Chapter 14

Amid the sunset, the Ferris wheel slowly climbed.

It was almost time for this to be over.

Sora-chan stared blankly at the red sky.

The way she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear was picture-perfect, like a scene from a movie.

She was beautiful.

Noticing my gaze, she smiled.

This scene is lovely, but…

If she weren’t a yandere, she probably could’ve conquered the world.

What a waste.

Whoa. Guess I’m finally getting tired.

I’m a little dizzy.

But, strangely, it wasn’t unpleasant.

It actually felt… nice.

“Thank you for today. I had a really, reeeally great time.”

It wasn’t her usual clingy way of talking.

It was a heartfelt statement, one that seemed to sink in and leave a refreshing feeling.

As if a long-held wish had finally been granted.

…Well, me too, I guess.

All things considered, today was fun.

As long as you kept things surface-level, she was a charming girl.

“I had fun too. Thanks.”

That said.

Clunk.

The Ferris wheel jolted.

We’re already past the halfway point. All that’s left is the ride down.

“But a promise is a promise.”

I have no intention of getting any more involved.

I have a girlfriend, and besides, Sora-chan is the kind of girl you’re better off saying ‘no’ to.

“Delete the picture. I’m not going to have anything to do with you anymore, Sora-chan.”

“…I understand.”

She showed me the screen and properly deleted the photo.

It’s rude of me to think, but I was a little surprised.

“Wow, I’m surprised you deleted it so easily.”

She pouted, looking offended.

“I don’t want you to think I’m a liar, so of course I’ll delete it.”

I see. So she’s not a liar.

That’s a relief.

If she’s not a liar, then she wouldn’t say something like, “But I still have it on a USB drive” or—

“I don’t have it left on a USB drive♡”

…

Yeah. For a second, I thought she’d read my mind.

Oh, well. As long as it’s gone.

Sometimes people just happen to think the same thing, right?

“I only have it left on my home drive, the cloud, and a mirrored copy.”

Just what you’d expect from someone in the IT course.

She’s saving it on all kinds of media. Perfect risk management!

Give me a damn break.

“Then deleting it from your phone is completely pointless!”

“This is the end, right? Can’t you at least let me have a photo to remember this by?”

“Absolutely not.”

This is like asking, “Is it okay if I carry around an instant-death spell I can use on you at any time?”

It’s a one-hit-kill spell.

“Hehe. This is the end, right? The end. If that’s the case, then…”

“Stop! Don’t come any closer! Stay in your seat!”

Her soft lips brushed against my cheek.

Afterward.

She whispered in my ear.

“Shouldn’t it be starting to take effect soon?”

Huh?

What does she mean, “take effect”?

The only thing that came to mind was… the water bottle, of course.

Some drugs are fast-acting.

Others aren’t.

…So it was the latter, huh?

“Hey, you did spike it with something, didn’t you!”

She tapped her head with a fist and stuck out her tongue slightly in a playful apology.

I’m going to murder you.

This is bad.

If I’m wrong about this, it’ll be incredibly embarrassing, but…

…

Now that she mentions it, I’m getting seriously turned on.

“This is an aphrodisiac, isn’t it!”

“It’s a little magic spell to make you more honest♡”

Whoa, hold on. This stuff is potent. Ah, crap.

Isn’t this stuff illegal?

Is it supposed to work this well?

My limbs are trembling. I can’t take my eyes off her.

I want to touch her. I want to feel her skin against mine.

That’s what’s going through my head.

“Hehe. You haven’t done anything wrong, senpai. It just so happens that we both felt like whispering words of love♡”

Clunk.

The door opened.

Alright! This is my chance!

!

“Come on, Sora-chan. We have to get off! Hurry!”

“Senpaaai. Senpai. Shii-chan♡”

No good! It’s no good! Her eyes are completely glazed over!

Come to think of it, she “taste-tested” it too, didn’t she.

“Umm… Sir. Could you please exit the ride~”

“S-Sorry!”

“Hehe. Love won’t run away♡”

I scrambled off the Ferris wheel.

I knew it, there’s no talking to her! This girl!

Watching the two of us with a look that could kill, the attendant muttered.

“…Sigh. I wish I had a boyfriend.”

Chapter 15

I fled the amusement park as if escaping.

And I was pursued.

But if it wasn’t a sleeping pill…

There are ways to fight back.

“If it’s an aphrodisiac, I have a countermeasure.”

“!?”

It’s not like I have a problem fooling around with a girl.

The time is now past 7:00 PM.

…Surely, she’s awake by now.

This is a double-edged sword.

It pushes a breakup further away.

But I have no other choice.

I’m scared of what will happen if I keep cheating.

I’ll call Akane and blow off steam with her.

“Your downfall was getting too cocky, Sora-chan.”

“Wh-What are you planning to do?!”

I tap the phone icon. Summon Akane!

“…”

Huh?

Beep… beep… beep…

“It gets crowded around amusement parks, so the reception gets congested, you know.”

“Hehe. Are you able to get in touch with her?”

“I’m not giving up after one or two tries.”

I redial.

Even for Akane, who always seems to have all the time in the world to contact me, it seems she’s no match for a weak signal.

Usually, whenever I want her around, she tracks me down with a sensor that might as well be a sixth sense.

“I see. You intend to call that woman. In that case, this is a perfect opportunity.”

“I’ll confront her directly and show her just how lovey-dovey you and I are.”

…

Oh, right.

If I let these two meet, it’s death either way.

Death. Game over.

“I’ll restore the photos from the cloud, and…”

I frantically hang up the call to Akane.

Immediately, a return call.

Why is it connecting now when it wouldn’t go through a second ago?

I’m the one who called her, but maybe it would’ve been better if I hadn’t.

“Shion? What’s up?”

What terrible timing this woman has.

“Oh, uh… It’s nothing.”

“Eh? You just wanted to hear my voice? Shion, are you, like, way too in love with me?”

That’s an absurdly positive interpretation.

Her cells could probably be used to make a miracle cure for depression someday.

No, let’s not do that. It would just create more yanderes.

That would unleash a whole different kind of trouble on the world.

“Ah, yeah. Something like that. Seriously, it’s nothing. Okay, I’m hanging up.”

“Well, I have good news for my beloved Shion!”

“Akane-chan is heading your way right now♡”

…

Isn’t this bad?

What would she do if I told her not to come?

There’s no way she’d listen.

It’s like, she seems to be speaking Japanese, but I think it might actually be a different language.

If she comes, my cheating will be exposed.

But if I just ignore this…

She’ll come, and my cheating will be exposed.

In the first place, why did I even call her?

“Well, I’ll be. In that case, you come on safe now, y’hear?”

I’m so far gone I’m even starting to use a dialect from God-knows-where.

…

This is bad, this is bad, this is bad!

Anyway, I have to get out of here.

I’m going to be killed.

It’s going to be Super Smash Yanderes.

They’ll kill me with a landing trap before I can even figure out my recovery move.

I run, not even knowing why anymore.

“Senpai, please wait♡”

“Shion. Wait for me, okay?”

“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAH, DAMN IT ALLLLLLLLLL!”

I hurled my GPS-equipped phone into the river and took off running.