Since this morning, Kita had been feeling like someone was watching her.
At first, she thought it was just her imagination. But now and then, she'd catch a flash of pink out of the corner of her eye.
The eerie feeling lingered all the way until after school. Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore. She spun around and shouted at whoever was tailing her to show themselves.
Rustle, rustle.
From the bushes emerged a girl.
She was dressed in a tracksuit, her long pink hair striking and beautiful, but she looked painfully shy, unable to meet Kita's gaze.
"Um… excuse me, is there something you need from me?" Kita asked.
"N-no… not really."
The pink-haired girl averted her eyes, avoiding the question entirely.
An awkward silence followed.
Kita found the situation a bit tricky, so she decided to take the initiative. She stepped forward and gave the girl's shoulder a friendly pat.
"Eh?!" The girl jumped in surprise, quickly lifting her head.
Their eyes finally met.
Kita smiled brightly and asked again, "Is it something you're having trouble saying?"
"S-sort of…" the girl mumbled uncertainly.
"If it's hard to talk about, no rush," Kita said kindly. "Actually, I was thinking of grabbing something at a dessert shop. Wanna come?"
"Ah… o-okay!"
Anyone with social anxiety would be jealous of someone like Kita.
She was so bright, so radiant. Wherever she went, it felt like there was no room for awkward silence to exist.
The pink-haired girl followed quietly behind her, too nervous to speak, but constantly fidgeting with little gestures.
Like leaning in just slightly to sniff the scent of Kita's hair.
But whenever Kita turned around, the girl would immediately look away, like a child caught doing something naughty.
At the dessert shop, Kita picked up the menu and asked, "Anything you want to try? My treat!"
"Ah… no, it's fine," the girl said, rubbing her hands nervously. "I… brought some spare change…"
"That's fine too," Kita laughed. "But let me treat you this time. We can call it making a new friend!"
"B-but… someone like me… can I really be your friend?"
"Why not? I could tell right away you weren't a bad person. And now that I look closer, you're actually pretty cute."
"Hehe… th-thank you, Kita-san…"
The pink-haired girl blushed deeply, but her smile was genuine and joyful.
Just like that, Kita treated her to a small feast.
To someone with social anxiety, sitting in a trendy dessert shop eating sweets and drinking bubble tea with a friend was nothing short of a dream.
But Kita was so warm, so welcoming. After dessert, they wandered around the shopping district together, chatting like old friends.
Despite this being their first real conversation, they got along like they'd known each other for years.
Even the most introverted soul would probably let their guard down in front of Kita's sunshine smile.
Time flew by, and before they knew it, the sky had started to turn orange.
They stopped at an empty lot to say their goodbyes.
"Today was fun," Kita said cheerfully. "Even though you didn't talk much, I'd love to hang out again."
"By the way, I don't think I caught your name. What's it?"
"You don't remember my name?" The pink-haired girl looked a little hurt. "We're in the same class."
"Really? Hmm, you're just so quiet, I guess you slipped under the radar. Let me think…"
Kita paused, then her face lit up. "Weren't you Matsuzaka?"
"Yes!" the girl nodded, delighted. "I'm Matsuzaka!"
"See you tomorrow, Matsuzaka. Oh, and if you don't mind, I can introduce you to my other friends too."
She turned to leave.
"Ah-Kita-san! Please wait!"
Kita stopped and turned back. "Hm? What's wrong? Oh, right, you said earlier you had something you wanted to say? Can you tell me now?"
"Y-yeah… I hope you'll listen."
"Of course. Go ahead."
Matsuzaka hesitated, then began speaking.
"I've always watched you from afar."
"You're so sunny and outgoing, so completely different from someone like me… Someone like you is really special to me…"
"So without even realizing it, I started to feel something stronger…"
"Kita-san… I really, really want to say… actually, I've always…"
Seeing how nervous she was, Kita felt a twinge of anxiety herself.
Is she… about to confess?
No way, right? We only just started talking today…
But it really seemed like she'd been holding it in for a long time. Had she really been watching me all this time?
Kita's heart began to race.
If she actually says she likes me… what am I supposed to say?
Nervous, but determined, Kita gave herself a mental pep talk.
She had to let her down gently, without hurting her feelings.
Finally, Matsuzaka opened her mouth and continued.
"I've always wanted…"
"To kill you with my own hands!"
Kita froze.
Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!
Matsuzaka's body suddenly began to swell grotesquely. Flesh burst forth in every direction, twisting and reforming.
The cute girl from moments before had transformed into a towering monstrosity made of sinew and organs, looming over Kita like a nightmare.
Kita's eyes went wide. Her jaw dropped. Her face went pale.
She was too scared to scream, too stunned to run.
The monster spoke again, its shyness completely gone, its voice now booming with confidence.
"After forming a contract with the Justice Devil, I finally understood."
"Some people are born to be loved. And some are born to be invisible. Filthy background characters."
"This world is so unfair."
"Every time I saw you laughing with your friends, I felt sick."
"And just now, you even smiled at me… such a bright, friendly smile. It made me want to puke."
"Why?"
"Why do you get to be so kind? So perfect?"
"Why do you get to enjoy youth while I couldn't even work up the courage to talk to anyone?"
"I'm going to kill you. That way, I can correct this injustice."
"This is the real justice!!!"
Kita couldn't speak. She couldn't move. She could only watch as the grotesque hand of flesh and muscle came crashing down.
Her body fell limp to the ground.
Her head smashed open like a melon.
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Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones and don't forget to add library maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.