Stalker Alert

Shiro stood up and stretched her arms. "Ah~! I think that's it. Looks like we got everything on the checklist. Good job, guys!"

"Hooray..." Taiyori mumbled lazily.

"Eh?! Don't tell me you're already tired! We've only been here for three hours! Probably even less than that. There's still some items left on the itinerary that we need to get to!"

"Like what...?"

Shiro pulled out her phone and began reading. "Let's see... We have the cinema, the Joypolis, and then eat again. We haven't even made it to the halfway point that I had planned!"

"Planned? Did you schedule an entire vacation or something?"

"It's not even that bad! Maybe if you were slightly more in shape, then it wouldn't be such a big issue. Tsuki, what do you think?!"

"Tsuki, if you agree with her, I'm blocking you on Line forever."

Taiyori was lying on the bench with her legs up next to me, so she had to tilt her head up to give me that menacing glare. Meanwhile, Shiro stood in front of us with her arms crossed, brows curled, and eyes that told me I was going to die if I disagreed with her.

"First, Taiyori. Sit up," I said. "Someone's going to peek beneath your skirt."

"Hm? Why do you care if someone does?" she muttered. "Jealous?"

"Shiro, I think you might be right. We've got a long day to go."

"H-hey!" Taiyori shouted as she immediately perked right up.

I let out a small chuckle, amused by her flustered expression. Is it bad that I want to tease her even more? Perhaps I shouldn't. I think the fatigue of walking around for hours is getting to her.

"As bad as I feel for postponing your plans, Shiro, it might be too much for us to handle," I said. "Even I'm starting to feel a bit weak in the knees."

I'm lying through my teeth right now. There was a time I went days without sleep, yet my body kept pushing forward. It was during a mission deep in the frozen wilderness of a taiga. Out of everything I've done, I like to think that mission did the most to build my stamina.

"You too, huh...?" Shiro mumbled. "Sheesh, you guys need to hit the gym. I'm totally fine."

"You're crazy," Taiyori said. "How do you even have the slightest bit of energy after all of that? Can we just find a lounge area and take a short nap?"

"Tch, lazy bum. At this rate, you're not gonna survive the festival next month."

"Maybe not, but that's fine. I'll just find a nice, quiet little area to relax for the entire night."

"Eh?! But you're an officer!"

"I like planning and helping. I don't necessarily like partaking."

"What the... Come on, Tsuki. Even you can't defend that."

Again, both of them looked to me for validation. I don't even know much about how the normal world works. How am I supposed to provide answers to such trivial questions?

"Um... I'm just a regular member of the club, so I don't really know," I said.

"What kind of an excuse is that?" Taiyori grumbled.

"I mean, it's true, isn't it? Who am I to tell a commanding officer what they should or shouldn't do?"

"Tch, fine," Shiro mumbled. "Ayaka, call your chauffeur to come pick us up.

"Finally," she said as she pulled out her phone.

I often need reminding that Taiyori is rich—an heiress to a massive business empire. A chauffeur, though... that feels a little over the top. Then again, I suppose someone as important as her would need it. In fact, I'm surprised she doesn’t have an entire security detail following her right now.

While Taiyori chatted on the phone, I took a moment to scan the area. What a peaceful time we live in, where people can stroll around in public without a single care. That's how the world should be, but there are always those who go against it. I guess that's why people like me still exist.

Suddenly, my eyes twitched at a brief flash of light. It was small, quick, and almost imperceptible. Any normal person would've missed it entirely. Thankfully, I'm far from normal, and for once, I'm glad to be so different. Because these eyes are trained to see what others can’t.

A little farther down the corridor was a small hallway leading to an emergency exit. There, leaning casually against the wall, was a figure shrouded in an oversized black jacket.

I'm long past the point of dismissing things as mere imagination. I know what I saw, and if my instincts are right, I won't hesitate to act.

"I'll be right back," I said as I stood up. "I'm going to go use the washroom."

"Alright," Taiyori hummed. "My chauffeur will be here in five minutes. If you don't come back by then, we're leaving you behind."

"Sure."

I began walking towards the hallway where the guy was still standing. While I had my eyes positioned elsewhere to avoid eye contact, I could see him inconspicuously looking at me. I need to be as fast as possible. Otherwise, I'll draw unnecessary attention.

Right as I passed him, I threw my entire body against him, slamming him into the wall. I shot my forearm at his neck, holding him in place while he desperately attempted to release himself.

"My eyes may have been deceiving me, but that is rarely the case," I muttered. "No... In fact, it is never the case. You were snapping photos of those girls, weren't you?"

He refused to answer, only grunting in pain while I stiffened my arm. I then forcibly snatched away the phone he was so desperately trying to hide.

With that, I let go of him, allowing him the privilege of breathing once more. While he fell to the ground, coughing and panting, I turned on the phone. Right away, there were rows upon rows of pictures taken from a distance.

One had Shiro leaving the washroom. Another one had Taiyori eating ramen back at that restaurant. The most recent one was by far the worst, as it was a picture of Taiyori lying down on the bench just now.

"How curious," I said. "So you've been following them around all day. Is that right? Were they your targets all along? How did you know they would be here today? Or perhaps... You were just waiting for the perfect prey."

With my bare hands, I crushed the phone until it was nothing but a crumpled-up piece of scrap. I threw it on the ground next to the guy and knelt down in front of him.

"You know, I feel bad for people like you," I said. "Feels like you're always out of reach, doesn't it? No matter what you do, you'll never be able to approach them. All you've got is a fair distance and a line of sight, gazing for however long you want. Admiration for someone can take you far, but it can also drag you so deep that you won't even realize you're falling. That's when you reach this point; treading the shadows, watching, waiting for your moment..."

I reached beneath my coat and unsheathed a combat knife. Before he could react, I shoved the blade into the wall right next to his head.

"That's a dangerous person to let free, don't you think?" I smiled. "It's alright, though. That's completely fine. I'm going to let you go... because as dangerous as you are, there will always be someone who is far... worse."

Finally, I caught a glimpse of his eyes, and it portrayed nothing short of absolute terror. That's good. To see that kind of face coming from someone like him is exciting. I suppose this is what they call... the 'thrill of the hunt.'

I removed the knife from the wall and sheathed it.

"You know, death seems to follow me wherever I go," I said. "But if that's the case, don't you find it strange that I'm the one who's still alive? If you're that curious, you can stick around for a bit longer. Otherwise... I'd suggest you run along."

The guy quickly stood up and ran away, leaving through the emergency exit at the end of the hallway.

Sometimes, I wonder why I let people like him go free. They're criminals. If I don't take their lives now, there's a chance they'll go back to doing the usual. Worst case scenario, they push it to the end and commit something unthinkable.

I wonder... but then again, who am I to judge? In the end, I am just like them. It's not a matter of who deserves what, because I am still walking this Earth. Me, a monster with blood of hundreds on his hands. If I'm going to talk about fault and judgment, then no one deserves worse than me.

"What took you so damn long, Tsuki?" Taiyori grumbled.

I looked up to see her standing next to Shiro with a visible frown.

"Did I really take that long?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it," Shiro chuckled. "She's just itching to leave, but we couldn't because we need our resident bag carrier."

"Hah."

I reached down and picked up all of our bags, effortlessly lifting them from the ground.

"Alright!" Shiro grinned. "Let's go home."

"Ah, I can't wait to plop onto my bed," Taiyori sighed, before tilting her head at me. "Hurry up, Tsuki!"

"I'm coming," I said.