Chapter 11: I Want to Cultivate a Dependent-Type Talent – Extra Edition: Her Perspective ④

Lately, something’s been off with me.

I keep thinking about him.

But it’s not something sweet like love.

Whenever he talks to someone else—whether they’re a girl or a guy—I get completely shaken up, and I end up wishing he’d look at me—and only me.

If I don’t hear from him for even a short while, I get anxious, and I feel like I’m about to pester him for a response.

This is the kind of thing the old me never would’ve imagined.

What’s gotten into me?

While thinking that, I was wandering around alone after school.

No destination—just walking. It’s perfect for clearing my head.

And then I saw a face I recognized up ahead.

It’s him. Running into him after school is rare. Meeting the very person I’ve been agonizing over… it has to be fate.

I have to talk to him.

“Ah, Takashiro-kun! What a coincidence.”

I called out.

He said it was a coincidence too, and we started walking together.

Getting to take a walk like this after school, just the two of us… it’s kind of like a date, or something.

As I was thinking that, I heard a familiar laugh coming from up ahead.

At that sound, my body tensed on its own, and a cold chill slid through me.

No way… that can’t be. This is a lie.

“Well, well—if it isn’t Sugisawa. Long time no seeee, huh? Heh-heh.”

The moment I heard that voice, hell came rushing back to me.

Cold sweat poured out of me, and I couldn’t breathe right.

I can’t tell what they’re saying. But my body remembers. The fear they gave me.

No, no, no. My body trembles, and I can’t get the words out.

He looks surprised.

Right. He’s here right now.

No, don’t look. Not at me like this. Not at this pathetic me.

I thought I could finally change.

I thought that after meeting him, I’d changed.

So in the end, I still can’t run from my past?

I can only live trapped by it?

Then he said something to them.

What? What did he say?

I’m too overwhelmed by my own state to know what he even said.

If even he abandons me, I won’t be able to live anymore.

Then he grabbed my hand tight and started running.

Huh?

While I was still stunned, he kept pulling me by the hand, dragging me farther and farther away from them.

Why? Why wouldn’t he just run by himself?

Why would he take me with him?

He brought me to a park.

After that, I don’t even remember what I said anymore.

I think I confessed to him that I’d been bullied.

I thought he’d be put off by me—that I’d never be able to talk to him again.

But he said it.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m on your side.”

When I heard those words, I thought, ah… maybe I went through that painful past so I could meet him.

I finally met him.

And at the same time, I thought how glad I was Takashiro-kun was there today.

That I could change.

After that happened, I changed.

When I thought about how he accepted even my dark past, I started to feel closer to him than before, and I found myself smiling more, too.

Maybe because they saw that, other classmates started talking to me more, and school became more fun.

My habit of talking with him in the mornings hasn’t changed.

But during the other times—times when I used to be alone—I started spending more time with classmates, and I was finally able to take my first step into high school life.

But still… at home, I get lonely.

Even if I think I’ve changed, I worry that tomorrow I’ll go right back to being my old self.

Even then, I can just contact him.

Even if I get anxious when he doesn’t reply right away and I send him a bunch of messages, he replies without getting mad, and even if I call late at night, he talks with me like he’s happy.

I never thought someone like that existed in this world.

My anxiety eases even when I’m at home, and even at school, I’ve started feeling anxious less often.

Ah… I’m glad I met him.

Even when I remember the past, it doesn’t hurt anymore.

Because I have him.

If I have him, I don’t need anything else.

I want to do anything for him.

I won’t let anyone have him.

Chapter 12: I Want to Awaken a Possessive-Type Talent — Step 1: Talent Hunting

This morning, too, I was talking with Sugisawa.

Lately, it wasn’t just about novels anymore—we’d been talking about all kinds of things, like celebrities we liked and shops we’d recommend.

I guess that means we’ve gotten that close.

By the way, while I was talking with Sugisawa, I found myself thinking.

If there’s a girl with a dependent-type talent, then maybe there are people with other types of talents too.

And from that day on, I decided to look for girls who seemed like they might have other talents.

And then I found her.

A girl who seemed like she had a possessive-type talent.

A possessive type is someone who wants to have everything about the other person all to themselves, and they tend to be a bit aggressive. They’re said to jump to conclusions easily, and they’re often the competitive, can’t-stand-losing type. It’s also said that if they can’t see you even a little, they start suspecting you’re cheating.

They say a lot of dependent types lack confidence, but it’s the same here.

Because they lack confidence, they cling with everything they have to the person who acknowledges them, and they tend to monopolize that person.

And if they can’t monopolize the other person even a little, it turns into desire—like why won’t you look my way?—and their emotions flare up.

Sometimes beauty, sometimes intensity.

Yeah… this one’s also the best.

Compared to the dependent type, it’s not just “I’ll do everything you want.”

If it’s to monopolize him, they don’t care what happens to the people around them—if anything, they’ll eliminate them.

That bold, emotional expression is what shows off who she really is inside.

Yep, this one really is the best too!

When you think yandere, you think elimination.

They get jealous of everyone—friends, regardless of gender, just classmates… and in the end, they’ll even get jealous of the person’s family, and start working to make sure they can monopolize them.

Well, I can’t exactly choose whether I like dependent types or possessive types more. Each one has its own appeal, of course.

So what kind of girl would someone with a possessive-type talent be?

For example, a girl who’s the devoted, quiet type like a dependent type—or someone who’s always like, let’s all get along!—you can’t really say they have that talent.

On the other hand, someone who, once they fall for you, doesn’t need anyone else, expresses their emotions intensely, and has a feisty personality—that kind of person fits.

And the girl I found in my class is exactly that.

Her name is Kinosaki Ruri.

She’s the bright, energetic type with big double-lidded eyes. Her bob, cut a little above her shoulders, flips outward at the ends.

She looks like the kind of girl who has a lot of friends—cheerful and lively at first glance.

But what she’s really like is a self-obsessed, attention-hungry girl.

If it’s to bring out her own charm, she doesn’t care how much trouble the people around her get dragged into.

And she’s intense with physical affection—she can’t stand it when a boy’s attention goes to anyone other than her.

So even though she’s popular with guys, her reputation with other girls is the worst.

The few girl friends she does have are the type who can get along with anyone, and she latches onto just one of them. When that girl starts getting fed up with her, she picks a different girl as her target, latches on again, and repeats the cycle.

To put it bluntly, she stands out from the class in a different way than Sugisawa does.

But she’s hiding a possessive-type talent, and she’s incredibly charming.

That stance of wanting to monopolize the gazes around her is proof that she’s starving for approval.

If she can find even one person who truly acknowledges her, she’ll realize the happiness of giving love to someone, and she’ll be able to shine even more.

Even the way she clings to friends—if the target is someone who accepts it, then it becomes a reward for them, and it will fill her self-esteem, too.

Right now, her self-centered side is what wins out, and her likability isn’t very high.

But if I can draw out this charm, she might be able to shine more—and maybe even fit in with the class.

I decided to awaken her yandere possessive-type talent.