How to Handle a Yandere Harem - Chapter 24

Emma’s eyes fluttered open at 4 a.m., an hour earlier than her alarm was set for. She lay still for a moment, a smile curling on her lips as she realized the time. 

(How perfect, I can’t wait any longer to see him…) 

She swung her legs out of bed, the motion swift and determined as if her body couldn’t stand another second away from Adriel.

She moved with purpose, her actions almost too smooth, too practiced. First, she reached for her phone, swiping through the photos of Adriel she had saved — each one more precious than the last. Her eyes lingered on a candid shot of him laughing, her heart racing faster with every second she stared at it. 

(Soon, darling, soon we’ll be together forever…)

Emma practically flew through her morning routine. Shower, makeup, outfit — it all came together with a precision that spoke of someone who had done this a thousand times before. Every step, every brushstroke was done with Adriel in mind. She chose a dress that she knew he liked, the one that made his eyes light up when he saw her.

After one last glance at Adriel’s photos, she grabbed her keys and dashed to her car, her heart pounding with anticipation. She wanted to be at his side as soon as possible, to be the first thing he saw when he woke up. But even in her eagerness, she knew better than to disturb his sleep. Instead, she parked outside his house and waited, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel, counting down the minutes until 6 a.m.

The moment her watch struck six, Emma was out of the car and at his door. She pressed the doorbell, her voice a soft sing-song as she whispered, “D-A-R-L-I-N-G.”

The door creaked open, revealing a sleepy Adriel, his hair tousled, and his eyes half-lidded with the remnants of sleep. (Even like this, he’s absolutely perfect…) Emma’s heart skipped a beat, her mind already spiraling into a thousand thoughts of how adorable he was.

“Emma, it’s so early…” Adriel mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“Yes, darling, but we need to go as soon as possible to take advantage of Eliza… I mean… to take advantage of the event…” She covered her slip-up with a bright smile, but her eyes gleamed with a possessive glint.

Adriel blinked, still groggy but nodding slowly. 

“That sounds reasonable. Please come in and wait a little while I change.”

Emma stepped inside, her gaze following him as he disappeared into his room. (He’s mine… and I’ll make sure no one ever takes him away from me.) She stood in the hallway, her smile unwavering, already planning the rest of their day together.

◆　◇　◆

Akuma sat in his room, the walls closing in on him, their once vibrant colors now dulled by the overwhelming whiteness that seemed to drain the life out of everything. His gaze drifted to the door that Emma had shattered, the jagged edges of the broken wood a stark reminder of her ruthless determination. His thoughts swirled in a chaotic storm, anger simmering just beneath the surface.

“I hate people like her!!!” Akuma’s voice echoed through the empty room, filled with a frustration that threatened to consume him. 

Elizabeth’s relentless pursuit, her cold, calculating eyes — she was everything he despised. Everything that had torn his world apart once before.

As he clenched his fists, Akuma’s mind began to drift, memories bubbling up from a time not so long ago. A time when the world hadn’t yet lost its color when he was just a teenager, full of dreams and innocence. The images in his mind were hazy, blurred by the passage of time, but two things remained clear — two smiles, each more beautiful than the last.

The first smile belonged to a girl with fiery red hair that cascaded down her back in waves, catching the sunlight in a way that made it seem like it was on fire. Her eyes were the color of amber, warm and inviting, and whenever she smiled, it was as if the whole world lit up around her. Akuma could almost feel the warmth of that smile now, a stark contrast to the coldness that had settled into his heart.

(That smile… it was like a beacon of light in my darkest days.)

She had a way of laughing that was infectious, a sound that made everyone around her smile too. Akuma remembered how he would wait for her at the school gates every morning, just to catch a glimpse of that smile. It was a smile that made him believe in a better tomorrow, a smile that promised that everything would be okay. He had been captivated by her, drawn to her like a moth to a flame, unable to resist the warmth and light she brought into his life.

The second smile was different but no less beautiful. It belonged to a girl with jet-black hair that framed her face in a way that made her look almost ethereal, like a goddess from a forgotten myth. Her eyes were dark, almost black, but there was a softness in them that made Akuma feel like he was the only person in the world when she looked at him. Her smile was quieter, and more reserved, but it held a depth of emotion that spoke volumes.

(There was something about her smile… it was like she understood every pain, every struggle, and still chose to smile anyway.)

She wasn’t as outgoing as the red-haired girl, but her presence was no less powerful. When she smiled, it was like a secret shared between the two of them, a moment of connection that no one else could touch. Akuma remembered how she would sit with him under the old oak tree at the edge of the school grounds, her head resting on his shoulder as they watched the world go by. In those moments, her smile was his anchor, the thing that kept him grounded when everything else felt like it was slipping away.

But those smiles, those beautiful, heart-stopping smiles, had been ripped away from him. Akuma’s chest tightened as the memory of their deaths crashed over him like a tidal wave. It had happened so fast, like a storm that came out of nowhere, leaving destruction in its wake. One moment, they were there, their smiles lighting up his world, and the next, they were gone, snuffed out like candles in the wind.

(Why did they have to die? Why did everything good in my life get taken away?)

Akuma could still see it in his mind, the blood, the tears, the overwhelming sense of helplessness as he watched them slip away. Their smiles, once so vibrant, were now frozen in death, haunting him every time he closed his eyes. He had been powerless to save them, and that failure had carved a deep scar in his soul, one that had never fully healed.

And now, as he sat in the stark whiteness of his room, the memory of those smiles was like a knife twisting in his gut. He could feel the anger rising again, the same anger that had driven him to do unspeakable things, the same anger that had consumed him for so long. But this time, it wasn’t just about the past. It was about the present, about Adriel, who was in danger of being swallowed up by the same darkness that had claimed those two girls.

“I’m going to save Adriel from them. I’m going to save Adriel from becoming me.”