Taro looked at Info Chan as he sighed. "With that knowledge, there is no way things can't get worse".
Info Chan got out of her chair as she spoke. "Depends, it can, Ayano is very creative".
Taro looked at her. "How?"
Info Chan played on the screen, today's recording.
Ayano was on the screen, as the sharper a plastic straw.
Taro leaned closer to the screen, squinting.
"A… straw?" he said slowly. "You're telling me the terrifying girl stalking me is preparing for battle… with a juice box accessory?"
Info Chan didn't answer immediately. She just tapped the screen.
The video zoomed in.
Ayano sat alone at her desk, her face perfectly calm, eyes focused. The plastic straw in her hand scraped against a small nail file. Back and forth. Back and forth.
The tip of the straw slowly became needle-sharp.
Taro's mouth opened.
Closed.
Opened again.
"…That's… actually kind of impressive."
Info Chan smirked. "You'd be surprised what someone can weaponize with enough dedication."
On the screen, Ayano tested the point against a sheet of paper.
Poke.
The straw pierced straight through.
Taro blinked.
"…Okay," he said. "I regret every joke I just made."
Info Chan leaned back against the desk, arms crossed.
"And that's just the harmless footage."
Taro turned slowly.
"…There's worse?"
Info Chan tilted her head.
"Let's just say," she said casually, "Ayano doesn't like competition."
She tapped the phone again.
The recording changed.
A girl from another class was shown chatting with Taro near the shoe lockers earlier that day. Laughing. Friendly.
Then the footage cut.
Ayano stood down the hallway, half hidden behind the corner.
Watching.
Not blinking.
Taro felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"…Oh."
Info Chan grinned.
"Oh."
Taro rubbed his face.
"Great," he muttered. "Fantastic. I'm the main character in a horror anime."
Info Chan shrugged.
"Romance anime," she corrected.
Taro pointed at the screen where Ayano was still sharpening the straw like a tiny prison shiv.
"That is not romance behavior."
Info Chan smiled wider.
"In yandere romance," she said, "that's basically flirting."
Taro stared at her.
"…I'm going to die, aren't I?"
Info Chan slipped her phone back into her pocket.
"Well," she said thoughtfully, "that depends."
Taro waited.
She leaned closer, voice lowering like she was sharing a secret.
"Do you want to?"
Taro froze.
"…What kind of question is that?!"
Info Chan grinned.
"Relax. I mean narratively."
Taro stared at the ceiling like he was asking the universe for help.
"Please tell me there's a way out of this."
Info Chan hummed.
"Oh, there are lots of ways."
She held up one finger.
"Option one: you run."
Second finger.
"Option two: you pretend you don't notice."
Third finger.
"Option three…"
She paused dramatically.
"…you date her."
Silence.
Long silence.
Taro slowly turned back toward the phone screen where Ayano calmly twirled the sharpened straw between her fingers.
He sighed the sigh of a seventeen-year-old who knew fate had already chosen the worst option.
"…Option four," he said.
Info Chan raised an eyebrow.
"What's that?"
Taro pointed at the screen.
"We transfer schools."
Info Chan burst out laughing.
"Sorry," she said. "Too late for that."
Taro frowned.
"…Why?"
Info Chan tapped the phone again.
The video zoomed in on Ayano.
At that exact moment, on the recording—
Ayano slowly turned her head.
And looked directly at the camera.
Even though the camera was hidden.
Even though she shouldn't know it was there.
Taro felt the air leave his lungs.
Info Chan's grin grew a little more nervous.
"…Because," she said quietly.
"I think she already knows."
Taro seeing the screen, gulped. "Cut the camera"
Info did that, as that's the screen turned on. "Now, I am not sure she knows you found me, but I am pretty sure she doesn't".
Taro sighed. "Yeah, that's good"
Info looked at him. "Now, about you, you want to keep Osana save"
Taro looked at her. "Yes, that's why I texted Raibaru, too looked after, before coming here".
Info spun on her chair. "Oh, that's fair, but now"
She shows another screen with Ayano. "How are you gonna stop her, otherwise, there will be another reset".
Taro thought about. "I can make her give up"
Info smirked, as she wondered what his plan might be. "Oh, and how will you do that?"
Taro looked at her. "Keep her safe this whole month?"
Info laughed. "How many times have you reset".
Taro was taken aback.
Info continued. "Like, before you found out, her dying causes the reset"
Taro looked at her. "32 times".
Info looked at him. "And how many times will it take you too protecte her all of April".
She looked at him. "50 Loops? 60? Or 100".
Taro looked at her. "Then I will do a 100 times, if that's what it takes"
Info Chan blinked.
"…What?"
Taro shrugged weakly.
"If that's how long it takes."
Info Chan stared at him like she was trying to determine if he was serious or clinically insane.
"Do you even hear yourself?" she said. "That's an entire month. Every day. Every hour. Watching for one girl who has the creativity of a horror movie villain."
She tapped the keyboard and another clip of Ayano appeared.
Ayano calmly testing the sharpened straw again.
Poke.
Right through cardboard.
Info Chan gestured at the screen.
"That girl."
Taro rubbed the back of his neck.
"…Yeah."
Info Chan leaned forward.
"And you think you can stop her for thirty days straight?"
Taro looked at the screen.
Ayano sat quietly in the classroom recording. Expression blank. Patient.
Waiting.
He felt that familiar chill again.
"…I don't need to stop her," he said.
Info Chan raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Taro looked back at her.
"I just need to stay near Osana."
Info Chan tilted her head.
"And?"
Taro shrugged.
"Ayano won't act if I'm there."
Info Chan was silent for a moment.
Then she laughed.
Not a polite laugh.
A full, wheezing, chair-leaning-back laugh.
"Oh wow," she said, wiping her eye. "You really don't get it."
Taro frowned.
"…Get what?"
Info Chan pointed at the paused video of Ayano.
"You think her problem is Osana."
She leaned forward, her voice dropping.
"It's not."
Taro felt a knot tighten in his stomach.
Info Chan tapped the screen.
The video rewound to the hallway footage from earlier.
Osana laughing with Taro.
Talking.
Standing close.
Then it froze on Ayano in the distance.
Watching.
Info Chan looked at him.
"You're the problem."
Taro froze.
Info Chan continued casually.
"Osana isn't the target."
She tapped the screen again.
Zoom.
Ayano's eyes.
Focused.
Locked.
On him.
"You are."
Taro stared at the screen.
"…That doesn't make sense."
Info Chan shrugged.
"Welcome to the mind of a yandere."
Taro stared at the screen a moment longer before looking back at Info Chan.
"Then so be it," he said quietly. "If I'm the target, I'll keep her safe anyway."
Info Chan sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"Heroic idiot."
Taro frowned at her.
"How does protecting my childhood friend make me a heroic idiot?"
Info Chan spun her chair once, lazily, like she was deciding how blunt to be.
"Because," she said, holding up a finger, "you're not just protecting your childhood friend."
Second finger.
"You're protecting the girl standing between a yandere and the only person she cares about."
Third finger.
"And that person," she finished, pointing directly at him, "is you."
Taro crossed his arms.
"That still doesn't make me an idiot."
Info Chan tilted her head.
"No. The idiot part is the method."
Taro narrowed his eyes.
"…Meaning?"
She tapped the keyboard again. Several small windows popped up across the monitor.
Camera angles.
Hallways.
Classrooms.
The courtyard.
The rooftop.
Even the shoe lockers.
"Your plan," she said, "is basically 'stand next to Osana and hope the horror movie villain behaves.'"
Taro scratched his cheek.
"…When you say it like that it sounds bad."
"It is bad," Info Chan replied flatly.
She pointed to another clip.
Ayano in the hallway earlier that morning.
Walking calmly.
Completely normal.
Then another clip.
Ayano quietly moving a wet floor sign near the stairs.
Then another.
Ayano placing something small inside a locker.
Then another.
Ayano staring at Taro across the courtyard with that same empty patience.
Info Chan folded her arms.
"She doesn't rush things."
Taro looked uneasy.
"She plans."
The room was quiet for a moment.
Then Taro asked slowly,
"…How many ways has she tried?"
Info Chan smirked.
"How many loops did you say you've had?"
"…Thirty-two."
She tapped the desk.
"Then probably around thirty-two."
Taro exhaled slowly.
"Right."
Info Chan leaned forward again.
"So here's the real question."
Taro looked up.
"Are you trying to protect Osana…"
She paused.
"…or stop Ayano?"
Taro hesitated.
Info Chan smiled like she already knew the answer.
"Because those are two very different games."
Taro looked at the frozen frame of Ayano on the screen.
Her expression blank.
Patient.
Like she had all the time in the world.
"…I don't want to hurt her," he said.
Info Chan blinked.
"…You're serious?"
"She hasn't actually hurt anyone yet."
Info Chan gave him a look.
"The month just started."
Taro sighed.
"I know."
He rubbed his face.
"But if I can make her give up…"
Info Chan burst out laughing again.
"You think a yandere can just give up?"
Taro shrugged helplessly.
"I have to try."
Info Chan studied him for a long moment.
Then she slowly smiled.
"…You're interesting."
"That doesn't sound reassuring."
"It's not."
She turned back to the computer.
"Alright, heroic idiot. Let's test your optimism."
Taro blinked.
"Test?"
Info Chan pressed a key.
The screen switched to live camera footage.
The school courtyard.
Students walking around.
Lunch starting.
And near the vending machines—
Osana.
Standing with Raibaru, chatting.
Taro relaxed slightly.
"See? She's fine."
Info Chan didn't answer.
She zoomed the camera out.
Then panned slightly left.
Standing near a tree.
Holding a drink.
Completely still.
Ayano.
Watching them.
Watching him.
Taro felt the knot return to his stomach.
Info Chan glanced sideways at him.
"Your move, hero."
Taro immediately stood up.
"I'm going down there."
Info Chan raised an eyebrow.
"And say what?"
Taro paused halfway to the door.
"…I'll improvise."
Info Chan laughed again.
"Oh this is going to be fun."
Taro stopped at the door and looked back.
"You're not coming?"
Info Chan waved him off.
"Nah."
She tapped the keyboard again.
More cameras opened across the screen.
"I'll be watching."
Taro sighed.
"That's comforting in a creepy way."
Info Chan grinned.
"Welcome to the surveillance room."
Taro opened the door.
Before he stepped out, Info Chan added casually:
"Oh, and Taro?"
He looked back.
"If you mess this up…"
She pointed to the screen where Ayano still stood quietly by the tree.
"…Loop thirty-three might start earlier than you think."
Taro swallowed.
"…Great."
Then he stepped into the hallway.
And walked toward the courtyard.
Toward Osana.
Toward Ayano.
And toward what was very likely his next reset.
Taro rushed down the hallway toward the courtyard.
Students blurred past him as he pushed through the crowd.
"Sorry—!"
He bumped into someone.
"Ah—!"
Both of them crashed to the floor.
Books, a small container, and a neatly wrapped cloth bundle scattered across the hallway tiles.
Taro quickly scrambled up.
"Sorry!" he said automatically.
Then he looked down.
The girl sitting on the floor had short, soft beige hair that curled slightly at the ends. Her summer-green eyes blinked up at him behind thick eyebrows, and she wore light dusty-pink lipstick. Her uniform looked slightly different from the others—white mint-striped stockings, a greenish kerchief, and a dark mint apron decorated with tiny baking and flower patterns. On her arm was the red armband of leadership.
[Insert image of Amai Odayaka]
It took Taro a second.
Then he recognized her.
"Ah— Amai Odayaka," he said quickly. "I'm really sorry!"
He bent down and started gathering her things.
A cookbook.
A small container that smelled faintly sweet.
And a cloth wrapped around what looked like freshly baked pastries.
Taro carefully handed them back.
Amai stood up with his help.
"It's okay, Senpai," she said warmly.
Her voice was gentle—exactly the way someone who ran the cooking club would sound.
Taro rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Still… I should've watched where I was going."
He glanced toward the courtyard doors.
His chest tightened.
"I'm just… in a bit of a rush."
He quickly handed her the last item.
"Sorry again."
Then he took off running.
Amai watched him disappear down the hallway.
She tilted her head slightly.
"Senpai seems to be in a hurry…"
She looked down at the cloth bundle in her hands.
One of the pastries had gotten slightly squished in the fall.
"Oh no…"
But then she smiled softly.
"Well… maybe he needs something sweet today."
Outside.
The courtyard buzzed with lunchtime chatter.
Students sat at tables.
Some stood near the vending machines.
And near the center—
Osana was talking with Raibaru.
Just like Info Chan's camera showed.
Taro slowed down slightly.
Good.
She was safe.
Then he noticed something else.
Standing under a tree nearby.
Still.
Quiet.
Watching.
Ayano Aishi.
Holding a drink.
Her eyes locked onto him the moment he stepped outside.
Taro felt the air leave his lungs.
She noticed him immediately.
Of course she did.
Ayano tilted her head slightly.
Not threatening.
Not angry.
Just… curious.
Like she was observing something interesting.
Taro forced himself to walk normally toward Osana.
Don't panic.
Don't run.
Act normal.
From across the courtyard—
Ayano began walking too.
Same direction.
Same destination.
Taro noticed.
So did someone else.
Raibaru.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced toward Ayano approaching.
Osana kept talking, completely unaware.
"…and then my cat literally knocked over the entire bowl of—"
"Osana."
She turned.
"Taro? What are you doing here during lunch?"
Taro forced a smile.
"Just thought I'd hang out."
Osana blinked.
"That's suspicious."
Raibaru crossed her arms.
But she didn't say anything.
Because Ayano had just arrived.
Standing a few steps away.
Silent.
Watching.
The four of them stood in a strange little circle.
Ayano looked at Taro.
Then at Osana.
Then back at Taro.
Her expression didn't change.
"…Hello, Senpai."
Taro felt a chill.
Because for the first time in 32 loops—
Ayano spoke to him first.
Taro forced himself to smile.
He looked at Ayano as if she were just another student.
"Hi… do I know you?"
For a split second, Ayano froze.
Then she looked away slightly, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
"No… not really," she said quietly. "I've just… seen you around school."
Taro nodded politely.
"Oh, I see."
He gave a small friendly smile.
"Well, nice talking to you."
Then he turned and walked back toward Osana and Raibaru.
Ayano remained where she stood.
Watching.
---
Inside her mind, the world shifted.
Just moments ago—
Everything had been pink.
Warm.
Bright.
Full of feeling.
Her heartbeat had been fast when Senpai looked at her.
When he spoke to her.
When his eyes met hers.
For a moment, the world had color again.
But now—
The pink faded.
Like paint being washed away.
Slowly, the warmth drained from her vision.
The courtyard returned to its normal colors.
But inside Ayano's mind…
Everything turned gray again.
Emotionless.
Quiet.
Empty.
She watched as Taro walked back to Osana and Raibaru.
Osana was talking loudly about something.
Raibaru stood beside her like a silent bodyguard.
Taro laughed lightly at something Osana said.
Ayano stared.
Her thoughts were calm.
Too calm.
Senpai noticed me…
Her fingers tightened slightly around the drink in her hand.
'But only for a bit.'
Her eyes followed him carefully.
Every movement.
Every expression.
Every small smile he gave Osana.
A slow thought formed in her mind.
'He spoke to me.'
Another thought followed.
'But he left quickly.'
Her head tilted slightly.
'Did I do something wrong?'
Ayano looked down at the drink in her hand.
Still unopened.
Still cold.
Then she looked back at Taro.
He was standing close to Osana now.
Talking comfortably.
Laughing.
Ayano's empty eyes focused on Osana.
The gray space inside her mind shifted slightly.
Not anger.
Not jealousy.
Just… calculation.
Osana Najimi.
Childhood friend.
Obstacle.
But something felt different today.
Ayano studied Taro more carefully.
'Senpai looked nervous.'
'When he spoke to me.'
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
'Why?'
Ayano replayed the moment in her mind.
His voice.
His expression.
His timing.
Something didn't match her expectations.
And Ayano Aishi was very good at noticing patterns.
Her fingers lightly tapped the plastic cup.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Senpai is acting differently today.
Her gaze slowly lifted again.
Locking onto him across the courtyard.
'I should observe more.'
Then she quietly turned and began walking away.
For now.
Across the courtyard.
Raibaru suddenly glanced over her shoulder.
"…Huh."
Osana blinked.
"What?"
Raibaru frowned slightly.
"The weird quiet girl just left."
Osana shrugged.
"Okay…?"
Raibaru scratched the back of her head.
"…Maybe I imagined it."
Taro stayed quiet.
But inside his chest—
His heart was pounding.
Because something had just gone very differently than the other loops.
Ayano didn't approach Osana.
She didn't provoke anything.
She didn't even linger.
She simply… left.
Taro looked toward the gate where she disappeared.
That's new.
And in the distance—
Inside the surveillance room—
Info Chan leaned closer to her monitors.
"…Oh?"
Her grin slowly widened.
"Well that's interesting."
She opened a new camera feed.
Tracking Ayano as she walked through the hallway.
"Looks like the game just changed, Senpai."
To be counted
Hope people like this Ch and give me Power stones and enjoy