He scoffed the moment his eyes, red from crying, landed on mine. His entire face was red. It didn't take a genius to tell that he had been crying. Just behind him were the police, along with two other adults, a man and a woman. When they finally noticed I was here, they rushed toward me without wasting a second.

  "I'm SO SORRY FOR WHAT MY STUPID SON HAS DONE TO YOU!" the woman cried out as she knelt on the floor. I could hear her sobbing as her hands slid down my legs. The man instantly went down to prostration, shouting, "PLEASE FORGIVE MY SON! HE'S AN IDIOT, BUT IF HE GOES TO JAIL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'LL DO!" The faint sound of sobs came from him as well.

  But was it really me to make that call? Sure, he might have stabbed me, though it wasn’t life-threatening. It was Yuki's call to make; I was just her maid. I knelt down, lifting both parents' heads up. "I'm sorry, but that call isn't mine to make. I'm not the one that he was obsessed with," I said softly, doing my best to hide any disdain leaking out. Deep down, I wanted him to suffer, at least for a bit. He put me through hell on this trip, all for a one-sided love interest.

  "But please, Mr Kannazuki," the father said softly, his eyes puffy and red. "Please, could you take us to her?" he cried out. I paused. "Do I really want to bring them to her now? Sure, Yuki's with Arisa right now, distracted, but meeting the culprit's parents might not be the best thing for her." I sighed before looking both of them in the eyes. "I'm sorry, but right now, I don’t think Yuki would want to speak to anyone," I said softly.

  Both parents' eyes widened, and the father sank to his knees. "I see, that’s fine. It was a selfish request, considering the circumstances," he said, looking down. At that moment, there was silence, but it was an awkward silence. Like, do I leave? Or do I say something? I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t know what to do. But thankfully, the police pushed Subaru forward. "Let's go; we need to take him to the station," the officer demanded. Both parents bowed one more time before eventually following Subaru and the officer out to the station.

  And for a brief second, it went silent; the room had done a total 180. I felt a hint of guilt just letting Subaru's parents walk off like that... But I think it was the right decision.

  And then, like a guy holding cheese in the middle of a mouse-infested cage, everyone in the surrounding area rushed up to me, causing me to snap out of my trance.

  "OMG, Souta! WE HEARD WHAT YOU DID! YOU'RE SO AMAZING!"

  "YEAH, BRO! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU FOUGHT A GUY WITH A KNIFE AND WON!"

  "Hahaha, yeah, won, I guess you could say that," I murmured. Thankfully, though, the shouts and praises from the other students were too loud for them to hear my less-than-praiseworthy sentiment.

  "What's going on-" Nao's voice echoed as she walked around the corner. She paused as she saw the waves of people surrounding me. "SOUTA! YOU'RE FAMOUS!" she shouted in disbelief.

  Wait, that was mean, I thought.

  But just as my life was starting to turn around, it got better. I think?

  "Hey, Souta~ Umm, I've always thought you were a good-looking guy and everything… Maybe we could hang out." A girl with blonde hair said, her 'I hate following rules' look was evident. With socks stuffed down to her ankles and her skirt just a tad shorter than most, she leaned in closer, and I caught a whiff of her very strong perfume.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Smells like a sakura tree.

  "Wait, um, sorry, who are you?" I replied. Her eyes widened ever so slightly as the crowd surrounding me spread out. I could hear the ‘oohhhs’ and ‘awwwws’ in the back.

  Um, what the… is this what it feels like to get attention?

  "Oh, sorry… I know I’ve skipped some steps. Let me introduce myself." She did her best to hide her blush. "My name is Celestina Hosino, and um, Souta, I’ve really liked you. I just didn’t know how to say it, but now I feel like I’ve got the courage to…" She covered her face slightly.

  "Awwwwww! How cute!" some of the girls shouted.

  "What a lucky dude! She's gorgeous!"

  Urm… Okay, am I just that guy now?! This newfound fame, hahaha, I can't believe it! I can finally get myself a girlfriend that Saki would be proud of! I can finally be a happy ma-

  "HEY! GET OFF HIM! HE'S OURS!" a voice called out.

  "Huh."

  I turned around behind me once again, and this time a hand grabbed my arm. With an almighty pull, I was dragged across the floor.

  "Souta is our maid! Sorry… NOT!" Nao shouted as she pulled me through the hall.

  "Wait, Nao! Don't-" I cried out. "This is my chance, let me have it!!!!!" I shouted, still being dragged.

  "Oh… I see…" Celestina muttered.

  "Jeez, he does one good thing, and now he thinks he's a big shot," Arisa grumbled as she and the others stood around the corner.

  "YOU GUYS! THAT WAS MY MOMENT!!!" I shouted while still on the floor.

  NGH!

  "YOU JERK! YOU THINK YOU CAN WALTZ AROUND WITH OTHER WOMEN WHEN YOU HAVE A JOB?" Yuki shouted, stamping on my back.

  Not gonna lie…

  Felt pretty good.

  But I knew if I showed any sense of contempt, I would die.

  AHHHHHHHH I'm SORRY!!!"

  ***

  After Arisa and Reina dragged us out of the mess, the teachers sent everyone back to their rooms. Now, there was just one more sleep until the play. We sat around on our futons, with Arisa, Reina, and Nao engrossed in their phones, leaving Yuki and me to stare blankly at the wall. "If only I could be so relaxed", I thought, feeling a twinge of jealousy at the sight of them having fun while I struggled to read the same lines over and over again.

  "Damn this stupid play," I muttered in frustration, gripping my piece of paper tightly. Every line I read, I felt like it went through one ear and out the other.

  "Hey, Souta," Yuki said.

  "Yeah, what’s up?" I replied.

  "Don't mess up tomorrow… or you'll wish the stalker had gotten the best of you."

  Harsh, but okay, I guess.

  "Sure… I'll do my best," I said, forcing a smile that didn’t quite mask my nerves.

  "Good," Yuki muttered, turning away to go to sleep.

  For someone who had been thanking me not too long ago, she was one weird cookie. Kind of reminded me of a meaner version of Saki… I missed that weirdo. I wondered what she was up to.

  ***

  “WAHHHHH! MOM! THAT GIRL TOOK MY PRIZE!” The little girl cried.

  “Hahaha! Foolish girl, you must learn when to accept defeat!” Saki laughed, holding the stuffed toy high above her head.

  “Miss Saki,” Wilhelm said gently, “I respect your competitive spirit, but surely you understand the one beside you is merely a child.”

  “Well…” Saki glanced down at the girl, rubbing her eyes. “Ngh! Very well, then!” She handed over the toy.

  “Ah! Thank you, miss!” the girl beamed, spinning around and running back to her mother.

  “I don’t see why children should be spoon-fed,” Saki muttered, returning to the arcade machine. "When I was young, I had to earn everything… Beating oni-chan at games every time I wanted something… That wasn't easy."

  “Understandably,” Wilhelm replied with a smile. “Not everyone is as remarkable as you, Miss Saki.”

  “Hmph. Indeed, they are not…” Her gaze lingered on the family, the mother, the older brother, and the girl, laughing together.

  “…I suppose her smile was worth it,” Saki said quietly. “Still, her brother could have at least tried.”

  A faint jealousy settled in her chest before she turned away.

  “I suppose it’s almost time to go home, isn’t it, Wilhelm?” Saki said, stretching.

  “Indeed. I imagine you’re eager to see your Oni-Chan again.”

  “You bet I am!” She replied with a smile as they stepped outside.

  Thank you for reading!

  DeadEndYuto.