Chapter 35:

Chapter 35: Testing the 'Research'

My Peaceful Life as Bloody Twilight is GONE!

I am ready.

It is after school.

I am armed.

Not with my fists.

With KNOWLEDGE.

Target #1: The School Prince.

I know he walks this hallway at 4:03 PM. Every. Day.

(He is painfully predictable.)

4:03 PM.

Footsteps.

Fuji Kenji turns the corner.

He sees me.

He stops.

He looks wary.

Good.

"Isuzu-san," he says, nodding. Formal. Cold.

"Aoi," I correct him.

He blinks. Surprised.

"A-Aoi," he stammers. (A stammer! From Fuji!) "What are you doing?"

"Waiting," I say.

I walk up to him.

Closer than normal.

His composure is perfect. But his eyes are panicked.

"You seem tense, Fuji-kun," I murmur.

He hates when I use his name.

"Midterms are stressful," he replies, trying to sound normal.

"Oh, I know," I say, tilting my head. "It must be so hard. Trying to get Rank #1. All by yourself. Living all alone. So much pressure from home."

Fuji's face drains of color..

"I don't know what you mean."

"I mean..." I lean in even closer. "She must be really ugly."

"What?" he breathes.

"'Miss Muffin-Face'. Or whatever her name is," I whisper. "The one you ran away from. Good choice. Arranged marriages are so medieval."

Fuji Kenji stumbles.

He stumbles backward.

He hits the wall.

He is staring at me. Not like I'm a rival.

Like I'm a WITCH.

"How..." he whispers. "How did you KNOW THAT?"

"I'm 'Bloody Twilight'," I say, smirk-ing. "I know everything."

I pat his cheek.

"Good luck on the test, 'Fuji-kun'."

I walk away.

One down.

Target #2: The King.

Giga-Zone Arcade. 5 PM.

I walk in.

He's there. Same hoodie. Same machine.

Same bored expression.

Not for long.

"Yo, Twilight-chan," he grunts, not looking up. "Come to lose again?"

I don't say anything.

I walk past him.

I go to the racing games.

Past the rhythm games.

To a dark corner.

Where a single pink cabinet sits.

'Doki-Doki Love Story Online: The Movie: The Game'.

I sit down.

Daiki pauses his match.

"What are you doing?" he asks, confused. "That game is trash."

"I don't know," I say, loudly. "I just feel bad."

"Feel bad why?"

"For Sakura-Blossom7," I sigh, inserting a coin.

Daiki drops his energy drink.

Clatter. Splash.

"W-W-W-WHAT?!" he yells.

The whole arcade looks.

"I mean..." I say, looking at the character select screen. "It was so tragic. She finally makes it to the qualifiers. Her one chance. And her online boyfriend 'Deception' stands her up! He 'oversleeps'! So cold! So heartless!"

Daiki is vibrating.

He is bright red.

"I... I... I... DIDN'T STAND HER UP!" he hisses, stomping over.

"Oh?"

"I... I... FORFEITED! FOR HER!" he whispers frantically. "BECAUSE I RESPECT HER! HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT? DID YOU TALK TO HER?! IS SHE HERE?!"

He's looking around frantically.

He's not a King.

He's a dork.

A massive, flustered, romance-novel dork.

This is too easy.

I stand up.

I pat his head.

"You're a good boy, Daiki-kun," I say, sweetly. "A true simp."

"I AM NOT A SIMP!" he wails.

I walk away.

I feel good.

My peaceful life might be gone.