Chapter 1: Yanderes Don’t Scare Me One Bit!!!!

“Kinjiro, I love you. Come on out.”

My name is Nariki Kinjiro! Right now, I’m at school — at night. Why? Well, lemme tell ya. I headed to school today, opened my shoe locker, and what do I find? No freaking way — a love letter! And the contents?

“I love you. Please come to the school rooftop tonight.”

That’s what it said! Can you believe that?! When I read it, I went full-on “YEAAAHHHH I’M WINNING AT LIFE!!!” and blabbed about it to every buddy and teacher I could find!

But then… when I actually came to school at night and stepped inside……

“…Oka-P……? OKA-P!!!!!”

He was dead.

My homeroom teacher, Oka-P… he was dead……!!

Covered in blood!! Why?! Why… why was Oka-P……

“Hey, come on out already. I really do love you, you know.”

When I checked his body, there was a stab wound on his back. Damn it — someone killed him! And they stabbed him from behind like cowards! That’s not okay!! So I decided to search the school. Sure, I was scared out of my mind, but if the killer was still around, I could catch them! For Oka-P’s sake, I was gonna find whoever did this!

“Come out already! Hey, hey, HEY!!!!!!“

The owner of that voice — Yamamoto Akimi — was Oka-P’s killer.

Oh, right — I never said where in the school I was.

The teacher’s podium. My classroom’s teacher’s podium — that’s where I’m hiding!! See, I’d remembered the love letter and gone up to the roof, and she was already there! Yamamoto Akimi! Drenched in blood! Holding a kitchen knife! Completely insane! So I screamed like an idiot and ran for my life! You got a problem with that?!

…Okay. That’s pretty pathetic.

“Why, why won’t you come out? Did you start hating me? Hey, why, why—”

I swore I’d avenge Oka-P, and here I am — screaming, trembling, and curled up in a corner.

“Why, why, why, why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why WHY?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!“

Man… I’m no man at all………. Damn it, am I really just gonna get killed by her, too? I can’t face Oka-P looking like this……

Oka-P… who died……. Yeah. I can’t face him……not like this…

“GET OUT HERE!! HEY! RIGHT NOW!!!!!”

I’m not ending it like this………

“………I can smell Kinjiro.”

I will.

“He’s close…… HE’S HERE!!!“

I will avenge Oka-P — no matter what!!!!!!!

“Kinjiro!……KINJIRO!!!!!“

BANG!!!!!

“…You want me?! Then here I am, Yamamoto!!”

I kicked the classroom door open and stepped out into the hall!

“……Kinjiro…… It’s Kinjiro! I’ve missed you so much! My Kinjiro!!”

There she was — Yamamoto Akimi, drenched in blood.

I don’t know why, but every last drop of the fear I’d felt a second ago — it was gone, completely gone. Not even a trace. Like fear had never existed in the first place.

“I’ve got three questions!!”

I shouted at the top of my lungs! Man, I haven’t yelled this loud since I was cheer captain at the sports festival last year!!

“Question one — that body back there, Oka-P. You killed him, didn’t you? Why?”

“Huh? He was in the way.”

“…In the way?”

“Yeah, that’s right. You know what he said when I snuck into the building? ‘What do you think you’re doing?! Go home!’ Can you believe that? Tonight’s a full moon — perfect for a rooftop confession — so why, why, why, why, wh—”

“Question two — why the hell are you walking around with something as dangerous as a kitchen knife?”

“Oh, this? Well~, if you turned me down, I was going to kill you with this and then kill myself.”

“Why?”

“Because if I can’t be with you, there’s no reason for me to be alive. So I thought I’d go to the next life together with you — together with you, with you, with you with you with you with you with you with yo—”

“Question three — and this is the one I really can’t wrap my head around………Why do you even like me?”

“Hehe, why do you think?”

“………………”

“Do you remember when I got harassed by some delinquents?”

(Oh — yeah! That was a thing!) About two or three weeks ago, five delinquents were giving her trouble, and this guy right here stepped in and absolutely demolished every single one of them!!

“The way you looked back then, Kinjiro… you were really something. Actually, you still are. Ever since that day, I haven’t stopped thinking about you. On my way to school, during class, on my way home, when I’m at home, in the bathroom, in the bath, at dinner, while studying, while talking to people, before bed, when I wake up — always, always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always always, I think about you.”

(This girl is completely unhinged.)

“Oh, right — I still need to answer your confession.”

She stared at me without blinking. Her cheeks were flushed — embarrassed, maybe, though with her I couldn’t be sure.

And this is what I said to her.

“Like hell I’d ever go out with you!! You absolute psycho!!”

“Then die.”

Out of nowhere — she lunged at me with the knife!!

But hey — this is me we’re talking about! I dodge on pure guts! She swings again. I sidestep! Step aside! Keep stepping!

“Why — why won’t you get hit?!”

“Because I’ve got resolve!!“

“Resolve?”

“Yeah! The resolve to avenge Oka-P! That’s why I can dodge every last one of your attacks!”

“What does that even — WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!“

But my luck ran out — her knife caught my left arm!!

“Ugh!”

“Finally! I finally got you! Beg for your life all you want — it’s too late now!!”

“……Too late, huh?”

(Beg for my life? Too late? Is that seriously what she just said?)

“………I won’t.”

“What…”

“I’m not begging for anything!!”

Watch me, Oka-P — here comes the finisher!!

“SPARK FEATHER CROSS ATTACK!!!!!!“

Let me explain!! The Spark Feather Cross Attack is my signature move — cross both arms in front of your face and charge straight ahead!! It’s absolutely devastating!!

“Wh — KYAAAAHHHH——!!“

Yamamoto took the full hit and went down hard.

“Ow — th-that hurts——”

My knee crashed to the floor. The wound on my left arm from her knife was gushing like a faucet. Damn it! I finally won and now this!

“Aw, hell……my vision’s starting to……fade……”

(Come on……at this rate……I’m seriously gonna……di…………)

◆　◇　◆

“Hah——!!”

I woke up in a hospital room. Apparently, a security guard on patrol had found me and Yamamoto collapsed and called an ambulance right away. Somehow, I pulled through! Man, I really am one lucky guy!!

After I came to, the police took my statement. Turned out Yamamoto had been sneaking around near my house lately…… That girl — I can’t believe her!!

As for Yamamoto, with Oka-P’s murder and the attempted murder of me, she was looking at serious prison time. Good. She killed Oka-P. She’d better face every last consequence for that………

Then, one week later, I was discharged! The doctor said I had the constitution of a bull, and honestly, I agreed. I really am something else!!

Alright! For Oka-P’s sake — I’m gonna live the rest of my life to the absolute fullest!!

“Hehe, Nariki-kun, you’re so cool~♡”.

I had no idea. I really, truly had no idea — that from here on out, my high school life was going to be completely derailed by the ones the world calls yanderes.

Chapter 2: I’m Out of the Hospital — Alright, Back to School!

Yo!! The name’s Nariki Kinjiro!!

One week since the whole Yamamoto Akimi disaster, I was stuck in the hospital — but yesterday, finally! Finally, finally!! I got discharged!! HELL YEAH!!!

And right now! I am currently and enthusiastically on my way to school!!

For Oka-P’s sake — I’m gonna squeeze every last drop out of this school life!! HEAVE-HO!!

“Oi, oi oi oi oi oi oi oi oi oi oi oi oi OI!! Is that — no way — no freaking way — is that my partner?!?!”

“Th-th-that voice!! No way, no WAY!!”

I spin around at top speed!!

“Ginzaburo!!”

Standing right there — Sui Ginzaburo.

Let me break it down!! Ginzaburo is my best buddy and partner-in-crime!!

“Long time no see, partner! You doing okay?! You good?!”

“You know it, partner! Never been better!!!”

I walked to school with Ginzaburo, catching up on everything I’d missed.

And he filled me in on how things were going at school.

Apparently, the whole incident had gotten around — no surprise there. And thanks to it, I was apparently kind of a big deal on campus. The guy who survived a knife attack and walked away. Ha, man, that’s embarrassing!! I mean, in a good way!!

And here’s the real headline — after Oka-P died, our new homeroom teacher turned out to be a young, absolutely stunning woman. A teacher!!

YESSS!! Talk about lucky!! I bet Oka-P pulled some strings from the other side just to cheer me on. Thanks, Oka-P. I won’t let you down!!

So Ginzaburo and I walked into the classroom — and right off the bat, a girl threw herself at me!!

“Waaah, Kinjiro~!”

The one clinging to me: Suzuki Taeko, a friend going back to elementary school.

Quick description — Taeko is a ponytail girl who is, objectively, very cute.

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa! Getting jumped by a girl — partner, you’ve been holding out on me!! You dog, you dog!!”

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa, quit grinding your elbow into me! And Taeko!! I told you to quit hanging on me!!”

“Wh—?! I-it’s not like I was worried about you or anything!!”

Oh, right, almost forgot to mention — Taeko’s a tsundere. Through and through. Honest as a brick wall!!

After that, the whole class came at me with questions and compliments all at once.

“How’d you take down Yamamoto?!”

“Why did Okamoto-sensei have to die?!”

“Kuuuu, as expected of Kinjiro — you’re the real deal, man!!”

“You’re amazing, Kinjiro-kun! Marry me!”

“Excuse me?! I’m the one marrying Nariki-kun! Get lost, you ugly cow!!”

“Uh, actually, I’m the one marrying Kin-chan — and I’m going to kill the two of you? Just saying???”

……Hm. That last part got a little weird. Eh, whatever!!!!!! The point is, I was officially the class celebrity! Honestly, for real — I don’t know where to look!!

Then, after school!!

“Hey, Kinjiro! Walk home with me!”

Taeko. Naturally.

“Sure, let’s go, let’s go!”

And so we headed home together.

On the walk back.

“You were pretty popular in class today…”

“Ha — yeah, I guess I was! Man, wild, right!”

“And the girls were all going on about how cool you are or whatever…”

“Wait, seriously?!”

“…You really didn’t notice? Like, almost every girl in class was fussing over you.”

“N-no way…”

Not even a little! I had no idea!! But — so girls think I’m cool, huh………

“Hey! Wipe that stupid grin off your face!”

“Ow!”

Out of nowhere — Taeko roundhouse kicked me in the butt!!

“What was that for?!”

“That’s what you get for standing there smirking! Nyaah!”

She stuck her tongue out at me. What is her deal? What just got into her all of a sudden?

“Anyway — cool, cool! Girls think I’m cool! Maybe I’ll finally get myself a girlfriend~!!”

“…………………………………I won’t let that happen.”

“Huh?”

For just a second, the light went out of Taeko’s eyes.

“Taeko… what did you just—”

Hmm~? Nothing at all~”

Full smile. Just like that. Like a switch got flipped. What the hell is going on?

“C’mon! Let’s get home already!”

“O-okay……”

Whoosh — a cool breeze cut through the air. But right now, it felt ice cold.

“Why is that girl walking home with my Nariki-kun? Oh — I see. She’s trying to trick him. That’s it. That has to be it. ………………Unforgivable.”

“My… Nariki-kun……unforgivable………”

“Unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable UNFORGIVABLE!!!!!!”

The threat to my life wasn’t over yet!!!!