Yuna smiled at him again today.
Not me.
Him.
Sakurai Kazuki.
The school flirt.
The smiling parasite with a silver tongue and devil-may-care hair.
She smiled at him like she used to smile at me.
Soft. Warm. A little embarrassed.
Like he was the only one in the room.
Like I didn't exist.
She even laughed when he spilled juice on his pants. Said he was "clumsy." Said it was cute.
Cute.
The same word she used when I gave her that handmade keychain. The one she doesn't carry anymore.
I don't think she even noticed I was standing there.
I watched her.
For five minutes straight.
She never once looked my way.
After school, I sat in the music room with the lights off.
It was quiet.
I like it quiet.
When it's quiet, I can think clearly.
When it's quiet, I can remember how things used to be.
Back when she texted me goodnight.
Back when we'd share umbrellas and bento lunches.
Back when she told me I was the only person who truly understood her.
Now?
Now she sits next to Kazuki in class.
Now she follows him into the hallway.
Now she touches her hair when he talks and blushes like a damn schoolgirl in a romance anime.
Maybe she doesn't know what she's doing.
Maybe she does.
Maybe she wants me to suffer.
I'm not stupid.
I've seen the rumors.
Everyone has.
The photo from the love booth.
That stupid blog calling them "destined."
The whispers in the hallway.
"Yuna's drifting…"
"Have you seen how she looks at Kazuki?"
"Poor Itsuki…"
They all pity me.
They all laugh behind my back.
But no one does anything.
No one sees the way Kazuki inserts himself into everything.
Into her.
Like he's replacing me one inch at a time.
Like I'm just some beta male supporting character in a story I was supposed to star in.
Today, I checked her messages while she was in the bathroom.
I know it's wrong.
I know she'd be furious if she found out.
But I needed to know.
She's still texting me, sure.
Still calling me her boyfriend.
But there it was.
Kazuki's name.
Dozens of messages.
Her initiating.
Her saying "thank you for today" and "you always know what to say."
One even said:
I don't know what I'd do without you.
That's what she used to say to me.
I deleted it.
I'm not angry.
Not yet.
But something inside me is... cracking.
Like a hairline fracture in glass that keeps spreading no matter how careful you are.
I see him everywhere.
Smiling.
Laughing.
Touching things that used to be mine.
Taking people I cared about.
He even has Mio now.
She barely talks to me anymore.
She used to sit beside me during lunch.
Now?
She says she's "busy."
But I saw them in the courtyard. Kazuki and Mio. Talking. Smiling. Close.
He's not just taking Yuna.
He's taking everything.
My life.
My place.
My purpose.
I looked up his middle school records.
I hacked the staff directory while doing library cleanup.
He had suspensions.
Fights.
Girls transferring out after "incidents."
No one talks about it.
But it's there.
He's not some misunderstood flirt.
He's poison.
Dressed up in charm and fake sincerity.
I can see it.
Why can't anyone else?
I know I shouldn't be thinking like this.
But sometimes I imagine what would happen if he just disappeared.
What would Yuna do?
Would she come running back?
Would she cry?
Would she regret it?
Would she realize I was the one who was always there?
The one who protected her?
The one who never flirted with other girls?
The one who kept her safe from people like him?
Sometimes I imagine it too clearly.
Sometimes I even write it down.
Accidents happen.
I watched her today from the back staircase.
She was walking to the cafeteria with Kazuki.
He said something stupid, and she giggled.
Then she looked up at him and smiled.
That smile again.
The one that used to be mine.
But today… today it was different.
Because I saw something in her eyes.
A flicker.
Not just happiness.
Adoration.
Worship.
And it wasn't for me.
I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms.
But I didn't bleed.
I don't think I feel pain the same way anymore.
Not when it comes to her.
Not when it comes to him.
Tomorrow, I'll follow him.
I'll see where he goes after school.
What he says when no one else is watching.
If he's hiding something—I'll find it.
If he's planning something—I'll stop it.
And if he really is the person I think he is?
I'll erase him.
Before he erases me.
. . . .
I followed him.
I shouldn't have.
But I did.
Like a shadow. Like a stray thought you can't stop replaying until it's a full-blown obsession wrapped in teenage jealousy.
Kazuki Sakurai.
The bastard.
The smooth-talking succubus in male form.
The guy who somehow made every girl in our school want to blush, giggle, and emotionally cheat on their boyfriends.
He was walking fast today. Alone. After school. Backpack slung lazily over one shoulder like he had nothing to hide.
But I knew better.
I kept my distance. I even ducked behind a fruit stand once. Almost knocked over a melon pyramid. Didn't care.
I wasn't going to let him escape.
Because today?
He wasn't walking home.
He was heading… downtown.
At first I thought maybe he was running an errand. Grocery store. Bookstore. Something normal.
Then I saw the sign.
Red lights. Fluorescent glow.
Neon words written in katakana:
"Club Cherry Bomb: Girls, Laughter, Fun Nights!"
My heart stopped.
I stopped.
He didn't.
Kazuki walked inside.
Like it was nothing.
Like he'd done it a hundred times.
Like he belonged there.
My vision tunneled.
I could hear my pulse pounding.
A red-light district.
He took Yuna's smile and walked straight into a strip club.
He hadn't even hesitated.
No shame.
No hesitation.
Just a smug bastard walking into a building full of fake smiles and skin.
I didn't follow.
I couldn't.
I just stood there.
Hands trembling.
Heart racing.
Breath caught in my throat.
This was it.
This was the proof.
He wasn't just charming.
He was scum.
A predator.
And somehow, all the girls at school were falling for it.
Not anymore.
I ran.
Full sprint.
Didn't stop until I hit the train station.
Didn't even get on the train.
Just collapsed onto a bench.
Pulled out my phone.
Opened my contacts.
Started typing.
First: Yuna.
I saw Kazuki enter a red-light club.
Then Mio.
He's not who you think he is.
Then Mayu-sensei, because apparently teachers weren't off-limits anymore.
Then Shiraishi. Even she needed to know.
Then—what the hell—Nanase. She kept looking at him in class lately.
Send. Send. Send.
One after another.
I fired those messages like they were bullets.
Like I was saving them.
Like I still had time.
Like they'd all see the truth and finally understand I was right all along.
And the replies came in.
Fast.
But not the way I expected.
Yuna:
What?! That place still exists? That's like… a cosplay bar or something, right?
Mio:
…Are you sure he wasn't just helping someone? Maybe he had a part-time job?
Mayu-sensei:
Honey, unless he was inside for more than 15 minutes, it doesn't count~
Shiraishi:
You followed him after school? …Kurosawa, that's weird.
Nanase:
So? Why do you care so much what he does after class?
Why do I care?
Why do I care?
BECAUSE HE'S STEALING EVERYTHING.
And then… something worse happened.
They started texting each other.
I saw it happen.
Yuna accidentally sent a message meant for someone else.
Wait, did he text all of you too??
Then Mayu:
LMFAOOOO he did.
Shiraishi:
He's mass-alerting. This is some Mission: Petty Impossible sht.*
Nanase:
Can we please make a group chat for this???
And they did.
They made a group chat.
"Kazuki Survivors Club 💀🔥"
Except they didn't sound like survivors.
They sounded jealous.
Curious.
Almost... excited.
I watched the notifications pop up on my screen like bullets in reverse.
[Mayu] added [Yuna] to the chat[Mio] added [Nanase][Shiraishi] changed the group name to "Okay but who does he like???"
NO.
NO NO NO.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
They weren't supposed to unite.
They were supposed to back off.
They were supposed to realize he was disgusting.
Not…
Compare notes.
Not…
Gossip.
Not…
[Mio]: Okay he held the door for me yesterday and said "Ladies first" and I SWEAR I almost fainted
[Yuna]: STOP he said my handwriting looked cute and I haven't known peace since
[Mayu]: I got a coffee with him after class once. Regret nothing.
[Nanase]: He helped me carry a box one time and I dreamed about it. Not even sorry.
[Shiraishi]: I hate him. I also want to sit on his face. This is my confession.
I closed the app.
I couldn't breathe.
This was a nightmare.
This was—
[Ping.]
One more message.
From Yuna.
You know, I used to think you were the sweetest guy in school, Itsuki.
My heart leapt.
Maybe she still—
But lately… I don't even recognize you.
It shattered.
Just like that.
I stared at the red-lit sky.
Back toward that club.
And suddenly—
I realized I never even confirmed what that place was.
What if it wasn't what I thought?
What if it was a misunderstanding?
What if Kazuki had walked into some cosplay café or gag café or—
No.
Doesn't matter.
Truth doesn't matter anymore.
Perception does.
And the girls?
They're falling.
Deeper.
Faster.
And not for me.
If they won't listen to words...
I'll show them.
I'll show them who he really is.
Even if I have to break everything to do it.