When lunchtime finally came, Yasushi's group found themselves ushered into a room that Furuya had managed to secure with a bit of persistence. It wasn't an easy task. Furuya had spent the morning, between classes, sending out a series of urgent texts to his baseball team's group chat. He asked, almost pleading, if they could use one of the rooms within the school for his friends.
The responses varied. Some of his teammates were hesitant, their reluctance palpable through the terse messages they sent back. But when Furuya mentioned Yasushi's name and the word "stalking," the tone changed. They became more accommodating, the gravity of the situation seeping through the pixels of their screens.
Before heading to the room, the group dispersed to gather their lunches. Some went to the cafeteria, others retrieved bento boxes they had stashed away in their lockers. A few made a quick run to the nearest convenience store, grabbing whatever looked appealing from the shelves. When they finally reconvened, they moved together, a loose formation, toward the room Furuya had managed to claim.
The room itself was medium-sized, a nondescript space that seemed to serve multiple purposes. Various pieces of data papered the walls, a TV stood in one corner, and baseball equipment lay scattered around, evidence of the room's usual occupants. Despite this clutter, the table and chairs were surprisingly clean, almost inviting.
Each member of the group picked a seat, the shuffle of chairs and rustle of clothing the only sounds as they settled in. They unwrapped their lunches with a quiet efficiency, the familiar ritual grounding them. For a few minutes, the only sounds were those of eating — chopsticks clicking against plastic containers, the crunch of fresh vegetables, the occasional sigh of contentment.
"So, any idea who this person might be? Or did they ask you to meet up somewhere for their confession?" Furuya's voice broke the silence that had settled over the room like a heavy fog.
Jingliu shook her head slowly, as if trying to dislodge the uncertainty clinging to her thoughts. "No, I don't know who they are," she said, her voice tinged with frustration. "I've been keeping an eye out all day, but no one's been staring at me for too long. Maybe they're being extra cautious because I got their letter, but that's all I've got."
Yasushi exhaled deeply, the kind of sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world with it. "Act like it doesn't bother you," he advised, leaning back in his chair. "We'll keep an eye out for you. If you act indifferent, maybe they'll lower their guard and we can catch them. But don't confront them yet. Let's gather evidence and nail them that way."
Laura's eyes darted nervously around the room before she spoke up, her voice wavering. "And what if this person gets violent?"
Yasushi's gaze shifted to Jingliu, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Jingliu can handle herself. But I doubt they'll get violent. They're hiding from her, from us. People like that might resort to using a weapon, trying to even the odds, but..." He trailed off, his eyes lingering on the delicate necklace Jingliu wore. "She'll be fine. She has a hidden weapon."
"Well, we have a plan," Xinyi began, her voice cutting through the lingering silence. "But if it doesn't work, how do we draw them out?" She turned to Jingliu, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Are you willing to expose your relationship with Yasushi? You know, act all lovey-dovey to irritate them and force them to show themselves?"
Furuya blinked several times, as if trying to clear fog from his mind. "Wait, what the hell!? You two are dating!? I thought you said—"
Before he could finish, Laura pinched his side, aiming for discretion but hitting a nerve that made him yelp and leap from his seat. The sudden outburst shattered the tension, laughter rippling through the group. Furuya's eyes were wide, a mix of surprise and mild annoyance. He looked around, rubbing his side where Laura's pinch had landed.
Jingliu and Yasushi exchanged glances, a silent conversation passing between them. Then, almost in unison, they nodded. "Yeah," Yasushi admitted, his voice steady. "We are."
Furuya's initial shock melted into a mix of resignation and amusement. "Well, I'll be damned," he muttered, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "I knew it. I just knew it." He shot Yasushi a playful glare, the kind only friends could give, filled with mock accusation and genuine affection.
They all turned to Jingliu, their eyes expectant, the weight of the question hanging heavily in the air. But before she could open her mouth, Yasushi spoke up, his voice calm and measured. "I don't mind either way. I mean, I'm not trying to downplay this, but compared to what happened to us recently — the serial killer and with Saisei…this seems a bit tamer."
A smirk curved on Jingliu's lips, a silent acknowledgment of Yasushi's words. "I'm not that bothered by this secret admirer," she began, her tone steady. "But if they try to interfere with me and Yasushi, then it could become troublesome. I'd like this to stop as soon as possible so it won't escalate."
She paused, her gaze drifting down to her lunch, as if the simple act of looking at her food could offer some clarity. Then, lifting her eyes back to the group, she continued, "Can we wait and see for the next few days? After that, we can decide on one of our strategies. I'll send the details to the group chat."
There was a moment of silence as her words sank in. The room seemed to hold its breath, each member of the group contemplating the plan. Then, one by one, they nodded, murmuring their agreement.
Furuya leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, a thoughtful look on his face. Laura glanced around, her eyes meeting each of theirs in turn, searching for any signs of doubt but finding none. Xinyi tapped her fingers lightly on the table, a rhythm that seemed to echo the group's collective anticipation.
That was when the door to the room creaked open. Xinyi's assistant, Catherine, and Jingliu's assistant, Layena, stepped in, closing the door softly behind them. They exchanged quick glances, an unspoken conversation passing between them, before Catherine stepped forward, her expression serious.
"We saw someone acting strangely around the school," Catherine began, her voice measured and calm. "From our observations, they seemed to be looking for Lady Jingliu."
The group leaned in, their curiosity piqued. Catherine continued, providing a detailed description. "He's a teenage male, about five foot eight, skinny build, with short, messy hair. Brown eyes and circular glasses."
Layena stepped forward, taking her cue. "He seems to be in the same year as us, one class over from yours." She paused for a moment, letting the information settle before continuing. "We did a bit of digging before coming here. Turns out, he's a small Twitch streamer with around a hundred thousand followers. He also has a YouTube channel with about five hundred and sixty thousand subscribers."
As she spoke, Layena pulled out her phone, swiping through it before holding it out to the group. On the screen was a series of videos and images of the boy in question, his online persona staring back at them from the digital ether. The evidence was undeniable, each clip and photo adding another layer to the growing puzzle.
Yasushi took the phone, scrolling through the information, his brow furrowing in concentration. "So, he's not just some random guy," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "He's got a presence, an audience."
Jingliu leaned in, her eyes narrowing as she studied the screen. "This complicates things," she said quietly, the weight of the situation pressing down on her.
Furuya, still reeling from the earlier revelation, looked from the phone to Jingliu, his mind racing. "What do we do now?" he asked, his voice tinged with both curiosity and concern.
Laura glanced at Yasushi, then at Jingliu, before speaking. "We need to be careful," she said, her tone firm. "If he has this kind of following, anything we do could be magnified. We can't just confront him without knowing more."
Furuya took the phone from Yasushi, his fingers gliding over the screen as he navigated to the guy's YouTube channel. He plugged in his earbuds, letting the videos play quietly as he absorbed the content. His friends continued their discussion, their voices a soft murmur in the background, but his focus remained on the digital persona unfolding before him.
He then switched to Twitch, scrolling through past VODs, the recorded streams offering a more candid glimpse into the boy's world. The atmosphere of the streams varied, but a common thread began to emerge, a subtle shift in tone and demeanor that caught Furuya's attention.
After about two minutes, he pulled the earbuds out, his face serious. "Wait," he said, his voice breaking into the ongoing conversation. "He's become a bit more... unhinged with his ramblings since Jingliu moved to the school. I found a VOD from around that time, and a YouTube video too. He basically became instantly obsessed. It's weird."
Yasushi leaned over to look at the screen as Furuya replayed some clips, showcasing the erratic behavior. "He even has his own subscribers calling him out on it, both on YouTube and Twitch," Yasushi mumbled, his brows knitting together in concern. The comments from viewers ranged from confusion to outright alarm, pointing out the sudden shift in his behavior.
Laura pulled out her own phone, quickly searching for the boy's online profiles. "Isn't this easy evidence then?" she asked, her eyes scanning through the comments and video titles. "Wait, do we know his name? I mean, his real name?" She turned to Catherine and Layena, the question hanging in the air.
Catherine and Layena exchanged glances. Layena was the first to speak. "We're not sure about his real name yet," she admitted. "We've been focusing on his online presence, but tracking down his actual identity shouldn't be too difficult given his online activity and we go to the same school."
Catherine nodded in agreement. "We'll look into it. If he's in the same year as us and in a nearby class, we can find out more through the school records. We just need a bit of time."
Jingliu, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up. "This makes things clearer," she said, her voice calm but edged with determination. "We need to gather all the evidence we can. His online behavior, his sudden obsession — these are all pieces of the puzzle."
Furuya nodded, handing the phone back to Yasushi. "I'll keep digging," he said. "There might be more to uncover in his streams and videos. We need to understand what triggered this obsession and how deep it goes."
The remainder of their lunch was consumed by the topic, the conversation swirling around the new, obsessed stalker like smoke in a confined room. They gathered more information, piecing together fragments of the boy's online presence and behavior.
Furuya continued to sift through videos and streams, while Laura cross-referenced profiles on her phone. Catherine and Layena took mental notes, planning their next steps to unearth the stalker's real identity.
Jingliu, though, seemed less perturbed. She ate her lunch with deliberate calmness, her chopsticks moving with steady precision. Her eyes, however, betrayed a flicker of unease, a shadow of concern that she couldn't entirely shake. It was clear to her that this was not just an isolated incident but the beginning of something far more intricate and potentially dangerous.