A True LOVE [ Yandere-kun X Male Rivals ]

[5] To be or not to be

It was a chilly scene.

"A-Ayato," Taro whispered under his breath, a hint of fear in his voice.

Judging by the way that he was clinging to Ayato, he appeared to be afraid that the other would go away. "I'm here," Ayato reassured him as he took in his state.

"Who's there?" Taro asked softly, unable to see anything.

"I don't know," He responded, tearing his gaze away to look at the door. "But I suppose we're about to find out."

As Ayato waited for whoever was going to emerge on the stage, he found himself surprisingly calm. Compared to Taro's shaken and fearful behaviour, Ayato appeared cool-headed and composed. He wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, but it seemed effective in keeping the situation under control.

The sound of footsteps became louder, and just as he anticipated, another person emerged on the stage. Yet, the scene was different than he had initially thought.

Entering the stage was a purple-haired man, wearing their school uniform and theatre accessories, a hint of roses decorating his clothes. He clapped, surprising the two, who were confused at the sight, before raising his hands.

"Bravo! Another splendid performance from our dear Kokona!" His excited voice rang throughout the room. As if on cue, the body on the stage stirred, and Ayato was surprised to see the girl sit up, covered in blood.

"What's that?" Taro asked in confusion, and Ayato lowered his hand for him to see. The boy was bewildered as well, "It...was an act?"

"Of course, my dear!" the man exclaimed in response. "When we do our performances, we go for the best! What you just saw was a classic opening to one of our acts: a lone woman, dying and afraid, waiting for her lover to find her."

Ayato was dumbfounded at the scene as he looked from the girl sitting down to the guy standing in front of them. He hated to admit that he had fallen for the scene, mistaking it for real when now he could see how fake it was.

The blood was a cheap product, and there were no actual stab wounds if you looked closely. Not only that, but the girl in front of them appeared living and breathing as she stood up and stepped away, giving enough room for the purple-haired man to stand next to her.

Taro grew even more confused at the sight of it. "Is this like an introduction or something?"

"Why, yes!" The guy proudly stated, "This is the opening act. It's supposed to introduce you to the conflict of this play and attract you to continue watching to see what happens next." He proceeded to point at the two, "Those emotions you're displaying are the perfect example of an effective play! The acting needs to evoke feelings, make it feel real, and let you bury deep into your critics and thoughts."

"I see..." Taro mumbled before realizing he was still holding on to Ayato. Embarrassed, he proceeded to let go, although Ayato didn't mind. Instead, Ayato turned to the purple-haired man. "Does this mean you're going to proceed to your next act?"

A smirk formed on his face as the man shook his head. "Not yet. That's where you two come in."

"Us?" Taro questioned in confusion.

"Our second act cannot proceed without plenty of actors. This is our new play that I have written." The man explained, clearly proud of their work. "Once you join our club, we can construct the next acts without the missing pieces. Everyone has a muse inside of them. They only need to stand on the stage to realize that."

Realizing what he meant, Ayato turned to Taro. "Do you want to act in the next scene?"

"Well..." Taro begins, feeling increasingly self-aware. He wasn't the type of person who liked to speak in front of a crowd, let alone act.