Psycho

tryouts

Tanjirou's POV

It's been three weeks since the disaster. Tsuki is still in the hospital. They managed to save half of her face, but the side affected by the acid is scarred beyond repair. She lost an eye too. Yuzu spends almost all her free time there, waiting and hoping for her girlfriend to wake up. I feel bad, but I can’t help thinking about how much Muichiro has been there for me since everything happened. He’s been taking me out, spending time with me, even spending a lot of money to make me feel better. It’s comforting, though sometimes I feel this nagging sensation in my gut, telling me maybe I shouldn’t go. But every time we talk, my heart beats faster. He's so sweet, so sincere.

Everyone’s been distant since what happened with Tsuki and Genya. We barely talk after school anymore, too scared to face each other, I guess. The only person I still talk to regularly is Muichiro. But then there’s Kanao—Yuki's girlfriend Shinobu's younger sister. She’s… a little strange. Obsessed with me, almost. Somehow, she became friends with my little sister Nezuko, and even though she’s just a year younger than me and a year older than my sister, it still feels off. Nezuko gave her my number, and now Kanao texts me constantly. Some of her pictures make me uncomfortable, and the way she dresses... her uniform is always wrong, like it’s barely held together.

I told Muichiro about it. He gets it. He always seems to understand.

I started eating lunch on the roof. It helps me think. Muichiro usually joins me, and it’s one of the few times I feel genuinely better. But I can't shake the guilt, like everything that's happened is somehow my fault. Muichiro always tells me it’s not, and I want to believe him.

Today, as we were eating lunch, Muichiro paused and asked, “Did you hear about the play, Romeo and Juliet?”

I swallowed my food and nodded. “What about it?”

He smiled at me after chewing a bite of his sandwich. “I was thinking we could try out. It might make us feel better, you know?”

I wasn’t good under pressure, but I smiled back. “Sure, but what if we’re trying out for the same part?”

He chuckled. “You can be Romeo, and I’ll be Juliet.”

I blinked at him. “But Juliet’s a girl’s role…”

“I can be a girl in a play,” he mumbled casually.

I panicked, feeling bad. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

He just smiled, his laugh soft and teasing. “I know. It’s okay.” His laughter made my heart beat faster. There was something about him—his smell, like forget-me-not flowers—it made me feel... calm. Safe. Unlike...

“Hey, Tanjirou~!”

Speak of the devil.

Kanao skipped over, her skirt flipping up as her t-shirt was tied up to expose her midriff. Her shirt was barely buttoned, making me cringe. She leaned down right in front of me, looking at Muichiro with a sneer.

“Who’s she?” she asked, disgust lacing her voice.

I felt a flare of irritation. “First off, he’s a guy, and second, he’s my friend, Muichiro.”

Muichiro looked offended but kept quiet. Kanao pouted dramatically. “Tanjirou-kun, you’re so mean to me! Are you trying out for the play? You can be Romeo, and I can be Juliet. It’s perfect, isn’t it?” She crawled closer, her face inches from mine.

I was uncomfortable, and Muichiro could tell. His voice cut through the air like a blade. “Sorry, Miss, but you’re making him uncomfortable. And I don’t think he’s interested. Can you please leave? You’re annoying and ugly as a motherf*****. Dumb s*** looking b****.”

Kanao’s face turned red with anger, and she looked at me, pouting. “Tanjirou-kun, are you just going to let him talk to me like that?”

“Kanao… can you please leave?” I asked, trying to stay polite.

“Of course, honeycakes,” she cooed before skipping off.

I wanted to throw up.

---

Muichiro's POV

How dare that ugly b**** act like that in front of my sweet Tanjirou-kun. Don't worry, I’ll take care of it. Right now, I was focused on our tryouts. We were the last ones left. Everyone had gone except me and that stupid girl. We were both auditioning for Juliet. Funny how things work out.

Kanao sneered at me as the third-to-last person finished. “Isn’t Juliet a girl character?” she taunted.

I smirked, not even looking at her. “And isn’t your career already doomed? I hear they’re hiring at Sults ‘R Us in Hollywood.”

Her face flushed with rage. “Meet me outside after this,” she spat before storming onto the stage for her audition.

It was bad. Like, laughably bad. I could do better without even knowing the lines. Finally, it was my turn. I nailed it. Flawless. When I walked off the stage, I knew what was coming next.

I slipped a small knife into my pocket before walking outside to meet Kanao. She was there, fists up, ready to fight. She charged at me. I sidestepped, pulled out my knife, and stabbed her in the head. She fell to the ground with a thud.

Calmly, I pulled the blade out, then raised my foot and stomped on her head, watching her brains splatter everywhere.

"Yeah... you kinda deserved that," I muttered, feeling no remorse.

I dragged her body into a nearby alley and called my brother for a ride. I had an idea.

---

What do you think he's going to do with kanaos body?