Taro sat at his desk.
The classroom was quiet except for the scratching of pencils and the teacher talking at the front.
But Taro wasn't listening.
His mind was somewhere else.
He had just spoken to the mysterious caller.
He had just learned the truth.
A girl had killed Osana.
Not once.
Not twice.
Thirty-two times.
Taro stared at his notebook.
Blank.
He hadn't written a single word.
'I need a plan.'
He glanced toward the other side of the classroom.
Osana sat near the window.
Raibaru sat beside her.
Just like always.
Talking.
Laughing.
Raibaru was watching the room at the same time.
Like a guard dog that also did homework.
'For now, Raibaru is protecting her.'
Taro felt a small bit of relief.
But then—
He froze.
'Wait.'
A thought crossed his mind.
A bad one.
A really bad one.
'What if she goes for Raibaru first?'
If Raibaru was gone…
Osana would be alone.
Taro quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone under the desk.
He opened his messages.
Then typed a single name.
Info
He paused.
Then he sent the text.
["Info. I need to ask something."]
He waited.
Three seconds later—
His phone buzzed.
That was fast.
["That was fast."]
Taro blinked.
Then another message appeared.
["Let me guess."]
["You just realized something very obvious."]
Taro frowned.
He typed back.
["What?"]
A typing bubble appeared instantly.
["If Raibaru disappears."]
["Osana dies."]
Taro stared at the screen.
'She already knew.'
He typed again.
["Can Ayano beat Raibaru?"]
The typing bubble appeared.
Stopped.
Appeared again.
Then the reply came.
["Direct fight?"]
Another message.
["No."]
Another message.
["But Ayano doesn't fight fair."]
Taro's stomach tightened.
He looked toward Osana and Raibaru again.
Raibaru was laughing at something Osana said.
Completely relaxed.
Completely unaware.
Taro typed again.
["So what does that mean?"]
This time Info took a little longer to reply.
Then his phone buzzed.
["It means Raibaru isn't the shield you think she is."]
Another message.
["She's the first obstacle."]
Taro felt a chill run down his spine.
Then one more message came through.
Info:
"And obstacles get removed."
Taro slowly locked his phone.
He looked toward Raibaru again.
Strong.
Alert.
Confident.
But suddenly…
She didn't look untouchable anymore.
Taro leaned back in his chair.
'I need to warn her.'
Then another thought hit him.
'But what do I even say?'
The bell rang.
Class ended.
Students started standing up.
Osana stretched in her seat.
Raibaru stood up beside her.
And across the room—
Near the back window—
Ayano Aishi quietly closed her notebook.
Her eyes drifted toward Taro.
Just for a second.
Then toward Raibaru.
Her expression didn't change.
But inside her head—
A quiet thought formed.
'Raibaru Fumetsu.'
'She is always with Osana.'
A small pause.
Then another thought.
'That makes things… difficult.'
Ayano stood up.
Her chair slid softly against the floor.
But her mind was already working.
Planning.
Calculating.
'But not impossible.'
Students packed their bags as the bell finished ringing.
Chairs scraped across the floor.
Osana stood up and stretched.
"Finally. That class felt like it lasted forever."
Raibaru laughed.
"You say that every day."
Taro stood up from his desk.
'Now or never.'
He walked over.
Osana noticed him first.
"Oh, hey Taro. What's up?"
Taro rubbed the back of his neck.
"I… uh… needed to ask Raibaru something."
Osana blinked.
"Raibaru?"
Raibaru tilted her head.
"Sure. What is it?"
Taro glanced around the room.
Students were leaving.
But one person remained near the back window.
Ayano.
Packing her bag slowly.
Watching without looking like she was watching.
Taro turned back to Raibaru.
"I just wanted to ask…"
He paused.
How do you explain 32 murder loops without sounding insane?
He lowered his voice.
"Has anything… weird happened lately?"
Raibaru frowned slightly.
"Weird?"
"Yeah. Like… someone acting strange around you or Osana."
Osana crossed her arms.
"That's vague."
Raibaru thought for a moment.
"Not really."
Taro shifted his weight.
"What about… someone following you?"
Osana looked amused.
"Taro, are you trying to start drama or something?"
Raibaru shook her head.
"No one has followed us."
Taro tried again.
"Okay but… if someone did try something…"
Raibaru raised an eyebrow.
"…Try what?"
Taro hesitated.
He leaned in slightly.
"Just… be careful when you're alone."
Raibaru blinked.
"Alone?"
"Yeah."
Osana smirked.
"Good luck with that. Raibaru sticks to me like glue."
Raibaru scratched her cheek.
"That's kind of true."
Taro sighed quietly.
'This is going nowhere.'
He tried one last time.
"Just… keep an eye out. For anything suspicious."
Osana laughed.
"You sound like a conspiracy theorist."
Raibaru looked at Taro more carefully.
He wasn't joking.
He wasn't smiling.
He looked… worried.
Very worried.
Raibaru straightened slightly.
"…Okay."
Osana blinked.
"Okay?"
Raibaru nodded slowly.
"I'll keep an eye out."
Taro relaxed a little.
"Thanks."
Osana still looked confused.
"What exactly are we watching for?"
Taro forced a small smile.
"…Just weird stuff."
Osana sighed.
"You're weird."
Taro shrugged.
"Fair."
He grabbed his bag.
"Well… see you later."
He walked out of the classroom.
Raibaru watched him leave.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Osana nudged her.
"What was that about?"
Raibaru crossed her arms.
"…I'm not sure."
Osana laughed.
"He probably watched too many mystery movies."
Raibaru didn't laugh.
"Taro isn't the type to panic over nothing."
Osana shrugged.
"He wasn't panicking."
Raibaru looked toward the classroom door.
"He was trying to warn me."
Osana blinked.
"About what?"
Raibaru shook her head.
"I don't know yet."
Across the room.
Ayano quietly zipped her bag.
She walked past Osana and Raibaru.
Silent.
Calm.
Invisible.
Neither of them noticed her leave.
Later.
Ayano stood near the shoe lockers.
Students walked past.
Talking.
Laughing.
Normal.
Her eyes were distant.
Thinking.
Calculating.
'Raibaru Fumetsu.'
'She never leaves Osana alone.'
Ayano reviewed what she had observed all week.
Morning.
Lunch.
After school.
Always together.
Always close.
'Direct removal would be difficult.'
She thought for a moment.
Then another possibility formed.
'But people can be separated.'
Her eyes moved slightly toward the cooking club hallway.
'Distractions.'
Another thought followed.
'Responsibilities.'
Another.
'Trust.'
Ayano opened her locker slowly.
'If Raibaru leaves Osana…'
Her eyes closed briefly.
'Even for a few minutes.'
She opened them again.
'That will be enough.'
Ayano quietly changed her shoes.
Then stepped outside.
Her expression remained calm.
But inside her mind—
The plan had already begun forming.
Meanwhile.
Taro walked down the hallway.
His phone buzzed.
A new message.
Info
He opened it.
[Info: "So."]
Another message appeared.
[Info: "Did the bodyguard believe you?"]
Taro typed back.
[Taro:
"Not really."]
Three dots appeared.
Then:
[Info:
"Expected."]
Another message came immediately after.
[Info:
"But good news."]
Taro frowned.
[Taro:
"What?"]
The reply appeared.
[Info:
"Our little yandere just started planning something."]
Taro stopped walking.
His heart sank.
[Taro:
"How do you know?"]
Info replied instantly.
[Info:
"Because she just searched something on the school computer."]
A pause.
Then the next message appeared.
[Info:
"Cooking club schedules."]
Taro's stomach dropped.
'Cooking club…'
He immediately thought of someone.
Amai.
Taro slowed his walk in the hallway as he pulled out his phone.
He typed quickly.
["Ok, what could the cooking club have that's can be used for Killing"]
A second later he sent another message.
["Other then knifes"]
He waited.
Students walked past him.
His phone buzzed.
Info replied.
["Distraction, and also, Apple's"]
Taro frowned.
He typed back.
["Apple's?"]
The reply came almost instantly.
["There is 0.53 μg cyanide in an apple"]
Taro blinked.
He leaned against the wall and quickly did the math in his head.
Then he typed.
["You will need 250,000 seeds for that, it's not like she is patient enough for that"]
Three seconds passed.
Then two messages arrived.
First—
[🤣]
Then another.
["You have no idea"]
Taro stared at the screen.
His stomach dropped a little.
He typed again.
["What does that mean"]
The typing bubble appeared.
Stopped.
Then appeared again.
Finally—
["Loop 12"]
Taro felt a chill. As he remembers that Loop.
Another message came.
["She spent three days collecting seeds"]
Another.
["She didn't rush"]
Another.
["She never rushes when it matters"]
Taro slowly lowered his phone.
'Three days…'
'Just collecting seeds…'
He rubbed his face.
'She really is that patient.'
His phone buzzed again.
["Relax though"]
Another message followed.
["She didn't use them on Osana"]
Taro quickly looked at the phone again.
["Then who"]
There was a pause.
Longer this time.
Then Info replied.
["Raibaru"]
Taro went still.
The hallway noise faded around him.
His grip on the phone tightened.
Another message arrived.
["Didn't work"]
Another.
["Raibaru has a stupidly strong stomach"]
Taro exhaled slowly.
'Of course she does.'
'I did wonder, why she got badly sick that's loop'
His phone buzzed again.
["But it taught Ayano something useful"]
Taro typed.
["What"]
Info replied.
["Cooking club = access"]
Another message followed.
["Food"]
Another.
["Trust"]
Taro looked toward the end of the hallway.
The direction of the Cooking Club room.
'Access… food… trust.'
One name came to mind immediately.
'Amai.'
His phone buzzed again.
["If Ayano gets close to Amai"]
Another message.
["She gets close to everyone's food"]
Taro felt a knot form in his stomach.
He typed slowly.
["So she could poison someone"]
Info replied instantly.
["Or distract someone"]
Another message came.
["Remember what you asked earlier"]
Taro frowned.
Then he remembered.
'What if she goes for Raibaru first?'
His phone buzzed again.
["You were asking the right question"]
Another message.
["Just not the full one"]
Taro typed.
["Then what is the full question"]
The reply came quickly.
["How do you move a guard dog"]
Another message followed.
["Answer: give it something else to guard"]
Taro's eyes widened slightly.
'Distraction…'
'Food…'
'Cooking club…'
'Raibaru…'
He looked down at the phone again.
One final message appeared.
["Better start moving, Senpai"]
Another message appeared immediately after.
["Ayano just walked into the Cooking Club"]
Taro pushed himself off the wall.
His heart started pounding again.
'Of course she did.'
He shoved the phone back into his pocket.
Then he started walking faster.
Toward the Cooking Club hallway.
Toward Amai.
And toward whatever Ayano was planning next.
Taro moved quickly down the hallway.
Not running.
Running would draw attention.
But fast enough that students had to step aside.
'Cooking club…'
'Please let me be early.'
He turned the corner.
The smell hit him first.
Fresh bread.
Sugar.
Something sweet in the oven.
The door to the Cooking Club room was slightly open.
Taro slowed.
He looked inside.
Amai stood near the counter.
Mixing something in a bowl.
She hummed softly while she worked.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
Then he noticed someone else.
Ayano.
Standing near the doorway inside the room.
Quiet.
Hands folded behind her back.
Watching Amai work.
Taro's chest tightened.
'Too late.'
Inside the room.
Amai noticed Ayano first.
"Oh! Hello."
She smiled warmly.
"Did you need something?"
Ayano looked at her calmly.
"Yes."
Her voice was soft.
"I wanted to ask about the Cooking Club."
Amai brightened immediately.
"Oh! Are you thinking about joining?"
Ayano tilted her head slightly.
"Maybe."
Amai wiped her hands on a towel.
"That's great! We always like new members."
She gestured to the counters.
"We bake, cook, and sometimes make snacks for students."
Ayano's eyes moved slowly across the room.
Knives.
Cutting boards.
Fruit.
Ingredients.
Everything was organized.
Clean.
Safe.
Her gaze stopped on a bowl of apples on the counter.
'Apples.'
She stepped closer.
"You make food for other students?"
Amai nodded happily.
"Sometimes. It's nice seeing people smile when they taste something good."
Ayano looked at one of the apples.
Her reflection stared back at her from the red skin.
"Do you ever give food to specific people?"
Amai laughed lightly.
"Of course! Friends ask all the time."
Ayano's voice stayed calm.
"For example… if someone wanted something delivered to a friend."
Amai nodded.
"That happens sometimes."
Ayano picked up an apple.
She turned it slowly in her hand.
"Would you deliver it for them?"
Amai thought for a moment.
"Well… usually they deliver it themselves."
Then she smiled.
"But if someone was shy, I might help."
Ayano placed the apple back down.
"That's kind of you."
Amai tilted her head.
"You're very polite."
Ayano blinked.
"Thank you."
Outside the door—
Taro listened.
He couldn't hear everything.
But he heard enough.
He stepped inside quickly.
"Amai!"
Amai turned.
"Oh! Senpai!"
She smiled brightly.
"You came back!"
Taro glanced at Ayano.
Her eyes met his for a brief second.
Calm.
Still.
Observing.
Taro forced himself to look relaxed.
"Yeah… I just remembered something."
Amai wiped flour from her hands.
"What is it?"
Taro pointed toward the counter.
"Those apples."
Amai blinked.
"The apples?"
"Yeah."
He grabbed one.
"I wanted one."
Amai laughed softly.
"You ran all the way here for an apple?"
Taro shrugged.
"…I was hungry."
Amai smiled.
"Well go ahead."
Taro took a bite.
Crunch.
Sweet.
Normal.
He looked toward Ayano.
She watched him eat.
Carefully.
Quietly.
Taro swallowed.
Then he spoke casually.
"You thinking of joining the club?"
Ayano looked at him.
"Yes."
Taro nodded slowly.
"That's… nice."
Amai clapped her hands lightly.
"Oh! That would be wonderful."
She looked at Ayano.
"You can try helping today if you'd like."
Ayano paused.
Then nodded.
"I would like that."
Taro felt a chill.
'That's bad.'
Very bad.
Because if Ayano joined the Cooking Club…
She wouldn't just have access to apples.
She would have access to everything.
Knives.
Ingredients.
Food.
Students.
Taro finished the apple.
He forced a smile.
"Well… good luck with that."
Then he stepped back toward the door.
Ayano watched him the entire time.
Her eyes calm.
But inside her mind—
Something had changed.
'Senpai followed me here.'
That was new.
Very new.
Her thoughts turned quietly.
'He was worried.'
Another thought formed.
'But why?'
Ayano picked up a knife.
Not threatening.
Just preparing fruit like Amai showed her.
But her eyes moved slightly toward Taro again.
'Senpai is acting differently today.'
The knife sliced cleanly through the apple.
Perfect.
Controlled.
Ayano watched the blade for a moment.
Then another quiet thought formed.
'Maybe… I should watch Senpai more closely too.'
---
Outside the room—
Taro walked away quickly.
He pulled out his phone.
A message already waited.
["So?"]
Taro typed back.
["She is joining the cooking club"]
Three dots appeared.
Then Info replied.
["Well"]
Another message followed.
["That escalated fast"]
Taro stared at the screen.
Then typed slowly.
["We have a problem"]
Info replied instantly.
["No"]
Another message appeared.
["You have a problem"]
Taro frowned.
["What do you mean"]
The reply came.
["Because she just noticed something"]
Taro's stomach tightened.
He typed.
["What"]
The final message appeared.
["You"]
Taro stopped walking.
Slowly turning his head back toward the Cooking Club door.
Inside—
Ayano stood beside Amai.
Cutting apples.
Calm.
Precise.
And for just a moment—
Her eyes lifted.
Looking directly at him through the window.
Like she already knew he was there.
To be continue
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