Chapter 29: The Predator's Bragging Rights

Hina's face is a work of art. It is a masterpiece of shock, confusion, betrayal, and pure, unfiltered rage. Her jaw is on the floor, her eyes wide. She looks from Ayako's smug, smirking face, to Ayako's hand, which is still on my chest, to me. And I am just a statue. I am a block of frozen, hyper-flustered, non-breathing idiot.

"Shou... chan...?" Hina whispers, and her voice is small, broken. "What... what did she... mean?"

I cannot speak. I have no words. My brain has been "procedurally updated" into mush. Ayako does not remove her hand. Oh, no. That would be too kind. She just keeps it there, a mark of ownership.

"It is simple, Aizawa-san," Ayako says, her voice a cool, amused purr. "You are operating on 'historical data'. You believe 'Shou-chan' is the same boy you knew years ago." She leans in again, her voice dropping, and I can feel the heat of her breath. "He is not."

"He is," she says, her gaze locking with Hina's, "an asset-in-training. He is an anomaly. And he is... mine... to correct."

Hina just shakes her head. "You... you are crazy. You are... this is... this is not right! Shou-chan, say something!"

"I..." I manage to croak. "It is... 'complicated'?"

"ENOUGH with 'complicated'!" Hina yells, and her sunshine-energy is now a thunderstorm. "What... did... you... do... to him?"

Ayako's smirk widens. She is enjoying this. She is a demon.

"I," Ayako says, "am simply... more 'efficient'." She looks at me. "He... is a problem. He is messy. And I... am the only one who can 'handle' him."

"You keep... saying that!" Hina cries, her fists clenched. "You talk about him like he is a... a thing! He is a person!"

"Is he?" Ayako tilts her head, her gaze on me. "He is... a collection of 'inefficient' impulses. A 'problematic' cardiovascular system. A... 'fascinating'... anomaly."

She then... she dares... she rubs her thumb, right over my heart. My whole body just jerks.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.

"See?" Ayako whispers, her eyes sparkling with victory.

Hina sees it. She sees my reaction. She sees the smug, possessive look on Ayako's face.

"You... you... kissed him!" Hina blurts out.

The words echo in the mall. My brain explodes. Hina's brain explodes. Ayako... Ayako just smiles. She does not just smirk. She smiles. A real, terrifying, victorious smile.

"I... I did not say... I did not mean..." Hina stammers, her face bright red. "I just... the way you are... you... you did, did not you?!" Hina looks at me, her eyes screaming. "Shou-chan! Did she?! Did you let her?!"

I... I... "It... it was a 'stimulus'!" I yell, my voice cracking. "An 'observation'! It was... INEFFICIENT!"

This is the worst possible answer. Hina's face just crumples.

"Oh... my... God," she whispers. "She did. And you... you are defending her. You are using her... stupid... words!"

Hina is on the verge of tears. But it is not just sadness. It is fury.

"You... you!" Hina says, pointing a shaky finger at Ayako. "You are... a monster!"

"I am 'adequate'," Ayako says, finally removing her hand. She smooths a non-existent wrinkle on her dress. "And I... am 'winning'."

"This is not a game!" Hina roars.

"It is always a game," Ayako corrects her, her voice turning to ice. "And you... have just 'lost'."

Ayako turns to me. "The 'procedural update'. Now." She grabs my wrist. Not the injured one. The other one. Her grip is like a steel band. "We are leaving."

"Hey!" I protest, but I am so flustered, so broken, that I just stumble after her.

"Shou-chan!" Hina cries out, her voice desperate. "Do not go with her! She is... she is dangerous!"

"It is fine, Hina!" I call back, looking over my shoulder. "It is just... shopping!"

"It is not just shopping!" Hina yells, her voice thick with tears and rage. "She is... she is evil!"

Ayako does not even look back. She just pulls me. She is dragging me away from Hina. She is smirking.

"Your... 'historical attachment'... seems... 'problematic'," Ayako mutters, just for me. "And... very... loud."

"You... you broke her heart!" I hiss, stumbling to keep up. "That was... that was brutal, Ayako! That was 'inefficient'!"

"Oh?" she says, glancing at me. "I disagree."

"It was," she says, her eyes sparkling, "the most efficient... 'correction'... I have ever delivered."

I try to form a response, but suddenly, there is a CRASH! A woman screams. Glass shatters.

"HE STOLE MY BAG!"

The entire, insane drama of my life is interrupted.