Prologue

Ayano couldn't get over it. Were humans truly capable of possessing such depth?

She sat there, holding onto her hand, right where he'd touched her.

Touched her!

Her mother had told her a boy, a very special boy, would change things, and fill the emptiness she had within her heart. She had never truly believed her because she couldn't grasp the mechanics of affection or love. She only possessed very, very basic feelings towards other people; she didn't want her mom and dad to die, and she enjoyed playing with her cat. That was about it.

She had, however, learned to mimic the emotions other people had, despite not feeling anything at all. This had been necessary in order to blend in with the classroom environment. She had read a lot of manga and watched a lot of anime in order to appear more "human". It had worked, she had a couple of friends in school, and many more acquaintances. No one had any reason to believe that she was different, but Ayano would still feel as if she was inferior to her classmates. She hated that she couldn't perceive the world in the way they did.

Her mother refused to take her to the psychiatrist. Her father and she had many fights over it. "I was just like her when I was her age!" Ryoba would say, "She's going to be just fine!". Her father didn't know about the whole "special boy" dialogue, he was just really concerned about his daughter, and somewhat scared of his wife. He finally gave up and let Ryoba deal with Ayano, watching his daughter sadly from afar.

Ayano was trying to come to terms with being "empty". She firmly believed that a boy couldn't change anything for her, and that her mother had just been lucky.

One day, as she walked through Academi High, with this very thought in her head, she suddenly bumped into someone and went sprawling on the floor, scattering all the books she'd been holding.

"Oh no! Are you alright?" said a male voice, one she'd never heard before.

"Huh..?" Ayano stammered as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. A hand popped up in front of her eyes and she took it instinctively. It was pleasantly warm and soft, with elegant, long fingers, with some sort of energy radiating from his fingers into hers, something she'd never felt before. She looked into the eyes of this strange person for a fleeting moment, just before the fireworks started blowing in her chest.

It was as if she was seeing in color for the first time, as if she were hearing music for the first time, as if she had taken her first breath the moment he had held her hand. She had finally understood what her mother was taking about, and it was beautiful.

'Umm.. Are you feeling okay?" He asked with that refreshing voice of his, clearly a bit irked out at how spaced out Ayano looked. She forced herself to snap back into reality.

"Y-yes… Thank you!" She said. The boy took back his hand and bent to pick up Ayano's books.

"You're Ayano Aishi, right? From class 2A? I'm Taro Yamada, from class 3B."

Ayano nodded. "Thanks, Senpai."

Senpai nodded and ran off into class.

Ayano just stood there, completely dumbfounded. Was this what it was like to feel?

Taro Yamada… Class 3B… Could he be her "special someone"? He was too beautiful, and too bright for someone like her but… She had to make him hers.

The bell rang, and she went back into class with a newfound lightness in her heart. She was finally human.

The door that had been cracked open behind them now closed, and inside, a certain girl with short, red hair smiled to herself. This was her golden opportunity. She turned back to her computer and dug up Ayano's student information, smiling even more as her plan fell into place.

All Ayano could think about was Senpai, and how she immediately had to see him. Once school was out, she waited at the gate to see when Senpai would be leaving, and with who. He came out alone, much to her relief, and picked up a poetry book, reading it as he walked. Ayano followed him, making sure he had no way of seeing her. At one point, he tossed the gum he'd been chewing into the trashcan. Ayano went and picked it right out without any hesitation, putting it in her breast pocket where it would be close to her heart.

He finally rang the doorbell of a pretty house not too far away from her own and stepped inside. She stood there for a while, hoping to make out Senpai's room. She couldn't, however, and had to leave so as not to be seen by anyone, especially his family. She etched Senpai's address into her brain and wowed to follow him home every day to ensure his safety.

The next day, she woke up extra early in order to hopefully make it to school before Senpai and picked out an inconspicuous spot to watch his entrance. She waited and waited, and was starting to get fearful that something had happened to him on his was to school when he finally showed up… With her.

Ayano could hear the girl's screeching voice before she could see her. She was calling Senpai names, INSULTING him! Her long, orange pigtails slapped Senpai as she walked along, huffing and puffing. Poor Senpai couldn't even do anything against this monster because he was just so pure and innocent. Ayano felt rage boiling in her heart, more than she had ever felt in her life. She felt a strong urge to strangle this girl with her pigtails, to cut her limbs into tiny pieces, to throw her off of the school rooftop… ANYTHING to get her away from Senpai.

Ayano knew this girl, she had seen her in class before. Her name was Osana Najimi, and her loud, boisterous personality was a source of annoyance to everyone except her best friend, a girl called Raibaru. Ayano made her way into school, trying to stand close enough so that she could hear the dialogue between Senpai and Osana. Osana was constantly rude to Senpai, but Ayano could see right through this façade. Osana was only treating him this way to hide the feelings she'd been harboring towards him. Ayano felt like punching a wall. Finally, Raibaru showed up to pick up Osana, and the two went back into class.

Ayano slumped into her desk, wondering what on Earth she could do to prevent them from coming closer. She suddenly received a text message on her phone, as if it were an answer to her prayers. "Meet me on the rooftop after school, I have important information for you." Was all that it said.

Ayano spent the entire day wondering what this might mean, and who it could have been. Finally, she went up to the rooftop, and saw a frail looking girl with red hair and matching glasses. She had a very cunning facial expression, as if she knew more than she was letting on.

"Who are you?" Ayano asked.

"Just call me Info-Chan. I'm the head of the journalism club." She replied coolly.

Ayano had heard rumors about there being an Info-Chan who provided some services in exchange for some sort of fee. It was rumored that she could bring cigarettes, and even drugs into school. Worse, she sold SECRETS for a higher fee! Was this frail, weak looking girl truly Info-Chan? Ayano found that hard to believe.

"You're Info-Chan?" She asked. "I don't believe it."

Info-Chan sighed and giggled to herself.

"Very well, allow me to demonstrate my services. Your name is Ayano Aishi, and you have feelings for Taro Yamada of class 3B. He's a nice boy, I'll give you that, but someone has her eyes on him. Her name is Osana Najimi, she's his childhood friend, and she plans to confess to him next Friday, underneath the cherry tree. I'm sure you have an idea about Senpai's personality. He won't turn down a confession unless he's got a good reason to do so. You'll lose him forever unless you do something."

Ayano stood there with her mouth wide open, but she would have to ponder about Info-Chan's source of knowledge later.

"What do you want with me?" She asked.

"Easy, I would be really happy if something bad would happen to Osana-Chan… And something tells me that you'd be quite happy yourself."

"Kill… Osana?" Ayano stuttered. Fantasizing about something was different, but actually bringing it to life?

And yet…

What else could she do? Could she really allow Senpai to be manipulated by this monster? Could she truly afford to lose him forever?

No, she could not.

Info-Chan smiled softly at Ayano's bewildered facial expression.

"I suggest you act quickly if you don't want to lose your precious Senpai. Text me if you need anything. Bye-bye now!" She waved cheerfully and left.

Ayano stood there for a long while, but when she left, she had finally made up her mind. She must kill Osana in order to save her Senpai.