NOTE: The following plot changes apply to lead up to this alternative chapter. This chapter happened if:

Kei's talk with the reader regarding the importance of emotions was significantly reduced, meaning the reader's tenancies to discard emotional attachments is more prominent than the canon readerShe never opened up to Kashi in chapter 40 and had the talk about Genji. Emotionally, the reader is more distant to KashiThe reader never had that deep convo with Genji at the grocery store; they still saw each other, but she never got the additional info about the past reader being clingy/possessive The reader still had that talk with Genji before the concert; however, he didn't give her the key because he didn't feel as 'connected' to her as the cannon reader.

A gentle reminder that I do not in any shape or form condone yandere behaviour in real life. This is a work of fiction meant for your entertainment, please remember that a yandere relationship is extremely toxic and shouldn't be a reflection of what you're seeking for.

And with that, enjoy the first bad ending of the book!

[ Penalty 2 - feature removed: progress check ]

Initially, a heavy weight twisted uncomfortably in your chest before realisation dropped onto you like an anvil.

"Hello? You still there?"

It was as if your mind had switched to auto pilot. Kai's question was nothing more than a muffled blur as you instinctively hung up on him. Call Kashi. Your fingers glided over your screen; however, you soon paused.

Why would he even answer the phone? Especially since Genji––

[ Penalty 3 - feature removed: Analysis ]

A mountain of exasperation threatened to overwhelm you, but you somehow managed to refrain from yelling an ocean of profanity at thin air. Another penalty?! What was Kashi doing?! At this rate you'll earn so many penalties to the point where you'll run out of features and lose the game.

You muttered a string of curses under your breath and you felt your fingernails bite deeply into your palms. Forget thinking about whether Kashi would pick up or not, you were going to have to try something.

You pressed Kashi's contact and waited for him to pick up, your fingers anxiously drumming against your lap. More waiting. Shoot. What would you do if Kashi didn't pick up? Do you just frantically ask around where he could be? Or maybe you can try getting in touch with Ichika—

"(Y/n)?"

Both relief and panic overwhelmed you to where you felt dizzy. He picked up!

"Where are you right now?"

Despite your panic, your words carried an unexpected cold and sharp bite.

"Oh! Were you looking for me?" You could feel the smile behind Kashi's voice. "I'll come get you! Just tell me where you are."

Hearing his cheerful voice influenced you to try and match his energy. Steel your nerves. So long as you were talking to him, he shouldn't hurt Genji. You needed to keep him on the line as you figured out what to do next.

"I'll come to you instead. You're tired from the performance, right?"

"Aw, are you worrying about me?"

Kashi was talented at detecting someone's lies, so he must've felt something off with your words. You weren't sure if the idol was purposefully choosing to be oblivious or if he was attempting to deceive you.

"Yup. Can you tell me where you are?"

While on the phone, you searched around to locate Kashi's voice. You managed to dodge the staff, your haphazardness drowned in the busy nature of backstage. Hardly anyone paid attention to you so long as you didn't seek to draw attention.

A moment of silence ensued on the other side of the phone, causing you to grow nervous.

"Oh, I'm in my room."

After that, Kashi gave you the directions. It was easy. Too easy. Was he tricking you? Was Genji even in the same room anymore? Far too many anxious questions swarmed your mind.

"Can you stay on the line?" you asked. "I don't wanna have to call back if I somehow get lost."

"Mhm! Take your time, I'm not going anywhere."

Taking my time is the LAST thing I want to do.

Just as you were about to respond, you heard a muffled groan in the background. Was that... Genji? Your grip on the phone tightened, and that was when you realised how sweaty your hands were.

"Was that––"

Kashi hung up.

...

You were going to have to run. Your heels practically dug into the ground as you sprinted as fast as you could. Fortunately, you managed to avoid encountering any staff members on the way. Your frantic running and panicked face would have certainly raised suspicion.

When you reached the door Kashi directed you to, you didn't even stop to consider if Kashi was really in there. Your hands latched onto the door knob and your heart sank when it refused to budge––it was locked. Balling your hands into a fist, you slammed it against the door while shouting,

"Kashi! Are you in there?!"

There was shuffling, but no verbal response. Your eyes darted to the door knob. You couldn't stand around waiting for something to happen. Using a front kick, you drove the heel of your foot as hard as you could to the side where the lock was. It made a hell of a racket, but it didn't do much.

Your plan was to destroy the door knob off, but realistically that was impossible with your strength unless the door was old to begin with. Clearly, this one was brand new. Just as you were about to rack your brain for any brighter ideas, something slid underneath the door and tapped your foot.

It was a set of keys. Without any inquiry on who slipped it there or why they did so, you seized the keys and unlocked the door. The plan was to open the door, get a clear view of the room, locate Genji, and prevent anything else from happening to him.

But, of course, things never go according to plan.

As you swung the door open, the person who had been the cause of your panic was the first person you laid eyes on. Kashi stood in front of the door with an innocuous smile on his face, although his eyes appeared dim.

"(Y/n)! Why were you in such a rush? Are you okay?"

You ignored the idol, your gaze drawn to the spot of red on the floor like a magnet. The penalty already indicated well enough that Genji was injured by Kashi, but seeing it with your own eyes made you take a step back and question the reality of your situation.

Despite having a multitude of thoughts and feelings to express, all that managed to part your lips was a question that was utterly useless to you.

"What happened here?"

Kashi's smile fell as he looked back at Genji, his eyes moving in an eerily slow manner.

"There was a disagreement."

"A disagreement?" It was hard to keep your voice steady. "Does that warrant you almost beating him to death?"

Kashi looked at you in disbelief. "Death? I wasn't going that far. Sure I got violent, but you understand, right? Sometimes we do things in the heat of the moment."

Ah, right. Kashi was referring to the time you slapped Genji. Had Kei not intervened, you had no idea how far you would have gone after that slap. From Kashi's perspective, someone who doesn't know the conditions of the game you were in, you were overreacting and maybe being somewhat of a hypocrite.

But you didn't care about that at the moment as your mind was hyper focused on preventing a murder. As you stepped to the side to move past Kashi, he mirrored your movements and obstructed your path. You didn't have the time nor the patience to play any games, so you forcefully shoved him aside.

Kashi made no attempts to resist, but a blend of hurt and surprise flickered across his face––unbeknownst to you––as you rushed to check on Genji. The redhead had one hand covering his lips and another clutching his stomach; the blood from before probably came from his mouth. It wasn't anything that you'd dash to call 911, but it wasn't something as minor as a light slap either.

"Are you okay?"

God, you couldn't sound more unconcerned.

Genji looked at you, but didn't get a chance to say anything as Kashi spoke in a low murmur,

"You're... worried about him?"

The way he spoke conveyed a sense of betrayal, as though you had committed a grave offence against him.

"I think asking that question to an injured person is reasonable," you replied.

"Really?" Kashi's laughter was jaded, but he did a good job lacing it with a false sense of cheerfulness. Kashi was a good actor, an even better singer, but at the moment he was nothing more than a source of anxiety. "What if I just kill him now? Will you stop worrying about him, or will you plan his funeral?"

Kashi almost spat out the last few words in anger as his eyes narrowed sharply at Genji. His questions were filled with a lifetime's worth of frustration. Guess that was one thing you two shared, immense frustration––just towards different things. You wondered how much time you had, how many buttons you could accidentally push until Kashi finally snapped.

What the hell were you supposed to do now? How could you get out of this situation?

And to think you actually shared good moments with Kashi. A small part of you, hidden, but it was there, wanted to trust Kashi. To do 'good' and not take the easy route to win the game by making use of Kashi's feelings towards you, to listen to Kei's advice even though you didn't want to.

But where did that lead you? Here, in a situation where you were at a disadvantage. It would've been easier if you had relied on yourself from the very beginning.

What about Kai and Himari?

"Like they can understand," you mumbled. You weren't sure if Genji or Kashi heard you, but you didn't care.

You were literally shown a memory of you killing Aimi in the past. What else have you done in your past life? If the siblings truly knew who you were, they wouldn't remain friends with you. Could you call that a genuine friendship?

The individual before you, the Kashi whom you've once befriended, left you in your current state now. It was almost impossible to believe the idol in front of you was the same person who used to serenade children at the daycare with a kind smile and warm voice.

Meaningless. All meaningless.

"..."

Starting now, I'm doing things my own way.

Winning the game was your only source of certainty, unlike relying on flimsy relationships and emotional connections.

You had to stop yourself from sighing in relief. Ah, your head felt so much clearer now.

"You're seriously insane."

You blinked. Hm? Genji was speaking. It seemed like while you were organising your thoughts, the idols were talking to each other.

Despite his stagger, Genji took a confident step forward. "Just admit that you're way too clingy to her."

The corners of Kashi's mouth turned up into a mocking smile. "You sound so sure of yourself."

"Of course." Genji paused for a moment. "I've experienced something like this in the past."

You raised a curious eyebrow. He's experienced it before, huh? Why did that feel important to you?

Kashi rolled his eyes. When his gaze landed on you, they softened a little, a clear indicator that no matter how mad he got, he still had feelings for you.

"(Y/n), do you still love him?"

You let out a deep breath, your posture relaxed and your arms hung loosely by your side; your body language portrayed a nonchalant attitude that was out of place in the current situation. There was no need to feel alarmed, you could handle this.

"What I love is to know how you came to that conclusion," you said. "When have I ever tried getting back with him?"

Kashi didn't look convinced. "Why else would you care about him?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe I'm concerned about the fact that you punched a guy?"

"And what if he deserved it?"

"What if you went too far?"

A subtle but palpable tension lingered in the air like a quiet cloud. Genji looked like he wanted to say something to you, but held his tongue. Huh, well that was rare of him.

"I can't ever read you." Kashi finally said, there was a mix of acceptance and defeat in his tone. "(Y/n), step away from Genji-san. You don't need to worry about him anymore."

Kashi's previous bitterness resurfaced when he noticed that you didn't move.

"You didn't waste a second to antagonise me before," he mumbled. "Did you ever trust me? The times where you comforted me, did you really mean them?"

The gears in your head began to shift. Even if you stopped Kashi from killing Genji here, there's no guarantee that he wouldn't hurt Genji in the future. You needed to resolve this tonight to minimise any risks.

I have an idea.

It was one you weren't fond of, but it was an idea that would definitely work.

Until graduation, (Y/n). You can wear a mask for that long.



===



Kashi felt like he could choke from the anger he was feeling. Genji, out of all people, was by your side at the moment. However, a thing worth noting was that Kashi's impulsiveness and irrationality had subsided significantly ever since he saw your face.

Oh, the effects you have on me, (Y/n).

"I meant them," you said. "I meant every word."

Were you lying? It was hard to tell. When it came to you, Kashi was naturally biassed to believe your words.

"I see." Kashi raised a slow hand and gestured to the door. When he looked at Genji, no amount of acting could cover the look of disgust in his eyes. "You should patch that up and leave us alone."

The moment was fleeting, but there was relief in your expression. But a wave of skepticism was quick to wash over you. Genji turned over to you and your eyes met in silent understanding, there was something unspoken between you two and that only fuelled Kashi's jealousy. It took a lot of willpower for him to not make a comment.

As Genji walked past Kashi, you remained in one spot, eyes fixated on the two idols. If only you just looked at Kashi. Just as he often found himself unable to look away from you, he wished you did the same.

The idol cared for you so much, words couldn't describe the lengths he would go for you, the emotions that could escalate because of you, the pure elation he felt when you showed any signs of kindness to him.

So... Why weren't you on his side? You were supposed to be reassuring him, telling him that what he did to Genji wasn't wrong. If not that, then you were supposed to be forgiving him, smiling kindly as you offered words of advice on what he could do.

After all, it was both his impulse and desire for your acceptance that prompted Kashi to give you the instructions to this room and to slip you the keys to let you in.

But, so far, you've been nothing but wary of him.

This wasn't right. This wasn't how the night was supposed to go.

Kashi glanced over where Genji was. It was a subtle movement, but it was noticeable enough for you to rush to Genji and push him out of the room before closing and locking the door. Your actions were so smooth and precise that Kashi was convinced that you had planned this from the start. Were you paying that much attention to him? Kashi was flattered to have your attention, but disappointed that it was out of caution.

Before Kashi could even contemplate unlocking the door, you grabbed onto his arm. The idol felt a surge of pleasure spark from the contact, one he didn't expect.

"Where are you going?"

Cold. Your voice was so cold. But it was a cold voice Kashi could record and play it on repeat with pleasure.

"Do you think I'll go after him?" he asked.

"What else?"

Your eyes cast off to the side in thought and your hands still gripped Kashi's arm. You probably didn't even realise that you were holding onto him, but Kashi felt nothing but joy from your touch.

"(Y/n), you're acting strange," Kashi said. "Like you're hiding something."

"Not really," you said, your voice faint as it was dissipating like smoke in the wind. Kashi nearly missed it. "I already told you why I'm like this."

You did? Kashi searched through his memory and one stuck out to him, it was on the day he confessed to you.

"Look, I'm not saying you're a bad person if you're jealous. I get jealous when a cat goes to someone else instead of me," you said. "I was just a little worried you'd take it too far. Don't take it the wrong way! It's just... I have my anxieties."

Kashi's realisation must've shown on his face, because you nodded the very next moment.

"I tread carefully when it comes to romance because of––well, past experiences. So, yeah. My head loves to exaggerate," you explained. "But, you know what? A part of me doesn't blame you for what you did. I never clearly conveyed my feelings about Genji, so it makes sense for you to jump to conclusions. I say that I hate him, but I continue to involve him in my life."

You summed up how Kashi felt so well that he thought you accessed his mind for a moment. He was happy you understood him, but now guilt flooded him. You were pinning the blame on yourself, Kashi didn't intend to make you out to be the bad guy.

"But you're still at fault," you said, pointing to Kashi. Ah, he spoke too soon. "There was no need to go so far as to hurt Genji-san. You even mentioned killing him! Did you even hear yourself?"

Kashi swallowed, feeling guilty again.

You sighed. "Kashi, do you think you've grown?"

"Grown?"

"You used to be insecure, do you think you've overcome that?"

"Of course! Ever since you've helped me, I've––"

"Wrong answer."

Kashi blinked in surprise. "Wrong answer?"

"You used to depend on the validation of the crowd to feel secure, but now that dependency has changed to me. It's gotten to the point where anything regarding me prompts an overreaction. Example A: Genji-san."

Although Kashi was aware your words were true, there was an overwhelming desire to reject them.

"That's not—"

Then you smiled. You smiled. Kashi blinked slowly and his heart stuttered.

"No? That's not what it is?" Your words held so much confidence, the conversation was under your control. "You're worried that I'll distance myself from you once I realised your dependency on me?"

"..."

Kashi tensed, his mind racing. You were right, you couldn't have worded it better. If you knew this now, then would you leave him?

I messed up. I shouldn't have let her come into the room. I shouldn't have let my emotions get the better of me like that.

"That's alright, you know."

The idol was pulled away from his thoughts. "Alright?"

"If you acknowledge what you did wrong, we don't have to cut ties."

You hummed in contemplation, tension was absent from your expression. Kashi didn't know whether to feel relieved or not. He could only wait nervously.

"Kashi, I still care about you," you finally said. "You're my friend, you know? I don't want to throw that away."

You... you weren't lying, but there was something off about your words, like a deceptively beautiful rose. Despite his instincts yelling at him to analyse your true intentions, Kashi made a conscious decision to turn a blind eye. He loved you and he yearned for your presence. Anything that may cause you to turn away from him, he'll gladly ignore.

"I... I really like you," he mumbled. It was a quiet and desperate whisper.

"Mhm."

"And... I... I'm." The simple thought about never seeing you again made his chest ache. With a shaky smile he whispered, "I don't know what I would do if you didn't want to see me anymore."

"I know."

Your hand extended towards his, and your fingers intertwined. Kashi's initial confused expression quickly turned into a flustered one when you brought the back of his hand to your lips and pressed a gentle kiss upon them. His heart leapt. Did you just––was he imagining things? Was he finally losing it?

A wonderful chuckle left your lips. "Cute."

"C-cute?"

You tilted your head. "I've never done this before, so it probably wasn't good, huh?"

"That's not it! I just––" Kashi needed a moment to collect his racing thoughts. He was growing more bashful by the second. "I'm confused. Do you––"

A small hum flowed from your lips, interrupting Kashi, and you fixed your gaze onto him. The depth of your stare was both controlling and mesmerising. Kashi could lose himself in them any day.

"Do I?"

"Do you..." Words were lost on his tongue. "I mean––what I was meant to say was––"

Your laughter cut him off. "I know what you mean. Do I like you? Didn't I reject your confession? That was a lie. Well, it's not like I'm head over heels for you. But I was lying when I said I didn't share any romantic feelings." Your expression grew serious. "I was just... scared. You showed signs of jealousy and––"

"I won't do it again!" His voice was thick with desperation. "I won't hurt anyone, I won't be obsessively jealous. If I do that, will you––"

Your phone rang and Kashi scowled at the interruption, but he was quick to dismiss that expression. No jealousy, no jealousy.

However, much to his delight, you ended the call without so much as glancing at the caller ID.

"What if that was important?" Kashi asked.

"Do you want me to call them back?"

Kashi was very quick to shake his head. "No."

"Then why bother asking?"

"Oh." Kashi was silent for a moment before he chuckled. "That was my bad. We were having an important conversation."

"You're not wrong there."

You two were getting along again. That made him happy. "So, does this mean we have a chance?"

You took a moment to respond. "To be honest, I still have my doubts. No one changes within a conversation..."

You held Kashi's hands again. But this time, as opposed to treating it with affection, you were slowly digging your nails into his skin. Kashi winced at the pain, but made no attempts to stop you.

"How about this?" You smiled. "If I catch you doing something again, I will make sure you can't do it again."

Your words were sharp and devoid of your previous warmth

But his desperate heart didn't care. Kashi wasn't worried about getting hurt by you, he was worried that you'd distrust him. He wanted you to be comfortable around him, just as he was comfortable around you. He so desperately wanted to be someone you can rely on, just as how he relied on you so much.

And maybe this was finally his chance.

"I'm fine with that." Kashi pulled you into a hug, resting his chin on your shoulder. "If I'm yours, I'll never go against your words."

Kashi thought he heard your breath hitch for a moment, but that must have been his imagination. You ruffled his hair and he happily leaned into the touch. Then, you pulled away from his embrace and Kashi whined at the loss of contact.

You looked at Kashi deep in thought. Then, with a smile that made his heart flutter, you moved closer to him. Almost, your lips brushed against his, causing the idol's eyes to widen. Despite his panic, his hands began to snake around your waist as he pulled you in closer. He knew where this was going and he was inviting you to take the initiative.

Finally, your lips pressed against his and Kashi almost melted on the spot. A muffled sound of surprise left him and his hold on you was gentle, yet unwilling to let go. The kiss was brief, but it was enough to make Kashi's head spin.

You pulled away and, with a breathy sigh, you whispered, "Good. All you need to do is listen to me, okay?"

In Kashi's moment of daze, it took him an extra second to register what you were saying. Ah, you were responding to his previous statement. Kashi nodded obediently, then he smiled in content.

He was happy. He was finally yours, and he will make sure that it stayed that way forever.



A/n: this chapter was so toxic on both ends lol