(Y/n) was suspicious when she woke up. The entire night, despite never being able to fully wake up, she was afflicted with nightmare after nightmare. When she first realized she was dreaming, she looked all around to catch a glimpse of the culprit. Catching pink out of the corner of her eye, she snapped her head to the side to see the guilty party flinch. He scurried away into the near darkness to avoid any confrontation, but she continued to suffer from nightmares whether or not he was there.

At first, she tried to get rid of them. Conscious of the dream-like state, she figured she could just will away the monsters that came crawling for her. But she couldn't. She didn't wholly blame the baku for tampering with her head, largely in part because it was not new. Deep down, no matter how strong or clever she had become, she was still terrified at heart - a coward. So, unable to face her fears, she could only sit down in one place and close her eyes.

Nothing would physically hurt her. She knew that. But it still took all of her energy to try and ignore everything. The (h/c) haired girl took in deep breaths. She tried to tune out the sounds of monsters. She tried to forget she knew what they looked like down to every vein and wrinkle. She tried to ignore the fact she knew they were there to do unspeakable things to her for their own pleasure. Yet, still, she trembled, biting back tears in the hopes she would wake up before long. She didn't.

When she finally woke up, it was a startling process. Sucked out of the dream and pushed back into her normal self, she almost forgot how to breathe, having to physically jolt a reminder into herself before she passed out again. Even when she got her breathing under control, her heart was still racing out of control, making her blood become hot, and forcing her own skin to feel like it was too tight. So, she thought about submerging in a cold bath to reset herself. As she moved to do so, she paused, frozen in place.

Below her side of the bed, on the floor, were countless tiny pieces of glass. If she had not stopped herself from putting her foot down...Either way, it was clear who had done it. She thought Kota had learned his lesson from the last few times. He knew she was fully capable of paying him back for every little bit of pain he caused her. Yet, he still went and planned out such a clever little plan: disorient and exhaust her with constant nightmares and render her in such a state she would be unable to think before impaling her feet on glass. That little brat.

Of course, there was no way Kota would ever have put glass on Takuya's side of the bed. He loved him far too much. It let her carefully climb over the sleeping male to get down but it didn't go without another angry huff from her. She couldn't even say she was awake from the shock. In fact, she hadn't felt so tired since years prior, the girl biting back constant yawns and the desire to collapse. And though she believed she would be fine after the bath, the moment she turned the water on, she screamed.

Blood came pouring out of the spout, a soft gurgling sound being made the entire time. She began breathing heavily at the sight, wondering just whose blood it was. Even more confusing was the fact that the blood was hot. It was steaming, even. No matter how much she tried to turn it off, it just kept coming. And, as if she needed a reminder who else would inflict something so horrifying on her, the steam that pervaded the room began latching onto the mirror, revealing Kota's name, along with a message.

"It's your fault for sleeping with him."

Jolting, she realized he'd been spying on her. She wasn't entirely sure how it worked with baku but he made it seem like it was easiest to jump into her dream when she was physically near Takuya. But what did he think she was supposed to do? She was his girlfriend. Sure, she told him it was Takuya's house and led him to believe she was only a guest there, but when he had seen how possessive the older male was over her, did he really believe he would let her sleep on her own?

The mirror shattered at that thought, forcing the girl to, once again, scream. It then hit her that Takuya - the lightest sleeper she had ever known - hadn't woken up yet. He was knocked out, also likely done by the baku. Falling over her feet to get to him, the younger girl began shaking him, yelling at him to wake up and help her. Even trying to use her own magic to force Kota out didn't work. That meant he had more than her. That meant he was an even bigger threat than she thought.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck," she muttered, darting her eyes around and wondering what the next thing he would throw at her would be, "What do I...?"

(Y/n) tried to think about the safest possible option for her. She couldn't run outside. It was highly possible Kota was trying to herd her that way by scaring her out of the house. She also couldn't run downstairs. He might have trapped the floor with more glass or other things to incapacitate her. In fact, though everything in that room was being turned against her, the safest option would have been to stay with Takuya.

Like Kota hid behind him to avoid her retaliation, she, too, could make use of him. Though the pink-haired male was selfish and egoistic, at heart, he cherished his best friend above anyone else. He wouldn't have wanted him to come to harm. That was one of the main reasons he hated her; he thought she had bewitched his best friend against his will. So, if she wanted to stay safe, the best thing to do was climb back into bed, fight off exhaustion, and cling onto him for dear life.

And though she would hear thumping coming from the ceiling and feel the bed shake before a low growl emitted from beneath her, as long as she hugged Takuya with all of her might, she was fine. Plenty of other things went awry, too, all for the purpose of scaring her away from the bedroom and away from Takuya. But she didn't move. Under the covers, she shivered, flinching whenever something else happened. Still, she remained in place, only ever moving to push herself even closer to the male.

Each little thing that happened made her shake more and more, tears springing to her eyes. She heard the window being flung open violently, the door opening and closing shut, the sound of unknown monsters murmuring, and even the wardrobe falling over. The thought of her crying at something so childish frustrated her to no end. After all, Kota wasn't a ghost. He couldn't will things to break or collapse or even move with his kind of magic. So, obviously, she was on the verge of tears because he was toying with illusions. She was about to cry over things that weren't real - things that couldn't hurt her. So though she bit back her tears to hold onto her maturity, it was of little use, the frustration pushing them out forcefully.

She moved her hand to brush away the tears and pretend like she had never shed a single one, only to pause. The girl had gotten nowhere near her eyes when she felt a liquid on her hand. Freezing up, she realized a small spot on the blanket was drenched. She hadn't done that. She also realized everything had become deafeningly quiet, allowing her to hear the sound of another monster.

This one was quiet. It was quiet on purpose. Unlike the other illusions, that one didn't growl, didn't murmur threats, didn't laugh, and it didn't even move around. In fact, it was still as it could be. The only indication it was there was the tiny labored breathing she could make out along with the wet spot she assumed it had created. Pressing her hand just barely to the spot, she waited until a drop of something collided again with the blanket. It was heavier than she expected, but, considering the thickness of it, she doubted it was blood.

The moment she determined what the liquid was and what it implied for her, she once again froze up. Kota wasn't supposed to be able to make his illusions tangible. He wouldn't have lied to her about it since he still wholeheartedly believed she was a pureblood fae. That meant only one thing. If she could touch the liquid the monster produced...Everything else might have been fake, but that monster above her was real. It was very real. And it was planning to grab her and separate her from Takuya.

Her heart began to race in terror. She wanted to run away. Even though she knew whatever that thing was would outrun her and catch her easily, she wanted to flee. Takuya could protect her from Kota's harassment, but, against an actual monster, he was powerless. The only thing she could do was try and wake him up again. She tried jostling him, pinching him, even kissing him, begging silently for him to open his eyes. But she knew damn well Kota was intentionally trapping him in his dreams, all to leave her completely vulnerable.

As she began crying more, her lip quivering because the stupid thing was still trying to fight back her "childish" reaction, her mind started becoming hazy with fear. As if the nightmares she had to endure weren't enough, she was forced to recall that cell and all the monsters who came by to drool at her. She could even remember the way they breathed, unconsciously trying to compare that of their breathing to the monster above her. But she couldn't find any similarities. She had never encountered a monster like that. Never.

"(Y/n)?"

The girl in question flinched at the sound of Isao followed by the door opening. She held her breath nervously, wondering if the monster would attack him. After all, he was an easier target out in the open. But, despite the fact that she waited with bated breath to see what would happen, she never heard Isao reacting to the monster. Considering his survival sense, it was likely he could have just not looked up to see it, but, since the monster had become silent, she wondered if he was the key to getting out of danger.

"Oh my gosh! There's glass over here? What - "

"Isao," the girl trembled, hearing him give a small hum to encourage her to go on, "Could you...look up at the ceiling for me?"

"Sure. There's nothing there though."

Hesitantly, the younger girl clutched onto the blanket. Could the monster have fled the moment he entered the room? That seemed to be the case, especially since she hadn't felt the dripping of liquid since he'd appeared. So, fearfully, she slowly pulled the blanket over her head, feeling her heart start to race more and more, making her wonder if she would be confronted with the monster right in front of her. But one peek out of the covers told her she was safe, prompting her to begin crying in relief.

"W-Was there a spider or something?"

The ravenette panicked at the reaction, especially since he had never seen her cry in front of him. He was even more flustered when she jumped off the bed to run and embrace him. Instinctually, he latched onto her, giving her the hug she was clearly looking for. It was hard to think straight exactly since she was crying, but, obviously, he had to make her feel better. So, the male pet her hair, telling her whatever she was scared about was gone and that she would be okay. And though, because he knew of her animosity towards him, he doubted it would help, but, on the contrary, she was wholly grateful.

Though, of course, because his plan had failed, Kota probably saw no reason to keep Takuya asleep. The white-haired male let out a yawn as he came to, rubbing his eyes open to see the exchange between (Y/n) and Isao. A small whimper of fear escaped from him, the male wondering why she was hugging him and why she was crying. Not sure whether to feel sad or enraged, he chose the option easiest to fall into, directing as much hate as he could in Isao's direction.

"T-Takuya!" the ravenette chuckled nervously, "Uh, I don't know what happened, but, since you're up now, you can take care of her now while I - "

The (h/c) haired girl decided differently. Realizing now that she was fine and safe, she let out a shaky breath and forced herself to stop crying. It wasn't a good look for her to be vulnerable. As always, she did her best to hide her pain, wiping away the tears and separating herself from Isao. And though Takuya reached out for her with great distress, she had neither the energy nor the spare emotion to comfort him.

Instead, she began scouring the room, taking note of all of the things that had disappeared. The mirror was not shattered, there was nothing under the bed, the wardrobe was right where it was supposed to be - upright, etc. There were no monsters anywhere either. Still, she felt uneasy at the sight of the glass. Kota really had intended for her to step on it. More concerning was the fact that the window was really open. And even more terrifying was the fact that the hot blood still sat in the tub.

Before, she had thought Kota had merely made everything look and sound like they were being possessed. That seemed mostly true of everything, but the fact that the blood was still there meant that it had to have come from somewhere real. The same was true of the window, which had been pried open, with more than enough space for a human to get through, let alone a monster. She stayed at the window for a while, trying to scour the surrounding landscape for any sign of what had snuck inside. The girl looked obsessed, nervously gnawing on her nail as she muttered something in a language neither Takuya nor Isao had ever heard.

"Should I...bring breakfast upstairs?" the ravenette asked, concerned about the sight.

Since he received no response from the younger girl and only a glare from his young master, the male merely backed away out of the room. He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do, more or less focused on his daily tasks. The male checked up on the kitchen to see how close the cook was to finishing, made sure to set the table, and cleaned up a bit around the area. (Y/n) ended up coming downstairs sooner or later, Takuya nervously trailing behind her. Isao assumed she hadn't spoken to him, noting the dead look she had in her eyes and the fidgeting he was doing.

"Takuya," Isao whispered and motioned to the male to come, a bit surprised when the male actually did, "Look, I really don't know what's going on or anything, but she...she hugged me, okay? A-And I just...she was terrified or something, so I - "

"I bet you liked it."

"What? No, listen, I - "

"You scared her so she would do that. Did you make her mad at me, too?"

"S-She's not mad at you! I mean it! She really was freaked out about something, and she was all cuddled up next to you before, too, but you weren't waking up, so...I just mean that you can be pissed at me all you want, but I think she really needs you right now."

Both males glanced over at the younger girl, watching her stare into the distance without moving. Conflicted, Takuya nodded. He didn't want to accept that Isao wasn't the villain in that situation, but he had to agree (Y/n) was more important than his hatred. Moving to grab her breakfast for her in hopes of getting a smile or something from her, Takuya set the plate down in front of her. She just barely reacted to it, glancing up at the male for some kind of confirmation. He frowned and hugged her tightly, pressing a kiss on her head.

"Please eat," he mumbled, noting her exhaustion, "You love pancakes."

Her eyes drooped, but she didn't move to take a bite for a disconcerting amount of time. Isao tried making her a cup of hot chocolate to stimulate her appetite. She didn't touch that either. That was what really freaked Takuya out. Flinching, he glanced at the plain pancakes, wondering, if he poured lots of syrup on top, if she would be more inclined to eat it. She didn't. Panicking, he ran to the pantry, picking up sprinkles and icing. After all, she loved sweet things. Even if she said she wasn't hungry, she always had room for desserts.

The male began dumping tons of the stuff on her plate, trying to persuade her to eat. He began to get hopeful when she glanced at the food, nuzzling her and showering her with love and encouragement. If only because of his great affection, she put a little trust in the plate, lethargically taking a bite. She chewed slowly, not feeling much of an appetite at all. In fact, she thought it couldn't get worse until she felt a strange texture followed by a slimy feeling. Up until she tasted it, she tried to give it the benefit of the doubt. But the moment the odd texture had a familiar flavor, she fell to the floor, spitting out the food and dry-heaving.

"(Y/n)? (Y/n)?!" Takuya yelled in horror, dropping down with her and putting his hand on her back, "W-What's going on?! What's wrong?! (Y/n)?!"

Isao, trying to get some answers, directed his frantic attention to the plate of pancakes. They looked normal albeit for the icing and sprinkles Takuya had generously decorated them with. However, as he began cutting into them, he held back his own disgust, seeing red stuffed inside of them. Pulling it out to get a better look, he could easily tell it was meat. There was still blood seeping from its flesh. The undercooked meat was disgusting enough on its own but he had a bad feeling that wasn't all it was, especially with the younger girl's reaction.

As the ravenette ran into the kitchen to confront the chef, he was shocked to find the place vacant. He had seen the man earlier that morning when he was checking up on everything. He had also clearly watched him mix the batter for the pancakes. But now he was gone - no sight of him. The male couldn't help but feel a chill run up his spine. He had a really bad feeling about the chef.

"T-Takuya!" Isao shouted, running back to the male to find the girl still convulsing and trying to throw up, "I think I have to call the police!"

The male nodded, letting the ravenette deal with that while he brought the (h/c) haired girl to the closest bathroom. She was still dry heaving, crying from the pain. It was a constant cycle of her being disgusted with the taste of the flesh, forced to heave relentlessly with nothing coming out, and having to focus back on the taste. Eventually, she was able to finally throw up, Takuya holding back her hair and crying while he apologized for what was happening to her.

By the time the police arrived, she was on the verge of passing out. Not only had she been forced to stay up all night and expend tons of energy and concentration to block out the nightmares, she had faced threats, a monster waiting to kill her, flesh in her meal, and was forced to throw up any and all remaining energy she had left. The only thing keeping her awake was her fear of falling right back into Kota's hands. If given the chance, he would have continued to drain her sanity and killed her from lack of energy. Exhausted, she could only take in labored breaths on the couch as police scoured the house.

Takuya could only give her affection, telling her that he would protect her. And though, considering what Kota had managed to pull off - with or without success - she was doubtful, she nonetheless clung to him. She never expected him to protect her. He was like no one else she had ever targeted before. On the contrary, she wanted to protect him. That little boy who had no idea how much he was being hurt was her one and only piece of light. Softly, she leaned into the white-haired male, quietly singing a song. Maybe she expected him to sing back. He never did. Not anymore.

"Minori Nishimura," Isao answered in response to the police's curiosity about the chef's name, "I saw him earlier in the kitchen, so he couldn't have gotten too far. I can give you his address if you want to - "

"That won't be necessary. How long ago did you see him?"

"I-I dunno. Like thirty minutes. Just before breakfast."

"Alright. Thank you. We'll be in touch."

"W-Wait, you're not going to look for him? What about us? What do we do?"

Isao didn't get an answer to his question until later that night. He and Takuya were focused on (Y/n), both trying their best to figure out what was happening to her. She had completely zoned out, murmuring to herself in another language or singing some strange song, all while ignoring most stimuli. The only thing she ever reacted to was when Takuya knelt down, at which point she would reach out and pull his head into a tight hug, playing stubbornly with his hair. And while it felt oh-so-good to be needed by her, the white-haired male still felt terror at the thought she might never snap out of it.

"Yes, this is him," the ravenette acknowledged, speaking on the phone quietly, "Oh, yeah. Minori Nishimura. No, I told you. I'm absolutely sure I saw him like thirty minutes before you guys left. I think I would know what he looks like." A pause. "What?"

Isao's heart dropped when the police informed him that couldn't have been possible; that he had died - at the latest - the night before. When they arrived and scoured the area, they found part of the chef's dehydrated body just outside the house. Though they attempted to describe the situation as lightly as possible, there was no way to sugar coat the reality of that man's fate. He had been mutilated beyond repair, some of his liquidated form dumped in the water heater and his decapited head found on the ground of the kitchen. Someone had killed him, juiced his insides to put in the water heater, and then impersonated him.

The ravenette, after fighting back the urge to throw up, suddenly thought of the (h/c) haired girl. If Minori had died the previous night, the person who cooked the food - the person who impersonated him - must have had a reason. Suddenly, her odd behavior was adding up. As he directed a shaky glance to the plate of pancakes in the trash, he froze up once more. That meat was, more than likely, human.

(Y/n) was still out of it, singing her little song and petting Takuya's hair, but Isao had to tell him. The more he said, the more distressed the male became, looking at the younger girl with shock. She must have known what was happening since the beginning. No, as the male thought more about her behavior, including the fact that she reacted so violently to the pancakes, his breath got caught in his throat. A normal person would have been disgusted with the texture or taste, sure, but, at best, they would have swallowed it, and, at worst, they probably would have just stopped at spitting out the food. But she started convulsing and shaking, almost...recognizing the taste.

"Isao...," the younger girl finally spoke up, using choppy syllables at best, "Coffee."

"C-Coffee? Sure! I'll do it right away!"

The girl was just barely coming to her senses, reacting to a little bit more than Takuya. However, she was still out of it, staring off into the distance all the way up until the ravenette handed her the drink. She had never asked for coffee before, largely in part because she could not stand bitter things, so he took it upon himself to dump tons of sugar in it. Considering the fact she gave him a nod, he took it that the action was well-received. Still, she made a face as she drank it, giving it a second before she went in for another sip, only to pause.

"(Y/n)?" Takuya called gently, "Do you want more sugar? There should be more creamer, too, if you want - "

The caring voice the male put on was interrupted by a scream of horror, the male's heart dropping the moment the younger girl spurted up blood. Her eyes became blurry and her body was flooded with pain, forcing her to twitch uncontrollably. The cup she had been holding shattered onto the floor, spilling out the coffee and staining the rug. She couldn't see it though, not that her mind was in the right state to focus on such a tiny thing.

"I-I should have checked!" Isao panicked, "I-If the creep in the kitchen made the pancakes, they could have tampered with other things, too, right?! Fuck! Is it poison?! Is she - "

"Shut up and call an ambulance!"

"Right! Right, I'm sorry! I'll - "

"No," the younger girl choked out, "No...hospital."

"(Y/n), I know you're scared," Takuya cried, "but we have to take you. I-If it really is poison - "

"No. Not...outside. That's what...he wants."

"You'll be safe! I'll make sure you are!"

"Idiot. It's dark."

"But you'll be in the ambulance! It'll be safe! Look, I'll show you!"

Takuya meant well. He really did. Under the circumstances, he was reasonably suspecting she was delirious and being paranoid over something so trivial as it being night. So, perhaps he thought it would help her calm down and let him get her help if he showed her nothing was outside. But that was a stupid, stupid idea. The male opened the door wide, even stepping outside, constantly reassuring her that everything was fine.

"S-See? So, Isao will call the ambulance, and everything will be just...fine...," A pause as the male gazed into the distance, turning ever-so-slowly to the ravenette as his expression twisted, one feature at a time, "Hey, Isao? You said you saw Mr. Nishimura in the kitchen...right?"

"I thought I did, but the police said it was someone else. Why?"

The white-haired male wordlessly stormed into the kitchen, confusing the ravenette greatly. After all, considering the fact the younger girl likely just ingested poison, they were on a time crunch. He attempted asking if he should still call the hospital, only to receive no response. Instead, when the ravenette repeated the question, he was cut off by his own shock at the sight of Takuya storming back to the door, two knives in hand. He shoved one into Isao's hand, forcing him to carry it despite the lack of instruction. By the time (Y/n) figured out what was going on, it was too late.

Her lack of energy and sleep deprived state made her slow and the poison made her every move agony. Still, to stop the white-haired male, she collapsed on the floor, picking herself up with all the energy she could muster. She screamed at Takuya to stop; to come back immediately. But he didn't. He only started stalking to the right side of the house with a purpose. Her yelling did nothing to dissuade him.

On the contrary, it only seemed to fuel him. Takuya stormed off into the night to pursue a figure in the far distance that, up until he spotted it, had been standing motionlessly, facing towards the direction of the living room window. Though nearly pitch black, the even darker shadowy figure could be seen suddenly moving across the fence ominously. Despite the fact it probably knew the male was off to dispose of the threat, it seemed unbothered, putting one foot in front of the other in a painfully slow and robotic way of moving. That only meant one thing. It was intentionally luring him away from the house.

After staring at the open door, (Y/n) breathed in heavily, grabbing violently at the knife Takuya had given Isao, likely to protect the both of them with. She had to think quickly, which, considering the strain her body was under, was not an easy task. Still, there was only one way to keep herself safe.

"Isao Kuroki," she breathed out, watching the ravenette get a little weak, "You're going to grab that door and pull it shut as quickly as you can. Do not stop or hesitate for any reason. Do you understand?"

"What are you - "

"Do you understand?!"

The male nodded quickly but was obviously unnerved by the fact the girl followed behind him, knife in hand. Taking a deep breath, she waited until she was close enough to the doorway to plant her feet, cementing both hands on the handle of the knife before pulling it back. She waited until Isao decided to move, the male sticking out his hand as quickly as he could to grab the door handle. At the same time, she launched forward with all of her strength, aiming for just above his hand.

As expected, a hand-like blur attempted to grab at Isao's wrist, fast enough to almost avoid being seen. However, (Y/n) knew it had to have been there. It was probably just waiting for Takuya to get far enough away to bolt into the house and drag her away. If not for Isao, it would have succeeded. But, instead, since the ravenette could pull the door shut, all she had to do was hit it with the strength she'd stolen from the older male. A loud clunk rang dully through the air as she made contact with the creature. No blood was shed, but she managed to use momentum to smack its hand away, allowing Isao to slam the door shut and for her to deadbolt everything.

"Go lock every door, every window, and every entrance you can possibly think of!" she instructed him with a rushed shout, "And close the curtains!"

"N-No, what was that?! And what about Takuya?! He's still out there! We can't - "

"Unless you want me to throw you out there to satisfy that thing, do it now!"

Isao, though he shivered at the thought of being on his own after seeing some indeterminable limb try to snatch him, did as she said. They ran up and down the mansion, making sure to draw the curtains and secure any entrance. Most things were already locked thanks to the (h/c) haired girl's pre-existing paranoia. Either way, when they reconvened in the living room, all of Isao's courage left his body, the male on the brink of tears.

"W-What's out there?" he whimpered, "Did it get Takuya?!"

No. (Y/n) was willing to bet whatever the monster was had something to do with Kota. Whether he just tipped them off about a fae's whereabouts, he knew them personally, or he just led them there, she was almost entirely sure he was watching the whole thing from somewhere. That also meant that he was watching over Takuya to make sure he was safe. In fact, whatever the figure was that enticed the white-haired male to leave was most definitely some kind of illusion done by him. That way, he wouldn't have been in the way of the monster trying to rip her to shreds or accidentally risk getting hurt.

"He'll be fine," she sighed, "You've seen how he gets when he sees a threat."

"B-But we can't just leave him out there all night! He'll - "

(Y/n) and Isao's blood ran cold the moment a knocking echoed around the room. She quickly placed her hand over his mouth, stopping him from responding or giving away their location. Even so, he was hyperventilating, squeezing his eyes shut, and begging not to be killed. It wasn't like she was doing any better. The strength she managed to steal from the ravenette faded away with the adrenaline, arguably leaving her worse off than she was before. The only thing she could do was wait and listen.

"(Y/n)?" the voice of Takuya echoed, "(Y/n)?"

Isao perked his head up, staring at the younger girl with pleading eyes. But, of course, though he reasoned they should have let him in, she adamantly refused. In fact, she shoved the ravenette's head down, reminding him again to shut up. Slowly, she moved towards the door, doing so as quietly as possible. The girl then pressed her ear against the wood, listening carefully as the male on the other end spoke.

"Isn't it okay if we all go...? The hospital?" A lengthy pause. "I know you're scared. (Y/n). It'll be safe."

The younger girl narrowed her eyes. It certainly sounded like Takuya. The voice, the tone, the focus on her, etc. But there was something wrong about it. She didn't trust whatever was behind that door. It sounded too calm. If it really was the white-haired male, he would be freaking out about whether or not she was safe, not telling her she would be. Still, since Isao was intent on letting Takuya back into the safety of the house, she decided to prove it by pulling out her phone. She showed it to him as it rang, but no sound followed.

They hid back behind the couch, attempting to ignore the constant begging the thing on the other side of the door was doing. The knocking only stopped after a long period of silence, after which they heard the individual trudge away. For a while, nothing happened, and when someone knocked on the door again, Takuya's voice rang out. This time, he did start by inquiring after her well being, assuring her he had killed the entity he followed after. And though it was convincing, she still peeked through the peephole and continually questioned him.

Though she wanted to leave him outside whether or not it was the real him, it would have been more reassuring if he was with her. After all, if he was around, Kota was far less likely to keep targeting her, especially physically. So, reluctantly, while holding tightly onto the knife, she opened the door, revealing a very bloody white-haired male. The first few seconds, she was suspicious of him, but, as he continued to act normally, even asking if she was "mad" at him, she let her guard down.

Thanks to Takuya, Kota probably thought it was best to give up. The monsters didn't come back, but, even so, they continued to stand guard, staying up the entire night. The next morning, when the sun came up, they discovered the thing Takuya had killed. Though, regrettably, the only thing mutilated on the ground was the remains of one of their maids. And while the male insisted, at the time, what he saw was the chef, it was obvious Kota had manipulated both the illusion and the maid's mind. All the same, the police were not called that time.