CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28: HOW TO DEAL WITH A YANDERE [3][GTG]

A muffled scream echoed through the dimly lit room, a desperate sound that seemed to swallow itself against the thick, silent walls. It wasn’t my dorm, obviously. My roommates could barge in any time if they got curious enough. So, instead, I had dragged her to a place where I knew nobody would intrude. Her own room. She wouldn’t be expecting me here—no one would. It was the perfect place for a lesson, far from prying eyes or any possible interruptions.

"Ah...hah...ha..." she panted as I finally removed the gag from her mouth, the room filled with the faint rustling of her labored breaths and the soft glow of evening seeping through the curtains.

"Where... am I?" she muttered, blinking through the haze of confusion clouding her eyes. She glanced around, and slowly, her expression shifted as familiarity sank in. Her gaze settled, and a dawning horror replaced the confusion.

"My... room?" Her voice was incredulous, barely above a whisper, as if the reality of it all was too much for her to process. "How did you get in?"

I couldn’t help but smirk at her question. It wasn’t exactly common for anyone to enter another’s dorm room; the doors were locked by some tech i had no idea about, designed to only open to its rightful owner. But with her graphto watch now in my possession, gaining access was child’s play.

"Shhhh," I hushed her, my index finger pressed against her trembling, pink lips. They were soft—so soft that my touch sank slightly into them. I couldn’t resist holding it there a second longer than necessary, savoring the satisfaction of her fear.

"Don’t waste your breath," I whispered, letting my words roll out slowly. "No one is coming." I could feel a strange thrill—a sick, twisted pleasure—as I reveled in the villainy I had embraced for the moment. She was completely at my mercy, and I wanted her to know that.

Her gaze shifted, her blue eyes burning with anger, blazing with an intensity that might have been intimidating if she weren’t tied up and completely powerless. "What do you want?" she spat, her voice low and dripping with hatred.

I leaned in close, so close that I could feel the faint warmth of her breath against my skin. "You..." I whispered, my voice soft but menacing. "To obey me."

She tensed, straining against the ropes that bound her wrists. I could see the thin muscles in her arms working beneath her skin, futilely testing the bonds in a desperate attempt to break free. But the ropes held firm. I chuckled, unable to resist the wicked delight in her helpless struggle.

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded, the anger in her voice now tinged with something else—fear. Her eyes darted over my face, searching for an answer, but I could tell she’d already begun to notice what was wrong. Her frown deepened as she realized, her eyes widening slightly.

She couldn’t use her mana.

Thanks to the mana-reversal potion I had fed her, she would be unable to use any of her powers for the next hour. A silent hour, sealed off from the world, and nobody would come to save her. The so-called hero she pined over, the protagonist of her dreams, was likely out there training obsessively after realizing I’d bested him in the exam—a ’loser’ like me outdoing him. He was out of the picture for now, lost in his own wounded pride. Everyone else was probably scattered around the campus, either crying over their results or headed to dinner as the clock ticked toward 5:00 p.m.

"Why am I doing this?" I echoed, drawing out each word. Her face flushed with anger, but I could see the desperation slowly chipping away at her resolve. She continued to strain, futilely pulling at the ropes, her slender muscles flexing as she attempted to break free.

The sound of my hand meeting her cheek shattered the silence—a sharp, crisp smack. She froze, stunned, her mouth opening in a silent gasp. A red imprint of my hand began to bloom on her pale skin, stark against her milky-white cheek.

"You... You slapped me?" she stammered, her voice trembling.

I met her gaze steadily, my grip tightening around her chin as I forced her to look me in the eyes. "You still don’t get it, do you? You’re completely at my mercy. I can do whatever I please," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, laced with cold intent.

Her breathing quickened, her chest rising and falling as her body betrayed her, and she pressed her palms into her own skin so tightly that her nails cut into her flesh. A slow, dark smile curved my lips as I realized what was happening.

This wasn’t just fear—she was actually getting some twisted enjoyment out of this. This girl was a full-fledged masochist, the type to thrive on pain, to relish the twisted satisfaction of feeling helpless.

"Ah... so you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?" I murmured, watching her eyes flicker with a faint glimmer of something she probably hadn’t intended to show.

Her brows furrowed, and she bit her lip, clearly trying to hide her reaction. But the frustration in her gaze was unmistakable. She hated that I’d seen through her, that I knew her so well, better than anyone else. "You tried to kill me. Don’t you think it’s only fair I return the favor?" I asked, smirking as I traced a finger along her jawline.

"Let me go! LET ME GO!" she screamed, her voice raw with fury.

My gaze never wavered as I raised my wrist, tapping my graphto watch to bring up the holographic display. A few swipes, and a carefully curated image appeared—a picture I’d taken just moments ago, when I’d loosened her collar slightly to make it seem like... something more had happened between us.

Her face drained of color as she took in the image, her body going rigid. I could see her mind racing, her expression a twisted blend of shock and fury. "What... what is this?" she whispered, almost as if she didn’t believe what she was seeing.

"Evidence," I replied, a sinister chuckle slipping from my lips as I held the display up for her to see. With one tap, I could send the image to anyone I wanted. Her gaze flicked toward the contacts list displayed on my watch, and her eyes widened when she saw the highlighted name. [Classmate Jayden]

"What... What are you planning to do?" Her voice wavered, but I could tell she was trying to mask the fear simmering just beneath the surface.

"I don’t know," I said with a shrug. "I don’t really want to send it... but I will if you refuse to be obedient." I tapped the contact, and a pop-up appeared on the screen:

[Do you wish to send this photo?]

[Set Timer]

[Yes] [No]

With a slow, deliberate motion, I selected the timer option and set it to two minutes. The small digital countdown began ticking down in the corner of the hologram, each second a stark reminder of her helplessness.

"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO!" she screamed, writhing against the ropes, her anger and fear twisting her face into something almost unrecognizable. Another slap cut off her cries, the sound sharp in the quiet room. She flinched, her head snapping to the side as I lowered my hand.

"You’re far too noisy," I said, shaking my head as if disappointed.

"He... he’d never believe such nonsense," she mumbled, almost as if trying to convince herself. "He knows I would never... betray him..." Her words grew softer, her voice faltering.

"Oh, stop deluding yourself," I replied, my tone dripping with contempt. "Even if he does believe that I forced you into this... do you really think he’d still want you after that? After you’ve been used?" I leaned closer, my voice dropping to a whisper. "You’re nothing more than a tainted memory now."

Her eyes filled with a mixture of horror and shame, a look that only served to fan the flames of the twisted pleasure I was feeling. There was no hero to save her, no one who would come running to her rescue. This time, she was truly alone.

And there was a certain beauty in that.

[.... now you just sound like a lunatic]