"Ahhh, this drink is tasty!" Saki chimed as she lay down comfortably on her tanning bed.

  "I'm happy to hear that, Miss Saki. Shall I get you more of that fruit juice?" Wilhelm asked.

  "Of course, Mr Wilhelm! I would be the utmost delighted for such cuisine!" Saki replied, her eyes glowing with stars.

  "As you wish," Wilhelm said, turning around. Just before he left, he turned his head back to Saki. "Shall I get the anime edition one, with Hunter x Levelling?"

  "Heheeh! You know me too well, Sensei!" Saki replied with a big grin on her face as she covered half of her face like a villain. Wilhelm nodded as he took off to the stands.

  Now, by herself, the sound of water splashing and kids having the time of their lives kept Saki smiling.

  "Holy moly, those hot springs are awwwwwsome!!!" Saki said to herself as she found herself at an indoor water park. Wearing her pink bikini suit, she wore a straw hat that was definitely too big for her head, but at this moment, she didn't care.

  "I can't wait to tell Oni-chan about this, he's going to be soo jelly!" she said as she finally sat up. "I wonder how he's doing..." She thought as Wilhelm came back with the drinks.

  "Milady," he said, handing down the cold glass of fruit juice.

  "Thank you, oh most good sir," she replied, wasting no time taking a sip, but the thought of what her big brother was doing loomed in her brain. After all, this was the first time in quite some time that she wasn't with him.

  "Hey Wilhelm," Saki finally muttered, this time more softly. It was just enough for Wilhelm to hear over the sound of kids and parents splashing in the water.

  "Yes, Miss Saki," he replied, his tone gentle yet stern.

  "Do you think my brother and the others are alright?"

  He smiled as he answered. "Of course they are. I believe in your brother to make sure everything goes all right, if anything goes wrong."

  "I see," she said as her gaze dropped a little. "Do you think he and Yuki will actually get along?"

  Wilhelm's smile still lingered as he looked towards the slide that people were using.

  "Of course, they will if they're not already."

  Saki's eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean, already?"

  Wilhelm's eyes slowly turned to Saki's. "You may not understand it now, but smart as you are, Miss Saki, you will understand. Their relationship might seem in turmoil, but I believe both of them, whether they admit it or not, care about each other. Just in their own unique ways," Wilhelm said as he gazed out into the park. "But whether they realise it in time is another matter..."

  "Oh... You really are the wise character in every isekai?" Saki muttered, taken aback by Wilhelm's words. Her eyes widened with new hope.

  "Hahaha, do I know? Well then, I'm honoured to have such a role," he replied, letting out a little chuckle.

  "Yeah... Maybe I'm just going to text my brother to see how he is."

  "Oh, should I get your phone?"

  "Ye-" Saki paused. "Actually... I'll do it after we're done here. He's probably busy anyway," she said before lying back down.

  "Not a problem," Wilhelm replied.

  Saki smiled as she closed her eyes, letting the noise fade into the background.

  ***

  As the soft winds gently grazed her hair, barely swaying it, Yuki made her way outside. The soft hum of cicadas filled the air as her feet crunched on the dirt, each step making her heart pound harder.

  "I've got this. It's too late to back down now," she constantly reminded herself. The café in the building they were living in wasn't too far, but it still required Yuki to navigate through the dark streets of the village, which, unlike back home, were much darker due to the lack of powerful streetlights.

  Each step she took brought her closer to the impending danger on the horizon. But still, she had come too far to give up now. After some time listening to her own heartbeat, she finally arrived. As she walked past the café, she spotted the small bridge that could likely accommodate only a handful of people, barely fitting two on each side for a two-way passage.

  But tonight it was empty, and tonight it was dark. The moment her eyes landed on the bridge, Yuki hid behind the nearest tree she could find. Walking in blind wasn’t the best idea; after all, she could get attacked.

  "Where is he?" she murmured to herself, squinting into the night, which offered her little clarity.

  Then, when her gaze landed on the other side of the bridge, her eyes widened in both fear and shock.

  "H-he's here..." she said softly. She watched the man, the stalker, the one who had caused so much stress for her, her sisters, and Souta. But for now, she prayed he wouldn't spot her. She waited as the man walked to the middle of the bridge, dressed in a grey hoodie and black joggers. Though she couldn’t see his eyes, the movement of his head told her he was looking for her.

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  "Shit," Yuki muttered as doubt began to crawl back. But before long, she heard the ping of her phone.

  Ping.

  With her screen brightness turned all the way down, she opened her phone to check her text messages, and sure enough, a new message from an unknown number

  "Hey darling, where are you? I have arrived."

  "Just reading that makes me sick," Yuki thought, her stomach turning.

  "Before I arrive, just tell me one thing," she replied.

  "What is it?" He replied instantly.

  "Just who are you?" She texted.

  For a moment, the typing bubble appeared until he finally sent his message.

  "I can't tell you that yet, silly, not until we meet face-to-face."

  "Great, at least I've tried," Yuki muttered, the grip on her phone loosened.

  Now out of options, Yuki had only one thing left to do, and it was the most dangerous of all: walk out and face him. The dead, silent night made even her somewhat heavy breathing sound too loud. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she paused, the crunch of the leaves below echoed slightly before she finally mustered all the courage she could before stepping out from behind the tree and into no man's land. The moment she stepped into the light, the hooded man's head instantly turned toward her as she walked closer.

  ***

  As Yuki approached, a silence lingered in the air. Though she wasn't sure of it, she suspected he was shocked at the fact that she was actually there, and the words that came out of his mouth confirmed Yuki's suspicion.

  "Y-you're here," the man said.

  "Of course I am. You've been nonstop harassing us, even going so far as to enter our rooms in the middle of the night," Yuki scoffed, her hands trembling as she made sure to keep a safe distance from him.

  "I see..." His voice lingered in the air, with some regret behind it. "It seems I made you more frightened than anything else... I'm sorry," he said, slightly bowing.

  "I don't need an apology; I just need answers," Yuki said, waving off his apology.

  The man straightened his back as he looked at her, his face still covered by the darkness of the night.

  "Just who are you? That's all I want to know," Yuki asked, her eyes narrowed, piercing straight through him.

  The man paused, taking in a deep breath.

  "Who am I... Could I actually tell you that right now? How can I trust that you're not going to turn your back on me and just give me up?" He replied, a hint of sadness in his voice.

  Yuki narrowed her eyes, "Well... It's a fair point, but you say you love me and all that. If I don't know your face or name, then how can I ever even begin to reciprocate those feelings?" she said, slightly tilting her head.

  "If I can just get him to give me his name... Maybe get him to show his face..." She thought to herself as she held her arms still. "Then this whole thing is over."

  As the words left her mouth, the man didn't respond right away; he just looked at Yuki, slightly rubbing his arm.

  "Just what the hell is he doing?" She thought as she did everything to keep her gaze on him.

  Eventually, the man finally spoke, though not without letting out a sigh.

  "I see you're still scared of me, even when you've come all the way out here."

  The moment those words hit Yuki, her eyes widened. "Huh? W-what do you mean by that?" she stammered, clearly taken aback by the sudden statement.

  He took another step forward. Yuki stiffened before she realised she had stopped backing away, "Please don't lie to me... I love you, Yuki. I know how you talk when you're around him... You're happier." He said, his eyes widening, his smile wide, yet with no kindness behind them, "h-how could he know that?!" She thought to herself. But the stalker still continued. "But with me, you feel scared, don't you? I know this about you because I love you."

  Yuki’s eyes widened; the distance between them had shrunk. "Wait, wait, stay back! I said Give me your name first!"

  "My name... Is that all you want? Is that all I need to give you to make you love me?!" He said, raising his voice and stepping closer.

  "Shit, this is bad..." Yuki muttered as she took another step back.

  "Yeah, but stay back," she replied.

  The man abruptly stopped, his head dropping as he began to murmur under his breath.

  Yuki stopped moving backwards as she did her best to keep her breathing under control.

  "What are you saying?" she said, unable to understand.

  "You say you want to know me… you say you care," he said, "but you keep asking for distance."

  He took another small step forward.

  "If I asked for something small... Would you still pull away?"

  "W-what would that be?" Yuki stammered, fear lingering in her voice.

  His smile disappeared, and he touched his lips before his smile reemerged. "All I ask for is one kiss..."

  "A-a-a what?!" Yuki shouted in fear.

  "Yeah, a kiss. Prove it to me that you care that you truly want to know me, and then I'll tell you my name and even show you my face."

  "Hell NO!" Yuki shouted to herself, but the sudden pressure from this man as he kept moving forward caused her to almost slip.

  "See, if that's how you react to a little kiss, then why should I believe you? He said before looking down at the ground. "Then he shouldn't exist," he muttered. A smile grew on his face as he grew more and more frustrated by Yuki's denials.

  "Wait! There's no need to get hasty! Leave him out of this! This is between us two!"

  "SEE? NOW YOU'RE DEFENDING HIM! HOW COULD YOU? THIS IS WHY HE NEEDS TO GET LOST!" the man shouted as he got closer and closer.

  "Of course I care! He's important to me! He looks after my sisters! You need to calm down!" Yuki shouted back.

  And again, the man came to a sudden stop. "I see... talking clearly isn't going to do. I guess I have to make sure you see me as a better man than him," he said as he slowly cracked his knuckles.

  "What's he doing?!" Yuki started to panic. "Hey, listen, just hear me out! I'll do it!" she shouted desperately.

  "No... It's too late. You'll come with me, darling, and I'll show you what kind of man I am," he said, his tone shifting, his steps becoming faster and filled with intent to hurt.

  "GET AWAY NOW!" Yuki screamed.

  "PLEASE DON'T RUN, YUKI!!" He lunged, not with any mind for her well-being whatsoever, as Yuki ran. The dirt slipped under her feet as her lungs burned. Behind her, his footsteps never slowed, accompanied by the darkness of the night, and the minimal lighting meant Yuki couldn't run at her full speed without fearing she would fall.

  "Crap, crap, this is bad!!! He's on my tail!" she shouted as she did her best weaving through every object that came in front of her. To her horror, no matter what she did, the guy wasn't slowing down—his running wasn't even fazed by the dark.

  And then it happened.

  "WOAH-"

  Yuki tripped on a branch, her face and body colliding with the ground as she skidded across it.

  "OW!" she cried, getting up in a hurry. But it was too late, the heavy sound of breathing was right on top of her.

  "Please, darling, sit still. You'll only be asleep for a few minutes, and then I'll deal with him, and we can live our lives together."

  Yuki's heart sank as the realisation of the situation fully kicked in.

  "GET AWAY, YOU CREEP!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

  "It's too late now, darling. You're mine," he said as his hand went into his pocket, and out came a rag that moved toward Yuki.

  Closer.

  And closer.

  Yuki's eyes widened in horror. Whatever this was, it clearly had something to do with putting her to sleep, so screaming and shouting would just speed up the process.

  "P-please...help..." She muttered, regretting everything she’d done, slapping Souta most of all, finally understanding why he’d been so against involving her.

  But now it was too late as the cloth descended over her face...

  DeadEndYuto!