I, Who Am Somehow Only Liked by Yanderes, Tried Transferring into a Class Full of Yandere Girls - Chapter 35: Connection

From the next day, I entered a series of days shadowed by fear of Hanazono-san.

Morning.

When it was time to go to school, Tsukimiya-san came to pick me up from home.

“Good morning, Aiji-kun. Everything’s been alright?”

“Ah, yes, it has.”

Seeing Tsukimiya-san’s smile made me feel relieved. The fear and anxiety that had been looming over me alone dissipated in an instant.

“Then, shall we go?”

I took the hand Tsukimiya-san offered me.

The moment our hands touched, a profound sense of relief enveloped me. Her presence alone was enough to keep my sanity intact.

On the way to school, I feared Hanazono-san might jump out from around it as we approached a corner.

My legs froze at the thought.

Tsukimiya-san must have sensed my anxiety.

“It’s okay. I’m by your side,” she whispered kindly. Warmth from her palm assured me.

School felt like a safe haven. Surrounded by so many, any intrusion by Hanazono-san would be instantly apparent.

Yet, I felt anxious without Tsukimiya-san by my side.

During classes, breaks, and lunchtime, I was always clinging to Tsukimiya-san. I made sure we held hands whenever we moved classrooms.

“What are you doing!?”

When asked, I explained the situation to Yokawa-san.

Then,

“It’s not fair to rely only on Shiika! No cutting in line! Aiji-kun, you can rely on me more than Shiika, you know.”

From then on, moving between classrooms meant holding hands with both of them.

I was in the middle, with Tsukimiya-san and Yokawa-san on either side.

The other students gossiped about us.

Naturally.

If I were in their shoes, I would have thought the same.

Enviable for having two beauties on each arm.

Like an alien being escorted.

Either way, I was frowned upon by all the boys in the class.

But I didn’t care.

If it could distract me from the anxiety of Hanazono-san’s shadow.

I stopped going to my convenience store job.

Rather than stopping, the thought of Hanazono-san possibly showing up filled me with terror, making it impossible to work.

So, after school, Tsukimiya-san and I would head straight home without stopping anywhere.

And until nightfall, we did nothing more than hold hands.

Simply being together, hand in hand, was enough.

But it calmed my heart.

Whenever I heard noises from outside or children’s voices, bringing anxiety, Tsukimiya-san would hug me gently.

“It’s okay. It’s all right…”

She soothed me while stroking my back, gradually bringing me back to sanity.

While connected to Tsukimiya-san, I could find peace. I had become unable to live normally without her.

At night, Tsukimiya-san would make dinner before returning to her own home.

Left alone, I felt the darkness of the night encroaching, threatening to drown me.

But before I could lose myself to despair, my phone would ring.

It was Yokawa-san.

“Aiji-kun, how are you? Listen, today at work…”

Hearing Yokawa-san’s cheerful and lively voice lifted my spirits, pulling me out of the sinking feeling.

The encroaching darkness was instantly dispelled.

Although these late-night calls used to be burdensome, I now wished they could last until morning.

They became my support through the night.

But eventually, they would end.

After the call with Yokawa-san, I was left alone in my room, on the verge of recalling the submerged anxieties.

But…

I glanced sideways at the closet. Usuki-san was staring intently at me from the slightly opened closet.

“――You were here today too…”

Normally, I would have been at a loss for how to react.

But now, I felt somewhat relieved.

At least Usuki-san harbored no hostility towards me. That became clear when she cared for me while I had a cold.

Right. I’m not alone.

Everyone is around me.

Even if they’re stalkers, overly possessive, or yandere, that’s still far preferable to solitude.

When morning came, Tsukimiya-san would come to pick me up again.

I’d go to school, led by her hand.

Whether inside or outside school, I spent my days surrounded by Tsukimiya-san, Yokawa-san, and Usuki-san. Having someone always around was reassuring.

Hanazono-san hadn’t shown herself since then.

I had been wearing my uniform then, so I thought she’d find the school and come after me.

But it’s better if she doesn’t come.

I hoped for peaceful days to continue like this.

That’s what I thought until what happened next.