8,589 words. I have no excuses QAQ

Let's just get right into the chapter~

As Osoro was heading to school, his phone beeped, notifying him of a text message. One look at it made him frown.

"What the hell…?" he muttered.

What could that bastard possibly want now?

"Hey boss!" he looked up to see one of his underlings calling out and running to him and he immediately put his phone away.

Honestly, what a pain…

The door to the classroom opened but Mido didn't have to look up to know exactly who it was. He couldn't help but smirk.

"Good morning, Aishi-san."

"Good morning, Rana-sensei." She said blankly. "I'm sorry if I kept you waiting, I had to stop by the student council room."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you a member?"

"No, the president asked for me."

"He did?" he asked, sounding even more incredulous. She, in no way, seemed like the type to cause trouble.

"I forgot something yesterday, so I came back here to retrieve it. Unfortunately, the student council president was patrolling around that time and caught me."

This made Mido chuckle. "He's a stickler for the rules, that one."

"Yes, I found that out first hand." She muttered, making him laugh.

"Well, he wasn't too harsh on you, I hope?"

"Starting next week, I'll be in charge of cleaning the entire gym until further notice."

"Ouch…" he winced sympathetically. "That's unfortunate, but I have heard that the president here can be quite the disciplinarian. They say that he can be worse than the teachers."

"He is." She said. "Pardon me, Rana-sensei, but about what you wanted to discuss with me…"

"Ah, of course." He chuckled. "You do seem like the type to hate beating around the bush."

"I wouldn't say that I hate it." She said. "I simply value time, is all."

"That sounds like the type of answer I would expect from someone like you."

"Is that so?" she said before remembering something. Considering the fact that she was speaking to a teacher, she didn't see any harm in seeking his advice. "Ah, by the way, the president also invited me to join the student council."

That earned her a raised eyebrow. "Really?"

"Well, he actually asked if I considered joining and sort of implied that I won't be a complete nuisance to have around so…"

Mido chuckled. "Considering the fact that it's coming from that brat, it's very impressive. He must've taken an interest in you. Did you do anything to warrant that?"

'Brat…?' she wondered but decided not to comment on it. "… I was a bit passive-aggressive, I suppose?"

"Passive-aggressive?"

"I vaguely implied that he was being naïve and foolish." She said.

"Pfft-" Mido covered his mouth to stifle a laugh, but was still shaking from amusement. Ayano only raised an eyebrow, not understanding what was funny. The older man quickly regained his composure, stood up and walked around the desk to stand in from of Ayano and gave her a pat in the head while looking satisfied and amused. "I knew there was something special about you, Aishi-chan."

She didn't comment at the sudden change in honorific and instead prompting to ask; "Special?"

"Yes, I could tell at first glance that there was something about you that sets you apart from other students. Although I can't explain what…"

Ayano didn't tense up, she forced herself not to react to that and fought down her paranoia while reminding herself to be more wary of her teacher. "Isn't it just your imagination?"

Mido smirked, leaning in and this time Ayano did tense up. Her peripheral vision caught sight of a pen on the table which is more than enough to deliver a fatal blow to the jugular but refrained from doing so. He was a teacher and security has increased drastically, even if she did manage to kill him (which was highly unlikely given her knowledge of the required credentials to teach at Akademi High) there was no way she'd be able to get away with it. So she just stared at him with narrowed eyes filled with suspicion, hands ready to block or reach out for that pen at any instant. But he only cupped her cheek, a gesture she was highly unfamiliar with and confused her since she didn't find the physical contact nor the warmth he radiated unpleasant.

She felt her expression morph into confusion, and in return Mido looked more amused than before.

"Oh, trust me, Ayano. I don't make mistakes when it comes to detecting… exceptional people at first glance." He practically purred and the way he said her name sent shivers down her spine. Ayano could feel herself being pushed against the desk. His hand moved down to cup her chin to force her to look at him while he seemed to be leaning closer and closer. His other hand was resting against the desk, effectively trapping her but was pretty much pointless and only served to lessen the distance between them. Her legs was starting to feel like jelly and she didn't even think she could run even if she had the opportunity to.

And even if she could, she wasn't even sure if that was the right course of action. He didn't seem intent to harm her so there was nothing to worry about, right? But then… what was he doing? What was going on? Should she kill him, after all? But wait, isn't that a bit too much? He smells nice. What's with that predatory look he has? It reminds her of how her mother looks whenever she found an interesting new 'toy' to torment. Was this man planning on torturing her too? But no, that doesn't make sense; he was a civilian, wasn't he? Ayano's never been this close to someone before. Is he a psycho path? Did the student council hire a psycho path to catch another psycho path? Has her cover been blown? Why does she find his lips so interesting? The student council wouldn't have him kill her on the spot if that was the case though, right? He has no proof that she was the culprit. So is this supposed to be some mind trick that serves as an interrogation to make her snap?

If it is, then it's working. Ayano's brain has gone haywire and she realized that her cheeks feel abnormally hot so she must be bright red at this point which explains why Mido looks so smug.

"I've encountered all kinds of people in my line of work, but you…" he said. "I don't quite know what to make of you."

He said that with the excitement of a child in Christmas day. She honestly didn't know what to make of that, didn't really know what to make of the entire situation really. Should she kill him?

A distant, miniscule part of her, amidst the chaos in her mind, made a mental note to research for ways to cope when faced with a dilemma other than 'Kill them'.

"Ayano…?"

"Y-yes?" her voice was strained as her mind raced while at the same time being hyper aware of how close they were and the way he just towered over her made her heart skip a bit. She presumed it was due to fear from the physical disadvantage she would have in a fight.

"You're so cute~." He said, stifling a chuckle. "I just want to eat you up…"

His deep voice resonated in her mind and his eyes were filled with an intense emotion that she couldn't quite decipher. She doesn't even remember being this close to her parents; their family doesn't do hugs for some reason and having next to non-existent friends decreased the amount of physical contact to zero. Why was he so close all of a sudden? Why was he so warm? Why didn't she just politely tell him to give her some space?

Why does she not think that this was unpleasant?

It was like whenever Amao or Aso patted her head and it felt nice. But this was more, much more, maybe too much, in fact. Or maybe it was alright? She wasn't sure; this was not a part of her training.

She noticed that it was no longer her imagination, but Mido was indeed leaning closer. Her eyes widened a bit more and she couldn't hold back a squeak.

"R-Rana-sensei…" that was not a whimper. It was not.

"Yes, Ayano?" he asked huskily which oddly made her throat dry and she seemed to lose the ability to speak. This made him smirk.

She was gonna do it. She can't quite see the pen any more but it has to be there somewhere.

He continued to lean forward, and Ayano still stood with her breath heavy for some reason (she sincerely hoped she wasn't hypervintelating), unsure of what was happening and if she should really stop it. Just a bit more, she was being pressed against his torso and his hand went back to her cheek, caressing it. Only a bit more, and there will be no distance at all between them. He leaned closer, eyeing her li-

Something rang.

A phone to be specific. It made Ayano flinch, and she stood frozen. Mido also stood there, frozen as well. But his expression was completely blank, in contrast with Ayano's wide eyes that were still confused. Mido reached a hand out, his other one still on her cheek, and checked his phone. He scrolled through it while not bothering to put any sort of distance between them. Ayano was trapped; she just stood there watching him while trying to calm her raging heart.

It felt like he was fiddling on his phone forever before he looked back at Ayano with that same smirk on his face.

"Sorry, Aishi-san, but I have to cut our little session here short. Duty calls." He said and just up and leaves.

Ayano was left alone in the classroom as her mind try to catch up on what just happened. Absent-mindedly, she went to her seat, dropping her bag to the side. She stared at nothing for a good 6 minutes and a half as she replayed the events that just transpired. Once that was done with, she covered her face with both hands as she fought down the furious blush.

What the hell was that?

Mido would've felt greatly irritated if he hadn't been so utterly satisfied with the results of his actions. Ayano Aishi, his new favorite student, looked stoic and completely devoid of emotion. But it turns out, it doesn't take much to get a reaction out of her. She was utterly adorable.

He decided to let this inconvenience slide for the time being because he was in such a good mood. Plus, it wasn't like this one wasn't fun to mess with either, although she couldn't possibly compare to the cute Ayano.

"You rang?" Mido raised an eyebrow after opening the door without bothering to knock.

"Have some courtesy, you're a teacher now." Genka Kunahito, the school's guidance counselor, scowled. "Knock first before entering."

"Unless you're getting knocked up in here, then I don't see any reason why I should." He smirked, taking a seat at one of the couches.

Genka slammed her hands on her desk. "Watch your language! I won't tolerate such indecency in my school!"

"Well, it's not like you have a choice." He said smugly. "I'm only here because Mr. Saikou's brat said he needed my help, and I wouldn't mind having an up-and-coming CEO in my debt."

"You were hired, so I was hoping it isn't too much to ask for you to do your job."

"I am doing my job." He said.

"And also maintain a little sense of professionalism."

"Now what makes you think I don't act professional?" he asked in a sickeningly sweet tone.

"I know about your reputation Mr. Rana." She said. "The school has enough on our plate with this serial killer at large, we don't need another scandal."

"Mr. Rana's too stiff." He scoffed. "You can just call me Mido."

"Although I wouldn't normally tolerate your mere presence in my school, I was forced to make an exception." She said, ignoring his previous statement completely. "But that doesn't mean that I would hesitate to kick you out once you've crossed a line. And I'm fairly certain that our student council president won't have any complaints if I do."

"I beg to differ." He smirked.

Genka's eyes narrowed. "Consider yourself warned."

"Oh, you're so uptight, Genka-chan." He chuckled. "Don't worry, there's no way I'm going to screw up after being given such a wonderful opportunity."

Genka didn't look the least bit convinced but sighed in resignation. "We really are amidst desperate times."

"Indeed, you are." Mido smirked. "Good for me, though."

"So? How is it on your end, so far?"

"My end?" Mido looked thoughtful for a moment. "It's going pretty well, if I have to say so myself."

"Oh?" Genka raised an eyebrow.

Mido hummed an affirmative. "So far, I already have four leads."

"Leads..?"

"Yes. Four students to be specific."

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you saying you already have suspects?"

"Oh, definitely not." He chuckled. "Like I said, they're just leads."

"Hah? And how are these students supposed to help us find this killer?"

"Well, this school is very interesting, after all. It's nothing like any of the schools I've worked at before, and I've worked at some very interesting schools. But this one is just unique, I've only been here for a day, but I'm already hearing of a lot of things. I'm sure you know about it too, Genka-chan." He said. "So think, if there's anyone in this school who would be the most useful in catching our little culprit, who would it be?"

Genka frowned before realization struck her. "Info-kun…"

"That's right." He smirked and cut her off before she demanded anything. "I don't have the slightest idea about his identity though. Of course, considering how he's committed more than a few crimes, I already expected that it won't be that easy."

"Then? What do you mean by leads?" she asked.

"I may not know who this 'Info-kun' is, but I do have the next best thing." He said with a dangerous smile that reminded Genka the reason why Megamo Saikou hired this man.

"I found the members of the Info Club."

"Are you okay?" Osano raised an eyebrow when his eyes landed on Ayano, who looked like she had just run a marathon with how red and disheveled she looked. At the back of his mind though, he remembered that she supposedly had an… appointment with a rather suspicious person earlier that morning. He clenched his fists and held back the demand to know what happened.

"I'm fine." She said with such finality that Osano had thought it wise not to prod.

"Well, you should probably… fix yourself up, I guess? You're not looking to good." He said a bit hesitantly.

"A-ah, you're probably right." She muttered.

Osano was really curious about what happened to her, it's not every day that you see Ayano lose her composure after all. But he didn't want to risk getting her upset. And to be honest, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to find out. It scared him while at the same time put him at risk of suspension for harming a teacher. So instead, he decided to change the topic.

"Sorry about yesterday, by the way. Hanako can be a handful sometimes but he's not really that bad…" Osano said as she straightened her uniform.

"I didn't expect you to give me an apology." She said. "Why? It's not like he was your responsibility to begin with."

"Well, in a way, he kind of is." Osano sighed, a bit annoyed. "I've been friends with Taeko and Hanako since we were kids. So I guess even I can't help but worry about him. I mean, I can't just leave either of them alone. They're both hopeless, after all."

Ayano hummed, now that she thought about it, Osano and Taeko were childhood friends. Just like her and Info-kun, their relationship was sort of similar in a way that both she and Osano thought their childhood friends to be annoying but still sticks by them. Ayano would never admit it out loud but it would be strange not having Info-kun around, no matter how much she liked to say that she hated him. His annoying personality aside, Info-kun played a huge part in her life, probably even more than her own mother.

Actually, now that she thought about it, he definitely played a bigger part in her life than her own mother.

"Childhood friends can be quite the nuisance, huh?"she said.

"Hm? You have one too?" he asked, looking quite interested.

"Yes, our families were… coworkers so they'd often have us play together when they were busy."

"Oh, so you're not neighbors?"

"No… To be honest, I rarely see him nowadays."

Osano hummed, pondering on the thought. "Well, I guess that wouldn't be fun. If Taeko and I had gone to different schools, I might just end up spending most of my time needlessly worrying about her."

He made the wrong assumption that she and her childhood friend didn't go to the same school, but Ayano was not about to correct him.

"In any case, you have no need to apologize. I did it out of my own free will, after all." She said. "And in any case, Hanako-kun already thanked me earlier."

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow at this.

"Yes, he came to school early to give me some rice balls he made."

"I didn't know Hanako could cook."

It honestly depends on what your definition of 'cook' would be. If it's 'being able to make something edible' then yes, Hanako could cook.

"Well, that was nice of him, I guess." He said.

They settled into a comfortable silence as they watched more students pour into the classroom. Ayano couldn't help but think how this was a nice change, compared to how it was last week when she would just sit in the corner, alone with no one to talk to.

"Sorry…"

"Hm?" she gave him a curious look.

"About yesterday, I might have overreacted a little and…" Osano looked away but Ayano could see the beginning of a blush forming on his cheeks. "I mean, you're still an idiot! But… I guess I shouldn't have been so upset like I was."

Ayano blinked, she didn't think that he was the type to apologize.

"It's fine Osano-kun." She said. "I'm sorry as well, for making you worry."

The smile she gave him made him blush harder.

"W-well, let's just promise never to do that again!" he said, looking away almost haughtily.

"Yes, that's a good idea." She nodded. "I promise to try and stay out of trouble."

"And I promise not to freak out too much if and when you get into trouble…" he muttered.

She nodded, oddly satisfied.

"It's a shame we didn't get to eat at the sakura blossom tree yesterday." Osano said, changing the subject. The blush on his face indicated how awkward he found their previous topic to be. "It looks like we won't be able to eat there today either."

Ayano looked outside the window where his gaze was at and saw dark clouds.

"It seems so…" she muttered before remembering something. "Ah, that's right. I won't be able to eat with you today anyway."

"Huh? Why?" he frowned.

"I promised to meet up with someone."

This only served to deepen his frown as an image of a popular club president that Ayano's been particularly close to lately popped in his mind. "Who?"

"Sunobu-senpai." She said, seeing no reason to lie.

"Sunobu..? As in Kizano Sunobu? The Drama Club president?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, I stopped by a shop yesterday and we ran into each other. We discovered that we had the same taste in manga so we ended up talking."

"… So you guys are close now?"

"I wouldn't say so, but we do get along well."

"What… are you meeting him for?"

"Ah well, he…" it would be strange if she told him that she had asked Kizano to teach him about 'love'. Most people would probably consider that to not be normal and Ayano didn't want Osano to think that she was strange. Not when she finally managed to become acquainted with one of her classmates. "He promised to help me out with something."

The frown didn't leave Osano's face. 'Why didn't you ask me?' were words he couldn't find the courage to ask.

Fortunately, their teacher arrived and all attention became directed towards him. Nobody noticed how Ayano kept her head bowed as she fought down a blush; it was a losing battle so she ended up focusing on writing notes. Because of her inner turmoil- the confusion, her heart racing at the memory, and something akin to excitement?- she didn't notice how smug Mido looked as he stole glances from her.

It was better to not think too much about it.

Once Mido left after class was over, Ayano was finally able to relax. This didn't escape Osano's notice but he filed that piece of information away for another day. As they were waiting for the next teacher to arrive, Ayano's phone beeped.

From: Aso-senpai

Hey! Did you meet up with the StuCo pres yet?

It took Ayano an embarrassing two minutes to realize that "StuCo" was short for "Student Council".

To: Aso-senpai

Yes. It looks like we might see more of each other in the future, seeing as I'll be in charge of cleaning the Gym starting next week.

From: Aso-senpai

What?! Don't we have janitors for that?

To: Aso-senpai

It looks like they'll be getting a break soon.

From: Aso-senpai

That sucks :/ maybe I really should've talked to him

To: Aso-senpai

No, it's fine. I appreciate the concern though.

From: Aso-senpai

If you're sure. I guess I could help you out after practice though.

To: Aso-senpai

You don't have to. It's my punishment, after all.

From: Aso-senpai

An unfair one :(

Don't worry about it, Ayano-chan. It'll give us more time to hang out! :D

To: Aso-senpai

I really think you could be doing better things with your time though.

From: Aso-senpai

Nah, I usually just go home and play games.

To: Aso-senpai

Oh? You play games too?

From: Aso-senpai

Yeah. I forgot, you're part of the Gaming Club, right? XD I'm not really an avid gamer tho

Ayano spent the next five minutes talking to Aso about games, and she was admittedly a little happy when the teacher turned out to be absent and they had a study hall instead. Now usually, she would be a good student and actually study during this period but apparently, Aso hasn't played Doki Doki Literature Club yet and so it's her responsibility as a member of the Gaming Club to rectify that.

Osano just watched as she avidly texted on her phone. She's never been the phone addict type, so she must really enjoy talking with whoever she was texting. Judging from their past conversations, it could either be Amao or Kizano, both upperclassmen who are quite popular with the school's female population.

He frowned, Ayano never seemed like the type to be interested in those kinds of things but considering the fact that she was club hunting, it was to be expected that she'd become close to the club presidents. It didn't make him feel any good about it though.

Osano tried to study and get his mind off of it, but hearing Ayano tap away at her phone only served to worsen his mood.

From: Aso-senpai

Hey, Ayano-chan, wanna grab some lunch later?

To: Aso-senpai

Oh, I can't. I promised to meet up with someone.

From: Aso-senpai

Bring them along! I'd love to meet your friends :)

To: Aso-senpai

I'm not sure about that. And I'm pretty sure you've met already. Sunobu-senpai is quite famous, after all.

From: Aso-senpai

Eh? Sunobu? As in Kizano Sunobu?

To: Aso-senpai

That's correct.

From: Aso-senpai

I didn't know you were friends with him. He's just so… eccentric, I guess?

To: Aso-senpai

Yes, even I didn't see us getting along at first. But I bumped into him after we parted ways yesterday and he's actually a pleasant companion.

From: Aso-senpai

Is that so? And you and your friends are hanging out with him today?

To: Aso-senpai

No. Sunobu-senpai is very busy so I'll just be stopping by at the Drama Club room later on.

From: Aso-senpai

What? Alone?

To: Aso-senpai

Yes. Why?

Aso has known Kizano for a long time. Sure they've never been particularly close, but they were classmates during their second year and since they were both Club Presidents, they got to talk occasionally. And if you even have the barest minimum of interactions with the Drama Club President, one thing becomes certain. He was a massive flirt.

Of course, a loner like Ayano-chan probably wouldn't have known. Especially since she didn't seem like the type to gossip. She was curious but kind, admittedly cute, and definitely a bit naïve at times.

She was the perfect target for a playboy like Kizano.

From what Aso knows, Kizano has an on-again-off-again relationship with his fellow club member- although Aso can't really recall her name. It doesn't stop him from going around flirting with other girls like Uekiya though. But at least she, and many others, knew about him and easily deflected his advances. However, others weren't so lucky and got their hearts broken.

What about Ayano though?

Aso paled, staring at her text message. Should he warn her? But he didn't want to make Kizano seem like a bad guy. He really wasn't once you get past all his quirks, and he was nice enough to Ayano, which Aso is grateful for. But what if Ayano ended up falling for him?

Aso felt his heart clench and he managed to convince himself that it was only out of worry.

He's seen how depressed girls got when Kizano rejected them. Although Aso had always shrugged them off until now, the thought of Ayano going through the same thing, crying and becoming depressed over her unrequited love…

He wanted to punch something.

"Rito-san!"

Aso almost jumped out of his seat when the teacher called out his name.

"If you'd be so kind as to put your phone away, it would be well-appreciated."

Aso blushed in embarrassment and hurriedly put his phone away as some of his classmates started snickering. But he just couldn't bring himself to pay attention, a certain, cute kouhai too busy occupying his mind.

(He ignored the small part of him that wondered when he started referring to Ayano as 'cute')

Aso stopped replying. Ayano would've thought it was weird if she hadn't realized that they were in the middle of class hours and Aso must've had to put away his phone. So she did the same.

Since she wasn't able to pay much attention during their class earlier, she turned to Osano and asked for his notes, which he gave after some grumbling about paying attention in class. That somehow escalated into the two of them discussing the lesson and Ayano being impressed at how easily Osano picked up the material.

"We should have a study session sometime." Ayano said, recalling that it was indeed a thing that friends do. "If it's not too much trouble, of course."

"Hmph." Osano grumbled. "Well, I guess it wouldn't be too bad."

Ayano smiled, thinking how lucky she was to get close to someone like Osano.

She didn't notice how her classmate's mood significantly brightened after she made the suggestion.

"See you later, Osano-kun." Ayano got up from her seat once the lunch bell rang. Osano grumbled a reply as he seemed to be taking his sweet time in putting his things away. Ayano didn't bother waiting for him and just waved goodbye before making her way out of the room and towards the Drama Club room. When she arrived, the only person that was present was Kizano Sunobu who was on his laptop and had looked up from it upon her arrival.

His face brightened. "Aishi-chan! Wonderful to see you again."

"Pardon my intrusion, Sunobu-senpai."

"Donmai, donmai!" he grinned. "Have a seat. Oh, and do you mind helping me out for a bit?"

He was seated on the floor, against the wall so Ayano joined him. Looking at his laptop's screen revealed that he was browsing for theatrical auditions nearby.

"It won't do if we just hosted plays at school; I figured that it would be great practice if we tried auditioning for professional plays. Nothing too major, of course. But getting a part, even a small one, would help broaden our horizons ad give us a better idea on how it'll be like in the real world, don't you think?"

"… Yes, that's actually a great idea." She said. "Do you think that the teachers will be okay with this though? It seems like it'll be a bit of a hassle, not to mention how this could get in the way of students' studies."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." He waved it off. "The teachers are always encouraging us to try new things and whatnot. It would improve the school's reputation, too."

Ayano mutely nodded and stared at the various articles stating the need for actors in various plays.

"This one's the closest, but it's a bit different from the type of plays we're used to doing." He said.

"That wouldn't be wise." She said. "The atmosphere alone would most likely be jarring for your clubmembers, it'll be best if you all auditioned in a play that you're more accustomed to doing. They'll appreciate the familiarity."

"I suppose… This one would've been perfect, but it's at the next town."

"That's no good, it'll get in the way of school." She said. "How about that one?"

"The performance will be held sometime around Finals week so I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's on a Sunday though, so I'm sure you could work something out."

They continued this back and forth for a while now, Kizano scrolling through the articles while Ayano leaned in to look as well and giving her own opinions. In the end, they settled for a play called "Tales of a Yandere.", a musical production which would be held not far from school but is a few months away so there's no pressure and also plenty of time to rehearse if needed. The story is about a young girl who fell in love with an upperclassman and kills her schoolmates so she could have him all to herself. The Drama Club will be auditioning for the parts of the schoolmates who will either be background characters or will be killed.

"If you think about it, it's actually an interesting story." He said to her.

Ayano shrugged. "It's a bit outlandish, if you ask me."

"Oh, Aishi-chan, you're such a naïve girl." He chuckled, ruffling her hair. She frowned at the gesture, although it only looked like a cute pout in his eyes. "You need to let go of you straight-forward and logical way of thinking if you want to be able to appreciate art at its fullest extent. I'm actually surprised that you're able to enjoy manga with your way of thinking."

"Manga often confuses me, but sometimes I can at least understand the thought process behind it."

"You shouldn't question it so much." He sighed. "After all, a majority of stories require some form of suspension of disbelief. If you keep looking at it from a practical perspective, then you won't have a good time."

"I don't really think that's the issue." She frowned. "It's easy to wrap my head around fantasy worlds or scifi concepts, but usually I just have a hard time comprehending the characters."

"Well, I guess everyone has their own tastes as to what defines a 'likeable character'." He hummed. "And admittedly, characters from manga aren't what you'd call realistic."

Ayano snorted. "I've noticed that eccentric and loud characters are the one considered as popular."

"That's only for shounen manga." He chuckled. "The characters here are more grounded though, so what do you find so 'outlandish' about it?"

"This girl goes around killing people, Sunobu-senpai." She deadpanned.

"We literally attend a school plagued by a serial killer; I'm sure the concept is not that hard for you to grasp, Aishi-chan."

"Touché." She said. "It's her motivations, I suppose?"

"Ah, yes. Love; a concept that, for some reason, escapes your understanding."

"She kills twenty people in the first half of the play for 'love', senpai. Are you saying that you can understand her motive behind this?"

"Well, sort of. It is horrific, but I can appreciate its beauty." He said. "The longing and emptiness she felt so long fills her with misery, and finally, after so long, the one thing- the one person who can make her feel complete is within reach and it's being threatened to be taken away from her completely. Can't you imagine the raw emotion she must have felt?"

Emotion…

"I…" can't really. But Ayano wasn't sure if she should admit that. She could understand the feeling of emptiness and longing for something, yet not knowing what. But actually finding it? It seemed unreal.

"The dread, fear and desperation drove her to insanity. Do you realize what those specific emotions can drive someone to do? Imagine her willingness to stain her hands red for the chance of happiness, something that was denied from her since birth. Her passion that led to her lack of remorse, and in the end he rejects her and she snaps, killing dozens including her beloved senpai before taking her own life. It's all so beautifully tragic."

Tragic. She goes over the script of the play that they downloaded. That was one way to put it.

Ayano thought about her upbringing, how she could actually relate to this girl up until the moment she actually fell in love. It was actually a bit scary, how far this girl went. How she threw away all logic for the chance of getting rid of the horrible numbness in her chest. And for a while, she succeeded in doing so.

So far, Ayano has only killed for profit. She did it almost as a hobby, not for any type of deep motive. So, thinking about this logically, the main character might just be better off than Ayano.

"You really know how to make things sound amazing, senpai. I'm actually starting to empathize with a serial killer." She said.

He smirked, aura almost shining. "Well, a good actor must be in touch with his emotions. Understanding the characters I play helps me perform better."

"The way you're able to explain such complex emotions with such detail and simplicity, and how you can empathize with these characters so easily and almost become one with them, as if you're able to get into their brains and see behind their masks…" she said, staring straight into his eyes. "I… actually find that to be very beautiful."

She wasn't really sure how Kizano Sunobu will prove to be useful in the future, but Ayano thinks that she doesn't mind keeping him around regardless.

Kizano froze at her words and his face turned a deep red.

"W-well! I try to give my all and, I don't- I mean, it's to be expected of me so I can… I'm the Drama Club president, after all so…" he stuttered. Kizano was used to being praised. But the utter sincerity in Ayano's words and the way she said it felt like being struck with a bucket of ice cold water for some reason. He was at loss for words.

Kizano cleared his throat and decided to change the subject.

"S-So! Do you want to hear something interesting about this play?"

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Apparently it's a modernized version of an urban legend in this town." He said. "A long time ago, there were rumors of a young woman from a rich family who fell in love with the son of a farmer and she killed anyone who tried to get close to him. When he found out, he was horrified and told her to stay away from him. And the ending was… pretty much the same as the play's Pretty scary, isn't it?"

Ayano hummed in fake interest. In the back of her mind, she recalled her grandmother who had liked to tell her stories about their family. Apparently, her grandmother had a sister who died young, but Ayano was never told how or why she died.

She chose not to dwell on the matter too much.

"… I didn't know Ayano-chan was friends with Sunobu-senpai…" Oko muttered, writing down the newly acquired piece of information in his notebook as he peeked through the glass on the door and watched the two who were hunched over at Kizano's laptop and engaged in an animated conversation. Ayano had her usual stoic expression but it didn't take a genius to see her interest in whatever Kizano was saying.

"Is she a fan…?" Oko frowned. He was pretty sure that Ayano wasn't a member of Kizano's fan (unofficial) club though, or maybe he just wasn't aware of it.

'I wonder if she's active in social media…' he thought. 'I might be able to get more information about her there.'

He glanced back into the room and couldn't help but notice their close proximity. His eyes darkened as he recalled Kizano's reputation before he walked away, making plans for his evening and also thinking about their club activities after school. He might consider having the club try voodoo just to mix things up.

"Pardon the intrusion." Amao looked up from slicing hotdogs and smiled upon seeing his fellow Club president, Uekiya enter with a potted plant.

"Ah, good afternoon, Uekiya-chan. How can I help you today?"

"Oh, well I was wondering if you'd appreciate having some plants to liven up your club room." She said, gesturing to the plant she was holding. "The Gardening Club is currently decorating the rooftop with all kinds of plants but we figured, why stop there? It wouldn't hurt to put a little bit of nature inside the school, right?"

"Oh, that's nice." He said. "What kind of flowers are those?"

"These are violets." She said, making him pause and take a second glance at the plant with white flowers.

"They don't… look like violets." He said.

"Oh well, the name can be misleading." She giggled. "There are white violets though, this is one of them. To be honest, we wanted to add a bit of color to the rooftop so this little guy's out of the picture. I was hoping you could give him a home since it's going to get crowded at out garden soon."

"Did you order more plants?"

"We might've overdone it." She admitted sheepishly, making him chuckle.

"Okay, I'll take your white violet." He said, taking the pot from her and placing it near the window so it could get some sunlight."

"Thank you!" she said. "I hope it can provide you with some positive energy, Amao-kun."

"Positive energy, huh?" he chuckled. "You really are interesting, Uekiya-chan."

She blinked, not really knowing what he meant but elected to ignore it. "Speaking of interesting… You know, there's this thing you learn when you're at the Gardening Club, it's called the language of the flowers. Basically, different flowers convey different messages."

"Oh? That is quite interesting." He said. "So what does this one convey?"

"'Let's take a chance at happiness'." Uekiya said. "So I hope it can really motivate you to take risks and whatnot."

"Is that… so..?"

"Yep! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to the rooftop." She said. "Have a good day, Amao-kun!"

Uekiya left and Amao was left to stare at the plant.

"A chance at happiness, huh?" Amao was thoughtful for a moment before sighing and getting back to work. It wouldn't do if he couldn't finish the octodogs before lunch time ends, after all. Luckily, all he had to do was put on the finishing touches and he was out the door with a plate full of octodogs in record time.

He walked around school, offering them to anyone he came across with a smile on his face while eyes scanned the area for that familiar raven hair wrapped neatly in a ponytail. He kept on looking until he reached a plaza where he came across his classmate.

"Oh, hey Odayaka-kun. I see you made some snacks."

"Oh!" he smiled, holding the tray out for his classmate and her companions. "Hello, Yamada-chan. Would you care to try some?"

"Of course! Your cooking is the best!" she grinned, taking one. The boy who appeared to be the youngest one also took an octodog and immediately found himself praising Amao.

"Oh, it's nothing." He chuckled before turning to the third one with orange hair. "Would you like some?"

"Tsk. I'm not hungry." He snapped rather rudely.

"Osano-kun, that's rude." Taeko scolded. "Sorry about him, Odayaka-kun. He's just upset that his girlfriend wasn't able to have lunch with him today."

"A-ah, is that so…?"

"Sh-she's not my girlfriend, idiot!" Osano snapped once again, but this time his face was flushed.

"Onee-chan, you shouldn't joke around like that…" Hanako said.

"Sorry, sorry." She pouted. "Honestly, guys don't know how to take a joke."

Amao could only chuckle at their antics.

"By the way, Amao-senpai. I heard you've been looking after my friend lately." Osano grumbled. "Thanks, I guess. Although Ayano's not really a part of your club, it's nice of you to be so welcoming."

"Oh? You're friends with Aishi-chan, Odayaka-kun?"

Amao looked surprised. "Ayano-chan? Why, yes. I didn't know you were friends with her too."

"What a surprise! Could it be that she's thinking of joining the Cooking Club?"

"Well, she's considering it." He said. "Of course, I don't want to pressure her. And whether or not she does end up joining, she's still welcome to visit anytime. That goes for you all too, of course!"

"Oh, that's so nice of you, Odayaka-kun." Taeko said.

"Speaking of which, is Ayano-chan joining you for lunch today?" he asked, trying to hide his hopefulness.

It didn't work against Osano though, who scoffed. "She's at the Drama Club with Sunobu-senpai, said something about needing his help with something.

For a split second, Amao frowned before immediately reverting back to his cheerful smile. "Is that so?"

Again, Osano wasn't fooled. He could tell that his senpai was also wondering what Ayano could possibly need. And also the same thing he thought earlier that morning; 'Why didn't she ask me?'.

"Eh~? Aishi-chan is surprisingly a friendly person." Taeko said, a hand in her cheek as she reevaluated her impression on the girl.

"Ne, Nee-chan. Who's Sunobu-senpai?"

As Taeko explained to her brother who the upperclassman was, Amao turned to Osano. "Did she also stop by the Drama Club before class started today?"

Osano frowned at the question. "No… I don't think so, why?"

"Oh… Well, I was just wondering since she wasn't able to join me for breakfast this morning…"

His frown deepened. "You two eat breakfast together?"

"Well, we did yesterday. I have a habit of arriving at school early, and I offered her to join me. She agreed and joined me yesterday but for some reason she wasn't able to stop by today." He said, sounding worried.

"Tsk." Osano turned his head away, trying and failing to hide his grimace. "What the hell's with that? Do you realize how much of a pain it must be to wake up so early?"

"Ah… well…" Amao didn't really know what to say. He can admit that the younger boy was right, but he just really wanted to spend more time with his kouhai. And that was something he couldn't admit.

"Oh, don't be so uptight, Osano-kun." Taeko puffed her cheeks.

"Ah, now that I think about it, Ayano-senpai was really early for class today, wasn't she?" Hanako piped up.

Osano raised an eyebrow. "Ayano-senpai?"

Hanako blushed. "She- she said it was alright for me to call her that…"

Osano snorted. "She was probably in a good mood since you gave her food."

Amao blinked. 'Food…?'

"Oh! Speaking of which, did she like it?" Taeko asked.

"She did!" Hanako beamed.

Amao wasn't entirely sure why he suddenly felt so upset. So to chase those feelings away, he decided to change the subject.

"Is she the class representative? I heard they often have to arrive to school very early." He said. "She does seem like the type to take on such responsibilities."

"She does…" Osano grumbled, but not so sourly this time. "But no, she isn't, She might be a runner-up for teacher's pet though with that creepy new teacher eyeing her."

"Ew, that's gross! Don't say such things, Osano-kun!"

"What? It's true! That guy asked her to come to school early this morning to talk to her, alone!"

Taeko shivered. "I-I'm sure it's just your imagination, Osano-kun."

"You know how he's like! Admit it, even you're suspicious of him!"

Amao frowned. He was indeed aware of the new teacher and his rising popularity, but was he really the type to prey on his students? Amao had never been the type to judge but this once, he can't help but feel uneasy.

"We-Well… what did they talk about?"

"Hell if I know." Osano grumbled. "She didn't tell me anything."

"Did you ask?"

"What am I, her mother? If you want to know so badly then go ask her yourself!" Osano abruptly stood up and walked away.

"Wha- Osano-kun?!"

"Toilet!" he called out, which made sense since he left his stuff on the bench they were at.

Taeko sighed. "Sorry about him, Odayaka-kun. He's in a bad mood today."

"More than usual, at least." Hanako muttered.

"Hanako-kun!" Taeko said in a scolding tone.

"Ah, don't worry about it." Amao said, although his smile was a bit strained. "I… need to go back to the Club room. See you around, Yamada-chan."

"See you around, Odayaka-kun!" Taeko said, ever the oblivious one. She then turned back to her brother who was frowning and looked deep in thought. "Eh? What's wrong, Hanako-kun?"

"Nee-chan…" Hanako said, unsure. "Is… Is Ayano-senpai being targeted by a sexual predator?"

"Hanako-kun!"

Osano made his way to the bathroom, scowling all the way when he bumped into the last person he wanted to see.

"Geez, are you on your period or something?" the girl asked, frowning after looking up from her phone and seeing him, being able to tell his mood from a mile away.

"Tsk, leave me alone, Aneki." His scowl deepened.

Raiba Najimi was the older sister of Osano and was a year older than him. They share the same orange hair, although hers was tinted blonde. She was generally a sweet girl but she does share some similarities personality-wise with her younger brother. Anyone can agree that Osano was the brasher between the two though.

Rai frowned, noticing immediately that her brother was much more hot-tempered than usual. "Seriously though, what's with you? Did your girlfriend break up with you?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" he snapped.

"And yet you know exactly who I'm talking about." She rolled her eyes. "Well, it probably has something to do with her right? I can tell, since you're so simple-minded."

"Mind your own business." He grumbled.

"Do you plan on confessing anytime soon?" she asked, making him splutter.

"Wh-why the hell would I confess?!" he said, blushing furiously. Rai rolled her eyes again.

"Well, I don't really care but if you don't then someone else might snatch her away from you, you know." She said, turning back to her phone and walking away.

Osano fought down the blush on his cheeks as he watched his older sister walk away while pondering on her words.

Amao Odayaka.

Mido Rana.

Kizano Sunobu.

Why were all these guys circling Ayano all of a sudden? It pissed him off! He decided to forego the bathroom and made his way back to the Plaza. On his way there, he spotted the doors to the back of the school open from down the hallway and saw the row of trees. It made him remember their lunch date (Which wasn't really a date, don't be stupid) which was delayed twice now. They were supposed to eat under the sakura blossom tree at the back of the school. The famed Sakura Blossom Tree with numerous myths surrounding it. It made him pause in his steps.

Now that he thought about it, tomorrow was already Friday.

If you confess to your love under the Sakura Blossom tree after school on Friday, they'll accept your confession.

I was going to post something twice as long as usual to make up for such a long and uncalled for hiatus but I really wanted to post before Valentine's Day :c I plan on posting a special but I don't think I'll make it in time... It'll probably be a day late since I'm going to be busy for a couple days. And I'm also thinking of posting it as a separate story. Kind of like an OVA, what do you guys think? XD

I spent way too long on Mido's scene with Ayano. IT WAS SO HARD TO WRITE WTF. Sorry if it came out terrible T^T The idea there was that Ayano was touch-starved. Since her upbringing wasn't really filled with love. I was inspired by an art by Koumi-senpai. I'm not sure if I manage to convey it well. Also, the dialogue leading to that was terrible. I acknowledge that, I wanted to post this today. Needed, actually because I won't have any time to do so any time soon.

But anyway, I think a lot has happened this chapter~ I'm hoping it gives you a lot to chew on. I won't take too long to post the next one though. Because the reason why this one took so ridiculously long is because DAMMIT MIDO WHY. I'm sorry ;-;

Thursday is the day of jealousy, apparently :3 Well, what better way to realize your feelings? The characters are also coming together and more characters are being introduced. I focused this chapter more on the other rivals and less with Ayano. The next chapter will be similar, it'll help them develop by interacting with others, I suppose?

red ink23 asked about Megamo's dad and the short answer is... I forgot about him :x I mean, I didn't FORGET about him, I just realized... Oh right, he DOES canonically know about the Aishi family, doesn't he? ...Let's just sweep him aside... :3 I honestly ship him with Ryoba too but this story is already so full so yeah, I'll save that for another fic *sweatdrop*

I also appreciate Netharia 's very thoughtful review very much. Especially the part about Harem. Don't mind me, because I'm going to take that as my cue to do whatever the fuck I want. I was never good at confession scenes anyway... I say that but I'm sure you can tell that there WILL be one soon. ;)

With that said, I'm reopening the poll. At this point, it's less about what you guys want the ending to be and now more of my way of knowing which characters you guys like. Trust me, it's helpful ;) I guess it was also a bad choice to get the poll out before introducing all the characters so...

POLL! GO VOTE AT MY PROFILE RIGHT NOW!

And with that, I hope you enjoyed the story and please let me know what you think! Thank you for your continuous support and I hope you weren't (too) disappointed with this week's chapter!

Please review ~ !

~ RnR ~ !

~ RnR ~ !