"Huh? What?"
I muttered with a confused tone, blinking several times. But no matter how often I blinked, the scenery remained the same.
Darkness.
Complete darkness.
That was all there was—a sea of black stretching endlessly into the void, or at least as far as my eyes could see.
"How the hell did I even get here?"
My voice echoed faintly in the emptiness.
I had no idea how this happened. The last thing I remembered was lying in bed, taking a short rest to kill time before moving forward with my plans for Rin...
None of this made any sense.
Then again, when I thought about my entire existence from a detached point of view, not much of it made sense either.
"What is this place anyway? Some kind of void?" I muttered, wondering about the nature of this place. One thing was certain—I had never seen, heard, or read about such a black and empty space in any of the sources of Secret Magical Lovers. Unless, of course, I had simply forgotten about it, which was very possible. You can't know everything just from watching tidbits and online edits.
"Still… whatever this place is, I can't let my guard down," I whispered under my breath.
For some reason, this place was giving me seriously bad vibes. My heartbeat quickened, racing faster and faster, as if warning me that something vast and unexpected was about to happen.
And whatever it was, I knew it couldn't be good for me.
So, I did what any normal person with rational thought would—I decided to shift into my true form.
"..."
I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with heavy air, then exhaled. Inhale. Exhale. Again and again, steadying myself as my body slowly began to change. Scales crawled out from beneath my human flesh, bones twisting and rearranging themselves, nerves tearing apart as my disguise peeled away piece by piece.
"Seriously, this transformation hurts like hell. If only it wasn't so painful..." I muttered, collapsing onto one knee, drained by the agony.
Every time I shifted—whether fully into my true form or just altering a part of my body—I felt it all. Bones snapping and reforming, nerves splitting open and burning out, scales ripping their way through tender flesh. Pain so sharp it went beyond words.
Still, each time I transformed, the torment dulled just a little. At least in the parts of my body forced into constant back-and-forth between human and true form—like my hands and legs.
Not that it made the process any more pleasant.
"I am ready for anything and everything this place throws at me," I said as I pushed myself upright, steadying my breath. I cracked my fingers, rolled my neck, and let out a loud scream to steel myself.
But just then—only a few steps ahead—a sudden flash of light exploded, flooding my entire vision. It was so blindingly bright that I could barely keep all six of my eyes open.
Thankfully, it only lasted about six seconds before the light finally faded, plunging the world back into darkness. Yet… something had emerged from that light.
Something I had absolutely not expected.
My six eyes widened in pure disbelief.
"Tatsyuya Yamashiko? What the hell are you doing here?"
The protagonist himself stood before me, dressed in the Summerfall High School uniform. (Honestly, what a generic, cringy name for a school, but that was beside the point.) The real question was—how in the hell was he here?
Before I could even begin to wrap my head around it, Tatsyuya raised his hand high into the air. A golden sword shimmered into existence, materializing from nothing, and descended neatly into his waiting grip. He caught it with practiced ease, then leveled the blade directly at me.
I felt my throat tighten as I swallowed hard. That sword—I knew it. It was his signature weapon, the one he only gained after awakening his magical powers.
"That's impossible! You shouldn't even have your powers—the plot hasn't even started yet!" I shouted, my voice cracking in panic.
Then it hit me.
I'd just said something I absolutely shouldn't have.
"Wait! Wait, wait, waiiiiit! Forget what I just said! That's all nonsense, okay? Total nonsense!"
However, Tatsyuya didn't respond. He remained completely silent, his empty stare fixed on me—two eyes drilling into all six of mine.
Time dragged on as we stood locked in that unsettling gaze. With each passing second, it felt heavier, more suffocating, more intense.
It was making me seriously uncomfortable—almost like there was some bizarre sexual tension lingering between us. Just the thought of it was enough to make me want to puke.
"Hey, could you not stare at me like that? It's making me feel really weird."
But once again, Tatsyuya ignored my words. No reply, no change in expression.
Instead, he suddenly charged at me with blinding speed.
Well, blinding speed if we were talking about a normal human, your run-of-the-mill monster, or maybe a low-tier magical girl.
But me? I was far beyond that level.
I raised my left arm casually, and the strike met me head-on.
A sharp clang rang out, echoing through the endless void as the blade's edge scraped against my armored, scaled skin.
"I was expecting a fight... but I'll give you one if I have to," I said.
He pressed harder, pouring more power into his strike. The sound of metal grinding against scale echoed out—a sharp creak that made my stomach sink. His blade was actually starting to cut through.
I reacted fast. Shoving him back with a burst of strength, I swung my arm wide, and from my other hand unleashed a concentrated blast of magic.
The attack struck him dead-on. Smoke billowed, a shockwave roared through the void, and I crossed my arms in front of me to brace against the impact as it hurled me several meters backward.
However, he quickly nullified my attack with just a wave of his sword, then gave me a gaze before he quickly dematerialized his blade.
I blinked my eyes in surprise, wondering why he had done that.
Then, for some reason, I began to see two of him, which made me even more confused.
He didn't have the power of Duplication, nor was he using his speed to create a copy of himself.
And strangely, I felt like the both of them were slowly tilting... no, it was as if I was tilting. And it didn't take me long to realize why...
He had bisected me from top to bottom, in such a way that I hadn't even felt myself being cut in half. I only realized it when my vision split—his image dividing in two—before my halves fell onto the ground.
That was the last thing I saw before my vision of life faded.
I died.
...
Tick...
Tick...
Tick...
The sound of a clock echoed in the silent room, my eyes staring up at the white ceiling.
"That was a weird ass dream..." I said as I woke up, back in my room, on my bed. "Bruh, why do I even have to dream of such a thing... though I have to say, that dream felt too real. Still, it did explain why Tausuya could use his power..."
I took a breath.
"I really should stop thinking about magical girls, Tatusya, and Rin... all that stuff in my head all the time, it's fucking giving me nightmares now," I muttered as I slowly got down from the bed. My legs felt shaky, my eyes were half-dozing, and my head was heavy.
I had trouble standing up.
"Bruh, I shouldn't have slept in a bent position," I groaned, my whole body aching, pain surging through every nerve.
I looked at the clock. It was six p.m. in the evening—or was it night? I really don't know whether night starts at six or seven.
I then walked towards my wardrobe, took a new set of clothes, and went to the door. Opening it, I walked down the circular staircase and made my way to the hallway, where the maids cleaning there gave me a bow.
I took my shoes from the shoe rack, but before I left, I said to one of the maids, "Tell Reistu to message me about the deal with the manager. I have a thing to do outside…"
The maid nodded.
I left, pulling my phone from my pocket and calling the driver. Within six minutes or so, the driver came with my car, followed by two of my lawn caretakers.
I gave the two caretakers a glance, and they immediately went to open the main gate as I sat inside the car.
"Where do you want to go, young master?" the driver asked, turning around.
"Near Kita-Senju Station… you know, the place with the food hub—different kinds of shops, food stalls, and all that. I wanna eat outside today."
The driver nodded and started the car. I leaned back on the seat in a lazy position and stared out the window, watching the road and the partly visible moon in the dark sky. The moon looked like a shy child peeking from a balcony window, hiding behind the curtains but still curious about strangers.
Now, that was certainly rather poetic of me, not gonna lie. Though I'm also not wrong to say it—because the moon was alive.
Yeah, you heard me right. The moon was a f**king literal living thing.
What you usually see is just its dormant state—sleeping.
But I still remember that scene from the anime version. The moment the moon woke up. Its hollow, empty eyes opened wide, and a deformed white mouth stretched across its face, jagged teeth forming the creepiest smile I'd ever seen.
I had nightmares for days after watching that.
"What the hell…" I muttered, because just for a split second, I swore I saw it again. An eye, half a face, and that twisted mouth grinning down at me—before it all snapped back to normal.
Are you kidding me? The moon has woken up?
That can't be possible…
It's not that time yet.
Yeah, that must be it. I've just been seeing things.
"Is something wrong, young master?" the driver asked, hearing my words.
"Nothing… just focus on driving," I said to driver, sweating dripping down from my head.
I feel like I need to a mental health check up....
...
It didn't take long for me to arrive at my destination—just a little over forty-five minutes. It would've been less, but apparently there was some problem with the engine, so it dragged a bit.
"Let's go, driver. We're gonna eat there," I said, pointing at a medium-sized black shop with a wooden exterior. A silver board hung at the top, and as I read it out loud, it said: "Mr. Nipun's Small Home…"
"You… want me to eat with you?" the driver asked, his eyes widening a little.
"Yeah, you can say that. It's my treat."
"I really appreciate it!" the driver said with a bow. Then, almost hesitantly, he added, "Can I call my wife and tell her not to make dinner for me?"
"Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Tell her I'll order and pack some food for her as well."
The driver pulled out his phone and called his wife, while mine suddenly vibrated in my pocket.
I took it out and saw it was a message from Reistu. I opened it and read through.
The gist of it was simple. I wasn't about to slog through the entire message—it had to be close to a thousand words, maybe a little less, packed with every unnecessary detail imaginable.
So, in short: after hours of convincing, the manager—who at first refused to burn the convenience store—finally gave in.
"Let's go, young master…" the driver said, and we stepped into the shop.
Instantly, I was greeted by a cozy, almost family-like atmosphere.
My eyes scanned the interior—warm wooden crafts arranged for aesthetic appeal, small sections divided neatly, each with a low table and floor cushions instead of chairs. It was homely, simple, and inviting.
But let me be clear. I wasn't here to admire the décor, or even the food.
I was here for her.
And by her, I meant an old woman in her mid-sixties, seated at the cash counter—the owner of this restaurant.
Once upon a time, she wasn't just an ordinary shopkeeper. She had been a magician. A minor character, yes… but one infamous enough to be remembered.
Why? Because she was a yandere.
Not just any yandere, but one of the most dangerously unhinged yanderes of her era.
And now… I was going to make that old hag fall in love with me.