It was a Sunday, a lazy, serene day—a day to rest and recharge. But for him, it was anything but. He had captured her on camera, freezing her image in time, so that he could stare at it and adore it forever. The intensity of his gaze could not be contained as he gazed upon the beauty that was captured before him. Her face, with its delicate curves and exquisite features, was a treasure to behold, and he couldn't help but drink in every detail of her appearance. It was a truly sublime picture that forever seared itself into his memory.

His mind swirled with thoughts of possession and control, for he knew that she was his, and his alone. With every inch of his being, he craved for her to be his, to possess her heart and soul, to be the object of her desire, to own her completely.

His calloused hands had a mind of their own, as they traced the outlines of her face. It was as if his movements were carefully orchestrated, he did so with a delicate precision, admiring how he managed to capture her every bit of beauty in a single moment of time. His heart thudded in his chest, like a drum, as he couldn't't help but blush at her beauty, his Senpai truly was worthy of being the subject of his photo, his muse.

He felt as though he was being consumed from the inside, purely by the thought of her. She was his entire world, he couldn't help but orbit around her from a distance, she was the sun, a sight to behold, she was the epitome of perfection. He felt as though he needed nothing else in the world but her.

The thought of losing her filled him with a sense of panic, an almost primal instinct to protect her, to keep her by his side, always. He ached for her, for every little detail of her being, and he knew he would do anything, anything at all, to have her. The thought of her being with someone else made him so jealous, so possessive, it was almost painful. His obsession grew, like a cancerous tumor spreading throughout his being, consuming everything in its path.

He found himself wanting to possess her, to be in control of everything about her. His thoughts swirled in his mind, taking him to a place of dark forbidden desires, where she belonged only to him.

He stepped away from his work, a portrait of her, and surveyed the red string that adorned his wooden corkboard. A tangled web of red, connecting countless pictures, all pointing to her. It was an enigmatic sight, and to an outsider, it looked the work of a crazed mind, like a spider's web with its red, thick strands stretching out in every direction. In the center of it all, her soft face stood out like a shining sunrise, a heart had been drawn over her, and then drawn over again and again till it seemed that the pen he used had died.

His pale skin blushed slightly, staring down at his hands and picturing her soft hands in his. He remembered that day when she helped him up ; he never wanted to wash that hand again...

A ghostly smile fell over his face once he lifted his head to look at his shrine, of his love, his life ; the one who would save him from a life of misery. Just has his father saved his mother from hers.

He stepped closer to his shrine, it is in the shape of a Butsudan, then his hands went around his neck to pull his necklace over his head. It had been tucked neatly under his shirt till it was unnoticeable. He wanted to keep his Senpai close to his heart at all times, as she was the key to his heart and the one who would unlock it, click.

He gently pulled the door open to reveal various objects once used by his Senpai and at the top, his hands brushed over her picture with her book in hand. Then he trailed lower down to an apple that filled a corner in his shrine.

This is an apple that Senpai was eating!

Licking the teeth marks is so much fun!

It was also his favorite pastime; to follow her, like a shadow, waiting for her to drop something that he could keep, something that was once hers.

A single strand of her silky, soft hair is all he desires...

Oh, even a single strand of her silky, soft hair, would be something he'd hold dear to his heart. Oh, the things he could do with it. His obsession with her knew no bounds, and he was desperate to own a piece of her, no matter the cost.

He slowly closed his shrine, still staring at her picture that was atop it, as he continued to stare at her, lost in his adoration.

Whenever she was out of reach, he would stare at her picture, keeping her close in his heart and mind, never wanting to lose sight of his true love.

His mother and father had left, to go to America he believes it was because of some vendetta his mother had against some journalist. After all, he did attempt to land her in jail and it didn't work. The journalist was ridiculed, publicly and the man choose to hide himself and run off ; clearly his mother wasn't finished with him though.

Speaking of vendetta's, someone was trying to take what was his.

Osano Najimi, an orange-haired boy, whose only gimmick is being an annoying spoiled brat.

He's her childhood best friend, the only saving grace he could possibly have for Taeko to ever accept a confession from him.

Osano nothing but a fly hanging around his senpai. He pouts his lips and puts his hands on his hips when he doesn't get his way, like an insufferable child. He shouts at Senpai for simple things, (things he loves about her) and is a self-centered and entitled, pest who isn't worthy of her time.

Then, he had the nerve to tell his friend Raibaru that he was going to confess to her on Friday. Friday, the emblemof the myth that confessing to the one you love under the tree, would make those two fall inlove for ever.

As if.

That's never happening on his watch.

He'd always dream of plunging a knife deep into Osano's heart...

Twisting it, as he watched Osano's face contort into the epitome of pain, Osano would scream at the searing burning sensation he would feel as the knife ripped through his life.

The cold grey steel would be coated in red, as the knife travelled so deep to the point that the blade would be encased in his chest.

This dream was so vivid, so perfect even.

He could recall the ear piercing scream he'd let out, as he ripped the blade from his chest watch Osano fall down.

His hands are covered in the blood of Osano.

His bloody life would be in his bloody hands.

He shook his head, shifting his thoughts to Taeko.

He could picture it now, him and Taeko under the cherry blossom tree together, with petals falling around them as she hugged him tightly promising to never let go of him. They were destined to be together, whether she liked it or not.

Taeko Aishi.

Taeko Aishi.

It could use a bit of getting use to, having his surname at the end of her name, but he'd have all the time in the world to grow accustomed to it.

He went limp and fell flat on his bed, he already felt drained after scheming and listening to Osano and Raibaru's conversation about confessing.

If only he knew, what a silly mistake he would make by doing such a thing.

It would be one that would cost him greatly.

His eyes fluttered shut, and he thought of Taeko before falling into the warm grips of slumber submerging him in the land of dreams.

"Taeko?" Ayato questioned, seeing a figure in all-black standing underneath the tree with a very visible white envelope with a heart on it, his hands shook as he slowly took the envelope into his hand. He opened it gently and pulled the letter out, disregarding the envelope that had fallen onto the land below, he started at the writing unfamiliar with it.

Maybe he need to watch Taeko more, and if to prove his point his eyes left the letter and went to stare back at the figure only to find that they were gone.

His dream had abruptly ended and he didn't know what to think, maybe it was a message that time was running out and the sooner he got rid of Osano Najimi the better.

It was now Monday, he had gotten ready for school and began walking up when he heard a whiny annoying voice, that could only belong to Osano Najimi, "Ugh! You can be such a pain, Senpai!" He complains, like the irritating brat he is but Senpai's soft voice eases his tension and he loosens the tight fist he's made. He quickly hides behind a bush, out of sight for anyone passing by to see and more importantly Senpai, as she was facing the direction he was in.

"I'm sorry..." Senpai mumbled.

She shouldn't have to deal with him...

"I can't believe you overslept again! It's just like back in middle school!"

"I'm sorry..." Senpai apologies, yet again.

"I'm not your personal alarm clock, you know! You can't rely on me to take you up every day!" He wines.

He wouldn't complain, he'd be greatful to be beside Taeko, and wake her up every morning.

"I'm sorry...if it bothers you so much, maybe we should stop walking to school together."

"N..no that...that's not what I..." Osano says on a frantic panic, "Just forget it okay?! ANYway, I want you to meet me on the school rooftop at lunchtime. Got it?"

"Huh? Why?" Senpai wonders, it really boggles his mind about how she can put up with that 'friend' of hers.

"Stop being so difficult! Just be there, all right? And don't keep me waiting!"

"Okay, okay! I'll be there."

"Good!" He smiles and begins to walk off with senpai to class.

Ayato hasn't listened to a word the teacher has said, too fixated on the clock and sabotaging this bento box Osano was planning on making her. Osano even had second thoughts and had to discuss it with Raibaru.

He would never have seconds thoughts on Senpai.

"You will! Come on let's go hang out!" Raibaru leads the way out the classroom with Osanl trailing behind, he had luckily snatched emetics from the school nurse and he almost got caught after spotting someone from class. What was her name? Does it matter? No. He ignored her but made sure he could steal it without her or the nurse seeing. After all, she was on a bed in the far corner plus there was a wall between the beds in the nurse's office and the space for medicine and of course emetics.

He dropped a few generous drops into the bento, he mumbled an apology that his senpai would never hear.

It's fine, it was for the greater good, their greater good.

His heart fluttered at the thought of their future together.

He then re-wrapped it back with that hideous bento box and awaited for her to return for bento.

In the meantime, he waited outside the classroom with his back leaned against the wall, phone in hand as he tapped into his contacts and stared at the long message sent by a person known as Info-kun.

Info-kun reserved a room in the building of Ackedmi High yet its purpose was not for a club nor anything he could come up with, he was simply there and never attended lessons or was seen leaving.

It was like he never existed.

Despite being in a room, behind closed doors, he was the one that found out that Osano Najimi had planned on confessing to his Senpai on Friday.

This was before he heard it from Osano himself, it seems Info-kun is somewhat reliable. Not in a trusting sense, as he seems like the type to double cross someone.

Osano traverses up the stairs and he follows behind him swiftly and quietly. He takes refuge on the side of a wall facing away from Taeko, while she's sat on the bench with Osano and somehow not noticing Raibaru on the opposing side to him, also watching.

"Okay...I'm here, just like you asked."

"H...here!" Osano stutters, handing Taeko the bento box, that she takes from him and holds as Osano flushes pink.

"What's this?" Taeko questions, looking down at the box then back to Osano.

"It's a bento, stupid!"

He's got nerve talking down to Senpai like, that but soon Taeko will see his true colours and she'll have to reject Osano.

"You made me lunch?"

"D... don't get the wrong idea! I didn't make it for YOU! I just made too much food this morning. So, you can have the extras!"

"Oh cool...Thanks a lot!"

"Just... shut up and eat it!"

Taeko sits down on the bench placing the box on her lap as lid slides off and she places it to the side, she gently picks up food from the bento box with chopsticks, so it doesn't fall and takes a bite.

A few seconds later, there's a sudden change in emotion and she places the box beside her so she can get up to stand as she clutches her stomach in pain, her face scrunched up tight.

Her breathing as become raspy and slow, Senpai must be in so much pain, I'm sorry Senpai...

"What did you put in this?" Taeko chokes out, not really looking for an answer and actually looking for an escape route.

"Senpai! Senpai?" Osano shouts after her but she's already heading back down the stairs, and Osano was deflated, "Raibaru I messed up!"

Ayato felt a spark inside, he didn't know what he felt but it must be...triumph that his plan was beginning to work.

Soon Taeko will be his.

After taking a nasty fall on the way to class, as she usually does when she gets ambitious and decides to go down two steps instead of one at a time like a normal person made her cascade downwards with a loud thud. Y/n had to seek medical attention for her knee.

She thought everyone was being dramatic, her knee wasn't hurt that bad... Just bleeding slightly.

And what could have possibly made this situation worse was that Budo had seen this and being who he is immediately helped her.

Budo, Saki and Kokona arrived to the nurse's office, only to see him. That boy in her class, seemingly in there for no particular reason and immediately leaving after he got what he needed?

She was a bit curious but the nurse was too busy dunking a mystery substance onto her knee, making it burn like she had set her knee alight.

But through all the pain her mind was racing with thoughts about: Budo, her friends, food, music and some stuff she probably shouldn't mention and that peculiar boy.

He was so strange, not in a bad way, he mostly kept to himself but he's always seemed so out of place.

However, recently, he's been so active lately... Ever since he bumped into Taeko.

Sometimes, she'd see him running in the halls with random objects in his hands.

Maybe she's looking into things too much, she's had a tendency to do just that, analyse things and see things that aren't even true.

To be fair you have to look between the cracks at Akademi, everyone here has secrets- dark ones.

She would know since she created a website for her classmates to go on and gossip on. Completely oblivious to the fact that she made the website, she knew what people liked and disliked and who they had a crush on.

She made the website with Fureddo Jonzu (photography leader) and a random person who's good with computers.

She can't exactly remember who the other person was but she knows they had green hair.

It was a project she had been assigned to ; it somehow got popular with students so she let it stay up. It was called Kaobook.

Despite this, she knows nothing is him, his account is empty, he doesn't post, or anything at all.

Once her knee was all bandaged up , she left the nurse's office, limping and she simply needed to wash her hands because who knows who else had been on those beds in the nurse's office.

She was not taking any chances of getting sick.

She entered the bathroom, she heard the door being slammed shut from a cubical as soon as she entered the toilets. She squeezed out some soap then twisted the top of the silver tap to begin washing her hands, only to hear spluttering.

The sound was basically like pouring a thick liquid into a toilet and it sounded way too familiar. She was fighting a war in her mind whether to forget washing her hands and go to the next bathroom or sucking it up and tough it out.

She took the second option because she doesn't feel like running into her sister, as the other bathroom is where her sister gossips at lunch.

She tried quickening her pace since the person inside began coughing and spitting but finally the toilet flushed and the culprit existed, it was Taeko?

"Taeko?" She asked, staring at the girl ,who looks even paler than usual.

"I'm sorry, that you had to hear all that." Taeko apologized then coughed into the crook of her arm and washed her hands.

"It's fine Taeko, maybe you should head off to the nurse's office?" Y/n suggested, feeling nauseous herself when the smell of vomit began to hang in the air.

"Yeah...I'll do that, bye Y/n." She mumbled and exited the toilets, she swore she heard Taeko say what did osana put in that bento. Y/n shrugged it off, it was probably a case of food gone wrong resulting in food poisoning.

_ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ Dear Diary,

Yeah, note to self avoid using school bathrooms in the future.

From Y/n _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _

Ayato finished off the rest of Monday and followed his Senpai till she had reached home safely, then walked down the path to his house.

This whole week would be finished quickly, Info-kun had provided him with necessary information to help him successfully take out Osano, he couldn't wait...

Now, he was one step closer to claiming what was his.

N