Chapter 3: Me, Kinjiro, and the Stalker in Front of His House

My name is Suzuki Taeko. Kinjiro and I go back to elementary school — one of those relationships that just never quite dies.

Right now, I’m walking through the dark.

After we split up on the way home, I went back to my place, took care of a certain item I keep maintaining, tucked it away, and headed back out once it was properly dark. Destination: Kinjiro’s house. Why?

Well…

“Hey!! What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Tailing my Kinjiro all morning, you saw!! I’ll gut you!!!”

I’d spotted her hiding behind a utility pole — staring up at Kinjiro’s room from outside like a creep. I closed the distance fast and went in with the ice pick.

But.

“—?! Who’s there?!”

My thrust got caught on a pair of long sewing shears.

“My Burning Thrust — blocked?!”

“…You. You’re the filth who keeps hanging around Nariki-kun…!!”

With that, she pushed back — shears against ice pick, real force behind it. The pressure sent me stepping back, and I put some distance between us.

“Your name.”

“I don’t have a name to give to you.”

I’m going to kill her. But questions first.

“…A few things I want to know. Why are you stalking Kinjiro?”

“Excuse me? Because I love him, obviously.”

Naturally.

“Nariki-kun is my darling!!”

(Darling?? Is this woman serious??)

“So why are you always, always right there next to him?! You pathetic little tagalong!!”

Snap. Something inside me just ran out of patience.

“You disgusting sow!!!!!!!!!!!”

I closed the gap in one burst.

“Take this — Burning 100-Hit Thrust!!”

Let me explain. The Burning 100-Hit Thrust is my signature move: 100 thrusts of the ice pick in three seconds flat. My finisher.

“Gh — GHAK!!”

She parried a good chunk of them with the shears — not all of them. Kept the vital spots clear, but I got her several times.

“Ughhh…”

She buckled, one knee hitting the ground. Blood running fast from the wounds. My opening.

“And this ends it — Burning Thrust!!!”

I drove the ice pick straight at her skull.

Or would have.

“She’s — gone?!”

Vanished. Right out from under me. Where—

“…Behind you.”

I spun instantly. Too slow.

“Demon Slash!!!!“

“GHAK!!“

I got the ice pick up in time to guard the vitals — but the hit still landed clean. Blood sprayed from the wound. I tried to counter, but she must have read it — she stepped back and reset the distance.

“Uugh……”

I went down on one knee.

“…Unforgivable. Unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable!!! Nariki-kun is kind — he’d be kind to filth like you, too — and you’re exploiting that!! You’re going to drag him down!! Unforgivable! Unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable — I will never forgive you!!!!!!!!”

(What a load of nonsense.)

“Something like you… getting anywhere near my Kinjiro…… Not happening…”

Both of us torn up. One hit left in either of us, maybe.

“My… Kinjiro…? …What are you even saying… It’s already… already too late for you to beg—”

“This sow… I will never let you near Kinjiro… don’t even think about running… because—”

“It’s too late!!!!!!!!”

We both said it at the same moment — and charged.

“Burning Thrust!!“

“Demon Slash!!“

Click. Click.

“It is NOT too late!!!!!!!!”

Both of our finishing moves — caught bare-handed.

By him.

“Kinjiro!♡”

“Nariki-kun!♡”

“You two……”

Kinjiro stood there, my ice pick in one hand and her sewing shears in the other, a finger hooking each blade.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE?!?!?!“

Chapter 4: There’s a Fight Outside My Front Door — I Gotta Stop Them!

Yo!! Nariki Kinjiro here!!

Something loud was going on in front of the house, so I went outside to check — and what do I find? No way. No freaking way. Suzuki Taeko and some random girl in a sailor uniform, going at it!! Oh my god, what is this situation!! Like, seriously, what is happening right now……!!

And now I’m the one standing between them. One hand on a pair of sewing shears. The other hand holding an ice pick between my fingers. Pretty impressive, honestly!!

“Alright, what the hell is going on. In front of my house. With weapons like these.”

“Kinjiro! Get out of the way! I can’t kill her with you standing there!”

“HAA?! Kill?! Taeko, do you even hear yourself right now?!”

“Of course I do! She’s been stalking you — why wouldn’t I kill her?!”

“St-stalking?! And quit trying to kill people like it’s the obvious answer!!”

I knocked both weapons out of their hands. Both of them stepped back one pace.

“Nariki-kun~. Why are you protecting her~? She’s trying to hurt you, you know~.”

“What? Hurt me? And who are you, exactly?”

“What… wh-what are you talking about, Nariki-kun?! You and I are—”

“No. We’re not. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

“……………huh?”

This sailor uniform girl. What’s her deal?

“And Taeko — what’s this about ‘hurting me’?”

“It’s a lie she made up.”

“…O-okay. Then you! Why are you outside my house?!”

“W-w-well, that’s — um — actually—”

And then it happened.

“I won’t forgive this.”

“?!” from both of us.

“I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I won’t forgive this I WON’T FORGIVE ANY OF THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The sailor uniform girl just started chanting it on repeat!! The tongue on this woman!!

“Wh — whoa?! What’s going on, what’s going on?!”

“I won’t forgive it, I won’t forgive it, I won’t forgive it — that girl did something to erase my memories with Nariki-kun. I won’t forgive it, I won’t forgive it, I won’t forgive it — there’s no other reason Nariki-kun would forget me. I won’t forgive it, I won’t forgive it, I won’t forgive it — I’m killing her. I’ll actually kill her. I’ll kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her kill her!!!!!!!!”

Okay, no, genuinely. This is terrifying. She’s giving me serious Yamamoto Akimi flashbacks — that same completely-lost-the-thread energy. Basically identical.

“Hah. She’s over there making things up again………… Guess I really do have no choice but to kill her………………”

And now Taeko’s doing it too……. What is going on? Did Yamamoto Akimi’s ghost possess both of them? No — Yamamoto’s not dead. The one who died was Oka-P………

“Hold on. Both of you.”

“What is it, Nariki-kun? Something wrong?”

“Kinjiro. I’m busy right now, so if you’re confessing your love, it’ll have to wait.”

“HAA?! Where did that come from?! And Nariki-kun is my darling, so could you please stop saying crazy things?”

“—!! Don’t lie, you sow! He is not your darling. He’s mine. Which means………”

“I’m not anyone’s darling or anyone’s property!!”

I thought about Oka-P.

I don’t want anyone else to die. Not like him. Not here. So I’m going to do what I have to do.

“I’m taking you both down — to keep you both alive!!”

I turned to Taeko first. Finisher, point-blank.

“Take this — Spark Feather Cross Attack!!!!!”

“Wh — KYAAAAHHH!!“

Down. One!! Now——!

“You’re next!! ………uh, hang on, uh — Sailor Uniform Girl!!”

Time to settle this.