Favorite Fixation (Yandere boys x Reader)

25.) Respite

An hour or so had passed, and Asahi, once smug and dry, was now utterly drenched. The turn of events came when Keiji, having finally noticed his friend's predicament, decided it was his personal mission to dunk the gray-haired boy. And once Keiji set his mind on something, he didn't give up easily.

At first, Keiji had tried to help the kids by slamming his entire body into the bullseye, throwing all his weight at it in hopes of breaking the mechanism. But when that didn't work, he resorted to more creative methods. Teaming up with the festival workers he had been chatting with earlier, Keiji managed to loosen the locks holding Asahi in place. And with a satisfying click, the cage gave way, sending Asahi plummeting into the cold water below with a loud, resonating splash.

Asahi resurfaced, sputtering and soaked, while Keiji, caught in the crossfire of water splashing everywhere, stood nearby with an ear-to-ear grin. He didn't care one bit about getting wet- his victory was too sweet. As Asahi dragged himself out of the dunk tank, dripping wet and with his pride slightly bruised, Keiji's laughter rang out in the crisp autumn air.

But now, (Y/n), Reina, Keiji, and Kai were sitting around a picnic table under the warm glow of string lights that crisscrossed above them. Yuuto, Souta, and Asahi had gone off to grab food for everyone, while Emi had disappeared into the bathroom to touch up her makeup, preparing for the rest of the evening.

Reina, unusually talkative tonight, leaned forward on her elbows, practically interrogating (Y/n) like this was some sort of high school reunion. She was even out-talking Keiji, which (Y/n) had thought impossible.

"And Hayami? How's she been doing?" Reina asked, her voice light but filled with curiosity as she toyed with the corner of the tablecloth. Her purple eyes were keen and focused, clearly invested in the conversation.

(Y/n) hummed, tapping her fingers against the worn wooden table. "She's been fine. Fangirling, per usual," she replied with an amused smile. The thought of Hayami's constant excitement over everything always brought a grin to her face.

Reina mirrored her smile, leaning in a little closer, her elbows still propped on the table to support her weight. "I swear, that girl acts like Emi is her lifeline," she mused, dragging out her words in a way that made it clear she wasn't exactly Emi's biggest fan.

(Y/n) awkwardly shrugged, not wanting to betray Hayami's secret crush. It wasn't her place to reveal something so personal, especially with Hayami being such a private person. But before she could change the subject, Keiji - never one to keep quiet about juicy gossip - leaned in with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"More than that!" Keiji exclaimed, his voice low and conspiratorial as if he were sharing the biggest secret in the world. He leaned forward across the table, eyes darting around as if to make sure no one else was listening. "That girl's in love! I can tell."

Kai, who had been relatively quiet up until now, raised an eyebrow, his usual calm demeanor breaking just slightly as he glanced over, one of his earrings shining in the void of his hair like a star. "With Emi?" he asked, his tone a mix of surprise and mild intrigue.

Keiji nodded enthusiastically, clearly pleased with himself for dropping such a bombshell. "Absolutely! My gaydar is never off," he declared with a wink, his orange hair flopping a little as he nodded energetically.

Kai sat quietly for a moment, lost in thought, his brow slightly furrowed as if something was weighing on his mind. Across the table, Reina began fiddling with her fingers, the usual aloofness on her face replaced by an uncharacteristic hesitance. She glanced toward (Y/n) and, after a brief pause, spoke up again.

"(Y/n)... I'm really sorry about your phone," Reina said softly, her eyes flickering with concern. "I heard you and Emi went shopping for repairs. How's that going?"