soft and passionate kiss. Otoya tenderly cupped Shiena's face as she continued to kiss her. Shiena felt like she was dreaming. This simply couldn't be true. Otoya was really kissing her? This wasn't a dream, it was real. This pure moment of happiness washed away all her worries, her sadness, her regrets. She wrapped her arms around Otoya's waist and gently stroked her back, returning the kiss. Shiena wished this moment could last forever, but unfortunately, she had to catch her breath. She broke the kiss and looked at Otoya, who was smiling so nicely.

"I love you, Shiena-chan."

Shiena felt like crying again, but this time of happiness. She had longed to hear those words for what seemed like forever- it felt too good to be true. Could life actually be good for her?

"I love you too, Otoya."

Otoya's smile grew wider as she kissed Shiena again. This time, her tongue pushed inside of her mouth, gently playing with hers. Her hands softly brushed Shiena's waist before they suddenly slipped under her shirt. Otoya's fingers on her bare skin made Shiena shiver, both from excitement and fear.

She wanted this, yet she wasn't ready for that. She became more and more afraid as Otoya's hands were dangerously close to her chest. She gently nudged Otoya away, then coughed.

"Shiena-chan, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah… my throat hurt a little. Let me just… go grab a glass of water and I'll be back."

Shiena and Otoya looked at the hour and noticed that it was past midnight.

"Happy New Year, Shiena-chan."

"Happy New Year, Otoya. Be right back."

Shiena left the room, her heart racing like crazy and her body burning. She still couldn't believe it was real, and felt as if she was going to wake up soon. She pinched herself just to be sure and it hurt. It was truly real.

Shiena arrived at the kitchen and smiled to herself. The new year started in a good way for her. She didn't remember the last time she was this happy in her entire life. Finally life was treating her fairly and she was rewarded for years of suffering.

As she was about to grab a glass, Shiena spotted something. It was the book Otoya was reading earlier. It was on a chair, under the table. Curious about what kind of stuff Otoya read, Shiena went to take a look.

She grabbed the book and it was with shock that she read the title.

"Confession, by Minato Kanae."

Minato Kanae… that author Yamada Yuu, one of Jack's victims, really liked. Shiena remembered the missing book in her apartment, and realized she was holding it.

All those details she had noticed and brushed away, details that separately meant nothing, but once you connected the dots, the answer seemed too easy.

How could she not notice earlier? It was so obvious. How could she had been fooled like that? Shiena felt so dumb, how could she think that the universe would allow her to be happy? She was simply the most unlucky of them all…

"Shiena-chan? Is everything alright?"

Shiena jolted. Otoya's voice was coming from her bedroom. Fearing that she might join her, Shiena immediately replied.

"Y-Yeah… I just… need to go to the bathroom."

She needed to get out of here as quickly as possible, she wasn't safe. Without making too much noise, Shiena headed for the front door and put her boots, but didn't bother putting on her coat, and left the house. As soon as she was outside, she started to run, ignoring the cold, wanting to put the most distance between her and Otoya as possible.

She felt a sudden pain in her neck, like she had just been stung by a mosquito. But it was winter, it was way too cold for any bugs outside.

Shiena's vision became blurry and her legs numb, so much so that she tripped over her own foot and fell to the ground. She tried to get up but her body was so limp, she just fell back on the cement, incapable of moving. Her vision started to slowly fade away as she heard footsteps coming closer, and everything became black.

It was with a heavy headache that Shiena woke up. She grunted when she was blinded by the light and rubbed her eyes. She felt like she was lying on something wet and sticky… and when she looked at her hand she discovered… blood. Did she have her period? She quickly rose up from the bed and looked around, before she nearly screamed.

Lying right next to her was a dead woman.

Her body had been awfully mutilated and she had been ripped open, her guts hanging from her belly. Shiena immediately recoiled, terrified.

Why did she wake up next to a corpse? What was she doing before she fell asleep? She couldn't remember. She spotted a bloody knife on the floor and picked it up. Was it the murder weapon? This crime, it couldn't be anyone other than

Shiena suddenly remembered what she was doing before. Otoya, she was-

"Don't move and raise your hands!"

Shiena jolted and turned back, to discover one of her coworkers in the doorframe, aiming at her with a gun.

"... Azuma… It's not what you think, I didn't-"

"I don't want to hear anything from you, you psycho! I knew something was wrong with you. Now raise your hands or I'll shoot you!"

Shiena obeyed and raised her hands, still holding the knife. When she thought the situation couldn't get any worse, someone else suddenly stepped inside the room, looking absolutely shocked.

"Kenmochi… what have you done?"

Shiena felt like she was going to cry. She wanted anyone except her to see her like this.

"Namatame…" was all Shiena could say.

Chitaru remained in the doorframe, like she was hesitating to act, before she pulled out her gun.

"Kenmochi Shiena, you're under arrest for murder. You have the right to remain silent," Chitaru finally said.

Shiena felt her whole world crumbling. She dropped the knife and Chitaru approached her, before handcuffing her and leading her out of the room under the hostile gaze of Tokaku.

What a terrible way to start the New Year.

And end of the first arc. I'm sorry Shiena-chan :c

So, did you like it? Please let me know if you have any theories regarding what happened to Shiena and what you think will happen next. I may take a short hiatus before contuining this fic to work on other projects but I'll come back soon, I promise.