Work Text:
The Other One
To Ayano Aishi, there was nothing in her life more important than her Senpai. The one boy who could make her feel happiness, sadness, love… rage… Ayano was so infatuated with her senpai that she would often have daydreams about him during classes instead of paying attention to her lesson. But, who would blame her? Who needs to know advanced literary techniques when she had her senpai, the most important person in her life and the boy that Ayano was convinced would one day be her husband. But, there were so many people that stood in the way of her and the dashing Taro Yamada. Lately, it was the leader of the Occult Club, Oka Ruto. A girl that Ayano had only ever laid eyes on once, as she spent most of her time in her Occult club, rarely ever showing her face except for between classes. She was spending so much time with senpai it was sickening… Ayano had to do something to make sure senpai didn’t fall for Oka… something drastic…
She hardly felt her grip tighten around the pen in her hand, her knuckles turning white as a result of how hard she was holding on to it, in the same way one would hold a knife before putting a wounded animal out of its misery… images of bloody and mangled corpses flashed through Ayano’s mind, and a smile formed on her face.
“Shinu…” Ayano muttered to herself, smile still growing. That instant, a ruler slammed down on her desk, jolting her out of the trance-like state she found herself in. The teacher, of course…
“Ms. Aishi, you will pay attention in my class or you will be reported to the Counselor’s office. This is the third time this week, and I will no longer tolerate this blatant disregard for my teaching, understood?” The words simply washed over Ayano, who barely registered them. She simply uttered a small “Yes, sensei. Sorry, sensei,” which seemed to work for the teacher, as she walked back to the blackboard at the front of the class and started lecturing once again. Begrudgingly, Ayano pushed the thoughts of Senpai away, and tried to focus on the lesson, lest she get sent to the counselor's office…
---
Ayano spent the rest of that lesson planning. Planning how to stalk Oka, how to make Senpai dislike her, and, just in case, how to most effectively get rid of her. But, things wouldn’t come to that, Senpai would never choose anyone over Ayano herself. But, it was always good to have backup plans…
And just then, Oka walked into Ayano, causing her to drop all the books that were in her arms. Ayano had to fight off the urge to just punch Oka right there. After everything Oka had done to her, after having the audacity to go after her senpai… Oka must have noticed her angry expression, as she stumbled backwards, muttering a flurry of “Sorry”’s. She started to lean down to try to help Ayano, but a swift glance from the younger girl made her back off while still stammering rapid fire apologies. Ayano got to one knee and picked up her books, occasionally glaring in Oka’s direction. Once all the books were safely back in Ayano’s arms, she shot one last glare at Oka before hurrying to her next class.
“I’m going to kill her…”
---
The next day, Ayano started Phase 1 of her plan to take Oka out of the equation. From the beginning of the school day to the walk back home, she followed Oka’s every move. Watching where her locker was, which classes she attended, who she talked to. By the time she got home, Ayano knew everything she needed to know about Oka. The next day was Phase 2: Trust. She decided to “apologize” to Oka for getting angry when her books were knocked out of her hand. She complimented her appearance, asked about the Occult club, laughed at what few jokes she offered. This was all second nature to Ayano. Even if she couldn’t really feel these emotions, over the years she had mastered the art of faking it until people accepted her, even with her condition. It had come in handy many times, and now with her new tasks presenting themselves as often as they did, they were even more useful than ever.
One particular instance Ayano remembered vividly was after an Occult club meeting. She was chatting with Oka, asking how her day was, how the meeting went. All superficial topics just to gain Oka’s trust, but they were necessary, even if painfully dull. Still, Ayano went through the motions of acting intrigued, surprised, joyous, and even sorrowful. Suddenly, in the middle of her sentence, Oka stepped closer to Ayano and gingerly laid her head on Ayano’s shoulder, still talking like nothing had happened. Ayano’s heart started beating faster, and Oka’s words started to fade into the background as Ayano’s head was filled with thoughts. What’s she doing? Is this a good sign? Am I gaining her trust? Why does this feel so… nice? Ayano thought back to when she had seen something similar to this happen, with her parents. Her mother had laid her head on her father’s shoulder, and in return, her father put his hand around her mother’s shoulders. Very slowly and cautiously, Ayano mimicked the action, gently putting an arm around Oka’s shoulders. Almost immediately, Oka leaned into Ayano a bit more, inching her body ever so slightly closer and closer until their hips were touching. Ayano had barely noticed that Oka had stopped talking, and was now looking up at her quizzically.
“Y-yandere-chan, a-are you ok?” She asked quietly, her head tilted to the side just a little bit, like a curious puppy. Ayano spluttered for a second, not expecting any of this to happen, before simply nodding, her face burning in embarrassment. A small smile found its way onto Oka’s face, the corners of her lips just barely rising. Ayano’s heart started beating faster. They looked into each other’s eyes for what felt like forever, until Oka started to close her eyes, and stand on her toes, seemingly trying to get closer to Ayano’s face… her lips started parting, and Ayano closed her own eyes… and the school bell rang. Oka immediately staggered backwards, eyes wide open in shock. She stuttered out the tiniest “Sorry” before hurrying away, still trying to fix the schoolbag that had fallen off her shoulders when she was trying to reach Ayano… trying to kiss her…
The strangest part was, Ayano wouldn’t have refused. She would have let Oka kiss her, would have liked to have felt her small hands on her own waist… No no no, stop this! She doesn’t matter, she’s just a distraction from Senpai. Take her out, and he’s all yours, she thought to herself, re-adjusting her own schoolbag and, staggering slightly, walking back to her own class. But… what if I don’t want to kill her? What if I can’t? What the hell is happening to me? I… don’t even like girls… do I?
The more Ayano talked to Oka, the more her emotions became genuine. She wanted to spend more time with Oka, to talk to her and just be around her. And not to memorize her daily routine, or get on her good side, but because she was enjoying being around Oka. Her laughter became genuine, her interest in the Occult club became more than just a way to eventually make Oka do whatever she wanted. Eventually Ayano became genuinely sad when Oka had to leave to go home after school. The only other person who had ever made her feel this way was Senpai… and even he wasn’t as important to Ayano as Oka was at this point.
Ayano felt that Oka was her only real friend, the only person she could talk to in confidence. They had formed such a strong bond in such a short time, it almost seemed impossible. And every time Ayano saw the smaller girl, sitting on her own making things for the Occult club or doing homework, all she could picture were those small, soft lips coming towards her, inching closer and closer… how they formed a perfect little half smile whenever Ayano said something considered to be funny, how they would feel on her own… it was maddening. Nobody had prepared her for this overwhelming amount of affection and adoration for anyone, especially not another girl. For the first time since seeing Senpai, Ayano could see herself happy with someone else, potentially even happier than she would be with Senpai.
Then Friday came. Ayano went to her classes, had lunch with Oka, and walked home with her. She didn’t think about Senpai, she didn’t worry about someone taking Senpai away from her. She was happy with Oka, possibly the happiest she’d ever been. They texted back and forth for hours at a time over the weekend, staying up until the early hours of the morning just to talk to each other. It was like nothing Ayano had ever felt before. Just the thought of Oka, the thought of seeing her deep purple eyes, and her messy dark hair made her heart beat faster than anything else had before. She was happy for the first time in her life. Not the same “happy” she was with Senpai, where she was only happy at the thought of him loving her, she was happy at just the thought of Oka. At receiving a text from her, at hearing her quiet, stutter-y voice.
Ayano caught a glimpse of Senpai holding the hand of one of the Student Council members the next week. She had long, light purple hair. Ayano simply shrugged and continued talking to Oka.
“Ayano?” Oka asked, looking up at her with that same quizzical look she had given Ayano on that day they had nearly kissed.
“Sorry, what? I couldn’t hear you,” Ayano replied, flashing a smile at Oka, who turned a bright red. Mental Note: smile like that a lot more.
“W-well, uh, I was-was wondering i-if I coul-could, um, maybe, go to y-your house? M-maybe on F-fri-friday?” Oka seemed to use every fiber of her being to just utter that simple question, but that didn’t matter to Ayano. Her heart was racing, if it beat any faster it might explode. She knew what happened when people went to each other’s houses, especially if they were close. The gossip she had picked up from the other girls in her school told her that often, a house visit lead to kissing, and even sex. All these thoughts flooded Ayano’s head at once, and she herself had a hard time constructing a reply.
“Well, uh, I-” she started, before Oka cut her off, clearly misinterpreting Ayano’s deliberation.
“N-no, I’m s-sorry, th-that was a s-stupid question, y-you don’t have to-don’t have to answer th-that,” she sputtered out, her face somehow turning an even deeper shade of red. But Ayano shook her head, putting a hand on Oka’s shoulder (again, she went an even deeper red).
“Of course you can come over. I’m free on Friday, just bring a change of clothes with you to school and walk to my house with me. It’ll be fun,” she flashed another smile at Oka, and with that, the bell for the end of lunch rang out across the school. “See you at the end of the day!” Ayano yelled to Oka as she hurried off to class, the smaller girl seemingly frozen in place, her expression a mix of joy and shock. Ayano smiled to herself. I think I love her.
---
That Friday, Oka’s schoolbag bulged with the added clothes she had brought for going to Ayano’s after school. Ayano herself had taken a little longer to get ready that morning, scavenging makeup from her mother’s room and trying her best to apply eyeliner without getting any on her eyeball. Eventually, she had decided it was as good as it was going to get, and hurried off to school before she was late. Oka seemed more nervous than normal the whole day, her stutter worse than ever before. Trying her best to help Oka feel better, Ayano insisted that spending an afternoon with her alone was going to be boring, and that there was nothing to be nervous about, but nothing seemed to help. Eventually, she just decided to accept that Oka would be nervous until the time came for her to come over, so she dropped the topic and started discussing homework, at which point Oka became more responsive. When the bell rang, Ayano gave Oka’s hand a small squeeze before going back to class, and Oka turned crimson in half a second. Ayano smiled to herself, reveling in the other girl’s frustration with Ayano’s small signs of affection. She was sure Oka liked her, sure that if given the opportunity to show Ayano her true feelings, she would take it. The problem was allowing that opportunity.
---
At the sound of the last school bell of the day, Ayano practically sprinted to her and Oka’s usual meeting place, just in front of the gate separating the school from the rest of the town. It wasn’t long before Oka sheepishly approached, head down, books hugged close to her chest. Ayano could practically see all the thoughts racing through her mind, all her worries about spending a few hours alone with Ayano. She herself was feeling the same, but she had to act confident for Oka, otherwise both of them would end up stressed, anxious messes. Finally, Oka looked up at Ayano, who gave a small, knowing smile. Oka immediately seemed to feel a bit better, perking up a little.
“You ready to go? You can just get changed at my house,” she said automatically, seeing Oka start to open her mouth to ask about that very topic. Seemingly defeated, Oka gave a sigh and nodded, at which Ayano put her arm around the smaller girl’s shoulders and started walking. She could feel Oka’s heat where their bodies touched. Her hip, her left arm slung around Oka like a wounded soldier, her left leg when they accidentally bumped into each other. Oka didn’t say much on the walk, so Ayano talked at her, as if she was talking to herself. It wasn’t particularly insightful or deep, just insignificant school talk.
“What do you think of Megami? She and Sen-I mean, Taro, seem happy. She must be head of the Student Council, right? All the other members seem to do everything she says without question, so it wouldn’t make sense if she was just a normal member. I’m going to talk to her, try and see if she’s cool or not, you know?” Oka occasionally nodded, but Ayano knew she wasn’t really paying attention, she was most likely more focused on the hours ahead of her. Ayano couldn’t blame her.
Eventually, the pair made it to Ayano’s house. It was, as usual, empty. All the lights were off inside, the only light source being slits of orange sunlight streaming in from gaps in closed blinds.
“My parents are on vacation, so I have the house to myself for the year,” Ayano said, hastily hiding dirty dishes she had forgotten to put away in the morning.
“A year? I d-don’t even have the h-house to myself for a weekend,” said Oka, her eyes widened in shock. Answering with a small shrug, Ayano closed the plate cupboard and made her way to Oka, who was still standing just outside the doorway.
“Come on, make yourself at home. There’s a bathroom down the hall if you want to get changed, do you want anything to drink? Tea or water or soda or anything?” She asked, watching Oka’s eyes dart around the living room, taking in every detail. It was cute, if a little creepy, but that was Oka.
“Th-thank you, I’ll h-have a t-tea,” Oka muttered, which was received with a big smile from Ayano.
“Alright, go get changed and I’ll start on your tea. You’ll get the Aishi Special,” she added with a wink, which made Oka’s cheeks flush with color as she quickly made her way to the bathroom, schoolbag in tow. Satisfied with her work so far, Ayano got started on the tea, humming to herself as she began the process. It had been so long since she had made tea, and yet all the steps came to her as if it was a daily routine. Kettle, teabags, milk, sugar, and a touch of vanilla to give it some more sweetness. Her mother’s legendary Aishi Special. Just as she was adding the vanilla to both cups, Oka walked out of the bathroom, looking more nervous than ever. It occurred to Ayano that she had never seen Oka out of her school uniform, and she was so glad she finally could.
She looked stunning. Black skinny jeans accentuated every curve of her legs, along with a black shirt that featured occult images accented in white. Her usual spider-web pattern sleeves were still present, but she had replaced her big, red armband signifying her position as Occult club leader with a slimmer, more stylish black armband in the same position, wrapped tightly around her thin arm. Ayano noticed too late that she was staring at Oka, and fumbled with the teaspoon in her hand, desperately trying to make it look like she was doing something other than simply admiring Oka.
“H-hey, your, uh, tea’s nearly ready, just give me a second,” Ayano stuttered, still trying to recollect herself. She could feel her face burning, and was sure of the fact that Oka saw her cheeks turning a shade of red previously unknown to humans. Hurriedly, Ayano stirred the vanilla into the tea, desperately trying to stop her hands from shaking. What’s happening to me? Her blood pounded in her ears, her vision began to blur ever so slightly, and her stomach felt like it was tied in knots. Is this what Oka was feeling leading up to this afternoon?
“A-Ayano? Are you ok? Y-you look p-pale,” Oka whispered, a fearful look in her eyes. Her anxiety about the afternoon seemed to have been replaced by a worry for Ayano’s wellbeing, which, while greatly appreciated, did not do much to console Ayano. For a second, they both stared at each other, before Ayano shook her head and forced a smile onto her face.
“It’s nothing, just the light. You should drink up while I get changed, ok?” Although she still looked somewhat skeptical, Oka seemed to accept this answer, giving Ayano a small smile as she grabbed her mug and took a sip. A surprised smile made its way onto Oka’s face as the unique flavor of the tea hit her. After seeing this, Ayano found masking her newfound anxiety slightly easier. “You can just sit on the couch over there for a minute,” Ayano said, trying her hardest to hide the slight quiver in her voice. “I’ll run upstairs, get changed, and we can get started, ok?” Oka nodded silently, taking another sip of the tea with a smile. With that, Ayano flashed a smile before turning and jogging upstairs to her room.
And she fell apart. The act dropped, her breathing increased tenfold, her knees became weak, the room felt like it was spinning around her at a mile a minute. She rushed to the bathroom across from her bedroom, fumbling for the light for what felt like a millennium. Finally, the dim bulb flickered to life. She slammed the door shut and leaned over the sink, breathing heavily. You’re ok. You’re ok. It’s just Oka. You’re ok. As she closed her eyes, she was surprised to feel tears drop down from the corners of her eyes. She took a long, shaky sigh. Stop this. It’s just Oka. You can handle it.
“I can handle this…” she muttered to herself with a small sniffle. But it wasn't just Oka overwhelming her. It was the flood of new emotions she was feeling. Fear, anxiety, stress, a lack of self-esteem. All of this hitting Ayano at the same time for the first time was so strange and scary, it felt like too much for her. Still, she had to get over it. She had to make this afternoon memorable, one way or another. And so, with another long, slightly less shaky sigh, Ayano turned the cold tap on, and splashed her face with water a couple times, trying her hardest to calm down. She dried herself off, and took a look in the mirror, already feeling somewhat better, and knowing exactly what to do to help even more.
“Upstage her.”
---
Ayano wished she had a camera recording Oka’s reaction when she saw her walk down the stairs. She had set out to upstage the older girl, and, in her own opinion, she had succeeded greatly. A white tank top, slightly too big so you could see her black bra through the arm holes. Black short shorts with fishnet stockings to somewhat cover her legs. She had even (in a slightly rushed manner) painted her finger nails black. If Oka had been holding the mug of tea, it would’ve fallen out of her hands as soon as she laid eyes on Ayano. But, Ayano just acted as she always did, grabbing her mug and nonchalantly sitting next to Oka, making sure their legs touched just a little every so often. Oka couldn't have been redder.
“So, what do you want to do? I’ve got a couple movies we could watch, or maybe we should play some games on my computer?” Of course, she received no answer. If Ayano hadn't been sitting right next to her, she would have assumed Oka had died by how silent she was. A small smile crept onto her face.
“Nothing? Well, what do you say we do some baking?” This earned a small nod from Oka, which at this point was akin to being given the highest honor possible by the leader of the free world. Satisfied with the wordless answer, Ayano hopped up and sauntered over to the kitchen. A couple seconds later, the sound of shuffling feet followed behind her, indicating Oka’s movement. This is the perfect opportunity…
“Hey, Oka,” Ayano started, turning on her heel to face the shorter girl. “What’s up with you? You’re acting different, quieter. You can talk to me if anything’s bothering you, you know,” At this, Oka looked up just a tiny bit, her eyes seemingly focused on Ayano’s knees. She took a long sigh, before finally looking into Ayano’s eyes. They were both silent for a couple seconds. Maybe more. Maybe whole minutes passed in silence, lost in each other’s eyes. And then suddenly, Oka smiled.
“Don’t w-worry about me, I was just th-thinking about h-homework. I’m fine, s-see?” Her smile grew wider, which surprised Ayano to no end. But, she wasn’t going to argue. Oka was talking, and seemed to be enjoying herself now. She might as well make the most of it.
--
Just an hour and a half later, the pair had baked and eaten a tray of cookies, and were now lying on Ayano’s bed watching a nature documentary, Oka’s head on Ayano’s chest. She had started off as far away from Ayano as possible, but slowly she inched closer to her as the minutes ticked on. Neither of them were paying much attention to the documentary. They were talking over it, simply letting the English narrator’s voice exist as background noise to their conversation.
“So, how did you get into occult stuff?”
“Oh, i-it’s a long s-story, you don’t want t-to hear it.”
“Alright, give me the short version.”
“Um, I-I read about it on-online and just s-started learning more about i-it. Then I started th-the Occult club and it’s b-been a p-part of me since.”
“It’s pretty cool that you started your own club.”
“Y-yeah, I guess,” Oka muttered, somewhat embarrassed. Following this, there was a long silence between them, except for the narrator of the documentary explaining the diet of a giraffe. Ayano could feel the tension in the air, as if it was a tangible object she could physically grab. She saw Oka occasionally open her mouth, as if she was about to say something, but then close her mouth again, looking both worried and frustrated. After a few minutes of this, she finally seemed to pull herself together, and looked up at Ayano with those wonderfully soft eyes.
“A-Ayano, can I ask y-you something?” She whispered, so softly it was actually a little hard for Ayano to hear what she said. But, she got the general idea, and her heart started beating faster.
“Yes, of course. Anything.” The last word she added in a slightly hopeful tone, trying to coax it out of Oka. The latter girl was red all over, and her breathing had gotten shaky.
“I-I was w-wondering if y-you wanted t-to-” Oka was cut off by the doorbell, which also startled Ayano so much that she nearly fell off her bed. She stumbled to her feet, holding up her index finger at Oka as she rushed out the door. I’m going to kill whoever that is. Oka was finally going to say it. She was going to ask Ayano if she wanted to go on a date somewhere, and Ayano would have said yes the very second the words left her mouth. And all that interrupted her was the doorbell. Seething, Ayano flung the door open. A small brown box was on the front step. If the delivery boy had been anywhere nearby, Ayano would have thrown the package at him. Instead, she snatched the package and threw it on the couch, slamming the door. Calm down, you’ll scare Oka. Breathe in. Breathe out. Her heart rate steadied, she felt the heat leave her face. Finally, she felt ready to go back upstairs to Oka.
“Sorry, it was a deliv-what are you doing?” Oka was hurriedly stuffing her school clothes back in her bag, looking very worried. When Ayano walked into the room, all words failed Oka. It took a few seconds just to mutter a small “Sorry…” and with that, she seemed to lose all her energy, dropping to her knees in front of her bag, eyes filling with tears. “I-I-I’m s-sorry, I h-have to g-go, m-my p-p-parents…” Her voice trailed off as Ayano knelt in front of her, a sad smile on her lips.
“Well, if you must go now, I might as well give you my goodbye present,” and with that, she took Oka’s chin in her hand and leant forwards. Her eyes closed. Her lips parted slightly. Oka didn’t move a muscle. Ayano’s forehead collided with Oka’s. Their noses touched. Ayano tilted her head just a little, and their lips met. Ayano pursed her lips a tiny bit. Her hand found its way to Oka’s waist, and Oka put her own hand on the back of Ayano’s neck. And they stayed like that for 10 seconds or so. Ayano would have happily died like that. Finally, they broke apart softly. When Ayano opened her eyes, Oka’s were still shut, though she opened them just a couple seconds later. They were both silent, their hands still where they were during the kiss. Their foreheads still touching. And Oka let out a small laugh.
“I-I’ve wanted th-that for s-so long,” she whispered, another giggle escaping her. Ayano couldn’t help herself, laughing a little as well.
“So have I.”
---
“Th-thank you for l-letting me come over. I had a gr-great time,” Oka said cheerfully, smiling up at Ayano. The latter smiled back, closing the front door as she stepped out onto the front step with Oka. The setting sun turned the sky a blazing orange. Oka must have seen Ayano looking up, as she sighed happily and rested her head on Ayano’s shoulder. “It’s b-beautiful, isn’t it?” Ayano simply nodded, putting an arm around Oka’s shoulders. They stood like that for a minute, silently marveling at the scene around them.
“I wish every day could be like this…” Ayano muttered, more to herself than Oka, but she made a noise of approval nevertheless. “You should get going, you said something about your parents?” At these words, Oka’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh, yeah. Th-that feels like forever ago. They must be getting worried, I’m r-really sorry,” Ayano waved her apology off, a small smile growing on her face.
“Don’t worry, you can repay me Wednesday.”
“What’s h-happening Wednesday?”
“Our first date, of course,” Oka’s eyes grew wider, as did Ayano’s grin. She leant down to give Oka a kiss on the cheek before lightly pushing her ahead. “Be safe! Text me when you get home!” Oka looked shell-shocked. Ayano couldn’t suppress a small chuckle. Maybe she is the one.