[00:09]
Nathan's heart skipped a beat as the digital countdown glowed in the corner of his vision—sharp, unnatural, like it was burned into his retinas.
[00:08]
"What the hell does that mean?" he whispered again.
[00:07]
No answer.
Just the soft hum of the TAG interface, calm and silent, like it was watching him. Testing him.
[00:06]
He looked around the diner—the same old booths, scratched vinyl seats, flickering fluorescent lights. That cheap smell of burnt coffee and fryer oil. The faint drone of lo-fi music overhead.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
[00:05]
His eyes locked on the waitress as she moved behind the counter. Blonde, slim, swaying just a little too much with every step. She was humming under her breath. Soft. Sweet.
Too sweet.
[00:04]
Her name tag read Lucy. Of course it did.
And right above her head, her TAGs were pulsing now—vibrating in a soft red glow like they'd been set on fire.
[Insecure]
[Craves Validation]
[Slut Potential: 78%]
[Affair Fantasies]
[Yandere – HIDDEN TAG: UNLOCKED]
Nathan's throat went dry.
[00:03]
He took a step back, foot scraping across the diner tile. It made a sound. A real sound.
Lucy's head snapped toward him.
Her smile brightened. "Oh! You smiled at me!"
[00:02]
He hadn't said anything. Hadn't done anything but that stupid half-smirk he always gave when trying not to look like a weirdo.
"I knew it," she whispered. "I knew you'd come back different today."
[00:01]
Nathan's gut clenched.
[00:00]
[Limited-Time Event: Escape from Yandere – BEGIN]
The lights in the diner flickered.
Once. Twice. Then steadied.
Lucy took off her apron slowly. Too slowly. Her eyes didn't blink.
"You're finally looking at me the way I've always dreamed…" she murmured, stepping around the counter. Her shoes clicked—flat soles somehow echoing like stilettos in a dead hallway.
"You used to come here all the time. Always helping me. Always so gentle. I kept thinking, maybe today's the day he'll notice… and then you smiled."
Her fingers were trembling as she reached into her pocket.
Nathan's instincts screamed.
He bolted.
The door was only a few feet away—but Lucy was fast.
Quicker than she should've been.
Her fingers closed around something metal—box cutter—blade flicking out with a click that cut deeper than the edge itself.
"You were smiling at her, weren't you? That girl outside!" she hissed, eyes wide, wild. "You're mine, Nathan! You've always been mine!"
The door slammed shut on its own.
[EXIT SEALED UNTIL EVENT COMPLETION]
"Are you kidding me?!"
Nathan skidded on the tile, nearly wiping out. Lucy's footsteps were coming fast behind him.
He ducked behind a booth just as the blade slashed where his neck had been.
Her breathing was ragged, desperate. "I cleaned this whole place with you in mind! I even washed the ceiling fans! The ceiling fans, Nathan!"
"Oh my fucking god," he hissed.
He kept low, crawling toward the kitchen doors. There had to be a back exit.
[TAG Skill: Passive Observation Active]
[Lucy – Mental Instability Level: 91%]
[Trigger Phrase: "We're just friends"]
[Danger Rating: CRITICAL]
[Affection: 94%]
[Lust: 100%]
[Rejection Response: VIOLENT]
Lucy's voice turned eerily soft. "I know you're scared. But that's okay. All men are scared before their first time with someone special."
Nathan pushed into the kitchen, slammed the swinging door shut, and knocked over a metal rack to slow her down.
He sprinted past the fryers and prep tables. Steam hissed. Something sizzled. A pot crashed to the floor as he slipped.
The back door had a bar lock.
He slammed it open—
[Event Barrier: Active]
No Escape Until Objective Completed
"WHAT FUCKING OBJECTIVE?!"
The system responded.
[Objective: Survive Until Lucy's Emotional State Stabilizes or External Distraction Occurs]
[Timer: Unknown]
Nathan cursed under his breath. He needed to buy time. Distract her. Stall.
And then—
A terrible idea clicked.
He brought up her TAG overlay again, now flickering wildly:
[Most Likely Kink: Praise Play]
[Emotional Weakness: Validation Dependency]
[Verbal Command Reactions: Positive Reinforcement Effective]
"…You've always been amazing, Lucy," he said, louder than necessary. "This place would fall apart without you."
Silence.
Then a soft gasp.
"R-Really?"
A pause.
Then he heard the soft clatter of the box cutter hitting tile.
"I knew you saw me," she whispered.
Nathan peeked through the slits of the swinging kitchen door. She was standing still in the dining area. Shaking. Crying?
"Of course I did," he lied, smoothly, even as he tried to figure out how to not die. "I mean, who wouldn't notice a woman like you?"
The glow around her tags dimmed slightly.
[Yandere – Subdued]
[Affection: 97%]
[Lust: 110%]
[Mental Instability: 80% → 72%]
[Sexual Drive: Spiking]
Nathan clenched his jaw. He was barely holding this together.
Then the bell above the diner's door rang.
Someone walked in.
"Yo, Lucy, you forgot to lock the door again. I swear, one day some creep's gonna—uh…"
It was a delivery guy.
Lucy turned slowly.
"He's mine," she said, voice flat. Cold.
Nathan didn't wait.
He charged out of the kitchen and straight past her. Lucy spun, screaming, going for the box cutter again—but the delivery guy stepped in the way, clueless.
She shoved him.
The moment she looked away—just one second—
[EXIT UNLOCKED – Event Disrupted]
Nathan didn't even think. He blasted through the front door like a bat out of hell, lungs burning, feet pounding pavement.
Behind him, he heard shouting. Lucy's voice, high and cracked, "DON'T GO—WAIT—I LOVED YOU FIRST—!"
He didn't look back.
Not until he turned a corner two blocks away and collapsed behind a vending machine, gasping for air.
The system chimed in, finally:
[Limited-Time Event: Escape from Yandere – COMPLETE]
Reward Earned: Random item coupon | Unlock Progress: 0% → 1%
Nathan groaned, rubbing his face.
"What the actual fuck is my life now…"
And worst of all?
Part of him had enjoyed it.
Not the danger. Not the knife.
But the look in her eyes. The raw, uncontrollable desire. The need to be his.
He looked down at his hand.
It was still trembling.
But his cock was half-hard.
"...Goddammit."