Who is the main character?

A gentle and cool breeze went by, rustling the leaves as it passes through the trees, under one of which stood a first year high school girl. Her name is Yui. Having a slender body, beautiful appearance, cute face, gentle smile, and behaviour, she was radiating gentle and positive vibes all along. For this reason, she was given the name "The gentle princess" by her classmates.

"W-would y-you please g-go out with m-me?"

The cool breeze suddenly stopped its motion after Yui uttered those very words. Some of the leaves fell from the force of that gentle wind.

On the receiving end of the confession, stood an almost unnoticeable character. His name is Tamiko, an introvert. He was, in one word, confused as to what was going on.

Confessing on the school ground, the news spread like wildfire. That gentle princess asked a guy out? And its the most introverted person in the class? How is that even possible?

Some people were shocked to hear the news. Some people rushed to the confession site to check for themselves about the truthfulness of it. Some were even furious. Well, among those who were furious, most of them was the students who were rejected by her. At last, she developed her courage to ask out Tamiko.

What is his answer?

The silence among the two lasted so long that Yui questioned herself if he even heard what she said. She was nervous of the answer. Its her first time asking someone out.

"Eh? Yui-san? D-does that mean? Me? Eh?"

He looked around in confusion. He didn't believe it was him that Yui asked out. Having trust issues, he couldn't trust himself with the thought that he was the one who was getting asked out. Maybe she confused him with another person-

"Tamiko, I love you."

Now, Tamiko can't deny the fact that it was him getting asked out by Yui. A princess asking asking him to go out with him? Sounds like a dream come true.

A small crowd formed at the far back, confirming the situation and bearing testimony to this wonderful event. Not believing their eyes, some people were making a fuss of the situation,

"Why him?"

"I can't believe that she chose him."

"Maybe he was blackmailing her."

It wasn't blackmail, it wasn't sorcery, it wasn't magic. It might seem like that to anyone how doesn't know the full picture. To understand, we have to look back two months into the past, where it all started...

It was nighttime,

Tamiko, who was out in the streets, chilling, saw something unusual. People might think introverts like Tamiko are usually shut ins. Well, most of them are. But Tamiko has another life at night. He has friends and he quite enjoys it. His get up, personality and everything changes. He is not a delinquent, don't get the wrong idea. Its that he just enjoys the night more than the day. He doesn't steal, rob, smoke or do weeds. He just walks under the starry night sky, enjoying the beauty of the stars...

"Oi Tamiko. I have some plans for today. Our cousins came by our house. They want to see fireworks, so I might take some time to come."

"Your cousin? That cute one which you showed me in the picture?"

"Yeah that one. She was turning one year old today too."

"Oh. Okay then. Don't worry about me and just enjoy yourself. No need to come just to hang out if you become tired. You come here to hang out everyday man."

"Thanks bro."

"Okay then, bye."

The call cut out as Tamiko was staring at the skys, appreciating its wonderful beauty that it has to offer. Having nothing to do, he was trying to find some ways to pass away his time. Until he saw something,

A weird, middle aged, drunk, strange man was following a high school girl. Upon closer look, he recognised that it was none other that his classmate Yui, the gentle princess. She was walking in a tensed manner, looking back again and again. Her footsteps were irregular. Holding tight onto her bag, she was walking as fast as possible. Her face was screaming, "Someone, please save me". She was visibly distressed. It was the middle of the night. No one was there. He was sure that she needed help. But he didn't know what to do.

Then, she saw him. Without hesitation, she went behind him for cover. She didn't recognise him. She asked him for help in a hopeless voice. He immediately knew what to do. He went in between her and the man, and asked him to stop.

"Go away."

"Who are you? What are you to her?"

"It doesn't concern you. Stop being persistent."

"Yes. Yes it does. I've been following her for so many days. You can't stop me."

"You stalker..."

"Its not called stalking, you idiot. Its called blind love."

What a twisted personality that stalker has. Tamiko was thinking a way to shake him off. At first, he hesitated, but that didn't matter in this situation. He shook it off and said,

"She is my girlfriend."

That obviously was a blatant lie. Yui knew that. It was necessary in that situation. But it didn't de-escalate the matter. Rather, all it did was put oil in fire...

At this, the stalker started crying,

"You damn cheater! I've been loyal to you for so long and you've done this? You've been cheating on me. You cheater!"

He looks at Tamiko. Then he pulls out a knife from his pocket. With anger, he charges with the knife at him and her.

"You did this. Its all your fault. I'm gonna kill you!"

Tamiko realises the situation. He is a smart guy. He pushed Yui away to save her, and decides to tackle the stalker all by himself. A stalker with a knife, while him unarmed.

He slides his phone to her. He tells her,

"Call the police. I will handle this situation."

He then faces off with the stalker. He wasn't scared. Thats because he practiced basic forms of self defence. He had mastered the ability to remain calm during these situations. He also worked out. He had a great physique, despite being introverted. For this reason, people didn't notice his strength.

As the stalker charged straight at him with his knife, he dodged it by moving his body to the right. He then grabbed his left arm and kicked his left leg, disabling him from moving for a short period of time.

He handled the situation perfectly. He put the stalker into a choking position and waited for the police. Yui had already called them.

After some time, the police came and arrested that stalker. Yui was scared for her life. Her hands were shaking, but still she came to thank Tamiko.

"T-thank you very much for s-saving my life. I am sorry to drag you into this."

"Its nothing."

The worried expression of hers was lessened but didn't go away completely. The shock hit her very hard. It was visible that she was still scared. Seeing her hands shaking that much, Tamiko just held her hands. Yui was flustered of the sudden action done by him.

"Umm, what are you doing."

He seem to have pressed particular spots on her arm. To which she didn't understand his actions completely.

"Pressure points. These pressure point seem to help in these situation. See? Your hands were shaking like crazy before, but now, it stopped."

"Oh, it true!"

She still hadn't realise that it was him. It was when the police asked both of their names, addresses, why they were there and what high school they were studying that she realised it was that introverted classmate of her class.

"State me your name, addresses, reason for being here and the high school you are studying."

"Yes. My name is Tamiko, only Tamiko. I live alone. My parents died and I don't know any of my relatives. I was going to get some groceries and I study at Sakura High School."

Yui became surprised. She went to him and asked fro confirmation.

"Wait. Are you Tamiko from class 1-A?"

"Yes. You recognised me right now?"

"I didn't realise it was you. Sorry."

"Its okay. Its only natural that people will find it hard to recognise me in this form."

That was not the only reason. The main reason was his face. Tamiko actually had a pretty good facial figure, but he always hid it from others. If people were to see his face, he would automatically become popular among the girls.

With that unusual encounter started their love story. As days passed by, their love grew and grew and today, Yui was the first to express her feelings for him. Although Tamiko was planning to do the same, Yui beat him to it.

But Tamiko thought that if he were to date Yui from now on, her reputation would deteriorate. Yui realised his worries and decided to act on it.

"T-Tamiko, your answer?"

"Umm, c-can you give m-me some time?"

His mind was thinking about what was going to happen if he was the one to date her. He doesn't want her reputation to deteriorate.

"No. I won't give you time. You have to answer me now. I don't care about my reputation. Let it go down the drain. You just have to think for yourself. Now, whats your answer?"

Tamiko became flustered about that bold statement given by her. Covering his face with his hands and averting his gaze, he just shook his head with a gentle shake, telling that he agreed.

Yui's expression brightened as she got an answer. But the worry of Tamiko about Yui's reputation was still visible. She knew she had to do something about it. To which, she hit upon a plan.

They decided to go on a date later that night. It was their "first date", or "first official date". They decided to meet up infront of the station.

They both were excited for the date, which resulted in them both being half an hour early. But that didn't pose any significant problem.

When they were planning for the date, Yui told him that she would give him a gift. Well, she took him to the salon. Pretty unusual place to be in, huh? But it was the best gift for Tamiko. She said,

"You have a handsome face behind your hair. You were worried about my reputation, right? Well, I don't care about those. But I do want to teach those enviers a lesson. Just show them your face, and they will go silent. They wont even dare to speak behind your back anymore. You don't mind, do you?"

That was the first time he was complemented by a girl. He was happy to the point that he was speechless. Yui decided to give him some room to breathe. Later, he cut his hair, and their usual date plan goes on. It was a blast for both of them. But next day was when things started to get interesting.

Tamiko entered the classroom. Everyone remained silent. They had one question.

"Who is he?"

Someone asked him if he were a transfer student. To which he replied,

"No. Im Tamiko. Don't recognise me?"

At this the whole class became shocked. And Yui also achieved her objective. In a passive aggressive way, she shut down those enviers mouths. With that, their first official date came to an end.

That wasn't the only date they went to. After that, they went to many. They even went to each others homes. Well, it was for study purpose, but you can call it a study date for the most part.

"Excuse me for the intrusion."

"Its alright. You can come in now, Tamiko.", said Yui. She was looking gorgeous today, with that blue skirt and white dress. She was looking cute nonetheless. As expected from the gentle princess.

"But is it alright to come in? I feel like I am doing something illegal here. I mean, to enter a girls house is kinda... you know? Besides, your parents are not home too."

"Don't worry about them. I've asked them for permission and they agreed. So theres nothing to worry about."

"Is that so? Well, thanks for inviting me for the study session."

"I should be the one thanking you. Anyway, my room is upstairs. You go there and wait for me."

"O-okay."

For Tamiko, he has never been to a girls house before. He was kinda nervous. Actually, he was so nervous that he took half an hour to decide what to wear for the study date. Well, it was an unofficial date.

Well, for Yui, it was the same too. She took more time than normal to choose that dress that she was wearing. She took a lot of time cleaning the house too.

Anyway, thats not the main point. The main point is.... Yui's parents were not home. Tamiko wondered how would they react when they come to know that a male friend of Yui came during their absence. Well, as they are parents, they will always have a little sense of distrust to any male friends of their daughter. Thats a fact. A universal fact.

As Tamiko entered the room, he was amazed by the tidiness of her room. Her room was pink coloured, with her study table right beside her bed on the left side. She had a shelf with various books on the left side. It was a pretty cozy room nonetheless.

There was a small table for them to study. Thats probably where Tamiko was expected to sit. He sat, opened his bags and started taking out his books and notes. Todays study subject was maths. Yui was a bit weak in math, which was Tamiko's strong side. Therefore he decided to help her with it.

As he was taking out the books and pens, Yui arrived with snacks and juice.

"Sorry for taking so long."

"No problem. So, shall we start?"

"Sure."

Well, Tamiko was expecting Yui to sit on the other end, but instead, she sat right beside him. He was a little embarrassed at this. Sitting next to a girl this cute... he was getting intrusive thoughts.

Well, even though they started dating, Yui still hadn't told her parents about it. She was a little embarrassed to say it to them.

"Umm, Yui-san."

"What?"

"I think you are sitting a little too close."

"O-oh. I will move then."

Well, after realising how close she sat, she became flustered a bit. Her cheeks turned red. She quickly moved aside. Well, can they even study? Or will they just flirt with each other?

Well, it was more like a tutoring session than an actual study session. Yui surely learned many things from Tamiko. He was a big help. But its also wrong to say that there wasn't some flirting between them.

"Hey Tamiko, how do I solve this problem?", said Yui, getting close to Tamiko. Her slender arms were touching his, but she was too busy thinking about how to solve the problem that that. But when she realised, she immediately backed out.

Tamiko was bare surviving these situations. But he can't let his intrusive thoughts win in these situations. He takes a glass of juice to calm himself down, but it only made matters worse. He spilled the juice, but none of it got spilled over Tamiko.

They both panicked a little in this situation. Yui got towel to clean the mess, while Tamiko tried to stop it from spreading by tissues he had in his bag. While doing that, their head did a little bump. They were too close.

They were so into their study sessions that it became nighttime. Yui's parents didn't come yet. They were stuck in a traffic jam. When she received the message, she realised how late it was.

Seeing it was already 9 at night, they packed everything up and called it a day. That day, Yui decided to accompany Tamiko a little on his way home.

"Hey Tamiko, you are a night guy, right?"

"Yes."

"What do you find so nice at night that is absent during the day?"

"Various reasons. Nighttime is cold, it is silent, it is less crowded, it is gentle. And many more."

"Do you hate the day?"

"Well, I kind of did previously. But you taught me how to love it."

Yui was flustered upon hearing that sentence from Tamiko. But she was also amazed by the stars of the sky right above them.

"These stars are so pretty-"

As she was saying that, she tripped on a rock that she didn't realise existed and fell to her left. Tamiko, seeing this, as a reflex, hold her hand to stop her from falling. But instead, he lost his balance too and they both fell in the alleyway that was right beside them.

They both are now inside a alleyway, beside the road. A dark place, where no one can see them.

"Ouch, that hurt."

Tamiko was on top of Yui. In a, uhh, kind of in 'that' position. Yui was flustered. She could not understand what was happening. Even though Tamiko didn't even dare to do anything, she gave up.

She gave up any form of resistance. Well, it was that she wanted Tamiko to steal away her first kiss intentionally. Tamiko, on the other hand, couldn't resist his own self, seeing Yui in that position. He tried his best to resist, but when he say Yui defenceless, he just couldn't.

He kissed Yui in the lips, in that position, where Tamiko was on top of her. But they didn't stop there, they kissed again, but this time, it was not just any kind of kiss, it was a full on french kiss. It just happened in the heat of the moment, and both of them couldn't resist.

That day, they both had their first kiss. Both of them were flustered.

As they were doing it, they heard a sound from behind. But they were too late to react.

"Well well well. There is another pair of love junks in my area. Guess its time for me to clean up this mess."

With a single slice, both went silent. It a fluid motion, both their heads fell to the ground. Not even a single drop of blood splattered. It was as if the body didn't realise that it had been decapitated. Both the heads of Tamiko and Yui saw their killers. He was wearing a full face mask, with a high school uniform of a different school, a boy. He tells them in a calm voice,

"Love is the greatest curse. Why don't you realise that, you filthy animals?"

Then, he closed off both Tamiko and Yui's eyes. With that, their love story came to an end.

Recently, there have been rumours of couples disappearing from the alleyways in japan. But nobody knows how or why. Some people were lucky enough to see them in action. Some even managed to take a picture of the masked high schooler killing couples in the alleyways. But the police couldn't yet find them. People gave them the name "Quixotic Predator"

The guy removes his mask and reveals his face. His name is Hiroshi. He studies at Ryotaro High school. Its pretty famous for its rankings in japan.

A talented student of a talented school. Yes, he is the "Quixotic Predator". A threat that everyone fears. A threat that fills people's minds with fear. A threat that made his name into the secret police's watch list. But nobody knows his real identity.

He is not a psychopath. He is not a stalker. He is just a normal student who hates the word "Love" and "Romance". The reason behind that is his past traumas that follows him...