The rain grew heavier.
The cold rainwater drummed against the tin roof of the station, creating a noisy and irritating racket.
In front of the Chiba Line ticket gates, the flow of people was like a woven tapestry.
Most of the office workers heading home and students finishing school were in a hurry, their faces weary and damp from the rain.
But amidst the bustling crowd, there was one spot that appeared remarkably “empty.”
As if by some instinctive avoidance, passersby subconsciously veered around a pillar to the side of the ticket gate.
Standing there was a young girl.
Yotsuya Miko.
She wasn’t holding an umbrella; or rather, she had her transparent umbrella folded in her hand, letting the drifting mist of rain dampen her body.
Ai stopped his pace, quietly watching her from across the crowd a dozen meters away.
This was the first time he had scrutinized this “girl who can see them” so carefully.
It had to be said that in this 2d world where looks were everything, Yotsuya Miko’s beauty was top-tier.
She had long, straight hair as black and smooth as raven feathers, which now clung slightly disheveled to her cheeks due to the moisture, with a few strands framing her palm-sized face.
Her skin possessed a paleness that suggested a perennial lack of sunlight, yet it had a texture as delicate as porcelain.
Combined with her deep, amber eyes that seemed capable of pulling a person in, she exuded a heart-stirring sense of bewitching charm.
Her rain-soaked Sobu High School uniform clung tightly to her body, vaguely outlining the girl’s slender yet shapely curves.
Beneath her skirt were straight, well-proportioned legs clad in black over-the-knee socks.
She was beautiful.
But she was also very “heavy.”
The gloomy aura she radiated, which seemed to solidify the surrounding air, made Ai’s Malice Perception prickle slightly.
“Phew…”
Ai sighed inwardly and adjusted his breathing, forcibly suppressing the surprise he felt at seeing this “masterpiece of a Yandere” to avoid triggering the system’s pain penalty. Read the latest chapters at novelping dot com.
He took a long stride and walked over.
As he approached, Yotsuya Miko’s previously lifeless eyes instantly lit up like ignited torches.
The transition was so fast it was hair-raising.
“Fujiwara… san.”
Miko spoke.
Her voice was somewhat raspy, carrying an imperceptible tremor and a hint of grievance.
Ai stood still in front of her, looking expressionlessly at her wet bangs.
“Didn’t I tell you to bring an umbrella?”
His voice was cold, devoid of concern, sounding more like he was stating a fact.
“I brought it.”
Miko held up the dripping umbrella in her hand, her lips curling slightly into a somewhat broken smile.
“But… if I didn’t get a little wet, Fujiwara-san wouldn’t feel sorry for me, would he?”
“…”
The corner of Ai’s eye twitched slightly.
What kind of twisted logic was this?
Self-harm to win sympathy?
This girl’s mental state was indeed on the brink of collapse.
Ai coldly spat out those two words, then reached out and grabbed Miko’s wrist.
“Let’s go.”
The moment their skin touched, Ai felt Miko’s hand was as cold as ice.
But the moment he gripped it, the girl visibly shivered, then immediately turned her hand to interlock her fingers tightly with his.
Fingers interlaced.
A death grip, as if she wanted to sink her nails into his flesh.
The two walked out of the station.
The rain outside was still falling.
Ai hadn’t brought an umbrella, and though Miko had one, she seemed to have no intention of opening it.
She simply clung tightly to Ai, like a vine attached to a great tree, greedily absorbing the warmth from the boy’s body.
“Fujiwara-san…”
Miko buried her face in Ai’s shoulder and took a deep breath.
It was the familiar, crisp scent of mint.
But—
The next second, her body stiffened.
“There’s a smell.”
Miko’s voice suddenly became low, as if squeezed out from between her teeth.
Ai paused: “What?”
“Smoke… alcohol… and…”
Miko looked up, her amber eyes shimmering with a dangerous light.
Her nose was almost pressed against Ai’s collar, like a puppy inspecting its territory.