[Protagonist's POV]
「Stalker?」
I wrinkle my brow involuntarily, and Shiratori-san shrugs her shoulders, pretending to be frightened on purpose, as she pours sugar into a cup.
Still, three tablespoons of sugar? I wonder why she said that black is fine.
「Yes, a stalker. That person wants to kill Satou's brother, but couldn't do it because Kaitou is always attached to him. But while stalking him, that person realized there was someone who had told Satou's brother how to corrupt Kaitou」
「Realized? Do you mean 'noticed'?」
「Yes, 'noticed' is the right word. At first, I think it was a little strange. She filled in the gaps of information with delusion and crazy obsession. But, finally came to me and attacked me」
「It’s scary!」
**a
I let out a loud voice and look around in panic. But fortunately, no one seemed to be paying attention to me.
As I watched Shiratori-san taking a bite of her clubhouse sandwich, I tried to find the right moment to ask her again.
「So... you mean, this stalker...」
「You already know who I'm talking about, don't you? It's Ritsuko Sakon」
This is a bit of a shock to me.
「Wait a minute, Sankon is a nice girl, isn't she? Kaitou-san is a girl, too, right?」
「Well, she's not a lesbian. Her sexual preference is normal. I don't know what happened to give birth to such a twisted monster, but she's a real psycho 「
（From my point of view, Shiratori-san looks more like a monster...）
「It's like an incarnation of the desire that becomes one. It's like her ego has grown so much that she's suffering from the fact that she's not Kaitou’s. I was quite surprised to see what happens when her longing goes too far」
「...I don't understand it. Sakon-san admired Kaitou-san. But when she couldn't live up to that admiration, she tried to kill Shiratori-san, who had caused it?」
「That's generally the way. Actually, the boundary between herself and Kaitou was blurred in her mind, so she felt as if she had been forcibly torn apart」
I think again of Sankon's appearance.
Shiny black hair. Her bangs were neatly cropped, and her face was relatively plain with drooping eyes.
If she were painted with white powder and displayed on a Hinamatsuri, she could be called a Hina-doll, but when I hear that she is a psycho, I feel eerie because she is like a cursed doll whose hair grows, as is often the case in Japanese horror stories.
But thinking about it calmly, it's not normal that she owns three replica uniforms of her senior, no matter how much she admires her, even if she is a professional player.
（It's a bit like Kobayashi-sensei's wife...）
**b
She is the first real psycho I've seen recently. The real deal psycho.
「So... what happened when you said she was trying to kill you?」
「I persuade her」
She picks a cherry tomato from the edge of her plate and brings it to her mouth.
「...Ah, yeah」
I've gotten used to Shiratori-san's nonsense.
「But she's a stalker, isn't she, a psycho? Can you understand what she's saying?」
「Of course. Even you, the King, could talk to Ritsuko Sakon, didn't you? It's normal, it's normal. A psycho is not so different from a normal person. She's got ears too. If she can speak and thinks with continuity, of course, she can be persuaded.」
「But I don't think it's possible...」
It's not a technical problem. After all, people normally cower when they're attacked. But the fact that Shiratori-san can remain calm in such a situation is what's strange.
「Then... How did you persuade her?」
「Hmm? It's simple. As we exchanged words, I found out that she wanted to be Kaitou’s, so I asked her if she'd like to know why Kaitou was so in love with Satou's brother, how did Kaitou feel, and how did she fall in love with him? After all, I can make the same thing happen for her」
I think some are persuaded by that, but I guess they have different values.
「So you tried to push it on me」
「That's not the point. There are many other candidates if she just wants to make someone look at her the same way as Kaitou. I mean, Ritsuko Sakon is beautiful, and it's not that hard to find a guy who would be interested in her if she thinks she can win him over」
「Then...why?」
「Well, that's the part I don't want to get in trouble for... So, are you still asking me that? I don't think you should」
「You shouldn't do that」
**c
I stared at her, and she stared back at me. After a beat or two of blank space, she quietly opens her mouth.
「"But I like you"」
At this moment, I was not sure what kind of face I was making.
I think I probably looked like I was dumbfounded. And soon, I started to look for the intention behind these words.
「You see, it was something I didn't want to mention. It's embarrassing」
「...Eh, what are you up to?」
「...What I said is what I mean. Really, you lack what people call delicacy. You should be more aware that a girl is confessing her feelings to you」
Shiratori-san's eyes like those of a northern goshawk are filled with a reproachful look, and her cheeks are twisted in dissatisfaction.
「Confession?」
「Isn't it a normal feeling to want to do something for the boy you like? Sakon Ritsuko has terrible clinginess and above-average intelligence. Especially, her sense of smell to find out about me is out of the ordinary. Just like Kizuna, I'm sure she'll be your trump card.」
「Are you trying to tell me you're doing this for my own good?」
「Yes, that's the point. That's why I don't want to be touched. I was trying to get all this over with without being intrusive. It's called being modest」
「But where else in the world would someone have the composure to have a psycho woman...?」
「Love comes in many forms」
But, it's not a story that I can honestly accept with a, "Yes, I see". Was there ever a time when Shiratori-san fell in love with me? But the color of the word when she said, "I like you," was blue. in fact, everything else she said was blue. But is there some way to distract the <Eyes of Truth>? She's definitely up to something. When I think about it like that, I feel like I've been led into her plot so far.
After all, when she said the word, "all the stories," the red color appeared, and when I pointed it out, she looked flustered, and when she said she didn't want to be mentioned, she drew me into the conversation.
**a
My head was in turmoil. And...
（I don't get it... It would be a lot clearer if I just put her in Enslaved state...）
As soon as my thoughts reach that point, Shiratori-san tells me with her usual sullen expression on her face.
「You promised not to confine me, didn't you?」
I choked up, and Shiratori-san, seeing this, continued with a wry smile.
「Don't worry, I'm on King's side. There is no one more interesting than the King. I'm still deconstructing, analyzing, pushing, pulling, and experimenting with my feelings of love, but I'm sure that I love you. If you ask me if I want to do it with King, I do, and if you ask me if I want to have your child, I probably do. For example, if King forcefully confines me from now on, there is probably more than 80% chance that I will resist and just go along with the situation」
Then she closes her eyes quietly.
「But it's too early, isn't it?」
.
Thanks for reading.
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