Katawa Yandere - The Entire Lilly Route - Parts 9-12

Part 9
Departing Akira and sliding the dossier on Emi and the Nurse into your bag for later review, you make your way back to Hisao at a brisk pace.
"Hey Lilly!" You hear his voice call out and smile.
"Hisao." You greet him back, walking up to him. "Terribly sorry about that."
"No problem at all." He replies, taking your arm in his, which you quite willingly lean into. He hesitates for a moment, then "Is something the matter?" He asks in a delicate tone.
That's right, all he actually saw was Akira show up and spirit you off for a minute. You realize that the only thing Hisao knows about Akira is associated with her pending trip to Scotland.
Not something you want him to dwell on.
You'd like to take his mind off it, but even if that was the best course of action, Hisao won't believe just anything...
"Oh, nothing at all." You reply in an upbeat tone. "She just wanted to give me some contact information for her trip."
"Ah." He makes a noise in comprehension. "You two are really close, aren't you?"
"Eheh. I suppose you could say that."
Pondering Akira, you realize you've only heard Hisao talk at length about his own family once. And that time you were both drunk as shit.
You know from Akira's intel that he's an only child. You wonder, is he lonely?
"It's not that strange is it?" You reply. "Do you have any siblings, Hisao?"
"Nope. I always kind of wondered what it'd be like, but never got one." He chuckles to himself under his breath as he finishes his sentence. "Emi said the exact same thing, actually."
"Really." You state as you grip your cane tightly at the sound of that name. "Do you ever get lonely?"
He stops walking for a moment, as if weighing those words. "Actually, I did used to sometimes. And all the more while I was in the hospital..."
You cut him off at that by stroking his face with your hand. This is supposed to be a happy day, dammit.
"It's not like that anymore, Hisao. You don't have to be alone... never again..."
He breathes a contented sigh after a minute before giving a much more lighthearted chuckle.
"Thanks, Lilly." He picks up a more upbeat tone of voice. "So? Where did you want to go?"
"Hey there." You say with a small giggle. "That's cheating. You asked me here. You have to pick out what to do."
He laughs aloud at this and them quiets himself, deep in thought.
"Hm... Oh, I know!" He gives a small tug on your arm. "Come on, this way!"
After a small sojourn, the two of you wind up going to a concert hall. Despite being perfectly willing yourself, Hisao pays for both your tickets.
"It'd be ungentlemanly otherwise." He remarks as a joke as you move into the building.
It's a good thing that theatres are dimly-lit, you muse to yourself, because you're pretty sure you failed to keep your blush hidden.
As you enter the hall and take you seats to the backdrop of instruments being tuned, you turn your head to him and smile.
"My, my, Hisao. I didn't know you liked music."
"Well..." He replies. "I figured it'd be something we could enjoy together."
Yeah. It's a very good thing...
[Meanwhile]
 In the silent female dormitory hallway, a figure deftly slips over to Hanako’s door.
 Pausing for a moment, a single moderately-sized package is placed on the ground before her door. Afterwards, the entity straightens, extends a hand, and gives two sharp knocks.
 Not waiting for a response, the figure swiftly pivots on their heel and darts off.
[End meanwhile]
Several hours later, the two of you emerge, Hisao hissing a bit as you exit the building.
"What's wrong?" You ask, concerned.
"It's so bright out here. Especially after sitting in that dim hall for so lon- OH." He halts mid-sentence. "Sorry."
You giggle and place a hand on his shoulder.
"Think nothing of it. Really."
"Ok." He checks the time. "Hm... We should probably start heading back in a little."
"It's not so late." You reply. "Even with homework, we can still stay here a bit longer."
"Hm?" He makes a questioning noise.
"Well." You ask sweetly. "Would you like to get some tea, somewhere?"
"Sounds lovely, Lilly."
Your pace is a bit slower, this time around, since you're leading. You still haven't released his arm, though, so you're in no hurry at all.
After a while, you reach an upscale cafe.
"What kind of tea would you like, Hisao?"
"Er. I don't know, actually. Whatever you're having works fine."
You order two R'lyeh Vanillas and get a piece of pie to split. Truthfully, you're not that hungry, but indirect kisses will have to do until he's ready to give you the real thing.
You hope that's soon...
"So Lilly?" He asks, taking a sip of his tea. "What's your relationship with Akira like, anyways?"
It's an odd question, but you can tell he's genuinely curious. Still, you're not sure if you really want to talk about her right now.
"Oh, Akira was sort of my guardian after my parents left Japan." You reply, deciding there's no harm filling in the blanks that don't involve murder.
"Left?"
"Mhm. They both left Japan when I was twelve. I lived with Akira after that."
Hisao says nothing, so you just fill in the silence.
"She's a good girl. Great lawyer. Good sister. She probably could have been valedictorian at our old school if she hadn't been suspended so many times..."
"What was she suspended for?"
Well, the first time a girl cheated with her boyfriend at the time and Akira dropped a running lawnmower on her head from the roof. The next, she collected are the school bibles and set them on fire in the music room whilst playing a drum solo. Next she started dual-wielding broken liquor bottles at a track&field day and put seven people in the hospital...
"Fights." You say ambiguously.
The rest of the afternoon is uneventful, but pleasant. It's peaceful, letting Hisao lead you around. Something you could get used to...
"We're here." He chimes in.
Before you know it, you're both stepping off the bus at the Yamaku front gate. It must be nightfall because you can hear cicadas chirping. This is a foolproof way to check the time all over Japan. Everywhere. All the time.
'Damn.' You muse to yourself. 'Tempest Fugit.'
"Hey, thanks for today, Lilly." He says, squeezing your hand. "I really mean it, thanks..." He trails off for a bit.
You smile and tug his hand slightly, then lean in and kiss his cheek.
"It was a pleasure, Hisao." You say, beaming, then turn and walk back to your dorm, accentuating a teasing demeanor.
You don't hear him move as you go. He certainly didn't seem to hate it, but it's understandable if he's a bit dumbstruck by that.
Walking into your room and making sure the building is silent, you break into a small giggling fit. That was definitely a fun not-date.
After a moment of savoring it, you reach into your bag and pull out the folders Akira gave you, spreading them out on your desk.
To get rid of that whole "not" part... For that you'll have to do a bit of work...
The next morning, you're awoken by a loud knocking on your door.
It's an unwelcome sound. You were up late last night reading over the files...
Taking your third cane in one hand, you move to open your door.
"Hello?" You greet whoever it is.
"Miss Lilly Satou?" A man's voice. Unfamiliar, too.
"Who are you?" You ask in a voice neither hostile nor inviting.
"Inspector Ran. Police." He replies. "Um..." You hear him make a noise of uncertainty and shift about.
Realizing that he must be trying to show his badge, you extend your empty hand and feel it.
Satisfied, you respond. "Yes, I'm Lilly Satou. What's this about, inspector?"
He exhales, then replies in a professional tone. “There’s no easy way to say this; your parents are dead.”
“What… do you mean?” You ask.
“Three days ago, just on the outskirts of Inverness. Sextuple homicide, there were no survivors.”
You suppose you should be more distraught then you actually are, but you barely even knew your parents. You're not sure how you should feel about this...
In a collected manner, you form a reply.
“What happened?” You say in a tone that could plausibly constitute disbelief.
The officer sighed. “The entire household, everyone died: your parents, their butler, and both their bodyguards. All killed with exactly the same MO: a single .22 magnum bullet fired at close range directly into the center of the brain.”
“How did this happen? What?”
“The Satou family home had reinforced architecture with top-of-the-line locks and alarm systems." He pauses, clearly trying to recall all the details.
"To bypass that, the bastard who did this brought in a professional criminal, a lockpick – and then killed him too once his job was done. Then he, well, after that, your family…”
He trails off, not knowing how to phrase ‘killed your family’ in a delicate fashion.
You cast your mind back a bit... Just a couple days ago... Did anything happen? Was anyone absent?
"Are... A-Are you s-sure it was t-t-them?" You ask, doing your best to imitate Hanako for a convincing stammer.
He sighs. "Positive. The bodies weren't discovered until this morning and the murder was fast and quiet. But your father was a well-known figure. We got several positive IDs already."
He sighs and puts a hand on your shoulder. You give him a look as if a giant beetle just landed on you and he withdraws.
"I'm sorry, kid."
"I'm... It's... D-Do you have any leads?" You say, figuring you might as well find out what they know.
The officer sighed. “None. There’s no forensic evidence of any kind at the scene – nothing left behind, nothing taken, no tampering with the bodies, nothing. The killer apparently just walked in, murdered everyone, and left.”
"I see..."
The officer sighs. "The only thing we have to go on is motive... And as a corporate head, your father had more than a few enemies..."
He sighs and asks what he clearly came here to ask. "Do you know of anyone who had a recent grudge against your family?"
You shake your head. "I'm sorry. I... I haven't even met my parents in six years... I don't... I don't..."
You shake your head again. Inspector Ran sighs and hands you a card, which you take only for appearances.
This must be a practiced gesture, because since business cards aren't in braille, it's utterly useless to you.
"If you think of anything, give us a call."
"I will... I-I need some time alone n-now..." You say, turning away slightly and giving a pained expression.
"Of course... Sorry to wake you. And sorry... about all this..."
He departs and you shut your door.
Well, that's certainly an interesting way to start your day.
After debating for a minute, you take out your phone and dial Akira.
At her Yamaku apartment, Akira sits at her desk, playing with a strange bloodstained deck of tarrot cards while lighting another Absinthe sugar cube.
Finishing her reading, she begins flipping them over. "The Sword, the Dark, the Windy..." She's interrupted by her phone going off.
Back in Yamaku, her voice comes in loud and clear. "Good morning, lover-girl! How was your date?"
"It was actually... really nice." You say, reminiscing on your kiss before pulling yourself back to the present. Might as well get this over with.
"Akira, our parents are dead."
A pause then. "Huh. Sucks to be them."
You hear her stretch then continue. "Well, I'll console you over lunch if you still wanted to meet up today."
"Yeah, I'll see you at lunch."
"Cool. You'll like what I have for you this time, sis." And the line goes silent at almost the exact same moment your alarm goes off.
It seems you didn't lose that much sleep after all.
You ready yourself in your usual manner, ribbons, canes. All good.
Given circumstances, you could probably be a bit late for class without consequence...
You decide that since class usually passes in a soul-crushing amorphous blur, you might as well skip it and do something that actually matters.
You exit your room and knock on Hanako's door.
"Hanako? It's Lilly. Are you in there?"
No response. You sigh.
"Can I... talk to you for a while? Please?" Apparently, your tone is right, because the door clicks open.
 "Lilly?" You hear her quiet voice. "Is something wrong?"
"A little. May I come inside?"
"Sure." She replies, taking your hand. She guides you inside and you sit down on her bed together. Hanako doesn't say anything, seemingly waiting for you to break the silence. You do.
"Well, I just got word from Scotland. My parents are dead."
"D-d-dead? H-How? Lilly..." She sputters out, seemingly almost snapping out of a sleepwalking state.
You don't change your expression. "They were murdered, apparently."
"Lilly..." Hanako pulls you into a hug. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."
You smile a little and stroke her hair. "Don't be."
You feel her head tilt upwards as she looks at you.
You shrug and change topics.
"What about you? How have you been?"
At this, she releases you from her hug.
You hear her sigh and her voice drops back to monotone.
"I've been good. Thank you for the food." She replies disinterestedly.
"My pleasure, Hanako."
No response.
You sit together in silence for a while, each waiting for the other to say something. Eventually, you decide it's fruitless and rise.
"L-lilly?" You hear her peep as you take a step towards the door.
"Hm?"
"Are you sure you're alright?"
You exhale and turn, then walk back to her bed and take a seat next to her. Might as well explain your feelings. It’s Hanako, after all. You trust her.
"I barely knew them, after all. And they left me here..." You give a sigh. "Really... It doesn't actually bother me. They didn't even feel like my family."
You smile at her. “You and Akira feel more like my family, really. Now my true family’s dead and I don’t feel anything over it.” You smile weakly at her. "Is that strange?"
There’s a moment of silence and then. “Not at all.”
Hanako takes your wrist and draws your hand up to her face – the scarred side. You feel the rough texture that seems more like tree bark than actual human skin.
“You can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends… Isn’t that how the saying goes?” She speaks softly. And strangely clearly. “But… Us… You and me, Lilly… We actually have chosen our family…”
She nuzzles into your hand slightly for a moment.
“That day… The day everything burned…” She trails off, then. “I used to get so miserable every time I thought of it. Now, though…”
Again, she falls silent, as if looking for the right words. “Since I met you… it doesn’t feel that way anymore…”
“Every time I think of that day now…”
 Beneath the texture of her scarring, you can still feel her face muscles. It dawns on you now that she’s smiling.
“It seems… beautiful.”
She giggles.
“I’m glad, Lilly.” She keeps nuzzling into your hand. “I’m happy that I’m not alone in feeling that way…”
You're not sure what kind of face you should give in response. After a second, it occurs to you that you're already returning one. You're smiling back.
 The two of you pass the rest of the morning hanging out in her room, talking just as you used to. Hanako strangely seeming at peace.
Eventually, your alarm goes off. Your lunchtime alarm for Akira. Really? How long did the two of you sit there together?
“Hm? What’s that, Lilly?”
"Oh, I have an appointment to keep." You say as you rise. "Would you like me to come visit you again, afterwards?"
"Ok! Yeah!" She replies happily. "I'd like that, Lilly! You'll come back soon... Right?"
"Of course."
And with that, you depart Hanako's room and head out to the gates, finding Akira waiting there.
"Hey hey, Lilly!" She greets you in her usual carefree manner.
These days, you're starting to get used to all this dissonant serenity.
Hugging your sister, you both file into her car and blast off down the mountain at about two-hundred kilometers, strangely not killing yourselves due to Akira's A+ riding skill.
"So, my boytoy'll be getting in later tonight." She talks as she drives, passing you a beer can while she simultaneously pops another one open herself.
Wait... then how is she steering?
Akira continues. "So I should finally be able to blow off some steeeeam..." A hard bank around a bend.
"How about you, Lilly? How goes your elite-raid quest for love?"
Well...
[Meanwhile]
 “Well… I’m glad to see you’re ok, then.” Hisao speaks, standing in a sunlit room with a somewhat puzzled look on his face. "Emi was... um... worried about you..."
 While he tries to find appropriate words for the bizarre situation, he slips a bottle from a desktop into his pocket. “Um… I guess I’ll see you later, then.”
 Hisao turns to go, then-
 “Wait.” A scratchy voice stops Hisao right before the entranceway. “Let me walk you to the door…”
 Rin lays on her bed, staring at Hisao with an insane grin and several empty medicine bottles scattered about her living space. “It’s the least a gentleman can do.”
 She rises and takes an unsteady step towards him, then a smaller one as she notices it’s not a good idea to take big steps.
 He braces to catch her if she falls down…

=========================================================================================================================

Part 10
You nurse your drink for a moment as Akira shuttles you both into town and decide you should bring her up to speed on Hanako.
"I saw Hanako just earlier today." You begin. "She seems... much better..."
"Hehe! Great! Better how?"
"Well..." You relay your conversation earlier today. You can't decide if Hanako seems cuter like this. Akira certainly thinks so, laughing softly as the car lurches to a halt.
"Hehe! Glad to see she's recovered. Or..." She trails off in thought. "More appropriately... been 'reborn'."
Akira gives an affectionate sigh as she helps you out of the car. "You always did have a talent for that, Lilly."
The two of you enter the Shanghai and take your seats.
"So our lovely family here is all settled in, except Hisao... For now." Akira muses while you giggle a bit at that last part. "All for the bargain price of our old useless one. Fine trade if you ask me."
You smile at her and wonder how you should go about making this good situation perfect.
"So, what did you find out about our 'fitness problem'?" You ask as your drinks arrive.
"Eheh. Well, like I said, I think it'd be a bad idea for you to fight them directly, so I'll lend you a hand myself there."
You here the rustling of a paper unfolding.
"This track & field event at your school this week." She elaborates, doubtless looking at your school calendar.. "Emi should be running there, right?"
"Of course. She's in everything."
"Goodie goodie. Well..." The other paper unfolding. "I looked over that map you gave me. The woodlands around your school have a clean line of sight onto the athletic track. And that's a level, open field. Perfect shooting gallery."
"Um... Akira - that's kind of far." You note.
"Heh." She scoffs. "Who the hell do you think I am?"
You debate it for a moment, but really don't see any alternative.
No, better to move as quickly as you can without being reckless. You'd like it if Hisao confessed to you, but Emi might not have that preference...
"Alright." You reply. "Get it ready, but be sure you have some kind of an alibi or scapegoat."
"Already figured that out, Sis." She replies as she ruffles your hair.
The rest of your lunch together is mostly comprised of small talk. Akira talks about her guy a little and you find yourself a bit in envy. You fill her in on your latest sojourn with Hisao.
After lunch, Akira rockets you back to school.
"I'm going get everything set up." She concludes. "I'll call you later tonight, possibly."
"Thanks, Akira."
"Give my love to Hanako!" She says before speeding off.
Left by the gate and in a fine mood, you wonder how you should spend the rest of your day.
You already missed morning class and your excuse is no less valid now, so you could just go back and hang out with Hanako some more.
You head back to your dorm to visit Hanako. Rounding the bend to your hallway you hear "Lilly!" and a pattern of footstep before being hugged.
You smile. It's good to see her in such fine spirits. You hope it lasts.
She takes your arm and the two of you both head into your room this time, deciding that she might need a change of pace.
"So?" She asks. "How's Akira?"
"She's fine." you reply before stopping. "Wait... I didn't tell you I was going to see Akira."
"Ehehe... you kind of smell like liquor."
"Oh."
"So, is she well? Have you confessed to Hisao yet? Is there anything I can do on that?"
"My, my. One thing at a time, please, Hanako..."
"Actually, you might be able to do something if you're up to it, Hanako."
"Hm?"
"Would you mind keeping an eye on Hisao? I clearly can't." You joke, gesturing at one of your useless eyes. "And also... Can you follow anyone who seems to be showing an interest in him?"
"Yeah!" She replies cheerfully. "Yeah, I can do that." She responds cheerfully.
"You're not too anxious about going back to class?"
"Hm... I'd rather not, but I'll gladly do it for you."
"Thank you, Hanako." You say with a smile.
You pass the afternoon away playing chess and hypothesizing about the true malevolent nature behind Misha's hair.
"Pink..." You trail off, wondering what this concept actually is. "Is that really so strange for a hair color?"
"In anime? No. Around here? Yeah, kind of." Hanako replies, taking your rook.
With that, you make out the final bell ringing, class is out now.
You bid Hanako farewell and depart, having a decent feel for the route her takes back to his dorm.
"Oh! Hi Lilly!"
Remarkably, you hear his voice almost as soon as you've exited the female dorms.
"I was just coming to check on you. Someone said you weren't in class."
You take his arm as he talks, partially out of habit, but doubling so he doesn't see you flush. "Um... is everything alright?"
Well..." You say, taking Hisao's hand. "Can we go inside for a bit?"
"Huh? Yeah, sure."
You lead him back to his room. Yours is closer, but you'd rather not risk an accident like last time. Also, you can probably snuggle a pillow that smells like him while you talk.
Upon arrival, you discover this is exactly the case and take one off his bed.
After a moment, you break the news. "Hisao... I... just got word from Scotland this morning. My parents are dead."
Hisao stays silent for a moment, stunned. After he snaps himself back, he puts a hand on your shoulder.
 "Lilly..." He trails off, apparently not knowing what to say apart from your name.
Discarding the pillow, you decide to give him some guidance and gently wrap your arms around him, nuzzling into his chest.
"It's alright, Hisao. Really..."
Not at all a lie. Pressed against him like this, everything does feel alright...
He has a slight aroma of sweat about him, but that's not at all unpleasant coming from him. Not at all.
Also... with your head pressed against his chest you can actually hear his off-tempo heartbeat...
Hisao says nothing more and strokes your hair. You simply stay there, holding each other.
You have no idea how long it's for. Time doesn't matter right now...
No more words are exchanged that night. None need to be...
[Elsewhere]
‘The halls of a sanitarium always have kind of an eerie ambiance.’ Akira muses to herself, walking down a fluorescently-lit corridor lined with padded doors. ‘It’s a necessary sacrifice for our scapegoat, but still… They’re always either dead silent or filled with inane crazed ramblings.’
To her right, a man in a straightjacket smashes his face up against the window of his cell. “MY THE RATS EAT YOUR EYES! I AM NOW-“
Akira interrupts him by knocking on his windowsill right next to his face. “Wrong game, dude.”
“Fuck.” He withdraws back inside.
Turning back to the hallway, Akira finds the room she was looking for and opens it up with a slightly bloodstained set of keys.
“I knew it.” A crazed voice emanates from within. “I knew the conspiracy would send someone to silence me.” Kenji, wearing hospital whites, steps forward from the corner of the cell he’d been imprisoned in. “You’ll never prevail. The world will never be yours.”
Akira sighs and shifts her weight slightly to one leg as she surveys the crazed child with an unconcerned gaze.
“I don’t want it.”
Smiling, she fluidly raises an open hand to Kenji’s face.
Then with a sleight-of-hand trick akin to a magician producing a flower, she flicks a four-barreled .22 magnum derringer into her hand and shoots him in the head.
[End elsewhere]
You awaken the next morning in exactly the same spot, on Hisao's bed nestled into his chest.
It was such a nice feeling... Having him hold you like that...
Not quite the manner in which you'd most want to wake up with Hisao, but definitely not too far off.
He hasn't moved either and his breathing is in a sleeping rhythm.
You supress a giggle thinking that it must have been relaxing for him as well. Either that or he really is quite the gentleman. Both are welcome.
Your arms have fallen asleep due to the awkward position you both drifted off in, but it's still nice regardless...
You stretch as best you can and knock his alarm's plug out of the wall socket, taking exceeding care not to disturb him as you move.
Satisfied, you smile to yourself and nuzzle back into him. You're going to enjoy this moment as long as you can...
Really, this 'getting shot' business is probably the best thing your parents have ever done for you.
The dorm is silent. The only sounds are Hisao's breathing and his erratic heartbeat. Truly wonderful sounds...
Losing yourself in him again, you let the world pass in a warm blur for an unknown period of time...
 BANGBANGBANGBANG
A loud smashing on Hisao's door jerks you both rudely awake.
"Huh? What? Oh..." Hisao stammer as reality floods back to him. "Lilly..."
That same loud knock interrupts you before you can respond.
"Hey Hisao!" A voice yells into the door. "Hey! You missed our run! Get out here!"
Emi's voice.
Doing your best to keep a murderous expression off your face, you ponder how to respond.
Just being silent won't work with someone so persistent. If Hisao opens the door alone she'll just drag him off.
Or... alternatively you could open the door together and let her imagination torment her... Though you have no idea what'll happen after the initial period of shock.
You take Hisao's hand in yours and walk him to the door, smiling.
"H-Hey, wai-"
You open the door.
"Good morning, miss Ibarazaki." You say with your most saccharine smile. "Is there something we can do for you?"
The atmosphere freezes. Neither Hisao nor Emi say a word and you're too hard-pressed fighting down you giggles.
For the first time in memory, you genuinely regret being blind because you wish you could see Emi's face.
Finally, after several minutes of everyone gaping at each other, Emi breaks the silence with a phrase you NEVER expected to issue from her of all people.
"I-I-I... IVEGOTTOGODOSOMETHING!"
And with that, she blasts away down the hall, almost producing a gale in her wake.
"E-Emi?!" Hisao calls after her, but it's too late. She is LONG gone.
"Well, I'm so terribly sorry for the rude awakening." You tell Hisao before hugging him. "Shall we go get breakfast?"
"Oh... em... er..." He pauses as he wraps his mind around whatever the hell just happened. "O-ok."
The two of you are already dressed, so there's not much preparation to do. You simply just walk out together.
The cafeteria mystery lumps are as bland as anything, but the company is exquisite. Strangely, though, Hisao remains fairly quiet. He isn't rude, by any means, always answering when you talk to him, but you get the feeling that something's on his mind.
Deciding not to stress him out further, you refrain from asking and simply enjoy the moment until the bell rings.
Class passes in its usual state of dullness. You wonder to yourself if Mutou is a more interesting teacher, making a mental note to ask Hanako.
When the lunch bell rings, you file out to the sound of "Hehe - hi there, Lilly." Hanako's voice.
You'd gotten used to Hisao's in her absence.
"R-Ready to go to lunch?" She asks, stammering more out of excitement than nervousness.
[Elsewhere]
Emi sits in her room, hugging a pillow close to her chest and sobbing.
“Hisao… Hisao…” She whimpers repetitively for a moment.
She then throws it at the wall and begins stabbing a crudely drawn picture of you.
“Damn you, bitch. Damn you. DAMN YOU!”
The door opens up and Rin wanders in, casting about the scene of Emi’s misery with her usual vacant expression. Her gaze finally comes to rest on the impaled drawing.
“Your proportions are off.”
[End elsewhere]
"Actually, I was thinking we could find Hisao and have the three of us eat together." You reply sweetly, taking Hanako's hand.
"Hisao left." She answers simply.
"L-left?" You ask. "What do you mean?"
"Just this morning right before class started." She replies before hastily adding. "I was keeping my eyes on him just like you told me to!"
"Good girl." You say, stroking her hair so that she doesn't feel dejected. "But tell me, please. What happened?"
"Oh, just before class started, he was settling in and unpacking his stuff." Hanako narrates.
"Then Shizune and Misha came up to him and delivered him this weird-looking yellow envelope. There was this letter inside, but I was too far away to read it myself. He opened it, read it, then just sort of staggered out in a daze."
"A letter?"

=========================================================================================================================

Part 11
You remain still for a moment while you process what Hanako told you.
Hisao received a letter holding some kind of news that shook him.
A letter delivered by the student council, which is never a good sign.
You wonder what it could be. Did Shizune want to destabilize Hisao for some reason? If not her, then who?
You're brought back to reality by Hanako holding and nuzzling into your arm. "So?" She squeaks. "Ready to go to lunch, Lilly?"
"Y-yes." You reply after a moment of thought, reasoning that you can always go catch Hisao later. "Let's go, Hanako."
The girl gives an enthusiastic nod and practically drags you down the hallway and into your tea room.
Once there, she sets about the process of preparing the food while you make signature R'lyeh Vanilla tea.
Once prepared, Hanako slides you a plate and you bite into a delectable slice of cake. She seems to have gotten better at cooking.
"So Lilly." Hanako asks, taking a seat practically on top of you as opposed to her normal one across the table. "I've been keeping my eyes on Hisao ever since you told me to. The whole time. Just like you asked, hehehe."
She giggles and rubs her face into your shoulder. "Wanna hear what else I found?"
"Of course I'm interested. Thank you, Hanako." You reply, stroking her hair.
"Well, he's been jogging with Emi in the mornings and sometimes in the afternoon. I think he's starting to see whatever it is that she sees in it."
She pauses, thinking.
"Also, he's been spending more time around Rin lately. Yesterday Misha and Shizune made fun of him a little for doing a drawing of a bird instead of classwork, but I really didn't think it was that bad..."
She nuzzles into your arm again. "The one he seems to be spending the most time just hanging out with is you, Lilly... Although you've been kind of busy recently, so Emi or Rin seem to take over for you when that happens..."
She concludes her report, then, with the speed of a snapping-turtle, chops down your forkful of cake and hums happily as she chews.
You ponder how to respond…
After some internal debate, you settle on your age-old nemesis: Shizune. And Misha, you suppose, as your sort-of-nemesis-by-association.
"Has the student council been doing anything weird?" You ask.
"Not really." She replies. "They keep bringing Hisao food every once in a while and Shizune keeps coming up with bizarre gambling games, but that's about it."
Hanako pauses in thought.
"Come to think, Misha actually called after Hisao when he left class earlier. So I don't think she knew what was in the letter even if Shizune did..."
Her body suddenly goes stiff. "I-If you trust my opinion, at least..."
"Oh course I do, don't be silly." You put your arms around her and check the time. Only a few minutes until lunch period ends...
Class is a bleak and soulless ordeal, so you don't mind skipping. Hisao's more important to you by far.
"Hey Hanako?" You ask. "Do you have any inkling where Hisao might have gone off to?"
"Probably the athletic track." She responds. "He seems to do that a bit."
Thanking your friend and prying yourself loose from her, you head out in search of Hisao.
Nearing the field in the sunlight's warmth, you do indeed hear a paced set of footfalls emanating from the track as you draw near it. It's not Emi's leg-blades and there's no track meet today...
"Hisao?" You call out.
The running stops. "Oh. Hey Lilly." You hear his flat voice before he jogs over to you. His tone is neither happy nor sad... Just... distant, more or less.
"Something up?" He asks as he nears you.
You can't really tell him you've been spying on him. How to approach this?
"You seem a little distracted." You ask in a motherly tone." Is... something on your mind?"
He stays silent for a moment to consider this.
"Really? It's that obvious, huh?" He sighs. "Well... I don't know... Just thinking about everything, I guess... About how it all wound up like this."
"Like what?"
"Yamaku as a whole, I suppose. My heart. How it all began..."
"Hisao." You say, taking his hand. "I've told you already, that's nothing you should feel bad over."
"I know, Lilly. You're right. I don't feel bad, really... Just kind of overwhelmed? I feel like everything just dropped on me, I guess..."
"Hisao." You speak softly, taking his hand in yours. "Why is this hitting you all now?"
He stays quiet for a moment, then sighs. "I got a letter." He states simply.
"A letter?"
"From this old classmate of mine... She, well, one time, she..." He trails off.
'She what?' You want to ask, but decide it's best to let him tell you on his own.
"She said she loved me." He finally spits out.
"That time... I was nervous, excited, scared - everything at once... Too much at once... It's what set off my first heart attack. That very thing that brought me to Yamaku..."
He sighs and grips your hand a bit. "I mean, it's a congenital defect... Something was gonna set it off sooner or later... But still, like that? A girl confesses to me and I keel over? That's pretty fucking pathetic."
He gives a dry, joyless laugh at himself. "Just got me thinking about what I've been doing here... I just decided to go for a run and clear my head."
You squeeze his hand and stroke his face lightly, giving a smile.
"It's nobody's fault for being born the way they are, Hisao. I've never apologized for my blindness: you shouldn't feel guilty about your heart. Seriously. Don't feel bad about it."
You feel his face shift slightly as he turns his gaze to you. You smile earnestly, glad your words have had some effect.
"It's not like anyone decides to be born. We're all just kinda stuck here. You DO get to decide how kill time, though." You quote Akira, doing your best to imitate her voice - which is difficult, since it's deeper than yours.
Hisao actually gives a laugh at your rather off-key attempt, which sounds nice.
"Well, not exactly sure I've been doing too well on that front. Emi seemed pretty upset this morning..."
"Hm..." He remarks, as if remembering. "I might wanna go find her and apologize for upsetting her..." He remarks somewhat worriedly.
That thought completed and showcasing his return to reality, he sighs fondly and squeezes your hand.
"Thanks Lilly. Really." He says in a relieved tone. Your hand still on his face, you can tell he's smiling.
"Have you eaten yet?" You ask.
He exhales sharply, as if contemplating that idea for the first time today. "Hehe, no. I just came straight here and started running."
He pats his abdomen. "Actually, yeah. I'm hungry!" He says with a laugh.
"My my. Well, let's see what we can do about that." You state, beaming before taking his slightly sweat-dampened arm.
Together, you both leave the track together at a brisk pace.
At the other side of the Athletic track, a rather miserable-looking Emi steps off the path in her athletic uniform.
“I guess I’ll just run it off. Just like I always do…”
She sighs, for the first time taking almost no real comfort in that idea.
“Huh?” She squeaks as she espies something from across the track.
The two of you, leaving together, your arms interlocked.
Emi doesn’t move, just stands there, dead still, staring as her eyes moisten.
“Ehe.” She giggles flatly as a tear rolls down her face. “Ehehe. Ehehehe.”
You awaken early the next morning, having enjoyed a peaceful night.
You're happy with yourself. Happy that you could comfort Hisao. That's... what a wife would do, right? Comfort her man?
Being alone, you have absolutely no need to hide the massive blush that crosses your face at that idea.
On impulse, you place both hands on your face as well and smile dreamily.
Checking your clock, you realize you have a decent amount of time before class starts.
You could go hang out with Hanako for a while.
It's also early enough that you could go grab Hisao before he goes for his morning run with Emi.
You decide to go see Hisao and ready yourself, making sure you look your very best for him.
You dip into your emergency rations and take out two of the boxed meals you keep in case of emergencies, such as when the school cafeteria serves mystery stew. Still, any time with Hisao is enough to merit appropriate measures.
You head over to Hisao's room and knock twice.
"Hisao, it's me."
"Oh, hey Lilly. Come in, it's unlocked."
You enter and smile at him.
"Good morning, Hisao."
"Morning, Lilly."
You display the bag you're carrying. "Would you like to take breakfast together? It's a warm morning so I figured we could have a little picnic."
A moment of hesitation, then the sound of running shoes being tossed into a corner.
"That sounds lovely."
Together, you find a quiet spot and settle into the grass.
After a little while, you can feel the sun's warmth. "Is it nice, Hisao?" You ask. "The sunrise?"
He's silent for a moment, then replies. "Yeah... It is." A chuckle. "You know... It's strange... But I don't think I've ever actually watched a sunrise before."
You snuggle up to him and smile, happy that he accepts the contact so readily. "I'm glad I could share it with you, then."
The rest of your morning is passed in a harmonious silence, both of you savoring the moment.
Classes pass in a blur and before you know it, it's lunchtime. You exit your classroom to the sound of... silence.
It seems strange to you. You've grown so used to either Hisao or Hanako waiting to greet you...
You decide to check for Hanako. It’s definitely out of character that she isn’t there.
In the hallway, you bump into Mutou, who, smelling slightly of liquor, informs you that she never showed up to class.
It’s not like that’s uncommon, but usually you can see it coming…
You head back to her dorm and knock on her door. “Hanako? It’s Lilly.” No response. You try the door and find it unlocked. “Hanako?” Entering, you cast about and find it empty.
A bit worried, you decide to try Hisao’s room. It’s not like she doesn’t know where that is…
At a faster-than-normal pace, you make your way to the male dorms.
Reaching Hisao’s door, an overwhelming odor greets you. A smell you know thanks to Akira. The smell of blood.
“Hisao?!” You call, stepping through the portal and quickly casting about with your cane.
On the ground, you strike something squishy, bending down quickly while readying your cane for battle. Your fingers brush a mop of bloody hair. Beneath that… a cold, scarred face.
“Ehehehe.” An impish giggle issues from Hisao’s bed. “She tried to stop me, you know.” Emi. Speaking in a euphoric, crazed tone of voice. “She tried to stop me from making Hisao mine.”
Dumbstruck, you rise, gripping your cane tightly, but Emi doesn’t move.
“She tried to stop me from making him mine. Just like you did. Eheheh. But that’s not an issue anymore. No, Hisao will always be mine. We can be together forever now. Without anyone else. Without these crippled bodies. Ehehehe! I’ve freed him! I’ve freed us both... Now… together… we can at last be free…”
SHUNK. A noise coupled with a fresh scent of blood. Emi continues giggling, a sound growing fainter and fainter. Then total silence.
Feeling about the blood-splattered room, your hand brushes over Emi, the girl’s cutlasses gripped in her hands with the blades buried deep into her own body. And also…
Your body goes numb.
Sprawled across Emi’s lap is another form. A third cold corpse with two deep gashes carved into the heart. Shaking, you run your hands up and feel Hisao’s still face.
[BAD END]
You smile at Hisao. "I'm glad I could help."
With that, you kiss his cheek, turn about smiling to yourself, and head back to class.
As you leave, you hear the faint clacking of leg-blades in the background.
On your way back to class...
"Lilly!" Hanako cries as she deactivates her wallflower stealth and glops onto you.
"I fell asleep at the library and had this really scary dream that Emi was carving me apart." She shivers.
"Anyways? Did you find Hisao? Is he better now?"
Her childlike concern strikes you as touching. You wonder if she can be trusted with the full knowledge of your quest for Hisao.
Hisao's feeling better..." You say before embracing Hanako. She accepts it gladly and nuzzles into your chest.
"Hanako. Can you come with me? There are some things I have to tell you... about Hisao and me."
She continues clinging to your arm while the two of you walk back to your dorm.
Once you've closed yourselves off, you prepare some tea... and then add a shot of everclear to either cup.
Between assault, grand theft, burglary, vandalism, probably thousands of weapons-ban violations, invasion of privacy, blackmail, DUIs, and possibly more than one count of murder, this is going to be a long discussion...
Several hours later, you inhale deeply and finish off your third cup.
Hanako remains pensive for a moment, then... "So all this... you've been doing to make Hisao your family?"
You stay quiet for a moment, then. "A part of it, yes."
"Aw... Lilly!" She says as she tackles you onto your bed and snuggles into you. "That's so sweet..."
"Then... you're ok with it?" You ask.
"Mhm!" She replies. "If he makes you happy, that's enough."
You can't help but breathe a massive sigh of relief at this.
"He's nice to me anyways, yeah..." She soliloquizes, still nuzzling into you. "Yeah, I think he'll make a good dad."
You begin to realize that Hanako seems to have come to peace with a childish role in life... Well, if that's what makes her happy, it's perfectly compatible with you.
Bending down, you kiss the top of her head. "That's right, Hanako. We can all be a family together."
You simply hang out and talk about Hisao for a little before Hanako leaves to go get some food. You realize that she probably hasn't been taking lunch breaks on surveillance duty...
You feel tired, yourself. Talking for so long wore you out.
Checking the clock, you find it's late afternoon. Hisao should be back in his dorm by now if you wanted to visit... Or you could get an early night.
Picking yourself up, you go to visit Hisao.
Reaching his room, you hear him call "It's open." before you've even knocked.
Smiling to yourself, you enter his room.
"Hello Hisao." You say sweetly.
"Nice to see you, as always, Lilly."
From the location of his voice, you find he's on his bed and sit down next to him.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah." He says, as if in relief. "I was able to calm Emi down as well as just me."
"That's good."
He chuckles and does a squeaky Emi-impression 'Jerk! You nearly gave me a heart attack of my own!' You both laugh at it before he continues. "So yeah, I think we're in the clear... for now, at least."
"And you, Hisao?" You ask the question that actually matters. "How are you?"
"Much better." He takes your hand despite you both being sitting. "The letter's been shredded, burned, and dammed."
He pauses pensively.
"I think I've managed it, Lilly. I think I've managed to cut the tether to my old life..."
"Thanks." He breathes in a whisper, then pulls you into a hug. "Really, Lilly. I mean it. Thank you." He softly speaks right into your ear.
Smiling broadly into his shoulder, you reply. "My pleasure, Hisao."
[Elsewhere, in the quiet of Yamaku’s small-town evening]
Hanako walks through the street alone, glancing about with a contented smirk on her face.
Reaching her destined apartment, she smiles and rings the doorbell. After a moment of waiting, Akira swings the doorway open wearing a long button-down shirt. ONLY a button-down shirt.
With just a single button hastily fastened across the chest, her shirt is simply draped over her sweat-dampened frame, her pale legs are bare apart from what appear to be an extension cord wrapped around her left calf, and her hair is messily shooting out in random directions… although that part might be just Akira.
“Heya Hanako.” She greets the girl cheerfully and beckons her inside.
Somewhat hesitant for a moment, Hanako bites her lip slightly and walks into Akira’s place. A simple one-bedroom apartment that almost feels more like a storage space than a dwelling due to the clutter and randomness of the items.
Akira, ever being a conscious hostess, pours two glasses of whiskey and passes one over to Hanako before downing her in one gulp. “Aaahh… I wasn’t expecting company tonight, but it’s not unwelcome.”
Hanako is continuously shifting her gaze. Given Akira’s current attire (or lack thereof) she’s not really sure where she’s supposed to look…
“So, what brings you here?” The blonde girl asks.
“There’s… an idea… For this week… I want to discuss it with you.”
Akira’s eyes give a bright flicker of understanding. “Ahaha… Yes. We can definitely do that… But first…” She shifts uncomfortably, then rises.
“Need to finish my boy, be right back.” She says, taking a few agile steps back towards her bedroom before pausing, turning around, and blinking. “Unless you want to join? I wouldn’t mind.”
“… Y-No. I’m fine.”
“Ok, back in ten.” She replies, twirling about.
The walls mercifully appear to be soundproofed, so Hanako simply sits alone in silence for a moment, before shrugging and rising from her seat.
To occupy herself, Hanako prods around the place for a little, rummaging through all the miscellaneous clutter. A strange collection of artifacts, weapons, jewelry, items of indeterminate origin… It’s as if Akira’s trying to collect all the treasures of world.
Rummaging around, she discovers an effigy resembling a warped angel, shaped from dark green emerald, which hovers effortlessly above a pedestal. Should Hanako claim this Artifact?
“Ah…” Akira’s voice interrupts in a contented sigh as she saunters back into the living room with a slight background noise of coughing and gasping. “Much better.”
Hanako decides to leave the choice for a later date and walks back over to the couch.
“So?” Akira asks as she begins preparing a couple glasses of Absinthe. “What kind of fun did you have in mind?”
Hanako giggles.

=========================================================================================================================

Part 12
You awaken to the dreaded sound of your alarm clock and fight down the urge to stab it. You're not a morning person at the best of times and last night you stayed with Hisao until late before retiring back to your room.
It was nothing exciting, but you're sure that will come in time...
Rising, you enact the ancient scottish ritual of awakening and whip up a cup of coffee liqueur, pondering what you should be doing today.
Today is Hanako's birthday - and given her recovery (if you call it that) she definitely wouldn't mind a small celebration. You make a mental note to run the idea by Hisao.
Tomorrow is Emi's track meet, so really, all you need to do on that front is kill time.
As you finish readying yourself, you wonder who you should go see first. You've come to realize that class is fairly worthless, so being slightly late probably wouldn't matter so much.
It's Hanako's birthday, after all. It's only logical to start the day with her.
You cross the hallway and rap a few times on her door. Inside you hear a shifting as she awakens.
"H-Hello?" You hear her groggily call.
"Hanako? It's Lilly."
In the next instant, the door is practically yanked off its hinges and Hanako (still in her bedclothes despite it being well past time to start getting ready) wraps her arms around you.
"Mornin' Lillyyyyyy" She greets you, yawning that last bit.
"May I come in?"
"Of course!" She replies and leads you inside. You sit together on her awkwardly still-warm bed.
"So Lilly, what's the occasion? N-not that there needs to be one of course, haha, just wondering. Just in case." She adds quickly.
"The occasion?" You muse. "My, my. Nothing special for now, Hanako." You stroke her hair. "Just wanted to visit."
"Aw. Thanks Lilly," She squeaks back and nuzzles into you.
You allow her to cuddle you for a moment, then she asks. "You didn't get back until late last night, did you? Did you spend it at Hisao's?"
"H-Hanako?!"
She giggles a little. "Ooooh. You did! You did! Didn't you? Did anything happen? Diiiid it?"
It is definitely a break from tradition for Hanako to be the one teasing you. And a little unsettling that she knew... Still, you have an image to maintain.
"N-Nothing like that Hanako. Don't be absurd."
She stays silent for a moment, then. "Did you want it to be?"
"Of course not, Hanako." You reply. "I'd never do something so scandalous."
Lies.
You take her hand. "Although that does remind me, Hanako. Are you free this afternoon?"
"Hm?" She replies, perking up.
You smile at her. "Just fancied having a little tea party in my room later this evening. Are you free?"
"Yeah! Of course! I'm free all day! I'm free right now, actually!"
She darts off the bed and you hear her opening a drawer.
"D-do you want to play chess?" She asks, taking out the board you two usually use.
"I'd be delighted." You tell her.
Just like all high schools, class is worthless. You mostly show up out of habit and to derive a false sense of value.
Also it is her birthday, after all. It's only courteous to make her happy.
Together, you and Hanako play several games, pausing every now and again to make tea or Caribbean Bellinis.
You lose every game quite soundly. She seems to have improved a lot...
Ding Daung.
Throughout the building, you hear the muffled stock-footage school bell. It's lunchtime? How many games did you play?
"My my." You say, putting a hand to your face. "Is it lunchtime already?"
"Y-Yes." Hanako squeaks.
Realizing it's usually time to go catch Hisao for lunch, you rise, cracking your back slightly.
An offset of your balance as Hanako, seemingly on impulse, reaches up and grabs your hand.
"L-L-Lilly? A-Are you g-g-going?"
"Well, I usually meet Hisao for lunch around this time." You tell Hanako.
 "O-Oh."
Instead of releasing her hand, though, you gently pull her to her feet and smile sweetly at her. "Would you care to join us?"
Hanako stays dead silent for a minute, then seemingly becomes aware of her own silence and almost shouts at you. "Y-Yeah! Yeah! Yeah, I'd love to!"
A hectic banging follows as Hanako half-removes, half-rips-off her nightgown and pulls on her normal school clothes.
"Don't leave!" She tells you, despite you showing no such intent, sitting calmly on her bed. "I'm almost ready, almost ready... Done!"
She takes your arm in one hand and a basket in the other. "Let's go!"
Together, you walk across the schoolyard, stepping over a passed-out drunken Mutou on the sidewalk on your way there.
Reaching the school entrance, you feel Hanako stiffen, then relax and give a small noise of confusion. A second later, you hear the reason why.
"WAHAHAHA! Hey there, you two!" A cheery voice calls from down the hallway.
"Shizune's not with her..." Hanako softly whispers to you, explaining her confusion.
There's an anomaly.
You could try to talk to Misha, maybe even find out where Hisao is?
Or you could try to slip off before she reaches you. Damn whatever she wants.
Whatever you do, you better do it fast, as you hear a strangely rhythmic step beginning...
You decide you wouldn't really mind chatting with Misha, as long as her evil puppet master isn't present.
"Hello Misha." You say as her skipping comes to a halt right before you and Hanako. "Something I can do for you?"
"Well, um... kinda..." She says, fumbling over her words a bit. "Um... it's about Hicchan..."
That perks your interest for more than one reason.
"Um..." She hesitates, seemingly a bit conflicted and you feel Hanako stiffen, as if Misha was looking at her as she hesitated.
"Oh, you don't need to mind Hanako." You say, giving your friend's hand a reassuring grip.
"WAHAHA! Ok then!" She pauses again and her voice drops a few notes.
"Um... Hicchan seemed kind of depressed yesterday... After he got that letter. He seemed ok again in class today, but... Um... Is he really alright?"
"Hisao?" You reply, unsure of whether or not he really cares for that nickname. "He's fine. I talked to him a bit yesterday."
At this, Misha breathes a small sigh of relief, which you find odd.
"Why do you ask?" You continue.
"Huh? Why? WAHAHA!" After laughing, her voice lowers to what might be considered a normal speaking tone. Unheard of for Misha.
"Well, because... Hicchan's my friend... I guess I really don't have too many of those these days..."
"How come?" Hanako pipes up, perhaps due to her familiarity with that subject. "What's stopping you?"
Misha pauses at this, saying nothing, making a noise or two every once in a while as if beginning to speak, but then freezing.
This continues for a moment before you decide prolonging the conversation is fruitless. Misha strayed from your guidance. Better to work on saving people already in your flock rather than ones trying to get back into it.
"Actually, Misha." You break the stillness. "I was just looking for Hisao. Do you know where he is?"
"Oh! Yeah!" She replies, perking back up.
"Hicchan went out for lunch just when teacher started breaking into his third bottle of Grey Goose."
"I see. And where did he go?"
"Oh. Emi and Rin snagged him outside of class. I think they all went up to the roof together."
You're not sure you like the sound of that.
Actually, you know you don't. Better wrap this up.
"Thanks a bunch, Misha." You reply sweetly before giving Hanako's hand a tug.
Together, the two of you make for the roof at a faster-than-average walking pace, leaving Misha standing there in the hall.
"Why..." She repeats quietly.
Almost blowing open the door to the roof, cane firmly clenched and Hanako tensed up, you're greeted by an odd mix of scents: mostly paint and cigarette smoke.
"Oh, hey you two!" You hear Hisao's voice call.
 "Oh! Hello." Emi's voice.
"I wonder what purple tastes like." You don't really need to guess who that is.
"Hisao?" You ask, taking some cautious steps towards him. "What are you doing up here?"
"Oh!" Emi cuts in. "Hehe... Hisao seemed a little off-tempo yesterday, so Rin and I prepared a get-better feast!"
"I wanted to serve roasted Drop-Bears, but the trap was empty this morning." Rin drones.
Casting about , you perceive a blanket spread across the ground with two baskets placed on it.
You don't smell anything fresh: mostly packaged store-bought food? This is hardly a feast...
"You two are welcome to join if you don't have plans already." Hisao offers.
Incredulous, you turn to Emi. "You call this a feast for Hisao? Mongrels. Behold, and acknowledge your folly."
You reach into your bag and pull out one of Akira's signature bottles of wine. An ancient Roman recipe from the time when wine fields were often fertilized with the corpses of your enemies.
You're not exactly sure how strictly Akira follows that recipe, but it's definitely the best you've ever tried.
"I-I brought food too!" Hanako perks up, placing her basket down on the blanket. "I made some cake."
"Great! Have a seat, you two." Hisao says happily.
And thus the Feast of Yanderes is underway.
The five of you sprawl out together. Four of which would probably be ripping each other's throats out under different circumstances, but in Hisao's presence, an unspoken truce looms over you all.
"So I've been working on a Bas-relief of this squid-thingie I saw in my dreams..." Rin monologues. "I think it's coming out ok. But while I'm working on it I keep hearing these weird voices..."
You shut out Rin and lean up against Hisao. "Oh, by the way Hisao." you whisper into his ear. "Don't overindulge. Our party idea for Hanako is back on for later tonight." You say, ever so slightly twitching your head in the direction of Hanako, who is apparently trying to comprehend Rin's offhand comment about how it's not safe to save right now because the darkness is coming.
"Got it." He tells you, squeezing your hand in place of a smile.
"So Lilly?" Emi asks you. "What is it that you and Hisao have been doing together so often? Decided to include anything that might help him?"
It's a barely hidden barb, but Hisao doesn't seem to pick up on it.
You smile back at Emi.
"I don't restrict myself to any single activity, Emi." You reply, squeezing Hisao's hand and giving a smile. "It's a matter personal preference, but I find it makes a person so dreadfully dull."
Rin appears to be showing Hanako her favorite music track. From what you can hear from the headphones, it seems to consist of a loop of various people crying, intermitted with the sounds of an axe being sharpened.
Emi falls silent for the merest instant, then replies. "I understand, not everyone has the focus or willpower to stick to any kind of routine." She scooches over next to him and leans into his arm on the side opposite you. "Hisao's special like that."
Hisao himself cuts in. "Ahaha. I wouldn't say that, Emi. I mostly just followed your lead."
You feel a slight vibration through Hisao's body as Emi nuzzles against him.
"Oh, don't think anything of it. True friends empower people they care about. Maybe Lilly doesn't get that?"
Your mind flashes briefly with images of the girl being horribly murdered, but being an aristocrat, you keep up your air of immaculate dignity.
There's a strength in flexibility, Emi. Eclecticism gives you a much broader spectrum for life in the long term."
She falls silent for a moment, contemplating your words. "Hm... I suppose there's some level of merit in that."
The closing moments of the feast are passed in relative silence, with everyone sipping their corpsewine and contemplating the philosophies of everyone else.
It's true that Hisao's condition has bothered you. You've often wondered how to best alleviate his problem, it's not like you're the authority when it comes to physical activities...
Well, there is one in particular that you wouldn't mind doing as many times as necessary.
With that thought, you sigh fondly.
"Lilly?" Hisao asks in response to your seemingly out-of-place reaction but is interrupted by the bell ringing.
"My, my. How time flies." You remark. "Shall we be going, Hanako?"
"I'm gonna help these two clean up." Hisao says. "See you later!"
And with that, the Feast of Yanderes draws to a close, everyone becoming silent enemies again.
Taking Hanako's arm, the two of you head back to her dorm.
"Hm... Rin said I should go pick up that sculpture..." Hanako muses to herself as you walk. Mutou is still there on the sidewalk as you pass back.
Once there, you and Hanako resume your little habit of playing idle games with each other. After being destroyed in chess a few more times, you break out Risk and begin a fierce battle over Australia.
After a while, you check the time and realize it should be about time for Hanako's party.
Hisao'll be coming by your room. And as for Akira... you don't actually know if she'll be able to make it, come to think.
Making an excuse, you flip out your phone and dial Akira.
"Heya! How's it hanging?"
"Decently. I had an odd lunch, but it's been a nice day." You cast your perceptions back to Hanako, who doesn't seem to be listening. "Are you going to be able to make the party?"
"Me? Miss a party? Who the hell do you think I am?"
You smile to yourself. "Glad to hear it."
You'd like to go into more details, but detect Hanako approaching. "See you soon!" You cheerfully say into the receiver and hang up.
You move your game into your room and idly pass the time sacking Rome before hearing a knock.
"Lilly?"
You smile broadly, a gesture Hanako notices and giggles at.
"Might that be Hisao?" You reply teasingly. Of course it's him. You've been at this voice-placing thing for a while, after all.
"Hanako, would you kindly get the door?"
She gives an affirmative "Mhm!" and hops up. "Hi Hisao." You hear her say as the portal opens.
"Hisao." You greet him.
"Girls." He replies as he takes a seat next to you and you lean into him, happy he's become accustomed to this kind of contact.
Hanako settles back down into her seat just across the table from you.
Content that the setup has gone so well, you smile cheekily at Hisao.
Hanako either doesn't notice your exchanged glance with Hisao or assumes it's to do with your feelings for one another.
"Shall we, Hisao?" You ask.
"Let's." He replies.
"Happy birthday!" You and Hisao say together, each extending your gifts.
"... ... ..." Hanako seems to be at a loss for words at suddenly becoming the center of everything.
You're suddenly worried that she may be regressing, but then you hear a small sniffle. "You two... Lilly... You remembered..."
"Of course." You reply as she gently lifts the parcel out of your hands.
Awestruck, Hanako takes her time delicately unwrapping each one. Hisao's chess set. And your teddy bear.
She stays silent for a moment, apparently gaping at them whilst you snuggle against Hisao.
"You guys..." Hanako comes to her feet, springs up, and tackles you both, drawing you both into a hug with one arm around either of you. "Thank you. Seriously. Thanks... I love you two..."
"Hey hey! Just them? No love for me?" A voice cuts in from behind.
"Akira!" Hanako squeaks, jumping to her feet and crash-tackling her too from the sound of it.
"Hehe! You're gonna love my gift just as much, trust me."
You perceive two thuds on your table.
 "Are these... wine bottles?" You hear Hisao ask.
"Yup. One red, one white."
"Why are they jewel-encrusted?" Hanako asks.
"All the treasures of this world should belong to me. To us." Akira answers cheerfully before breaking out the glasses.
You smile and take Hanako's hand - a gesture she reciprocates by pulling you into a strong hug.
"Lilly..."
"Happy birthday, Hanako!"