Tanaka's face darkened as he spoke, his voice heavy with worry. "Now it's confirmed. Someone holds hatred toward Haruto and Hana."
Haruto frowned, confusion and unease evident in his eyes. "Why would someone do this to us?"
Suddenly, Hana's expression shifted, fear creeping into her voice. "This morning, in the classroom... I felt like someone was staring at me, filled with anger. Could it be that person doing all this?"
Yuki, eyebrows furrowed in thought, interjected, "But even if that's true, it's strange. Why is Haruto being targeted too?"
Yuno shrugged, her tone light but her words serious. "Maybe it's to confuse us?"
Tanaka sighed, rubbing his temples. "The possibilities are endless. We need a definite reason." His eyes drifted to Rin, who stood silent with his eyes closed. "Rin, why are your eyes closed?"
Rin opened one eye, her voice flat. "I'm just sleepy."
Yuki glanced at Haruto and Hana, concern lining his features. "They need to rest."
"That's a good idea," Tanaka agreed, nodding. "Let's ask for small houses."
At that, a collective shout of "house" echoed, and six small houses materialized before them. Without further ado, they each retreated into their respective houses to rest.
However, rest was fleeting. Barely five minutes passed before they found themselves gathered near the ominous red line that marked their boundary. A strange pull had summoned them there. Their hearts pounded as they saw Tanaka—across the red line. But the real shock came as they turned to find another Tanaka standing right beside them.
As if the situation wasn't surreal enough, a girl stepped forward from the shadows, a knife gleaming in her hand. It was Miyu, their classmate, her eyes filled with an unreadable emotion.
Rin, always sharp, already had his gun drawn, aimed steadily at the Tanaka across the red line.
Before Yuki, Yuno, or Haruto could utter a word about the two Tanakas, Hana's voice rang out in a sudden, desperate shout. "Now I remember! It was Miyu who was staring at me!"
In an instant, Miyu charged toward Hana, her knife gleaming dangerously. But just as the blade was about to strike, Haruto moved. His hand shot out, gripping Miyu's wrist with such force that she couldn't even flinch. The knife clattered to the ground as pain overtook Miyu, and the intent to harm drained from her eyes. She collapsed to the ground, her body trembling as tears flowed freely.
"Why, Miyu?" Hana's voice was choked with emotion, her own tears spilling down her cheeks.
Haruto, his voice tense and edged with confusion, asked, "What is happening? And why are there two Tanakas?"
Yuno blinked, the words barely making sense in the chaos. "Miyu? Two Tanakas?"
Yuki echoed, the disbelief evident. "Miyu? Two Tanakas?"
Hana, still trying to process everything, murmured, "Two Tanakas?"
Yuki turned toward Rin, noticing the gun still aimed. "Wait, why is Rin pointing a gun at Tanaka? And... which one is the real Tanaka?"
The confusion was a thick fog clouding their minds. Yuki, Yuno, Haruto, and Hana stood frozen, unable to piece together any possibility in the face of such overwhelming complexity. Even Miyu, despite her tears, watched the unfolding scene with wide, observant eyes.
Rin's voice cut through the tense air, sharp and filled with anger. "Tanaka, why did you hurt your friends?" she demanded, her eyes blazing with intensity.
Tanaka remained silent, his gaze fixed on the floor. Around them, Hana, Yuki, Yuno, and Haruto exchanged bewildered glances, the shock evident in their expressions. Haruto was the first to break the silence, his voice a mix of confusion and concern. "Rin, what do you mean by that? Miyu was the one who wanted to kill Hana."
"But wait," Yuki interjected, a frown creasing his brow. "Haruto was poisoned too, but it didn't seem like Miyu wanted to kill him."
The realization hit Hana and Yuno simultaneously, their eyes widening in shock. Rin's patience snapped as she turned to Tanaka, her voice rising. "Tanaka, speak already!"
Before Tanaka could respond, Miyu's voice rang out, sharp and defensive. "Why wouldn't Tanaka do such a thing?"
All eyes turned to Miyu, who stood rigid, her fists clenched at her sides. She took a deep breath, her gaze hardening as she continued. "But you need to understand the whole story."
A flashback flickered through her mind. It was a day that had changed everything. Her boyfriend had come to her, his expression cold and distant. "I want to break up," he said abruptly. "My choice could have been better."
Miyu had stared at him, disbelief and hurt etched across her face. "What do you mean by that?"
"You're totally opposite of Hana," he replied, his tone indifferent.
"So what?" Miyu retorted, her voice shaking.
"See, anyway, from now on, we are done for," he said, turning away from her.
"Come back if you don't get Hana," Miyu had called after him, but he didn't respond, disappearing from her life without another word. The rejection stung, and though Miyu tried to brush it off, she couldn't ignore the painful reality. Her boyfriend had left because of Hana—or so she thought.
In the days that followed, Miyu couldn't help but notice Hana more. She observed how Hana spoke to boys, the way her words seemed to make them feel special, as if they were the only ones who mattered. It wasn't intentional on Hana's part—she was too naive to understand the subtleties of her actions. But Miyu saw it, and it gnawed at her.
Miyu's voice trembled as she continued, her emotions raw. "Tanaka has no family. He lives alone, no relatives in contact with him. We both work at the same café, and that's when I learned about his situation. One day, I noticed that Tanaka was attracted to Hana, and I warned him to stay away from her. I told him what had happened to me, hoping he'd understand."
Her words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of unspoken truths and concealed pain.
Miyu continued, her voice trembling with emotion. "I've always believed that Hana unintentionally attracts boys. My boyfriend left me because, after talking to Hana, his standards soared. That's why I never hated Hana or my boyfriend, even when our situation seemed helpless. I thought he would return to me after realizing he couldn't have Hana, but he didn't. Instead, he started a relationship with someone else. That's when everything changed. The pain became unbearable, knowing it was because of Hana and my boyfriend. I could have endured it if he had come back, but he didn't. He chose someone else."
In her room, just thirty minutes earlier, Miyu had learned the truth. Her resentment towards Hana and her ex-boyfriend swelled to an unimaginable level. The anger consumed her, to the point where she contemplated ending their lives. As the dark thoughts spiraled in her mind, a sinister figure suddenly materialized before her—a devil, with eyes that burned with a malevolent fire.
Miyu froze in shock, her eyes wide as the devil appeared before her. Trembling, she let out a scream, loud and piercing, but her body refused to move. The devil's voice was cold, almost mocking. "Humans are evil. Humans are their own worst enemies. Do you want to kill Hana and your ex-boyfriend?"
Miyu's mind raced, struggling to process the surreal reality—devils were real, and one stood before her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her thoughts returned to Hana and her ex-boyfriend, and the devil's question echoed in her mind. Her hatred surged, overwhelming any sense of caution or reason.
"Yes," she growled through clenched teeth. "I want to kill them."
The devil grinned, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement. "How do you want to kil—"
Before he could finish, Miyu snapped, "Shut up and take me to Hana!"
The devil's laughter filled the room, a chilling, bone-deep sound that sent shivers down her spine. He hadn't even moved when Miyu grabbed a knife from a nearby plate, her hand steady despite the turmoil inside her.
As she clutched the blade, the devil's voice cut through the tension. "Once you kill Hana and your ex-boyfriend, you will die. That's the price."
But Miyu didn't care anymore. Her hatred left no room for fear or regret. She nodded, and with a wicked smile, the devil whisked her away to where Hana was.
Miyu had laid everything bare, leaving everyone in stunned silence. Faces turned pale, and breaths hitched as the weight of her words settled over them. Rin's voice broke the tension, a mix of sorrow and disbelief in her tone. "Tanaka doesn't have any family or relatives, and he lives alone?!" Her eyes filled with concern as she turned to Tanaka. "Why didn't you ever tell us? We're your friends, aren't we?"
Yuki, deep in thought, spoke up. "Miyu, are you saying we're here not because of you?"
Miyu nodded, her expression somber. "Yes, it wasn't me."
Rin's eyes flared with anger as she shouted at Tanaka, "Tanaka, make this fake Tanaka that's with Yuki, Yuno, Haruto, and Hana disappear!"
Tanaka responded swiftly, his voice loud and commanding. "Disappear!" In an instant, the fake Tanaka vanished, leaving Yuki, Yuno, Haruto, and Hana stunned. They exchanged glances, slowly piecing together the truth behind the torment they had endured.
All eyes were on Tanaka now. After a few tense moments, Tanaka spoke, his voice laden with regret. "Everything Miyu said about me is true. A few months ago, I started liking Hana. One day at school, I saw her standing alone and approached her. We talked for a while, and then I asked, 'Hana, do you have a crush on anyone? There are so many boys who like you.' She laughed and said, 'That's troublesome for me because I'm not into relationships or crushes.' I asked about marriage, and she replied, 'I could even marry you.' Then her friends called her, and she left."
Before Tanaka could continue, Hana interrupted, her voice urgent. "Tanaka, wait! I just remembered something. When I said I could even marry you, I was about to say something more, but my friends interrupted."
Tanaka's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"
Hana hesitated before continuing, "I was going to say, 'If my parents choose you.'"
Tanaka's face fell, his voice trembling. "But... but you could have told me this anytime."
Hana's expression mirrored his regret. "I-I forgot."
Tanaka's shoulders sagged under the weight of their shared regret, and Hana's sadness deepened. Haruto let out a sigh. "So, it was all a misunderstanding."
Yuki and Yuno exchanged looks of disbelief. "That's tragic!" they echoed.
Rin, her voice steady once more, commanded, "Disappear the gun." And just like that, the gun vanished, leaving a collective sense of relief in the group.
Miyu, her eyes heavy with sorrow, spoke softly. "When fate isn't on your side, even someone as intelligent as Tanaka can fall into darkness."
Rin, her expression filled with anger once again, demanded, "Tanaka, continue your talk."
Tanaka took a deep breath, his voice steady but tinged with emotion. "When I found out that Hana and Haruto were going to marry each other, even after what Hana said to me, I felt sad and alone. Now we know it was a misunderstanding, but back then, I didn't get angry. Instead, I felt a deep sadness. I went outside to a green hill under the full moon, expecting that a devil would show up, so I—"
Before he could finish, Rin interrupted, her eyes wide with shock. "Wait, what?! Why did you expect that a devil would show up?!"
To be continued...