Chapter 61: I Want to Awaken an Other-Exclusion Talent — Step 11: Standing in My Way Is…

I couldn’t believe the scene spread out in front of me, and I reflexively did a double take.

Because the odds of him talking with classmates other than me were so low you’d sooner see a coelacanth change its expression. About as impossible as the sun rising in the west.

Yeah—put simply, it’s something that basically never happens.

Faced with this unfamiliar sight, my breathing turns ragged.

No, calm down. Be cool. I take a deep breath and steady my emotions.

Right now is an important time for yandere awakening. I don’t want to do anything stupid.

Calm down.

Once I finally get my breathing under control, I look at Wada and… whoever that guy is.

Huh? Wait—what? When I look closer, that face isn’t a classmate’s face.

Who is he? I don’t recognize him at all.

Probably someone from another class. He’s not in my data, which means he’s probably the type with barely any yandere potential, too.

Could it be Wada’s friend circle that I don’t know about?

That thought crosses my mind, but then I rethink it. No, that can’t be it.

I’m the kind of guy who never neglects intel-gathering for the sake of yandere talent awakening. I’m serious about yandere, okay?

So I make sure to collect as much information as possible about the person I’m trying to awaken. Sure, there are hard-to-see things like family circumstances, but friend groups? In a narrow community like a school, it’s harder to hide those than it is to reveal them.

And yet, in all my investigation, not once did anyone like that surface.

Wada’s social circle was supposed to be basically nonexistent. There shouldn’t have been anyone outside the class who was close to him.

But thinking about it won’t solve anything. While I’m doing that, Wada and “unknown face” keep talking.

If I look at it calmly, it almost seems like “unknown face” is the one talking at him one-sidedly—but the fact he hasn’t been rejected yet means Wada’s letting his guard down quite a bit.

Generally speaking, the longer you talk, the less time it takes to feel comfortable with the other person.

I can’t afford to lose. If I don’t water it while the yandere bud is starting to sprout, it could wither again, and this time I might never get it to bloom.

Stop getting in my way!

With that thought, I step in front of “unknown face.”

And then—

“Morning, Wada. Sorry about yesterday.”

I say it like it’s nothing.

You get it? That tiny little flex.

First: the name. We’re on a “call-you-by-name” basis. At the very least, it makes us look closer than just random classmates, right?

Second: the word “yesterday.” Just having that word there makes it sound like we had some kind of relationship yesterday too, and “sorry” is a strong word.

It works like “that was fun,” too—by implying we did something together yesterday and something changed, it makes them imagine a whole story.

With this short exchange, I landed the first punch on the other guy.

Feeling a little smug, I looked at his face. He stared at me for a moment, then gave a quick smile and said—

“Wada-kun, sorry—just a second, okay?”

Then he grabs my arm and drags me off somewhere.

I freeze, dumbfounded. This is exactly what Wada was like yesterday.

No, wait. What the hell—are you picking a fight? If you want a fight, I’ll take it. I’ve learned martial arts—so I can protect yandere from society, and so even if a yandere launches an “attack of love” at me, she won’t end up becoming a criminal, you know.

I brace myself.

And then I—

“You’re the kind of person who resembles me… but isn’t me, right?”

Huh? What does that even mean? Please stop with this cringe chuuni stuff.

Chapter 62: I Want to Awaken an Other-Exclusion Talent — Step 12: No Way—A Kindred Spirit? Or…

I couldn’t really understand the words the person in front of me had said.

“Resembles me, but isn’t me”…? What does that mean? I think desperately.

From what he said, Wada and this guy aren’t friends. If they were friends, there’d be no reason to drag me away. And “resembles me, but isn’t me” also suggests we aren’t friends.

Then why is he getting close to Wada?

It’s hard to believe he just wants to be friends.

To be blunt, I don’t think many people look at Wada and think, “I want to be friends with him.” Sorry, but yeah.

So why?

And then, one possibility comes to mind.

Similar, but different…! Wait. Could it be he’s a yandere lover?

Maybe he’s been watching what I’ve been doing to awaken talents and thought I might be a kindred spirit.

Then he realized I’m trying to awaken Wada’s talent now, and he used Wada as a route to contact me.

If that’s the case, it makes sense that I don’t know him.

Honestly, I’m not interested in people who don’t seem like they have yandere potential. But if he’s a fellow yandere enthusiast, he might be collecting different kinds of information—things that don’t get caught in my net.

But if that’s true… then I’d be making my first yandere friend at school.

Someone to talk yandere with—sometimes clashing, sometimes sharpening each other, pushing each other to create an even better yandere. That’s something I’ve always admired.

And if we’ve got two sets of hands working toward yandere awakening, the chance we can bring yandere into the world—not just at school, but on a broader scale—goes way up.

My dreams just keep expanding.

Compared to a moment ago, my chest swells with excitement.

But then one question surfaces.

If so, what does “different” mean?

If you love yandere, we’re all friends, right?

If he says “different,” does that mean he’s a yandere lover who differs from me? But I’m the type who welcomes any yandere.

Ah—maybe he’s the type who only accepts yandere in fiction?

If so, “similar, but different” would make sense.

I’ve been continuing my activities because I want to create yandere in the real world. I’d dedicate my life to awakening yandere talents if I had to.

But what if he thinks yandere shine only in 2D? I get it—those unrealistic parts of yandere can sparkle precisely because they aren’t real.

The classic yandere package—stalking, confinement, surveillance—those become crimes in the real world. But in 2D, there are moments where people can accept them as “because it’s love,” at least sometimes.

So yes, there are absolutely good things about yandere that exist because it’s 2D—and I can understand why he’d be different from me.

Maybe there are things he can compromise on, and things he can’t.

But even if that’s true, I’ll accept it with an open heart.

He’s still a comrade.

I look at him with eyes overflowing with hope, totally different from before.

And then—

“Who are you? We shouldn’t have met before, right?”

I speak to him.

Come on, say it. Tell me you love yandere too. It’s fine—I’m your comrade.

But the next words out of his mouth smash my hope to pieces.

“Don’t get in my way. That guy is mine. I’m going to make him a tsundere no matter what.”

Huh? T-Tsundere?