The next morning was worse than the last.
Yui hadn't slept. She dragged her body out of bed, her eyes swollen, her chest heavy. Every step toward the school gates felt like she was walking to an execution ground.
And maybe she was.
The stares hit her before she even entered the classroom. Whispers followed like daggers slicing into her back.
"That's the girl…""Yeah, the one who cried all over Haruto yesterday.""I heard it wasn't just that. She's cursed. They say her parents died in that accident because of her.""Pathetic. She should've died too."
"I think she is a witch. How did she get alive?"
Yui froze in the hallway, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag. Her stomach turned to stone.
It wasn't just about Haruto anymore. The rumor had reached into the deepest, rawest part of her—the accident. The one scar she couldn't bear was touched.
Her vision blurred, but she forced herself into the classroom, silent, shrinking. If she ignored it, maybe the whispers would fade.
They didn't.
By the time the first lesson ended, the cruelty had escalated. A group of boys cornered her near the window. Their laughter was sharp, their words sharper.
"Hey, orphan girl.""Bet she killed them herself to get attention.""Or maybe she traded them in hell for Haruto's interest."
They jeered, poking her arms, tugging at her notebook. Yui bit her lip hard, refusing to cry. If she cried, she would give them what they wanted.
But the tears came anyway, burning, uncontrollable.
And that was when he appeared.
Haruto.
The room fell into a hush the moment he stepped closer. He moved like he owned the floor, his bruised face only making him look more dangerous.
"Move," he told the boys, voice low.
They obeyed instantly, stepping aside with smirks, curious about what he would do.
Haruto didn't disappoint.
In one swift motion, he grabbed Yui by the collar of her shirt, yanking her up so hard she stumbled forward, nearly colliding with his chest.
His eyes burned into hers. Cold. Sharp. Deadly.
"What else can you do, besides crying?" His words were blades, cutting through the thick silence.
Yui's lips trembled. She tried to shake her head, but his grip tightened.
Haruto's smirk deepened. "If you want, you can sell your body. Might be worth something. Better than standing here, dripping tears all over the floor."
Laughter erupted from the boys. The cruelest kind.
The world tilted around her. Heat rose up her neck. She wanted to disappear. She wanted the floor to split and swallow her whole.
And then something inside her snapped.
Her hand moved before she could think.
SLAP!
The sound cracked through the air like a whip.
The classroom went silent. Breathless. The boys stared with wide eyes, disbelief painted across their faces.
Haruto froze.
Yui's palm stung, her whole body trembling, but she didn't wait to see his reaction. Her survival instincts kicked in. She yanked free from his grip and bolted out of the room, tears spilling freely now.
Her footsteps pounded down the hall, echoing against the lockers, frantic and uneven. She didn't care where she was going. She just had to escape.
Behind her, laughter broke the silence.
Not the boys.
Haruto.
A low, dangerous laugh that crawled along the walls and dug under the skin of everyone who heard it.
"She slapped me," he murmured, running his tongue over his teeth like a predator savoring blood. His shoulders shook with amusement. "She actually slapped me."
The boys shifted uneasily. They had expected fury. A fight. But this… this was worse.
Haruto leaned back in his chair, throwing his head back with another laugh. "She's more fun than I thought." His eyes glinted with madness. "She won't escape me now."
He then stood up, kicking the chair, his eyes burning with amusement, "From this moment, if someone lays a single eye, or anything upon her. I guess, I don't have to tell you what could be the consequences."
The rest of the day blurred for Yui. She hid. Behind staircases, in empty bathrooms, anywhere Haruto couldn't find her. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding. The sting of her own slap replayed in her mind.
What have I done?
She had touched him. Humiliated him. The most dangerous boy in school.
And he had laughed.
Somehow, that was worse than if he'd hit her back.
By the time the final bell rang, Yui's body felt hollow. She waited until the halls emptied before daring to leave. Maybe if she slipped out quietly, she could avoid him.
She was wrong.
The moment she stepped out of the classroom, a hand slammed against the wall beside her head, caging her in.
Her breath caught.
Haruto.
His other hand grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him. His eyes gleamed, wild and unreadable.
"Bold little pretty baby," he whispered, so close she could feel his breath. "You actually dared to slap me."
Yui's body trembled. Her lips parted, but no words came.
Haruto leaned closer, his smirk widening. "Do you know what happens to prey when they bite back?"
Her throat went dry.
"They get hunted harder."
His voice was silk over steel, dangerous and intoxicating. He pressed closer, pinning her completely against the wall.
"You don't get to choose, Yui. Prey never chooses." His thumb brushed her cheek, slow, mocking. "You're mine. And I'll enjoy tearing you apart."
Tears welled in her eyes, spilling despite her desperate attempt to hold them back. Her whole body shook as his words carved themselves into her skin.
And then—just as suddenly as he'd trapped her—Haruto stepped back.
His laughter followed again, low and maniacal, echoing in the empty hallway.
"Run while you can," he called over his shoulder as he walked away. "It makes the chase sweeter."
Yui's knees buckled, and she slid down the wall, clutching her chest. Things had turned worse than she thought.
Because her nightmare wasn't ending.
It was only just beginning.