As I walked away from the cafeteria, I realized that I'd soon be meeting the very same person I just parted with moments ago. After all, the next class, and the last one for the day, was Literary Analysis. The thought was late in coming to me, although it wouldn't really change anything, even if it had occurred to me earlier. I don't think I would have stuck around and waited to walk to class with that person.

She had looked so uncomfortable. So unlike the side of herself that she had showed the previous day. Gone was the formidable visage and aura of an ice queen. Instead, there was simply a girl who was scared, unable to fight back. Someone being pushed around, stepped on. It was impossible to reconcile those two personas, unless the version of her I had seen before was simply a facade. Was that it, then? Had it simply been an act? But that didn't make any sense. I was an absolute nobody. She had nothing to gain from presenting a powerful image to me.

And also… there was a part of me, my instincts, which told me what I had seen before had not been an act.

And so, the question remained unanswered.

Who was Yukinoshita Yukino?

I did not know.

She was hard, no, impossible to read. Something about her was definitely different from most people. It set off many warning bells in my system. A part of me was sure she was dangerous. But it seemed impossible that someone so meek and timid could be a danger to anyone.

I shook my head.

I didn't understand her at all.

While I seek understanding whenever and wherever I can and feel inclined, there are times when even I realize that it's best to let sleeping dragons lie. Something about Yukinoshita told me I should give her a wide berth. And normally, I would have been content to do exactly that.

I've never considered myself the heroic type, and I very much doubt I'd put myself in danger to save anyone else. I doubt I'd even inconvenience myself to do anything of the sort. Yet, that reasoning notwithstanding, I had willingly intervened and helped her just a while ago.

And… despite all the warnings, I had enjoyed our conversation yesterday.

Perhaps that was what bothered me most of all. That even knowing everything, I still wanted to talk to her.
The remaining minutes of the break passed by agonizingly. I was nervous, but I wanted to see her again, that mysterious girl.

I made my way up the stairs. The corridor in which the room was located was empty. Interestingly, it had been so even yesterday. I wondered if Literary Analysis was the only active class held here. Once more, there was another fact that seemed too convenient to be a coincidence.

Yet, as I passed by the empty classrooms, I couldn't help but feel peaceful. There was something soothing about the silence, about the absence of so many loud, obnoxious people who'd writhe and shove against each other like so many agitated snakes in a barrel.

I arrived at the room to find, to my surprise, that Yukinoshita was already there.

Well, I had taken a roundabout way to get to the class, so it wasn't inconceivable that she'd reach first.

Yet, seeing her there already somehow took my breath away for a moment.

She was sitting in the same chair as she was last time.

And once more, as before, her gaze turned towards me.

But unlike then, this was not the unapproachable ice queen.

It was a girl who could be vulnerable.

At the very least, she had been, moments ago.

Right now, she was still guarded. I could see that, in her posture, in her expression. The subtle tension of the muscles around her eyes, showing caution, focus. Yet, the position of the brow, and the dilation of the pupils… showed something unmistakeable.

I've seen it many times, but almost never directed at me. Come to think of it, has anyone outside my family ever looked at me with that?

So seeing it now, it almost seemed like time seemed to stop.

And in that frozen world where nothing changed, there was just the two of us.

Yukinoshita Yukino was looking at me with hope.

It sounds like it lasted an eternity, but in reality, we must have only locked eyes silently for a few seconds.

Yukinoshita spoke, her grammar and enunciation still perfect, but her tone less rigid than before.

"Regarding earlier, thank you", she said.

"Don't mention it," I replied.

I wasn't going to press her for an explanation. Not unless she wanted to speak about it herself. After all, I know myself that having someone pry into one's life, even with the best of intentions, is an invasion of one's privacy.

To my surprise, she was the one who asked the next question.

"Why… did you help?"

Caught by surprise, the only answer I could give was the honest one.

"I wanted to."

Her eyes widened. The frozen spell that hung over them disappeared, like ice melted by the warm sun. And just for a moment, the guardedness was gone. The walls she constantly had around her were lifted.

It probably sounds like nothing.

And maybe it is.

In the long run, what must a single reaction be worth?

Yet, maybe that was why.

Maybe because it was a fleeting moment of honesty, in a world where I never saw it. A brief moment, one where I witnessed someone being genuine.

It was beautiful.

She was beautiful.

And so, as naive as it was, I wanted it to stay.

That genuine part of her.

"I helped… because it didn't feel right that they treated you that way."

The words slipped out before I could stop myself, hanging loud in the air. They seemed to thrum and vibrate, and I couldn't take them back. I'd done what I never do, and revealed a bit of myself.

I haven't done that for many years. Because whenever I had, I'd lived to regret it.

And yet, at the moment, regret was the last thing on my mind.

Impossibly, Yukinoshita's eyes glowed even brighter, almost blinding me.

It was like a shooting star.

The moment was gone, and her walls were back up again. Her emotions hidden behind a perfectly unreadable face, arranged to conceal her true self. Her eyes once more blank, though I knew now, that they held so much more than I had once thought.

Yet, something had changed between us.

I felt bold enough to say my next words.

"Those girls… why do they bother you?"

She simply shook her head. I took that to mean that it wasn't a question she wanted to answer.

I didn't push it.

"They'll do it again, won't they?"

"... They most likely will."

There were a thousand questions I wanted to ask.

Why didn't she fight back? Why didn't she do something about it? Tell someone? Campus authorities? Friends?

That last word answered the question it represented.

If she had had friends, she wouldn't be in that position in the first place.

No one starts out wanting to be a loner. Though I'd never admit that aloud. No one starts out wanting to be a loner, one just sort of ends up being one.

There were so many things I didn't know. And the more I learnt, the more I found I didn't know, or understand, about her.

This girl, alone, friendless. Afraid, or unable to fight back. And so, living with her walls up constantly. Probably looking to avoid interaction.

Reminded me of someone, to be honest.

And yet, yesterday, when we had been discussing that shitty light novel, she'd seemed alive, eager to talk.

The Literary Analysis class… it all came back to this place. This was where I had first met her. The place where she could speak her mind, no matter how cautiously. And… it was the place where I had seen a small glimpse of her true self.

I understood now.

Understood that I didn't know or understand Yukinoshita at all.

But for some reason, I wanted to.

I do not think Yukinoshita is unaware of her options. And she's probably been told to approach the authorities if she's being bullied. That sort of message is all over the media these days. I doubt telling her the same thing will help.

So maybe, if I were to reach out through the one thing we have in common…

Stories.

This is the Literary Analysis Class, isn't it?

Filled with a new determination, I speak up.

"Have you heard the tale of the Mercenary?"

"You'll have to be more specific than that, Hikigaya kun."

Undaunted by her quick comeback, I continue.

"His life began harshly, from the hanged corpse of his mother. Found by a band of wandering mercenaries, he was adopted by a prostitute who was part of the group. Shortly afterwards, the woman died, and he was raised by the leader of that band. It was a harsh life, and there were no handouts. From the moment he was able to walk, he was expected to be of use on the battlefield, carrying weapons for the adults. When he was old enough, he was given one himself. Soon, this young boy was fighting on the battlefield, killing grown men. This brutal life continued, a life where he was forced to kill to survive. It was not a good life, a life anyone should have. But a life it was. Everything changed when the man who was the closest thing to a father he had, tried to kill him. The boy managed to survive, but to do so, he had to take the life of the one he had looked up to. His entire world was shattered. Further, he became a pariah, since the rest of the band now wanted him dead."

Yukinoshita clapped her hands to her mouth, shocked.

"What… what happened to him after that?"

I looked her in the eye and answered.

"He lived. He had to fight tooth and nail to do it. It was hard, and it was lonely. After all, he had no comforting voice tell him at night that he was okay. But he fought anyway, and he survived."

"Why?" Yukinoshita asked softly. "Why did he continue to fight? Did he not see that the world wanted him dead? What gave him the strength to continue? What was his reason?"

"Because he existed, and his life meant something. This is always true, Yukinoshita. There are so many perspectives in the world. So many opinions. Yet, it is not all those opinions and perspectives that decide that worth of a life. The only one who can do that, is the one living it. Thus, it is worth fighting, even if the whole world seems against you. Worth fighting for oneself. Worth fighting, so that one may live."

I paused slightly, and rubbed the back of my head.

"At least, that's what I took away from the story."

Yukinoshita stared at me intensely, never looking away.

Her gaze was powerful, unwavering. Nothing like the timid girl from the cafeteria.

"Is that really what you believe? Do you think it applies… even to someone like me?"

Her gaze was powerful, but it did nothing to hide her vulnerability.

That single question laid herself bare in front of me.

This girl was asking me if her life was worth anything.

I didn't hesitate for a second before answering. It was a frightening responsibility to have someone ask me of all people to affirm their existence. Yet, now that she had, fucking up that responsibility was out of the question.

I needed to answer.

Needed to tell her.

So I did.

"You matter. Your life matters. You exist, and should strive to make yourself happy, Yukinoshita."

The words came out stronger than I had expected. Perhaps because I was ultimately proclaiming my own beliefs. For a long time, I had fought the battles of life alone. If I had been the type to derive my self worth from what others thought of me, if I had been the type to believe that the thoughts of others determined my existence… then I would have been finished a long time ago.

One matters. As an individual, one matters, and has the right to be happy.

This was my firm belief.

And to this poor girl, who had been pushed around, I needed to convey that, so I did.

Yukinoshita's eyes glowed the brightest they had so far. For a moment, I was afraid she might burst into tears. But she didn't.

The bell rang, at that very moment, signalling the end of classes for the day.

Yukinoshita looked calm now. All traces of indecision and doubt gone, as was the timidity. Even the guardedness had disappeared.

It was a sudden change, made alarming by the fact that the face she had on right now was not a mask.

I felt my blood run cold.

Partly because I was not sure what sort of monster I had just awoken.

And partly because I did not feel bad about helping her.

That last part was what scared me the most.

Prologue End.

Author's note: Boy, oh boy. Setting up a yandere story actually takes some work. Sorry if the pacing has been a little slow so far. I wanted there to be some logical character progression. And that meant doing something I haven't properly seen done much, exploring the origins of a yandere's feelings. Anyway, I now feel like we have something of a base to work from, so next chapter should feature more forward movement of plot and hopefully some exciting stuff.