The unanticipated blackout only added to the atmosphere as restlessness hung over the air and loomed over everyone's heads as the storm outside made its presence loud and clear. Going home under these conditions was asking for a struggle and was the complete opposite of safe, so students were advised to wait until the storm settled. Whispers floated around and said that the blackout should be resolved soon as the office was contacted.

While everyone's main concern was the storm and blackout, yours was Satoshi.

Satoshi had a way of concealing his presence; it was like a faint breeze, unnoticeable unless you were purposefully looking out for it. So when he made moves to leave your side, you almost didn't realise. A part of you even thought it wasn't unreasonable to think that if you blinked at the wrong time or distracted yourself for just a second, he'd disappear without a trace.

"Where are you going, Satoshi-san?" you asked.

"I wanted to ask if I could leave the gymnasium."

His words made you uneasy. "Why?"

"Typically, the art club students prefer to do their activity outside. I'm worried if some had been caught in the storm," Satoshi explained. "Some of the members tend to be very particular about the spot where they do their craft and could go unnoticed by the teachers."

Seems like a solid enough explanation. Under any other circumstances, you'd applaud him for his concerns. "I'll come with you."

"There's no need. I don't want to bother you."

You withheld your desperation on a rope. "C'mon, don't you remember the whole 'take a partner with you' ordeal in your younger days? What if you fell or something then happen to sprain your ankle and then there's no one there to help you?"

A ghost of an amused smile was on Satoshi's. "Thank you for your consideration. I'll go inform the coach and we can leave together."

The smile on his lips almost made you doubt he was someone who was going to endanger Kai. You weren't sure if the fact that he looked so harmless evoked fear at how well he could conceal his expressions or reassurance that there is a possibility that he wasn't some heartless killer.

(Y/n), focus! Think about that later.

Now the focus is on Kai. You surveyed the area and searched for him and it wasn't hard considering how his height towered over everyone. The tall brunette was sharing a conversation with one of the coaches and you almost sped over to interrupt them and yell 'whatever it is you're making him do that needs him to leave this area, let me do it I literally don't care what it is!'

Interrupting your plan to walk over to Kai and eavesdrop on the conversation, students blocked your way. They wanted an opportunity to speak to you and you had to mentally curse your good reputation for a moment; being student council, hanging around Yusei and Kashi often, and having the fire incident under your belt did make you somewhat of a popular figure in the school.

You almost pushed them away out of sheer frustration, but you opted to kindly but quickly speak to them and wrap up the conversation as soon as possible. Acting rude now might bite you in the future. However, unfortunately, Satoshi came back before you had the chance to get to Kai.

"(L/n)-san, let's go."

You withheld a defeated sigh. Oh well, leaving before Kai does also works.

But, of course, things didn't go as planned. As soon as you placed your hand on the door handle, in the corner of your eye you saw Kai heading towards you. For a moment, you thought about picking Satoshi up and making a run for it. But if Kai saw that, you wouldn't put it past him to chase after you to ask what the hell you were doing.

"Hey, Kai! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, they needed someone to check if the message was received about the blackout. I'm just heading to the office," he explained. "Why are you leaving?"

"I'm helping Satoshi-san check on a few students. Oh, I don't mind visiting the office on the way for you."

"Nah. I have to talk about a few things with the principal about the basketball team anyway."

"I can relay the information for you."

Kai was a little taken back by your persistence. "I mean, I'm glad you're willing to help, but it'll be easier if I did it."

Satoshi joined the conversation, "Oh, since Kasumi-san also has something he needs to do, (L/n)-san, you don't need to––"

"No, I'm coming."

He let out a small chuckle. "I never knew you had a stubborn side."

Satoshi's not against me coming along. It was either your presence didn't hinder his plans or the event that unfolded in the art room was spontaneous.

Well, your plan to leave before Kai was ruined. Next plan, make sure to split up––anddd the office just happened to be on the way to where Satoshi wanted to go. Great. So that plan was also gone. During the walk, you shared a conversation with Kai regarding Himari's whereabouts––you learned that she didn't show up to the basketball game because their parents needed her for something––and Satoshi quietly listened in.

"You two seem to get along well," Satoshi commented.

Kai grinned proudly. "Of course! Why wouldn't we?"

"Oh, there's the office," you pointed out. Hopefully, this was a good opportunity to leave Kai, which sounds super bad out of context.

"We can wait for him to finish before heading off," Satoshi suggested. "Then, the three of us can check on the students together."

On normal occasions, his words would come off as considerate. But you felt skepticism towards his suggestion more than anything. Seriously, the lines between him being amiable and him scheming something was so blurred; was he truly being kind or was he purposefully keeping Kai around to...?

Kai looked happy, despite his best attempts to hide it, to spend more time with you. "It won't take long! (Y/n), don't leave."

Silence lingered between you and Satoshi. This time, you didn't make any attempts to start a conversation.

"(L/n)-san, can I ask you something?"

You were surprised that he broke the silence. "Sure."

"What are your feelings for Kasumi-san?"

Your feelings for Kai? That was abrupt. Why would Satoshi want to know? Could it be because... Nah, it wouldn't make sense.

"I consider him as––"

Before you could finish answering, Kai stepped out of the office. "See, told ya it wouldn't take long. So, what do we need to do now?"

"We're checking on some art students to see if they're safe," Satoshi said.

"It's not much work, so you can head back first if you want," you added in.

Kai gave you an odd look. "Are you tryna get rid of me?"

"No––I was just suggesting––"

He laughed. "I was messin around with ya. Either way, you can't get rid of me! I'm not about to let you got alone with another guy."

"Kai.. are you jealous?"

He looked shocked as if you had discovered some hidden secret of his that he so masterfully buried. "N-no."

He's so obvious.

"Jealous?" Satoshi's tone held a note of intrigue.

Kai snapped his head towards him. "Who said I was––"

"Okay! Let's end the conversation there," you interrupted. "We should check on the students."

Kai let out a sigh of relief and Satoshi began pinpointing the areas to look around. He really wasn't lying when he said some had very particular spots on where they wanted to do their art. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that you knew of the future causing your apprehension towards Satoshi, you would've admired how thoughtful his initiative to check on the students was.

You made sure to keep a close eye on either Satoshi or Kai the entire time. The process didn't take long and the three of you reconvened with any issues.

"Thankfully, no one was hurt," you said.

"Some of them were really into their art." Kai looked genuinely baffled. "One girl didn't even realise there was a storm!"

"I'm glad everyone seems to be fine. By the way, is it alright if we stop by the art room before we head back?" Satoshi asked. "I have a bad feeling that the windows weren't shut tightly. I wouldn't want the paintings to get ruined."

The art room. That's where Kai's death took place. You couldn't help but sneak an uneasy glance at Kai as the severity of the situation became more prominent. To put it visually, before you were walking along a narrow cliff. It was dangerous, but it was manageable. Now, cracks had formed below you, warning you of the long fall you'd experience should you fail.

"I'll help out," you said.

"Always ready to lend a helping hand, huh?" A thankful smile graced Satoshi's lips. "I––"

"(L/n)-san! I'm so glad I found you."

You didn't recognise the voice, but when you saw who was calling out to you, you felt dread overcome you. She was part of the student council and you had a very bad feeling about the reason why she called out your name.

"Hey, what's up?"

"A teacher wants to discuss the budget with you for the event we discussed last meeting. She plans to purchase the products today so she'd like to see you immediately."

A groan practically swallowed your entire being. Now was not the time to be a good student council member. "...Can it wait for like ten minutes?"

Kai mistook your hesitance as you not wanting to back on your promise to help Satoshi. "Don't worry about it, just go. I can help him out."

Wait, no. That was the last thing you wanted! "But––"

Satoshi chimed in, "It's fine, (L/n)-san."

You swallowed your nerves, the tension affecting your ability to come up with a solution out of this. Okay, (Y/n). Breathe. It's not that big of a deal, don't panic. When you calmed down, an idea came across your mind. Risky, but could go in your favour.

"Okay, do I just head to the staffroom, then?"

"Yup! I need to take care of a few things so I'll be going now. Thanks again!"

You turned to Kai and Satoshi. "I'll be seeing you guys later."

You walked in the direction to the staffroom, stopped midway, stood in silence for what seems to be barely thirty seconds, then made a sharp 180 turn and power-walked towards the art room. Yeah, you were going to need a really good excuse later for abandoning the teacher. Let's hope your reputation wouldn't be too jeopardized.

You caught sight of Kai and Satoshi just entering the art room and slowed your steps, the thunder and rain masked what little sound you were making. Steadying your breathing, you kept an attentive ear for any activity that would occur inside the room. You stood beside the door frame with no plans to enter just yet.

Here was the thing. You barely knew anything about Satoshi aside from the information given by default. Which stated:

[Character found: Satoshi Masaru]

Information: A quiet art student. He tends to spend his time alone in the art room and paint.

He prefers to keep his distance, but he is considerate when interacting with others. When you'd ask a student what they thought of him, 'polite' would come to mind and the rest would be a struggle to think of. His presence is normally never felt by others despite his artworks standing out.

When it came to Kashi and Yusei, you had a good grasp on their motivation and character, especially Kashi. Meaning, you had a good head on your shoulders when it came to preventing deaths in the future. Satoshi? You had no concrete idea as to why Satoshi would harm Kai in the first place. Maybe, just maybe, from eavesdropping, you'll be able to get something. You were growing tired of being uneasy around Satoshi because of how vague and distant everything about him was.

Let's see...You took out your phone and set it on record before slipping the device back in your pocket. Now, Satoshi, why would you target Kai?



===



"I was hoping this wouldn't happen..." Satoshi sighed and shut the window tightly. Though the gap was small, the intense rain outside made it so that water still affected the canvases. Thankfully, it didn't affect the paintings to the point of ruin. "Can you help me carry them inside the storeroom?"

Kasumi shrugged. "Sure. I store 'em at the back, right?"

"Yeah. I'll take the ones––"

"Yeah, no." The male picked up the canvas and easel as if it was light as a feather. "It'd be faster if I did it myself. Your arms would probably break."

He has a way with words. Satoshi took no offence to it, but he understood why a lot of students are hesitant to befriend Kasumi or find him rude. Someone who speaks without a filter and doesn't care about what others think of him; you don't find a lot of people like him in this school.

"You have a point," Satoshi said with a light chuckle. "My physical strength isn't the best."

Satoshi helped direct Kasumi on where to place the canvas and easels. In the midst of that, a loud crackle of thunder caught Satoshi's attention. He stole a brief glance out the window.

"The rain is picking up," he mumbled.

Satoshi approached closer to the window and could feel the cold air radiating off of it. He took the camera that hung around his neck and snapped a photo outside. Not exactly the most interesting thing to exist, but can be fun to paint when I'm bored. Since Kasumi was preoccupied––Satoshi offered to help a second time and was bluntly rejected––he decided to look through the photos on his camera.

Satoshi sifted through the gallery of photos and paused when he saw a certain picture. It was one of you. He felt guilty for having it. After all, it was taken without your knowledge or consent. He always told himself he'd delete it, but he had yet to do that. The photo was taken during one of your visits to the art club room.

"Oh, I forgot something in the classroom." Satoshi settled down the paintbrush. "Is it okay if I quickly get it? I promise it won't take long."

You looked up from your manga, Satoshi always found it fun to see you bring in an entirely different genre each visit. One day it'd be horror and gore, the next would be cheesy romances.

"Sure, take your time."

Satoshi quickly retrieved the item, his camera, and returned to the clubroom. However, before he entered the room, he paused when he saw what you were doing. You had stood up from your seat to take a look at his canvas. Satoshi noticed the subtle raise of your eyebrows, he noticed how you took a small step back and tilted your head to the side to see the canvas at a different angle, and he noticed how you briefly stole a glance at the paint brushes and colour palette he used.

He didn't know why, but he wanted to keep watching you.

Satoshi gently shook his head. "Ah, what am I doing?"

However, when he saw the smile that graced your lips as you admired his work, before he knew it, his hands had instinctively reached for his camera and raised it up.

Satoshi was always alone, but he wasn't really sad about it. Ever since he was younger, he always found himself outside social circles and would naturally distance himself from others. Rather than interacting with people, he would observe them. It was a habit he picked up.

You were no different, but you stood out a little more. Sometimes there were aspects of you that he couldn't grasp, but overall he found you to be a pleasant presence at school. How would he put it... you were interesting to watch? No, that wasn't the right way of expressing his thoughts. He didn't want to objectify you as entertainment. You were so much more than that.

But that wasn't the primary reason as to why he was drawn to you. Many people have a loud presence. What made him go out of his way to befriend you was because he'd sometimes catch you watching him closely.

His presence in this school was akin to a phantom. People didn't purposefully avoid him, no one talked to him simply because he was easy to go by unnoticed and he didn't exactly give off an approachable demeanour. Sure, he was polite, but he dismissed conversations like it was second nature.

The first week of school, your eyes were off him. Not like he blamed you. After all, you were involved in quite a lot of drama. However, one day, he caught you staring at him outside the clubroom as he painted. On a whim, he asked to paint you.

That's when it all started. Satoshi would feel your eyes on him, not out of attraction, but from observation. You'd sneak glances them your eyes would cloud in thought. Sometimes you'd feel relaxed, but many times you'd speak with caution and with your guard up.

Satoshi spent his entire life alone in his own world, sectioned off from everyone else. But when you came into the picture, it was like someone was knocking on the door many would walk past by. And he didn't mind letting you into his own little bubble.

Today, you were especially tense around him. He wondered why. Did he do something wrong?

Satoshi glanced at Kasumi, who had just finished putting down the last easel. You seemed so carefree around him. You laughed, teased, joked, and so mcch more. Though you'd occasionally banter with Satoshi and you were friendly, he wanted you to feel more close to him. He wanted you to open up to him, talk to him about deeper topics, express more of your feelings; he wanted to break down the walls of simple friends that see each other at school and for your relationship with him to develop into something much more.

How can he make that happen?

"What do you think of (L/n)-san?"

Those words slipped by his lips before his thoughts could catch up to him.

"(Y/n)? I like her."

The familiarity in his voice and how casually he addressed you––Satoshi almost openly narrowed his eyes. "You consider her as a good friend?"

"No, no." He grinned. "I like her as in if she asked me to go out on a date, I'd accept in a heartbeat."

Satoshi expected this response, but it was more distasteful hearing it directly from Kasumi's lips.

"Y'know, I confessed to her and all."

"Confessed...?" Satoshi's grip on his camera tightened. "What did she say?"

"She said that she had a lot going on, so committing to a relationship would be hard. I'll wait." A bashful was look on his face and a bright smile lightened his expression. "If she accepts my confession, the first thing I plan to do is sweep her off her feet!––Literally. I don't have muscles for nothing."

Satoshi found no reason to deny it––he hated how close you were with him. He always put aside this feeling, but when he finally admitted to it, he was surprised at how strongly he felt.

Kasumi would pat your head and you'd accept it, he'd put his arms around your shoulder and you'd laugh and tease him, he'd express his feelings so openly and you wouldn't show distaste.

Satoshi imagined himself reaching out to you to hold your hand or to brush a strand of hair out of your face. And every time he did, he always imagine you flinching in response.

"I see," he said, successfully suppressing any traces of animosity in his voice. "I wonder what's keeping her busy."

Kasumi shrugged. "If she feels comfortable, she'd tell me. I don't wanna pressure her."

It was childish, but Satoshi felt a sense of victory at the fact you haven't completely opened yourself up to Kasumi.

Ah... I should distract myself. These thoughts aren't good.

"I'm going into the storeroom to double check if everything is in order."

Kasumi nodded. "I'll wait for you."

A moment of peace. Satoshi let out a sigh of relief, being alone was always the best option for him. After he confirmed that all the paintings and equipment were in their rightful place, his gaze landed on a canvas covered with a thin white sheet of cloth. Touching the corner of the material, he lifted it up and it revealed a painting. It was the one he did of you.

Satoshi's gaze studied your painted features. I don't think I captured her that well. Covering the canvas and remembering your words well, he tucked it in the corner, hidden.

"Okay, but what if someone walks in and there's just––my face. Don't get me wrong, your art is dope. I almost cried at how talented you are, but I fear someone will be startled to see it."

Satoshi chuckled under his breath at the memory.

On his way out, he accidentally bumped into one of the shelves. It wobbled loosely and he checked to find out that there was a chip on one of the legs propping it up, making the structure unstable. He should inform a teacher about it, someone could get hurt.

When Satoshi was out of the storeroom, Kasumi was on his phone. He caught a glimpse of the student's screen and saw a picture of you. Your attention was focused on the camera, an embarrassed smile on your face. Satoshi paused. How many photos of you did Kasumi have? How many of them were you smiling in? Frowning? Caught off by surprise? Distracted?

His emotions were clouding his rationale. A shadow casted over his gold eyes and his lips pressed into a thin line.

Jealousy.

He was feeling jealous?

Ah, he shouldn't let emotions dictate his actions, but the bitterness in his system wouldn't leave. It lingered, it persisted, and it'd come back again even after Satoshi represses it.

... How should he get rid of this feeling?

Get rid of Kasumi?

It was a confronting thought, but Satoshi felt more calm than anything.

He asked, "Can I ask for one more favour?"

Kasumi sighed. "Geez, what would you do without me? What is it?"

"I need to get something, but it's on the top shelf."

"Hah! Being short must suck, huh?"

Satoshi forced a chuckle. "If you think I'm short, then I wonder how you perceive the rest of the students."

The storeroom was quite spacious and had bookshelves along the walls opposite to each other filled with paint brushes, palettes, sculptures, and so forth.

"Up there. There's a set of paint I need. You might need to search for a bit, I don't remember where I placed it exactly."

"Alright, easy."

While Kasumi was occupied, Satoshi glanced at the bookshelf behind him. This alone won't do...at most it'll startle him. There was a piece of an easel, the leg of it, on the floor. A long slab of wood, huh? Perhaps he can use that to make sure that Kasumi stays down?

Am I really going to do this? Well, it wasn't like he was planning on getting caught. Staging everything as an accident wasn't out of his capabilities.

I want to know how far these feelings would go.

Satoshi approached the damaged bookshelf and stuck to the edge of it, allowing an easy escape once it fell. He pretended to sift through some things and his fingers trailed along the edges of the bookshelf. He stole one last glance at Kasumi before pulling the architecture forward and quickly stepping to the side to dodge.

The moment he acted, rapid footsteps rushed into the storeroom; the steps were prominent even with the loud storm outside. For a split second, a quick glimmer of a certain someone's eyes met Satoshi's golden ones.

Crash!

Items fell off the shelves and a groan followed suit; someone was under the bookshelf, keeping it from falling entirely. Satoshi would've immediately acted if it weren't for the fact that the individual underneath the bookshelf wasn't the person he intended.

His eyes widened in surprise and a single name parted his lips.

"(Y/n)...?"

A/n: omg the book is finally doing the yanderes x reader part