Sitting at the library in front of a computer screen, I was browsing through the search engine results for 'Saiki Kawano' to find anything that I could use against the yandere. After seeing the other day how Saiki masterfully infiltrated a hospital, social engineered all the staffs, and even manipulated my precious little sister against me, I knew it was time for me to get serious about my yandere survival plan.

She could mess with me all she wanted, but once she brought Sayuri into this, then all the brakes came off.

Still, the search engine results weren't coming up with anything particularly useful, most being irrelevant and about someone else with the same name. The links that were about Saiki only talked about her winning junior Kyudo championships, scoring top marks in national exams, and some other various sports and musical achievements on a smaller scale.

Looking through all her achievements, I wondered how Saiki even had the time to do all these stuff, much less excel in them to the point that she did. Did this girl even ever sleep?

Ugh, none of this was going to help me survive a yandere.

I decided to try to search the web for Saiki's father instead, having found his name, Tetsui Kawano, on the company website of Denki Group where Saiki had told me he worked.

Woah.

Her father had even more accomplishments than Saiki, most likely due to his age. From being a piano prodigy to winning business innovation awards from top universities around the world, to even chess grandmaster -- I mean, sure, it wasn't like he was number 1 at each field, but for someone to excel in that many areas was just astounding to me.

Going through all the links was impossible, so I filtered the search results for news articles only.

Maybe I could find some corporate scandal about her father that I can use as a last resort measure to protect Sayuri should things really come down to it. As much as I hated doing this, I needed a bargaining chip or really any leverage that I could use to keep Sayuri safe.

I yawned, my head resting on my palm as I went through the news articles, being about several pages deep into the search results. There were still so many links despite that I filtered only for news articles. Just as I was about to give up on ever finding anything useful, I opened what I thought was an irrelevant link leading to an almost decade old news article posted on Japan Today:

[ Woman found dead in apparent suicide in family home

Police in Tokyo's Ota Ward said Monday that a 28-year-old woman was found dead at her home in Denenchofu on Sunday, in what police are investigating as an apparent suicide.

Police said they received an emergency call at around 2:40 a.m. Sunday, from her 7-year-old daughter. Arriving on scene, police found the woman lying on the bed in the bedroom, bleeding severely from injuries. She was taken to the hospital where she was confirmed dead.

According to police, her husband whom was also home at the time was interrogated at the police station before being released.

Police identified the woman as Rieko Kawano, the wife of 33-year-old Tetsui Kawano. ]

I propped up on the desk, my eyes widening at the computer screen.

There wasn't really a way for me to be certain that the news article was talking about Saiki, but something in me told me that this was her. If this was her, then that meant Saiki was 7 years old when she found her mum dead in the bedroom from suicide. I remembered back at the cafe, Saiki had mentioned that her mum had passed away, but she had made it seem so casual that I had no idea it was anything like this.

Then, I also remembered that Saiki said that she had been too young to remember it.

...

I'm pretty sure at the age of 7, you would be old enough to remember your mum committing suicide. Especially if you were the one that had made the emergency call to the police.

...

Anyways, all this information wasn't really useful for what I had been looking for and only made me feel sorry for Saiki. I may be desperate but I wasn't about to use her mum's suicide to try to blackmail her. That was just messed up.

"Boo!"

A sudden whisper came from behind me and I almost jumped out of my chair. Spinning around, I saw Saiki leaning down behind me, her vibrant blonde hair falling below her head as she stared curiously at my computer screen.

"What are you looking at?" She asked, blinking.

"N, nothing really...!" I said, turning back to my screen.

The screen was showing a webpage for a new store that had opened up in Akihabara.

Thankfully I had reactively pressed alt tab the second I heard Saiki's voice.

I quickly turned off the computer, then got out of my chair.

"Anyways, why are you talking to me at school?" I said, keeping my voice down in the library, "One of your psycho fans are gonna come running for us with a bat at any second."

Saiki laughed quietly, "You weren't eating lunch with Koichi so I got worried! Besides, there's no one in the library at this time! See, it's only just a few people around!"

I sighed, raising my fingers to my temples, "If you say so, but I'm going back outside."

"What?" Saiki pursed her lips in disappointment, "But I only just got here..."

"So what?" I said.

Saiki glanced around the quiet library, then raised herself on her toes, leaning close to whisper into my ear, "Hey, Naosuke, how about we head behind those bookshelves at the back of the library? No one can see us there..."

I glanced at her as though she had suggested we start dancing in the middle of the library, "And do what exactly...?"

"You know... make out...." Saiki raised her fingers to her lips, flashing crimsom.

I stared at her for a few seconds with a stoned expression, before turning around and heading straight for the door of the library.

"W, wait, Naosuke! You didn't even answer me...!" Saiki called, chasing after me.

There was no way I was going to risk the chance of being beguiled by the yandere even if she was joking.

...

Also, I had a feeling that if I had said yes, she would had taken it seriously.

~x~

"Hey Koichi,"

"What, my dude?"

"How would you handle a psychopath stalker that knows all your weaknesses?"

We were sitting on some tall brick edging outside the school gates, watching inattentively at the sea of students flowing out of the school to get home.

"Well, does the stalker have a weapon?" Koichi replied without batting an eye at my question. He probably thought I was talking about some manga that I was reading.

"They have a kitchen knife." I said.

"Hah? What kind of a stalker would use a kitchen knife for a weapon?" Koichi said, "What weapon do I get to have?"

"Uh, anything you can buy at the convenience store." I said.

"Hm, I guess I would go buy a bigger knife to face the stalker," Koichi said, thinking to himself, "That would give me an advantage over them, right?"

"B, but, the stalker's also a girl," I quickly added, "So you don't want to hurt them too much..."

"A girl, huh? If that's the case, then that's piss easy," Koichi chuckled, slamming his knuckles into his palm, "I would just take the knife away from the chick, then she wouldn't be able to do anything to me since I'm a dude. Doesn't that work?"

"I, I guess..." I said, surprised by his response.

Although clearly Koichi had taken my question the wrong way from what I had intended, there was still some truth in his words. If I was able to secretly take Saiki's knife away from her, there would be nothing that she could do, right?

I might be unathletic as hell, but I was still a guy and almost twice her size. Not to be a sexist, but the law of biology dictated that I should win here.

At that moment, I could see Saiki's figure leaving the school building amidst the other students, and I placed a hand on Koichi's shoulders.

"Thanks, man," I said to Koichi, "I will give it a go."

"Huh?" Koichi blinked confusedly, "Er, your welcome..."

~x~

Saying farewell to Koichi, I waited for a bit longer by the school gates, watching from afar as Saiki said bye to all her friends. I had promised her that I would hang out with her after school today. A decision that I didn't have much choice but to agree on since I had been avoiding her and making up reasons to not hang out with her after the incident with my little sister at the hospital.

After some time, Saiki finally was able to cross the school grounds, pacing hurriedly towards me at the gates. A lot of people had been trying to say bye to her, some even asking her study questions I think judging from how long they talked and their expressions. It didn't really matter to me. It was better now that there were less students around.

"I, I'm really sorry to keep you waiting, Naosuke!" Saiki said, bowing her head apologetically as she reached me, "I kept trying to tell them I had to go but those people wouldn't stop talking to me!"

"It's fine," I shrugged nonchalantly, "Anyways, let's go."

"Okay!" Saiki replied excitedly with a smile.

Walking side-by-side with Saiki down the quiet streets, Saiki eventually coughed, "U, uhm, where are we going, Naosuke?"

Oh yeah.

I was supposed to be the one to take her out today.

I had enough surprises after that incident with my little sister that I had strongly insisted, no, demanded, that I be the one to take her out when she wouldn't take no for an answer today after asking to hang out after school.

"Uh..."

Then the perfect idea hit me.

"Actually, I know this pretty cool park around the area," I said, forcing a wide smile, "I was planning to take you there for a romantic date at the park...!"

Saiki stared at me for a moment, and for a second I thought she wasn't going to buy it, until she smiled brightly, nodding her head, "Okay!"

"Hahaha..."

1st round cleared...

Walking for a while since the park was actually pretty far on foot, we eventually reached a small desolated park next to some apartments, tall trees surrounding the area and a playground in the middle.

"Wow, Naosuke, I didn't know there was a place like this near our school!" Saiki said, bouncing ahead into the park enthusiastically.

I laughed sheepishly, following her into the park and sat down at some benches near the back.

There was a reason why I had taken her here. I needed a place that I would be able to take her knife away from her without her noticing. A place with nobody around, and a place where I could make her guard fall. So far so good.

Saiki walked over from the playground that she had been looking at, and sat herself down next to me on the bench just like I predicted.

~x~

Time to initiate round 2.

I glanced to my side at Saiki, about to say something to her, but she spoke first.

"You know, Naosuke..." Saiki said, flushing as stared down, prodding her index fingers together, "I had a tiny bit of doubt when you told me about the park and I thought you were secretly trying to get away from me again, but this park is actually pretty nice... I'm sorry I doubted you..."

My mouth stayed open, forgetting what I was going to say.

"I, it's okay, Saiki..." I eventually said.

Saiki smiled at me, hearing my response, and I felt my heart skip a beat when I saw her smile.

Crap.

This was just like the time when I had taken her out to the cafe for our first date.

I couldn't allow myself to be deceived by her!

I shook my head, getting a hold of myself, and glanced at Saiki with a forced smile.

"Saiki..." I said, staring at her eyes that had returned to staring down at the ground.

"What is it, Naosuke?" She asked, turning her head back towards me and our eyes caught.

Her scarlet red eyes sparkled like gemstones, a world of unique colours inside them. Her long dark lashes fluttered, and I drew myself closer towards her on the bench, our shoulders touching.

I tried to control my unsteady breath, "H, have I ever told you... how pretty you are...?"

The red on Saiki's face flourished further and she bit her lip, "N, Naosuke...?!"

I leaned in, "Your eyes...", I brushed my fingers against the side of her face with my furthest hand, "they're so pretty...", and with the other, I slowly slipped it around her back, feeling for her knife.

Sorry Saiki.

She squirmed underneath my grasp, squeezing her eyes tightly shut as she waited nervously for me to kiss her.

Damn it! Where was this knife?

Impatiently feeling around her back, my hand was only pressing against the fabric of her school jumper.

This damn jumper was in the way.

Lowering my hand to the bottom of her jumper annoyedly, I slid my hand underneath the fabric and Saiki jumped into me with a squeal, pushing her body into me hard, "Uwaah...!"

Oh shit!

I froze like a rock, feeling her warm naked skin shivering slightly against my fingertips. I had accidentally slipped past too many layers, instead of going between her jumper and her shirt as I originally planned.

Now my own face was heating up and I was beginning to have second ideas about what I was doing.

A vague recollection of learning about something like this in PE came to mind. Wasn't this what they called sexual assault?

Screw it, I was so close right now! Might as well go all the way!

"N, Naosukeee...!" Saiki moaned meekly into my ear.

I felt around her naked back like a madman, frantically looking for where she was hiding the knife. If this goes on any longer, then I might be the one ending up in prison.

Was this it?

I felt something hard against my fingers and pushed at it, only to hear Saiki letting out a high-pitched cry as she hugged even tighter to me, her hands balling up into fists.

Oh my god, that was her freaking bra.

I snapped my hand away from there immediately, my head spinning as I went further down her back, fumbling blindly with my fingers.

Suddenly, I felt another fabric tied near Saiki's waist and the unmistakable shape of a knife. I grabbed the handle of the knife, pulling it out and felt it slipping out of my grasp because of my haste.

The knife hit the dirt ground of the park with a dull thud, bouncing behind the bench, and Saiki turned her head to look.

My heart froze at that moment.

If Saiki saw that I had been trying to take the knife away from her this entire time, then I could be dead here. No amount of excuses could explain why I had fumbled around her back like an idiot, looking for her knife. Who knows how she would react then.

In my panic, I raised my hands, grabbing the sides of Saiki's face, leaned in and kissed her lips.