Ayase Aoi stood frozen before me, her petite frame trembling slightly. Her hands hovered near her face, fingers twitching as if unsure whether to cover herself or push me away. But she didn't run. She just stared—wide-eyed, breathless, completely overwhelmed.
A soft chuckle escaped my lips. "You okay there, Ayase-san?"
She flinched.
"I—I—" Her voice was barely above a whisper, cracking from sheer nervousness. Her dark eyes darted everywhere, searching for an escape route. But there was none.
I decided to ease her suffering.
"How can I help you?" I asked gently, tilting my head as I flashed her a warm smile.
Her breath hitched.
For a second, her entire body seemed to lock up. Then—her hands clenched into fists, her lips parted, and in a voice so soft I almost didn't catch it, she mumbled,
"C-Can you eat w-with me d-during r-recess…?"
Silence.
I blinked.
Ayase's eyes widened in horror. As if realizing what she had just said, she took an immediate step back, her entire face burning a deep crimson.
"I-I MEAN—!! N-NO!! N-NOT THAT! I WASN'T ASKING!! I-I MEANT—!! AHHH!!"
She waved her hands frantically, shaking her head as if trying to erase reality itself. Her panic was almost adorable.
I chuckled. "Sure."
She froze.
Her hands stopped mid-air.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Slowly—hesitantly—her wide, stunned eyes met mine again.
"…W-What…?"
"I said sure," I repeated, smiling softly. "I'll eat with you during recess."
A sharp inhale.
Then, she stumbled.
I instinctively reached out, steadying her by the shoulders. She was light—so light, it felt like she might disappear if I let go.
She stiffened at my touch, her face an impossible shade of red.
"I-I-I—!!" Her voice was nothing but air now, a desperate attempt at forming words. Her lips trembled, her breathing came in short, rapid bursts, and she looked utterly, completely lost.
For a moment, I thought she was about to collapse.
But then—
She exhaled.
And a small, almost imperceptible smile formed on her lips.
It was the softest, purest thing I had ever seen.
"…O-Okay…" she whispered, barely audible.
Her fingers clutched the hem of her uniform tightly, and for the first time, she looked at me not with fear or panic—but with something else.
Something warmer.
Something happy.
She was still trembling. Still blushing. Still struggling to even breathe properly.
But in that moment…
Ayase Aoi was happy.
And I couldn't help but smile.
Ayase Aoi stood there, trembling, blushing, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Her small hands clutched at her uniform, her lips parted as if trying to process what had just happened.
Then, like a glitching robot—
She turned.
And bolted.
—Straight into another student.
"AH—!! I'M SORRY!!" she yelped, bowing furiously.
Then, as if her legs had a mind of their own, she turned again—
And crashed into another person.
"AHHH!! I-I-I'M REALLY SORRY!!"
She spun around wildly, trying to escape—only to SLAM face-first into the nearest wall.
THUD.
Silence.
I flinched.
She stumbled back, her hands frantically waving in front of her as if trying to dissipate her own existence.
And yet—
Through all this, through all her frantic apologies, through all the sheer chaos—
She was smiling.
It was small, barely there, but it was real.
And for some reason, that made my heart skip a beat.
"…She's cute."
I chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of my head as I watched her disappear down the hallway like a terrified rabbit.
Then—
BEEP.
A familiar glow appeared before my eyes.
"…The hell?"
The Soul Stats screen materialized in front of me.
But something was different.
It was—
VIBRATING.
No—
It was radiating an aura of pure, unfiltered DEATH.
---
[*WARNING: SAVE YOUR LIFE]
[AHANE MEI]
MOOD:
ANGRY: 100%
ANNOYANCE: 100%
JEALOUS: 100%
*OBJECTIVE: MAKE HER HAPPY!
---
I felt my stomach drop.
"…What."
I blinked.
Sweat formed on my forehead.
A chill ran down my spine.
I had seen some terrifying things in my life. Rejections. Heartbreaks. Aisha when she got jealous.
But this—
This was something else.
I swallowed hard, my hands shaking as I reached out toward the screen—
BZZT.
The words flickered violently. The aura around them turned blood red.
I flinched back as if the damn thing had just threatened me.
"…Oh no."
Then—
I felt it.
An ominous presence behind me.
The kind that made your soul SCREAM at you to run.
I turned my head slowly.
And there—peeking from the classroom door—
Two figures.
Ahane Hana.
Ahane Mei.
Hana had a stiff, nervous smile on her face. It was the kind of smile that said, "I love you, but you're about to be six feet under."
Mei…
Oh dear God, Mei.
Her expression was pure, seething, unfiltered rage.
Her eye twitched.
A vein popped on her forehead.
Her fists clenched so tightly I could hear her knuckles crack.
She looked like she was about to obliterate me from existence.
I choked on my own breath.
"…H-Hey—"
"HUH?!"
Mei's voice BOOMED across the hallway.
I FELT MY BONES RATTLE.
Her aura was so terrifying it was distorting reality itself. The air around her wobbled, as if the sheer force of her anger was bending the laws of physics.
I HAVE MADE A GRAVE MISTAKE.
My soul left my body.
My legs turned to jelly.
My brain?
*WARNING: ERROR 404. SYSTEM FAILURE
I started mumbling nonsense. "Guh… bubuh… hweh… nngh… I-I… Ayase… w-wasn't… m-my fault… blubuh…"
I felt my vision tunnel. My body swayed. The world spun.
I was going to pass out.
*WARNING: IMMINENT DEATH DETECTED
I crumpled.
Right before I collapsed completely—
BAM.
Hana suddenly BURST through the door, sprinting toward me at full speed.
"Itooooo—!!"
She reached out dramatically—
But she was too late.
I fell.
My body hit the floor with a resounding THUD.
Silence.
Hana stopped mid-run, her arms still outstretched, her face frozen in shock.
Mei just stood there, glaring down at my collapsed form.
Then—
"HUH!"
Hana, still frozen in place, let out a nervous laugh. "W-Well… I tried."
From my position on the floor, my mouth still bubbling nonsense, I could only think one thing—
"I am so dead."
END OF CHAPTER : 23 : THE MOMENT I SAW DEATH!