WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SENSITIVE AND DARK CONTENT. PLEASE BE CAREFUL, THANK YOU.


He had been searching for them for many years. The nefarious group that had plans to exterminate humankind and re-shape the world in its design. He had a long history with this group, and he was finally taking his revenge against them. They had to be the cause of Shibabawa's prophecy, the brains behind the so-called Monster Association, the group that got rid of her, the group that would bring forth the end of the world.

"House of Evolution!" Zombieman yelled, ripping open the door of the takoyaki stand. "Your run ends today!"

"Ah, are you a customer?" the gorilla asked, his back facing the S-Class hero. "Please wait a few moments: we are still getting ready."

"Hmph," Zombieman dug his hands into the pockets of his long, white cloak. "You change your base every so often. Now you're disguised as a takoyaki stand? Don't look down on me. I've investigated your trail. You can't fool me." He held out his gun. "I now go by 'the Immortal Hero Zombieman'. Or does it ring a bell if I mention 'Sample #66'?"

"Huh?" Armoured Gorilla's eyes went wide. "A hero has come to defeat the House of Evolution? My apologies, but the House of Evolution has already been annihilated."

Zombieman's mouth fell open as Dr. Genus himself emerged, placing a hot cup of tea on the table.

"What a surprise," the doctor said, sitting down at the table. "To think that the famous S-Class hero Zombieman would be a former test subject of the House of Evolution. Speaking of Sample #66, you certainly left quite an impression. An excellent specimen, the only success of the immortal series, but you suddenly left the lab and disappeared. Well, aside from her, of course, but we all know what happened to her."

"Don't you dare bring her up," Zombieman growled. "It's your fault she's gone!"

"Now, now," Genus said. "You, me, and her twin sister are the only ones who remember her. Not even her own father remembers her, and if anything, it's his fault she's gone. But we're not here to discuss her." He smiled, darkly. "You're a hero now, eh? You transformed yourself."

Zombieman raised his axe above Genus' head.

Genus sweat-beaded. "So you want to kill me. That's fine, with the facility in the ruins, I have lost my purpose and desire to live forever."

"How was the House of Evolution erased?" Zombieman asked. "As long as you're alive, you can rebuild it any number of times. Why haven't you done so?"

Dr. Genus went silent.

"Answer me, Dr. Genus!" Zombieman raged.

Dr. Genus adjusted his glasses. "It's because he showed up. A power beyond artificial evolution. My research had lost. He had removed his limiter."

"'Limiter'?" Zombieman asked.

"No matter how much effort one puts in, every living being has an intrinsic limit to its growth," Dr. Genus explained. "Too much power becomes unbearable and overwhelms its host, turning it into a mindless, rampaging monster. To ensure that we do not enter the realm where we lose all purpose and the ability to see reason, God has set limits to the growth of every being. The mechanism in which growth is controlled is called a limiter. But he had forced himself beyond the brink, and succeeded in removing his limiter."

"So you're saying the strength of the one who has removed his limiter was enough to blow away your life's ideology and work?" Zombieman asked, incredulously. "And that such strength can be obtained with no cost whatsoever?"

"No, a price was paid for it," Genus replied. "In exchange for his power, he became bald. And after annihilating the strongest being in the history of my research with a single blow, his expression told me of the overwhelming feeling of alienation his strength had given him. Traveller is like this, too. In exchange for her power, she was forced to abandon her family and legacy. She had to become a new person."

"This is foolish," Zombieman sat down. "To think that the man who created me has devolved into such an insignificant existence… I am disappointed, Dr. Genus. I, too, know of freaks who disregard the limits of their ability. A human who wields power beyond that of monsters without becoming a monster themself is called a hero."

"I'm afraid that what I speak of lies in a different dimension than what you imagine," Genus said. "A human becomes a monster through mutated negative feelings in its cells. These negative feelings can come from an inferiority complex, the need to change into someone else, and so on. Then there are those whose cell mutations are triggered by environmental factors, or become monsters through the power of science. These are transformations into different beings, not removing one's limiter. As for the aliens and the seafolk, they could be considered natural monsters from the beginning. Similarly, the heroes were born with the potential to become strong and became strong through talent or hard work. Others become strong through mutation, like you. In addition, there are some who are born with these abilities, like my intelligence.

"And then, of course, there is an entirely different type of being," Genus continued. "A being that is not entirely human or monster. A being that was born into this world just to serve a purpose. The beings known as 'Yanderes'. This purpose they have can either be for good or for evil. And since the Yandere's entire life will be around fulfilling this purpose, they will have easy access to abilities that will allow them to fulfil their purpose, as well as the chance to increase their strength and become even more powerful. However, there is a drawback: it is most likely that Yanderes will not be able to feel any emotion outside regarding their purpose, or they will live an insignificant life. That is, until they have fulfilled their purpose. Then, finally, they will become truly human. Or truly monster."

"What are you talking about now?" Zombieman asked.

"She was like a Yandere, you know," Genus said. "Her power was immense, immense enough that she definitely earned her hero title of 'Goddess'. She was easily one of the most powerful beings on the entire planet. She was even more powerful than her elder twin sister, the one we now know as 'Traveller'. Her purpose was different from other beings like her, and she fascinated me. I made a deal with her father, and I got to study her up close. I learnt a lot about those types of beings. However, her father despised her. He thought she was a 'worthless' daughter, as she did not wish to help out with 'Saikou Corp', his company. He thought she was an embarrassment to the family."

"I remember that," Zombieman said, scowling.

"And then… well, you remember what he asked me to do to her," Genus said, looking down. He did not wish to discuss the original Goddess anymore, it seemed. "Travelling alongside that man I mentioned before, I saw another Yandere. In some ways, she was just like the original Goddess. Through a blood test, I realised she was the daughter of Ryoba Aishi, who is part of a family of those beings. But this girl has immense power too. For her entire life, she has been unable to feel emotions. Then that man awakened her to her purpose: becoming the strongest being in existence in order to become a destructive weapon. She is unlike the rest of her clan: her mother and predecessors' only purpose was to keep their lover with them, no matter the cost. But this girl was different. Her purpose puts her in an entirely different ballpark. She is a mutation, a Yandere with an ever greater power than her predecessors. Her destiny has been set in stone."

"Is she dangerous?" Zombieman asked. "Does she have noble intentions?"

"She is remorseless," Genus replied. "All Yanderes are. The only thing that matters to them is fulfilling their purpose. If it means they have to slaughter people, commit genocide, whatever it takes, they will."

Zombieman gritted his teeth. "Then…"

"The current Goddess is an artificial example of a Yandere," Genus said. "She was born to a family who has centred her life around a purpose for her to fulfil. In the end, she decided to carve out a purpose of her own: becoming the strongest being in the entire universe. So much like the other girl, she has been training to become immensely powerful. However, she is still artificial. I don't think she would admit it out-loud, but deep down, she knows the truth about herself. That reminds me, I believe there is another one of these beings. A being fated to combat that girl. He is just as strong as she is, yet he is unaware of it… for the meantime."

"This is all very ambiguous," Zombieman grunted.

"There is nothing I can do about that girl, Sample #66," Genus said. "But I'm sure that man can."

"Can he bring back the original Goddess?" Zombieman muttered.

"I wish," Genus sighed.


Akademi was in a crisis. Students were constantly on edge, scared that monsters were going to kill them.

At first, Ayano had not wanted this fear. Back then, it had been about keeping everything ambiguous. But she realised if she wanted Goddess to stop hiding, she didn't have much of a choice.

And besides, the voice in the back of her head was telling her that everything was going to plan. She was bringing the chaos that the world deserved. And once she had reached her goal… she would finally be complete.

On the flipside, another student was struggling to keep himself together.

Taro Yamada wasn't sure what was keeping him going.

After Osana's death, his world had started to crack. If it wasn't for Amai and others, he was sure he'd be done for.

Then Amai died too. Taro began to wonder if he was cursed.

No, he couldn't be cursed. The beautiful Ayano Aishi was his friend! Ever since she'd become a hero, he'd been head over heels for that girl. He'd always thought she was beautiful, but after becoming her acquaintance, she became even more beautiful. If it weren't for her, he'd be in a horrible place. She was his guardian angel, his protector, his guidance, his love. With her around, he could pull himself together, just a little longer. And considering his little sister was attending Akademi, he needed to keep himself whole. For her sake, at least.

He had to tell Ayano the truth about his feelings. He had to confess to her!

Weirdly enough, he almost felt… obligated to confess his feelings to her. Like an outer voice was telling him to confess… almost forcing him to do so.

No, it's just me, he thought, putting the love letter into Ayano's locker. This is what I want…

Ayano smirked, watching Taro from a distance away. She slipped a letter into his sister's locker, before leaving. Everything was going to plan.


The Confession Tree. Rumours said that if one confessed their love to another underneath the great cherry blossom, they would be guaranteed to accept their confession. No matter if you believed the rumours were true or not, it was a hot spot for couples to confess their love to one another.

Taro was praying that the tree was working its magic as Ayano Aishi walked up the green hill to greet him. It was a beautiful sunset evening, clouds in the sky, and a gentle breeze. A gorgeous Friday afternoon. Petals from the tree floated through the air.

"Uh, hey," Taro greeted the girl, scratching the back of his head.

"Hello, Senpai," Ayano said, smiling at him.

"Nice evening, huh…?" Taro asked, laughing nervously.

Ayano nodded.

Taro looked away. Why do I feel so… obligated? No, I'm getting worked up again…

He coughed. "So, um, Yan-chan… I have something to tell you."

Ayano stared at him, eyes blank.

"For a long time, I've always thought you were… quiet, and maybe a little weird," Taro confessed. "But I always respected you, too. Then, as you know, I love heroes, and you became a hero - and not only that, an amazing hero, you know what I mean? - and then… I began to see how amazing you really are. The way you saved our town from that meteor, the fight against that Deep Sea King guy, protecting us all from monsters… you're incredible, Ayano Aishi. And then… I began to fall in love with you too. That night we had at the fall formal was one of the best nights of my life. You're easy to talk to, and you made me feel… safe. So many bad things have been happening recently, but as long as I'm with you…" He smiled. "I know things will work out."

Taro pulled out a bouquet of roses, and offered them to Ayano.

"Please, Ayano Aishi," he said, bowing down. "Be my girlfriend!"

Ayano stared at the flowers.

"Of course, Senpai," she said, accepting them.

Taro grinned, standing up. Tears were building in his eyes. He grabbed Ayano's hands, and stared into her eyes. Soon, their faces grew close. Their lips were about to make contact...

"BIG BROTHER!"

Taro jumped, turning around to see a fuming Hanako.

"H-Hanako!" he spluttered. "What are you doing here?!"

"Big bro, what're you doing?!" Hanako asked. "Were you going to kiss her?!"

Taro coughed. "Well, I…"

"You can't have a girlfriend!" Hanako raged. "You promised it was always going to be you and I! No girlfriends! No one else! Did you lie to me?!"

"Hanako…" Taro raised a hand.

"Go away!" Hanako yelled at Ayano. "You're not welcome near my brother!"

"Hanako." Taro's voice became more firm.

"Let's go home, big bro!" Hanako said, grabbing her brother's arm. "Come on! You-"

"HANAKO!" Taro shouted, shaking her arm off.

Hanako stepped back, staring at her brother with surprise.

"Enough, okay?" Taro said, a scowl on his face. "Hanako, please… I can't be your big brother all the time. We're not little kids anymore. You need to start looking after yourself, and I need to live my own life."

Hanako teared up, grabbing onto his gakuran. "But big bro…! You promised we'd always be together! Why are you lying to me?!"

"I'm not lying," Taro said, gently. "I just…"

"If you're not lying, then let's go home!" Hanako said, still tugging on his arm. "I'll forgive you for this if you leave right now!"

Taro scowled, pushing her away. "No, Hanako! I said enough! I have my own life and my own friends. My entire world doesn't revolve around you! Maybe it did when we were kids, but it doesn't now!" He looked away. "Hanako, you're almost an adult, yet you're acting like a four year old. You can't keep clinging onto me forever. I know you're hurting, but this needs to stop!"

Hanako whimpered, her eyes watering.

"Grow up!" Taro yelled. "Just grow up, dammit!"

Tears began to stream down Hanako's face.

Taro's stature faltered. "Oh, Hanako, I didn't…"

"I HATE YOU, TARO!" Hanako screamed. "GO AWAY!"

She ran away, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Wait, Hanako!" Taro yelled, reaching after her. He glared at his fist, bringing it down.

I just wanted to be honest, he thought. Can't I even do that right?

Ayano stared at him, reassuringly. He took a deep breath.

"Hanako!" Taro yelled, following the path his sister took, Ayano behind him. "Come back!"


"Please, pick up…!"

Taro was staring down at his phone. He and Ayano were in the middle of City Z Suburbia, looking for the boy's sister. Unfortunately, Hanako was nowhere in sight. And she was not answering her phone, either.

"Dammit!" Taro cursed. "Hanako, please!"

Ayano put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's split up to search for her. If we can't find her in a few hours, we'll contact the police."

Taro took a deep breath. "Alright, good idea. I'll search around the train station. You look around here."

He ran off, muttering something about calling his parents. Ayano smirked, turning on her Yan-vision. She walked through the street, finding a small, isolated area near the end of the street. From inside the bushes, she could hear quiet sniffling. She smirked, kneeling down beside the bushes.

"Hanako," she said.

Hanako jumped, scrambling out of the bush. She glared at Ayano.

"No, not you!" she screamed. "Go away!"

"I am sorry about your brother," Ayano said, gently. "You and him were very close, weren't you? A shame, really."

Hanako sniffled. "What do you mean by that...?"

Ayano stayed silent, like she was urging Hanako to speak.

Hanako sighed, slumping back down. "Y-you know… I think Taro might've had a point… when I was a kid, I was bullied a lot, and my big brother was the only person who was there for me. He's not just my brother, he's my only friend… I don't want to lose him."

Ayano continued to be silent.

"But… I guess he was right about me being a kid," Hanako admitted. "Everything we've done, we've been together, but… maybe it'll be okay to be apart as well." She wiped her eyes. "No, I don't want to lose him! I want to go back to when we didn't have to worry about bullies and monsters and high-schools and when we could play together for hours… I want to pick flowers with him again… I want him to read books to me…" She began to cry. "But… I have to… grow up…"

Ayano patted Hanako's shoulder as she continued to cry.

"I don't want to grow up," she whimpered. "I wanna be a kid for a little longer! I wanna be with my brother for… a little longer too. Why does it have to be so hard?!"

"Oh, Hanako," Ayano laughed, smiling gently at the younger girl. "You really think that your brother actually cares about you?"

Hanako stared at her, tears trailing down her face.

"No one cares about you, and especially not him," Ayano continued, summoning her red strings. "You know what he told me? He only puts up with you to please his parents. But the truth is… he hates you. He thinks you're annoying. He thinks you're stupid. He thinks you're worthless."

Hanako whimpered, strings wrapping around her arms. She remembered the jeers of other students, calling her stupid, worthless, waste of space.

She remembered the scrawlings on her desk, telling her to kill herself. She remembered their laughter when they saw her in pain.

"You're so pathetic," they jeered. "Who could ever love you?"

"Everyone hates you."

"You'd be better off dead."

"No…" Hanako whimpered. "No, stop!"

"Yes," Ayano leaned in. "The truth is… he wishes you were dead. And you know what that means, right, Hanako?"

Hanako saw a vision of her brother. He turned to face her, utter contempt in his eyes.

"You're dead to me," he spat, like she was a piece of garbage.

Hanako pulled her hair, screaming.

"That's right," Ayano smiled. "You are alone. Forever."


Taro couldn't get rid of the feeling that something awful had happened.

He wasn't sure why. It had crawled over him, like a spider. He tried to shake it off with repetitive yet optimistic thoughts.

Hanako is fine, he told himself. Hanako is fine.

He kept walking through the streets, calling out her name, "Hanako!"

No response. He had asked various people if they had seen his little sister, but none gave him a positive response. Arms hanging down, he continued walking.

Mom and Dad are going to kill me, he thought, sighing. Hell, I'm going to kill me.

He wondered if Ayano was having any luck. He decided to give her a ring, hoping that she had. Still, he couldn't get rid of that awful feeling. He gulped. He took a few steps, forcing himself to stay calm. He held up his phone, prepared to call Ayano. He turned the corner into the alleyway, his eyes on his phone.

He looked up. His eyes went wide, and his phone clattered to the ground.

No no no… please, no no…

His little sister's body was hanging on a noose at the end of the alleyway, her body motionless. Her once easy-excitable eyes were nothing but a lifeless grey. Her shoes were sitting beneath her.

"HANAKO!" Taro shouted, racing over to his sister's body. "Oh my God! Hanako! Are you okay?! Hanako! Answer me!"

He furiously shook her body, but she didn't respond.

"Hanako, please!" Taro pleaded. "Please! You can't do this to me! Don't leave me! Hanako! HANAKO!"

The gutting realisation hit him: she was dead. She wasn't coming back. She was gone forever.

She had killed herself. He had been too late to save her.

Taro felt a sickness in his stomach. He felt… helpless. Worthless. Useless.

Broken.

"Hanako…" he whispered. He slumped into himself, tears slipping down his cheeks. He pulled his hair, fists shaking. His body trembled.

Ayano Aishi materialised beside him, pulling him into her arms. He stayed there, body slightly shaking.

"It's your fault, Senpai," she whispered.

"It's my fault," he agreed, blindly.

"You are mine now," she said.

"I am yours," he agreed.

Ayano smiled and led him away before anyone else could.


Stay safe everyone.