On How to Soothe a Flustered Yandere (1)

Dongfang Yi turned around somewhat stiffly, and what came into view was—

A gentle girl loved by everyone.

She looked completely harmless.

Her orange hair was neat and clean, her watery eyes were clear and affectionate, and her fair right hand gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing soft, slightly chubby cheeks and a neck as white as a swan's. Under the lights, her cherry-colored lips took on a jelly-like texture.

Perhaps quite thirst-quenching, one might think.

Truly cute.

Well, it would feel even cuter if my C-rank Malice Perception skill wasn't blaring alarms.

"Long time no see, Kushida-san."

Ignoring the red dots flashing frantically on his system interface, Dongfang Yi entered battle mode with a straight face.

Although he didn't know how he had provoked this person, in order to keep milking the princess for points, he had better smooth things over first.

[Malice Perception EXP +10]

"That's right, it's been two days. I was su~per looking forward to meeting you again, Senpai. It's really happy to see you again."

Kushida pulled out the chair at the counter next to Dongfang Yi, gathered her skirt, and sat down gently.

This was a design specifically set up for solo customers, similar to a bar counter, to make it easier for them to chat with the staff.

After all... money from single customers is still money!

It would be a waste not to earn it.

The little angel leaned forward slightly, looking as if she couldn't wait to get closer to Dongfang Yi.

The height of the counter was set just right, allowing her to place the milk pudding she was carrying onto the table, which helped reduce some of the weight she was carrying and made her movements much lighter.

"I'm also very happy to be able to meet Kushida-san again."

Dongfang Yi maintained a gentle smile, though his eyes involuntarily swept across the surface of the counter.

Hmm, just like the original work said, smaller than Sakura, but seemingly far superior to Kamuro; she's quite well-endowed. I wonder if one hand could even cover it...

Uh, wait, why do I remember Kamuro's size?

On the other side, Kushida didn't mind his gaze, which was filled with curiosity about the unknown and a touch of aggression. On the contrary, she proudly puffed out her chest a little more.

She even rested her arms on the table and, without a trace, squeezed them together to make that soft, full curve appear even more prominent.

"Does Senpai actually think so too? I'm so happy." The girl played with the hair by her ear, her cherry lips exhaling like an orchid: "Hey, Sen~pai~, would you be willing to be my friend?"

"Friends? That's a word that feels quite distant to me." Dongfang Yi seemed a bit emotional, and perhaps a bit nostalgic.

He didn't say yes, but he didn't say no either, leaving himself plenty of strategic room.

Kushida Kikyo had expected his answer, or rather, in this short time, she had already prepared herself to be rejected.

She continued on her own: "I, you know, want to be good friends with everyone. Always, always, I've been working hard toward that goal. Every time I make a new friend, every time someone is willing to call me 'Kikyo-chan,' I feel so happy."

"Kushida-san's ideal is truly grand." Dongfang Yi smiled and began to select a coffee cup, preparing for the next step.

[Malice Perception EXP +10]

"I know it's hard to do, but I've been working hard at it. And actually, I'm really grateful to you, Senpai. You helped me on the bus, and you guided me when I enrolled. I was so happy at the time, super happy. I felt it was so great to meet you on the day of enrollment. So, I really, really wanted to see you again and become your friend."

"Is that so? To be cared for so much by the cute Kushida-san, I'm truly flattered."

Dongfang Yi kept his gentle smile, his tone seemingly filled with a hint of surprise and joy.

[Malice Perception EXP +10]

"But you know, I looked for you for two days. Because of what you said, I searched seriously among the upperclassmen for two whole days. I even got to know every key member of the clubs, to the point where I had to give up." Her voice was so sweet, but her eyes held not a shred of warmth, and her tone carried an irrepressible resentment.

"And yet, Senpai was right here, so~ close to me. Really... I'm truly surprised."

"Gulp~" Dongfang Yi swallowed silently, his mind filled with endless complaints.

What's with this yandere act, Kushida-san? Isn't being a two-faced person your actual setting? Are you the type who just blurts out what's on your mind so easily?

He calmly recalled the original text and suddenly realized that this person really was the type who would easily self-destruct under the slightest pressure...

Are you some kind of disposable suicide bomber, hey!

"Senpai, you've been toying with me." Kushida's arms squeezed even tighter: "That's super mean, toying with my feelings like that."

Dongfang Yi felt like a scumbag who had deceived an innocent girl, and for a moment, his heart was filled with guilt.

"But even so, even with a Senpai like that, I still want to be your friend. I want to chat together, eat together, and know more about you."

Uh... are you sure you don't just want to get a hold of my weaknesses to control me?

Dongfang Yi felt like the air conditioning in the shop had been turned up.

It was a bit cold.

"If Sen~pai~ isn't willing, I'll be very troubled. Hey, Sen~pai~, are you really not willing to be my friend...?"

Kushida's watery eyes followed Dongfang Yi's figure, her voice still sweet enough to make one's imagination run wild.

Well, that is, if you ignore the heavy emphasis on the word "troubled."

[Malice Perception EXP +500]

[Congratulations, Malice Perception skill has been upgraded to B-rank]

I really wish you wouldn't congratulate me on things like this, System.

Dongfang Yi grumbled inwardly, silently contemplating a countermeasure.

After all, at this point, simply listening patiently probably wouldn't be of any use.

If he didn't respond, he figured the next thing out of this person's mouth would be something along the lines of, "If you're unwilling, then I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to drop out, Senpai."

It probably couldn't get any worse than that...

Wait, surely she wouldn't... stab me over something this trivial, right?

An inexplicable sense of crisis welled up from the bottom of his heart. If he continued to let Kushida lead the conversation and kept flooring the gas pedal toward the abyss, the consequences... gulp... probably wouldn't be very pleasant.

Still, for now, it was only potentially unpleasant; it wasn't a huge problem.

Eastern Interpersonal Relationship Guidebook

Chapter 2, Article 14: In a conversation, never fall into the other person's rhythm.

Chapter 3, Article 28: If a question is difficult to answer directly, try responding with a question.