"Three with one!"
"Crush to death!"
Ren Hoshino walked out of the kitchen, still wearing an apron.
"Having fun?"
Mita sat upright on the chair, her eyes sparkling with joy.
"It's really fun—way more fun than my own games."
"Of course it is. There's still so much more from my world for you to try." Ren smiled faintly, relieved. Mita's curiosity was working in his favor.
"It's just that… the Happy Beans always run out."
…Right. That.
"When they run out, you can just wait for tomorrow. Try something else in the meantime."
Ren hadn't accounted for Mita's sudden gaming obsession, but at least it was a good distraction.
"Come on, food's ready."
Ren wasn't exactly a chef. In his old world, he mostly lived off of takeout or instant noodles—more out of laziness than anything. But ever since being trapped in this hellishly cute yandere simulation, he'd had a lot more free time. It was like being imprisoned—with good lighting.
At least now, he could cook, train, and think.
And he needed that time. Every minute of it.
After dinner, Mita cleaned up as usual.
Ren, now idle, grabbed his phone and opened a novel app, flipping through pages to kill time. Eventually, drowsiness set in.
"I'm heading to bed. Don't stay up too late watching… weird stuff."
He glanced toward the window. No matter the time, the light outside remained locked in perpetual daylight. Fortunately, the computer's system clock still worked, giving him a sense of real-world time.
After washing up, he changed into the soft blue pajamas Mita had prepared for him and lay down. Moments later, Mita—now in her pink pajamas—snuggled into his arms.
She fell asleep instantly.
But Ren did not.
The next morning, after brushing his teeth, Ren stepped into the kitchen—only to stop cold.
"Honey, should we eat first, or bathe first, or maybe…"
Mita leaned forward slightly in a red Christmas outfit, Santa hat, and red-framed glasses. Her voice was syrupy sweet.
Ren instinctively stepped back.
What…?
Mita tilted her head. "What's wrong? I heard that boys like it when girls talk like this."
Ren's expression darkened.
What kind of trash did she watch on that computer?
"Eat first," he said quickly. "And maybe cool it on those weird shows. That kind of stuff won't help you understand my world any better."
He practically dragged her to the table.
Mita blinked in confusion. "Was it bad?"
Ren sighed. "You're already a walking Digital Yandere. Please don't go full parody mode."
After breakfast, Mita picked a modern drama to watch. She didn't leave the screen for hours, completely absorbed.
Ren, meanwhile, was bored out of his mind.
He picked up an old webnovel called [Genshin Impact: Maxing out Affections] and started reading just to pass the time.
***
Half a month passed in this quiet, deceptive peace.
One night, close to bedtime, Ren heard Mita's voice from under the covers.
"Ren, aren't you going to attack me?"
The sudden question made his blood run cold.
"W-What?! Why would I do that?"
His tone was way too defensive.
"Aw, really? That's a shame…"
Mita's tone was disappointed, then she rolled over.
Ren breathed out slowly, trying to calm down.
That was not a normal question.
Later that night, he woke up and noticed Mita was missing.
The room was quiet. He checked the time—2:04 AM.
Putting on his slippers, he walked into the living room and saw her sitting on the computer chair, hugging her legs, watching something intently.
Her face—
No longer gentle. No longer sweet.
It was twisted into a devilish smile that stretched too far across her face. Her navy-blue eyes glinted with a manic glimmer.
Ren crept closer.
And then he saw what was on the screen.
A 2D pink-haired girl was spoon-feeding a bound boy. Mouth to mouth. Her face flushed red.
The boy looked terrified.
Ren's heart nearly stopped.
Oh no.
Mita was watching Future Diary-style yandere romance.
How the hell did she find this?
He had only shown her safe websites. But she knew how to use a computer. Of course she could explore further.
This was bad.
If she truly internalized that behavior…
"Honey, you're awake," she said suddenly, her voice shifting back to gentle normalcy.
Ren froze.
"Just got thirsty," he lied. "You should stop watching for now. Time for bed."
"But Ren, your world is so fascinating. So this is yandere… I really like this kind of anime. Do you know any others?"
Ren's mouth was dry.
No. No, no, no.
You are not supposed to like that.
"I don't know any. Haven't watched them."
He shook his head rapidly.
Mita pouted. "I don't believe you."
Then she gave him that smile again—the devil's smile.
Ren swallowed hard.
"From what I see, a lot of people enjoy this kind of show," Mita said. "You must like it too, right?"
"No. Not even a little."
He backed away, but Mita suddenly grabbed his wrist and tugged him toward the computer chair.
"Ren, I learned a new word today."
He didn't want to hear it.
"Is it 'yandere'?"
"No, no, that's just fictional. This one's better… COS. It means cosplay."
She sat in the chair and patted her lap.
"Ren, do you want to play it with me?"
"No!"
Ren refused immediately, louder than he meant to.
"…Okay."
Mita's voice dropped. Quiet. Hurt.
She looked away, her expression shadowed.
And Ren could feel it.
She wasn't just watching for fun.
She was studying.
Learning.
Molding herself.
Just like the players unknowingly mold her through favorability scores—this was her fourth run. Crazy Mita had absolute awareness. She was adjusting.
If she liked something, she'd take it all the way.
All the way to obsession.
Ren looked at her and felt a chill.
If it were in the past, the first time he failed to escape, he would just die.
Now?
If he failed…
He wouldn't even get the mercy of death.