Walking In Your Fleeting World || Dazai Osamu

Fear of pain

-Riki's POV-

If I had a nickel for every time I was stalked in this world, I'd have three. This isn't a lot, of course, but I sure as hell don't like how the number keeps going up every year.

At first, it was Hiroto, a poor kid who had no clue what he was getting into until it was too late. Then Dazai took over, the story really should've ended right there. Dazai is not a force to be reckoned with. When he decided he was gonna stalk me, he got my parent's permission, secured his position well in my family tree, and even got me on board. Sure, I sometimes rebel, but I got used to living like this, even started to enjoy it too.

But M is trying to mess it all up.

If it was just plain old me getting affected, I'd not mind, really. But it's not. M's been stalking me since the sports festival. Do you know what it means? It means since the Nishikata era, I had a stalker whose initials weren't D and O. Dazai's not gonna take it lightly. He already has beef with Nishikata, this will take things up more than just a notch.

Even if he lets Nishikata off the hook, he won't forgive the school's security system. I'm talking about teachers and guards losing their jobs here, and if I'm unlucky, Dazai's own security guards will infiltrate for the sake of my protection. I'm an alien, my secrets are revolutionary, even Ango won't intervene. Dazai will get away with being extreme yet again, and no one will raise a question. Not even my super chill Nii-san.

And above all else, M will die. Sure, he's a stalker, but ultimately he's a high schooler who knew nothing better. He deserves suspension, maybe even expulsion for his crime, but not death.

If I want to save his life, and protect my quiet school life, I gotta do something about it without letting Dazai know. It's impossible, I'm aware. Just one look at my face, he'll know something's up. With me being his assistant starting today, there's a high chance he will figure it out tonight. By tomorrow, M will be packed and thrown away like trash before I know it.

But I'm not one to give up.

"Psst, hey." I call out to the girl sitting behind me, leaning backward over her desk, "Yumi-chan. Do you have a sec?"

"Yup." She says almost instantly, as I hoped she would. She's not one to enjoy history classes. "Whatcha need?"

"Umm, this," I pass her my math notebook, where I found the note.

"...You want help with math?"

"Look inside."

She becomes quiet for a looong while. I watch the history teacher hover over a world map, showing us some ancient artifact, telling us how it links to some strange civilization I've never even heard of; my ears sharp, waiting for Yumi to say something.

"Holy shit..." I hear her words of amazement, "You have a secret lover..."

"Stalker, not a lover."

"Aww, give the boy a chance~! He's got dirt on you, how romantic is that? What, did you poke your nose or something?"

I roll my eyes.

"So what do you want me to do? Clearly you're not interested in my awesome listening skills as you rant."

"...What's there to rant about anyway? I got a stalker."