(Y/n) came to school a bit earlier than she had expected. Of course, she was still late but not as late as she would have been if Takuya had stayed with her. She huffed at the thought of the outcome. It would have been better for him to stay with her than to go off with his abusers, but who was she to say anything? She knew nothing about Takuya's home life nor what he experienced on a daily basis.

Either way, she sat through class as usual until the big assembly was called. Everyone poured in the giant multipurpose room, all sitting around and waiting for the information on the serial killer. Whatever had happened to (Y/n) paled in comparison to them, apparently. So, everyone murmured and tried sharing what little information they knew. Aria's name bounced around the room continually.

"I guess this is starting to become a big deal," Narahashi sighed, nervously tapping his thigh, "But he's been around for years, so why would - "

"Because someone important died. Aria came from a pretty well-known family, so, of course, they'll start taking things more seriously."

"Please," Shota scoffed, sitting on the other side of the younger girl, "If the killer was so good at what he did and was smart enough to navigate around so the police never took him seriously, why would he have killed someone important now?"

It was a fair point. As the assembly started, they started showing the patterns of the killer. The victims usually differed on a few points. They were typically around their age and female but most other factors didn't match, just a word in blood scribbled by the victim, usually pointing out their motive for killing them. In other words, the killings weren't typically random. They were planned and thought out. (Y/n) stared in horror at each and every one of the killings done by "The Vampire of Keisetsu".

"I'm sure most of you are scared," the police chief sighed, "We are doing our best to make sure we can prevent these killings, but we need your help, too. If you are in at least one of the following categories I'm about to show, you may be at risk. If you are in more than five, please come speak to us after the assembly."

As the man clicked the screen on the next slide, everyone spent a bit trying to figure out if they were at risk. There were a lot of descriptors, too. Most of the boys around her let out sighs of relief. Shota was the first one to see the connection, his head snapping over to (Y/n) with terrified eyes. Narahashi, too, glanced at her, waiting for a reaction. The others followed a bit after, except for Haru, who did not get what everyone else did. Reading the characteristics made it obvious. The slide had written on it (h/c) hair, (e/c) eyes, female, martial arts, high G.P.A, lower class, etc. Every single thing described her.

"This can't be a coincidence," Yamato hurriedly blurted out to her, "They have to be targeting you specifically!"

"Is someone going to hurt (Y/n)?" Haru questioned, lost in the conversation.

"You can't stay at your house!" Shota jumped in, "I would be more than happy to shelter you, so - "

"With what?" Rei scoffed, "Just because you have a nice mansion doesn't mean you have the guards to keep her safe. I, on the other hand, have specially trained guards. They'd make short work of some serial killer."

While they argued about who the younger girl should stay with, Narahashi observed (Y/n) closely. Her eyes were dazed but filled with confusion and fear all the same. Something was wrong. He knew that. The male reached out to touch her, perhaps shock her back into acting normally, but she didn't react. His eyes went wide as he felt her heart race. He gripped at his own heart before panicking. She was about to pass out. Quickly, he reached out to grab her just a second before she fell, the others silencing themselves.

"D-Doctor!" Haru shouted, "Someone get a doctor! Right now!"

Shota stared in shock at the bluenette, envy creeping over him. He was sitting beside her, too, but Narahashi knew when she was going to collapse?! It was an unfair advantage the male had. He knew her secrets, her fears, her address, her past, and even her medical condition, too? There was no way to compete against something like that. The redhead couldn't move as a commotion started occurring, everyone turning to look at (Y/n). Then, it clicked for them, too.

"Hey, you don't think..."

"She looks the same as some of the other victims..."

"Is this really a coincidence?"

The police chief had his men bring order to the assembly, quieting the students down as he helped escort Narahashi out of the building. The bluenette held her tightly, murmuring something under his breath. He looked confused, too. Maybe he didn't know everything about the younger girl. Maybe he just knew more than everyone else. Shota and the others followed, if only allowed because Haru was with them. It was his school. By the time they had gotten her to the front, waiting for an ambulance, the police chief suddenly glanced down at her.

"Her name?" he asked quietly.

"(Y/n)," the bluenette mumbled, hugging her tightly, "(Y/n) Shiratori."

The man nodded but didn't say anything more. He just occasionally eyed the girl, pursing his lips in discontent. Akari stared harder at her, eyes wavering in hesitation. No matter what Rei said, he didn't look at him. Not even once. Narahashi noticed, if only because Akari had continued creeping closer and closer to her. He had not yet forgotten how unhinged the blonde could be, feeling a chill run up his spine as the younger male suddenly locked eyes with him. His eyes were hollow.

Akari stared at him like he wanted to devour him and strip his flesh from his bones. His gaze was entirely too still to be possible, fixated only on the fearful expression on Narahashi's face. Only a bit of enjoyment could be seen from that fact, making it all the more terrifying when the blonde gave a smile. Oddly enough, the smile was genuine, but, when it didn't meet his eyes, the bluenette felt chills.

Narahashi was about to open his mouth to say something - possibly get the blonde far away from her - but his phone rang. He fumbled to grab it with one hand and his eyes on Akari, the male dropping it once before he was able to hold it up to his ear. Still, the blonde had an eerie smile, and when the other end started speaking, the bluenette's expression distorted even more. Suddenly, he seemed to find a purpose in Akari's smile.

Narahashi was quick to push (Y/n) into Yamato's arms, the brunette surprised but quick to take on the role of keeping her safe. At the same time as he started figuring out how to cradle her for her comfort, the bluenette grabbed Akari by his collar, pulling him up so he stood up. Being shorter than him, the blonde had to look up at the furious male. He gave him a challenging look, daring the blue-haired boy to do anything. To add to the effect, he grabbed Narahashi's hand that was gripping his shirt and laughed almost silently.

"You did it!" the bluenette shouted, uncertain what to do with all the anger he was feeling, "Why?! Do you just hate me?!"

"Mm?" the boy answered, tilting his head and bringing a finger to his lip, "What'd I do?"

"You had someone hurt my father! Were you planning on killing him?!"

Rei was quick to intervene, moving to choke Narahashi from behind, pulling him away from the photographer. Truthfully, Rei wished he could have continued choking him, perhaps until death, but, just like (Y/n), the bluenette was well-trained in martial arts. He shoved the prince off of him, turning back to Akari. Still, he held a dumb-looking face, as though he was truly innocent. But Narahashi knew better, even when his playmate came to defend him.

"Where's your evidence?" Rei snapped, "You don't get to touch him without it."

"I-I know it was him! He's the one that's been acting suspiciously the entire time!"

"He's an idiot. He doesn't think unless I tell him to, so, obviously, he acts a little weird. I'm asking you for proof! Or, does Athain just assume guilty until proven innocent?"

"If you just check the school cameras, you can see him threatening me! He held a knife to my throat and - "

"And?" Akari perked up, standing on his tippy-toes to peer over Rei's shoulder at him, "I was threatening you. I didn't kill you. I wasn't planning on it either. I told you, too, didn't I?"

This was new information to the rest of the group. They weren't really fond of Narahashi either but none of them had gone out of their way to threaten him. And, hearing it was coming from Akari was even weirder. He didn't care about anyone other than Rei and the bluenette hadn't really done anything to wrong him either. So, everyone was a little speechless, including the police chief, who stayed out of the aggression for the time being. It wasn't smart to get between a fight where a foreign prince was involved. He pretended not to hear, looking away with a solemn look on his face.

"Also," Akari paused, giving a little snicker, "I'll admit I really want to kill you. It crosses my mind every day...but I don't want to go through the trouble of cleaning up after your corpse."

"Why do you sound so happy?" Narahashi asked, flinching, "And that's the only reason you didn't kill me?"

"Sure. Whatever you want to think. You've got the wrong idea about your dad though. If I wanted to torture you, I'd have done it to you directly and you'd know it was me. Besides," the blonde paused, his voice dark unlike his cheery tone and smile, "should you really be wasting time talking to me when you've got someone to worry about?"

Narahashi gasped as if he hadn't thought of that. Frantically, he looked at the (h/c) haired girl, wondering what to do. He couldn't exactly leave her, but, at the same time, he had to see his father as soon as possible. So, when the ambulance came just a few seconds later, he had his solution, helping Yamato take her into the back before pleading with the drivers to go to the hospital his father was in. The police chief stayed behind, but he said he would be paying the younger girl a visit later.

The ride was tense. Haru was freaking out because (Y/n) wouldn't wake up with Yamato trying to calm him down, Narahashi was still glaring at Akari who smiled purely while his playmate chose to scowl in his place, and Shota tried to bite back a grin. It became much easier for everyone when the (h/c) haired girl was taken to a room and Narahashi fled to find his father. All of a sudden, the redhead let out a loud laugh, confusing everyone to no end.

"Oh, I apologize," Shota sighed, walking over to intertwine his fingers with the younger girl, "I just can't believe it worked out. I've been trying to get that bastard away for so long. Who knew all it took was a hitman."

"Somehow, I knew it was you," Yamato scoffed, "Why would you go and do that anyway?"

"I'm not the only one, right? I mean, (Y/n) is just so addicting. I haven't been able to get enough of her since we met. Before I knew it, I'd fallen head over heels."

"I can definitely agree with that," Rei grinned, placing his hand on his lip and looking down at the redhead who glared at him, "She's one of a kind. One of my kind."

"Anyone else want to confess?"

Shota asked but no one went and spoke up. He glanced over at Haru, who was very awkwardly hovering over the (h/c) haired girl and nervously biting down on his fingernails. The brunette didn't get worked up like that for many people. He definitely had a problem with facing illness, especially with his friends, but, it was a bit more obsessive now. Haru was staring at (Y/n) with horror, wondering if she was going to die or not. If he cared that much, it was a good indication he felt specially about her.

"Haru," Shota called, having to shake the male to get his attention, "Do you have a crush on her?"

"Crush? I don't want to crush her!"

"He means 'love'," Yamato sighed, watching the younger male blush.

"Well...I like spending time with her. And I don't like it when other people hurt her."

"I'll just assume 'yes' then," Shota mumbled, "At the very least, you're starting to like her in that way. And I know Takuya fell, too. He's never let a girl touch him before and now he's suddenly looking for every opportunity to spend time with her. So, that leaves Yamato and Akari. Thoughts?"

Yamato flushed. He didn't know what he was feeling. Much like Haru, he didn't really know how to tell the difference between affection or friendship. He didn't have much experience either, so it was hard to interpret his feelings. All he knew was that he wanted to protect her and that she didn't deserve the life she had. He also admired her strength and knew she was hard-working. Thinking about it, he blushed, hiding his face.

"Fine. That's a 'yes' from Yamato. Akari?"

"No," the blonde answered immediately.

"You hated Narahashi so much you threatened to kill him...but you didn't do it because you like (Y/n)?"

Akari gave a strange look before he turned away, but it obviously meant he wasn't romantically attracted to the younger girl. Rei glared at Shota for insinuating otherwise, but the redhead only scoffed. It wasn't for no reason that he asked. It needed to be answered in order to make things opaque to everyone else and get them on the same page. Even if they couldn't all earn (Y/n)'s love, at the very least, they could make it so one of them could have it instead of Narahashi.

"Then, we'll need to work together," Shota emphasized, "I - We should be the ones caring for her. Not him. We'd be much better than some lazy bastard who does nothing but push his own work onto her and claim all the credit."

"Yeah...," Haru frowned, mumbling something in his native tongue.

"Poor (Y/n) has had it so hard. It's time to show her that Narahashi has been slacking, hm? And, who knows? If we play it right, we can replace him, can't we? Do we all agree to work together?"

Everyone nodded, some more enthusiastic than others. Yamato just wanted to protect her, and Haru had a similar desire. Shota wanted to know her secrets. Takuya likely just wanted to be loved and cared for by her. Rei wanted her in all her sincerity. And Akari...Well, no one could really say except for him. But they all had it in common that they wanted the (h/c) haired girl in some shape or form and they all knew Narahashi was an obstacle to achieving that.

"I'll fill Takuya in later, but I do have a plan. Listen well."