Akuma gets up, non chalant of Reiho's little warning, "Who's stopping him?", Reiho scoffs, grabbing the book which Akuma had placed on the table, flipping through the pages.
Akuma walks over to Kaito who's buying himself a drink.
"Would you like it iced?", The lady at the counter asked, "Yes, please", Kaito replies, still engrossed in the book he's holding. Akuma rests himself on the counter and raises his hands closer to Kaito ears and pulls away one of the earphones plugged in, Kaito turns his head, a bit shocked of the sudden action. He slams the book shut, but before he could flare his sharp tongue at Akuma, "Your coffee dear", The lady says as she pushes the coffee towards Kaito. Kaito simply glares at Akuma, he takes out his wallet, but before he could do his payment.
Beep
Akuma smirked, placing his black card back in his pocket. Kaito sighed, "What the 'Fuck', do you want?", he moved closer to Akuma's face and whispered, "dickhead", Kaito grabbed his coffee, took a sharp turn, and walked straight out the cafeteria.
Akuma rose from his seat with an easy grace, wholly unmoved by Reiho's warning.
"Who's stopping him?" he said simply, as if the outcome was already written in stone.
Reiho clicked his tongue and grabbed the book Akuma had left behind, flipping through the pages half-heartedly. "Cocky bastard," he muttered under his breath, though he didn't sound particularly surprised.
Across the cafeteria, Kaito Ishikawa stood at the counter, flipping through a book with the same bored expression he wore in class. The barista leaned forward, her voice soft and polite.
"Would you like it iced?"
"Yes, please," Kaito answered absently, eyes still glued to the page.
Akuma approached, settling himself lazily against the counter beside him. He didn't speak. Instead, he slowly reached up and tugged one of Kaito's earbuds free.
The reaction was immediate.
Kaito's head snapped toward him, startled. He slammed the book shut, the sharp thud echoing off the polished floor. Just as he opened his mouth to lash out—
"Your coffee, dear," the barista said, cutting in with a bright smile as she slid the drink toward him.
Kaito didn't take his eyes off Akuma. He reached for his wallet, jaw tight.
Beep.
The card machine chirped before he could tap.
Kaito froze.
Akuma was already sliding his black card back into the pocket of his light blue blazer, lips curling into a slow, smug smile.
Kaito exhaled sharply, stepped closer, and leaned in until their faces were inches apart. His voice dropped to a whisper, low and lethal.
"What the fuck do you want?"
Then, after a beat, quieter still—
"Dickhead."
He snatched his coffee, turned on his heel, and stalked out of the cafeteria without another word. His footsteps were sharp. Intentional.
Akuma watched him go, eyes glinting.
The game had just begun.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Somewhere else. Somewhere far from the quiet hum of campus life.
"Sergeant," a young officer said into his walkie, voice taut, "we've uncovered another body... It's—" he hesitated, eyes lifting toward the gnarled branches of an old tree, "—it's hanging. From the tree."
The wind rustled through the leaves, brushing past the lifeless figure as officers moved to lower the body with practiced, haunted precision.
"That's the third one this week," the officer muttered, glancing at the others with a grim set to his jaw.
Another officer stepped onto the scene, already pulling on gloves. "Same pattern?"
A heavy silence. Then: "Yeah."
Sirens wailed in the background—police and ambulance, layered over each other—while red and blue lights flashed across the forest floor, staining everything in chaotic color. The scene was loud, overwhelming, and yet beneath it all, there was a terrible stillness.
"It's... uh, same thing," the forensic officer muttered, crouched beside the body. "Latin letters. Carved right into his back, and its a half eaten body."
He sounded exhausted—more annoyed than disturbed. He let out a dry chuckle. "Whoever's doing this has way too much time on their hands. and is very cannibalistic."
"That's not funny," the younger officer cut in sharply, eyes narrowing.
"Of course it isn't," the forensic snapped, rising to his feet with a grunt. "But what have you lot been doing? Eating? Sleeping? Still nothing new on the case, right?"
He peeled off his gloves with practiced precision, eyes cold behind his glasses. The tension between them settled like fog—heavy, unwelcome, and filled with quiet blame.
The body lay silent beneath the flashing lights.The Latin was fresh.The killer was close.
The forest seemed to hold its breath—every leaf, every branch falling into an eerie, unnatural silence.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kaito slipped into the lecture hall without a word, heading straight for his usual spot—the highest, loneliest corner in the back. The university classrooms were built like mini-stadiums, the seats rising in a wide arc, gallery-style, each row looking down on the stage-like podium below.
He climbed the steps two at a time, barely looking around, until he reached the very top. Far from everyone. Just how he liked it.
With a tired sigh, he dropped into the chair, limbs sprawling in every direction. His back slouched low, head tilted against the wall behind him. He placed the book he was reading on the table.
"Haaa~."
He exhaled, long and lazy, before crossing one leg over the other. His coffee cup sat in his hand like a second limb, and he took idle sips between lazily swirling the straw, eyes half-lidded, brain only half-present.
Just as Kaito was about to slump his head into the sweet embrace of sleep—
Thud.
A loud noise snapped through the near-empty lecture hall. Akuma dropped into the seat beside him with all the grace of a wrecking ball.
Kaito cracked one eye open and gave him a look that could kill. Uninvited. Unimpressed. Unbothered.
He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall, hoping that ignoring Akuma would make him disappear.
It didn't.
Akuma crossed one leg over the other, mirroring Kaito's posture like it was a game. That trademark smirk tugged at his lips—cool, cold, and annoying as hell. Without asking, he picked up the paperback resting on Kaito's desk.
"BL, huh?"
He flipped through the pages with zero intention of actually reading any of them, just skimming with casual arrogance before placing the book back.
"Gay?"
He tilted his head, resting his chin lazily on his hand, that same maddening nonchalance dripping from every syllable.
Kaito didn't even flinch. He simply turned his head, shot him a glare, and grabbed the book. With practiced ease, he covered his face with it.
"None of your business," he mumbled from under the pages.
And just like that, he was asleep.Book draped over his face. One leg crossed lazily over the other.Not a word more. Not a sound less.
Akuma snorted softly, lips curling into a smug smile. He leaned back in his seat, finally noticing how the lecture hall was starting to fill.
It's barely the first week, and these sheep are already excited for this crap?
He sighed, unimpressed, then turned his attention back to the far more interesting creature slouched beside him.
Kaito.
Still fast asleep. Still completely unaware.
The book remained perched over his face like a flimsy shield. But Akuma's gaze wandered lower—to where the collar of Kaito's uniform sat slightly loose, exposing the curve of his neck. Beads of sweat glinted faintly along his skin, catching the light in a way that was... distracting.
Akuma tilted his head, shifting in his seat to face him more fully.
One drop trailed slowly down Kaito's throat.
Akuma's smirk deepened, eyes gleaming with something unreadable.
Short, pissed off, and infuriatingly unbothered...
His fingers twitched slightly against the desk.
This little game?It was starting to get fun.
Akuma stared.
Suddenly, the rest of the lecture hall faded into static—the professor's voice, the shuffling students, the clatter of notebooks—all of it blurred into the background.
None of it mattered anymore.
Not when the air conditioning had just kicked on with a low hum, and a gentle breeze drifted through the room, brushing against the edges of Kaito's collar, pushing the fabric ever so slightly aside.
A bit more skin.A bit more temptation.
Akuma tilted his head, eyes narrowing in quiet amusement.
"You serve even in your sleep, huh?" he murmured under his breath, voice just above a whisper.
A smirk tugged at his lips, and he bit down lightly on the corner, stifling a chuckle.
Pretty boy.
The lecture had already begun. Notes were being taken. Names were being called.But Akuma sat there—leaned back, eyes heavy-lidded, completely uninterested.
His gaze wandered again, slow and deliberate, tracing the curve of Kaito's exposed neck.Uninvited. Undisturbed.
He wasn't just watching.He was studying. Like it meant something. Like it was his.
To Be Continued... ...