"It's not what it seems!" He shouted, his eyes wide with fear, his hands clenching the note ever so tightly.

  "All this time…" my voice cracked. "Y-you were standing right next to me. Laughing with us."

  "PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!" He shouted again.

  "I can't believe it; I trusted you, and it was you," I continued.

  His hands were shaking, but his eyes weren't. They were fixed on me, sharp focused.

  Waiting.

  Until he finally broke.

  "Hahaha…HAHAHA! I guess it's time for me to end this once and for all! "All those times she smiled at you," he hissed. "She never looked at me like that!"

  "The fact that she denied you and you still don't get the hint..."

  "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed, not in fear, but relief and something metallic flashed in his hand.

  The moment metal caught my eye, my stomach dropped.

  In mere seconds, I threw myself backward into the corridor, putting distance between us. But the sight of the deranged look on Subaru's face caused me to panic slightly.

  "NGH!" I cried out as he grazed my cheek.

  "YOU BITCH! YOU'RE STEALING HER AWAY FROM ME!" he screamed.

  One part of me was mortified; the other part was beyond perplexed. How could a human being, one so quiet and out of the way like Subaru, be the monster in front of me? His eyes kept flicking past me, like he was already imagining the hallway empty. Each time he swung the knife-there was no direction, he was swinging aimlessly.

  "GO AWAY! DIE! DIE!" he shouted with each swing. And though he was reckless, thanks to my uselessness, those swings were still effective.

  My brain kicked into overdrive. With every wild swing of his knife, Subaru's face twisted further into madness. I needed to get out of here. Now.

  The narrow corridor offered few options. Behind me stretched an empty hallway leading to a dead end. Ahead was Subaru, blocking my path to the stairs and safety. To my right was a supply closet, a potential shelter but also a potential trap.

  "Think, Souta, think!" I hissed under my breath, dodging another frantic swipe that caught my uniform sleeve, tearing the fabric.

  "I'll kill you! She'll finally see me when you're gone!" Subaru's eyes bulged, spittle flying from his mouth with each word.

  I feinted left, then ducked right, hoping to throw him off balance. His knife whistled past my ear, close enough that I felt the air displacement. My heart hammered against my ribs, desperate to escape my chest entirely.

  "The stairwell-if I can just get past him..." My thoughts raced as I sized up my chances.

  Backing up slowly, I fumbled behind me, hands searching for anything I could use as a weapon. My fingers closed around a fire extinguisher mounted on the wall.

  "You've been following her for weeks, haven't you?" I stalled, working the extinguisher free of its bracket. "The notes, the photos, it was all you!"

  "She belongs with ME!" Subaru lunged forward, knife pointed at my chest.

  I yanked the extinguisher free and swung without thinking. Too hard. Too wild. I felt the impact more than I saw it. The extinguisher smashed against his outstretched arm. The impact sent a jarring sensation up my arms as metal connected with flesh. The knife clattered to the floor, and Subaru howled in pain.

  My momentary advantage wouldn’t last. I needed to run-

  "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

  The voice cut through the chaos like a blade. Standing at the end of the hallway, eyes wide with shock and fury, was Yuki.

  Her usually perfectly composed face had transformed into something I’d never seen before, raw fear mixed with blazing anger. Her hands trembled at her sides, clenched into tight fists.

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  "Yuki! Stay back!" I shouted, keeping the extinguisher raised between me and Subaru.

  Subaru froze. For the first time, his eyes flicked away from me.

  "...Yuki?"

  His injured arm clutched to his chest. His expression morphed from rage to something even more disturbing, a twisted smile.

  "Yuki... you're here," he whispered, his voice suddenly gentle, a stark contrast to the blood trickling down his arm and the violence of moments before. "I was just taking care of our problem."

  "So… it was you. You were behind this—all this pain, this suffering caused by you to both me and Souta. IT WAS YOU!" she screamed.

  "I did it all for us!" Subaru took a step toward her.

  "NO YOU DON'T!" I shouted, heaving for breath.

  "FFFUCCK YOU!!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. In one swift motion, Subaru turned and picked up the knife.

  My mind went blank as the red blazing eyes of Subaru rushed towards me, but this time, I had Yuki behind me. I couldn't just move out of the way—not without risking Yuki. I had nowhere to run.

  "This is it… I'm going to die to a lunatic," I muttered. "Maybe if I disappeared… Yuki would finally be safe. If I were gone... Maybe this would all stop. Maybe I'll just—

  "SOUTA!" Yuki screamed. I felt her pulling my collar to the side, but since the hallway was still narrow, the knife sliced into my arm.

  "NGH!" I called out in pain as warm crimson blood dripped down my arm.

  "SHIT!" Subaru called out, tumbling forward and falling onto the floor.

  "SOUTA, WAKE UP, YOU DUMMASS!" Yuki shouted in my ear, quickly lifting me back to my feet. My grip slipped—slick with blood.

  "Yuki, but…" I muttered, feeling utterly dejected at this point.

  "Why are you giving up now, of all times? After everything you've done for me and the others, you're doing this shit now!" She shouted, shaking me vigorously.

  "But if I leave… It'll be over. Just... let me go, Yuki," I said softly.

  "SHUT IT! WAKE UP!" Pain exploded across my forehead as Yuki headbutted me. My vision snapped back into focus.

  I clenched my teeth. She's right. If I died here, she'd blame herself. I couldn't do that to her. I wasn't done yet; I can't die here. Not in front of her.

  "DAMN YOU, LEAVE HER ALONE!!" Subaru shouted, finally getting back on his feet.

  I'm not done yet.

  Not today.

  "WAKE UP!" she shouted just as Subaru lunged towards me.

  "AHHH!" Subaru shouted.

  I took a deep breath, making sure my breathing was steady. If I panicked. I was dead. "Come on, Souta," I said to myself.

  Yuki quickly jumped back as Subaru came in with a swing of his knife.

  "YOU CAN'T STOP ME!" I shouted, before bracing myself, praying my body moved faster than my fear. The world slowed down; the tip of the knife drew closer and closer to me. "I can do this; I wasn't alone anymore,

  Then I remembered. She’d twisted her ankle.

  My stomach dropped.

  I sidestepped the knife, but my feet tangled and I stumbled. Instead of hitting the ground alone, I grabbed Subaru's waist and yanked him down with me.

  'I'M NOT FALLING WITHOUT YOU!

  "WOAH!" He shouted, dropping his knife as we landed hard on the ground.

  "COME HERE!" I shouted, left with no other option but to have a brawl with him. We crashed to the floor, grappling like animals.

  "Souta, stop being stupid and MOVE!” Yuki shouted, backing away, watching us fight like our lives depended on it.

  Yuki stood frozen on to the spot now just staring at me getting scratched to pieces. She kicked the knife away from Subaru, so I guess that was one good thing she did. But just before she could pull out her phone, one of the building's doors opened, accompanied by the cries and shouts of Nao, Reina, Arisa, and the teachers.

  Yuki met up with them and brought them to us, still fighting.

  "You bitch! Take this!" I shouted, pulling his already short hair.

  "AHHAHAHA ONCE YOU'RE GONE, YUKI IS MINE!" he said, scratching my cheek.

  "Oh… Seems they're just fighting?" Nao commented as the rest of the crew watched what was unfolding.

  "Yeah, it might look like it, but it was much more serious just a few minutes ago," Yuki replied, detailing everything that had happened and why I was leaking blood. I somehow managed to restrain Subaru, despite the countless bite marks he had left on me, until the police finally arrived.

  "So… you okay, Kannazuki?" The female officer asked as I stood there, marked with scratches and bites.

  "Yeah… I guess?" I sighed, feeling like that was the worst climax to a very promising book.

  "Good. As for Subaru…" She said as we both turned to face the screaming man.

  "She'll wait for me!" He screamed. "I DID EVERYTHING FOR HER! YUKI, TELL THEM! TELL THEM WE BELONG TOGETHER!"

  "If it weren't for you meddling kids and that dog," the officer finished his sentence as she pushed him along.

  "Really, a Scooby line?" I muttered, tilting my head.

  As the officers led Subaru away, I just... stood there. My arm throbbed. My cheek stung. My whole body felt like it had been through a meat grinder. But I was alive. We were alive.

  Then Nao and Reina descended on me like concerned mother hens.

  "Quick, NAO! HE'S GONNA DIE!" Nao shouted.

  "I'M TRYING, NAO! I DON'T WANT SOUTA TO DIE!!!" Reina replied, doing her best not to drop the tissue.

  "Guys… It's not that bad," I replied, standing still as the two blondes went in circles around me.

  "Guys, just move out of the way! Let big sis save our hero!" Arisa shouted, pushing the others to make space.

  "You all do realise it's Yuki who has been traumatised," Shirori pointed out, standing next to Yuki.

  "It's fine… The jerk needs the attention more than me," Yuki replied, a small smile creeping onto her face.

  "I see, it seems like you're getting softer on him," Shirori teased with a smug grin.

  "Tsch, don't you start, Mrs. failed actor." Yuki shot back.

  "NGH! You just got lucky!" Shirori replied.

  "Guys… Why are Shirori and Yuki fighting?" I asked, finally giving up on fighting off the girls.

  "I dunno… But it's probably got something to do with Yuki being soft on you." Arisa replied.

  "Yeah," Nao chimed.

  "I hope so…" I replied as the teachers finally came; they instantly separated both Yuki and Shirori. Even after everything was over, Yuki didn’t step away.