Psycho

11:00 hospital

(this takes place the night after the last chapter at the hospital but don't worry the chapter after this will be what happened with tanjirou which will take place on the same day as this)

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Zenitsu’s POV

My hands trembled as I approached the hospital, the bright fluorescent lights burning against the cold, dim night. Each step closer made my stomach twist into knots. How did I get involved in this mess? Muichiro's brother? Really? I didn’t even know he had a brother, and yet here I was, standing outside a hospital late at night, waiting to meet a guy who could very well be setting up some twisted prank. And with a killer on the loose? What were they thinking inviting us out here?

I snapped out of my paranoid thoughts when I spotted Tsuki, Yuzu, Inosuke, and Kori gathered nearby. I jogged over to them, my breath visible in the night air. "So, who are we meeting again?" Yuzu asked, her arms crossed, looking skeptical as usual.

"I have something important to tell you guys—" Tsuki began, but her words were drowned out by the high-pitched screech of tires as a Maserati, looking like it had barely survived a demolition derby, rolled up next to us. The door creaked open, and a guy stepped out. He looked just like Muichiro, except for the ponytail. He circled the car with a dramatic flair, offering a hand none of us reached for.

"Thank you for coming. I'm Tokitou Yuichiro, Muichiro’s twin brother," he said, his voice smooth, almost rehearsed. After a long, awkward pause, Tsuki finally extended her hand, giving him a distrustful stare as they shook.

"Tsuki," she muttered.

Yuichiro glanced at the rest of us, his gaze lingering on me for just a moment longer. "I-I'm Zenitsu," I stammered, feeling my face heat up under his gaze. For a second, I swear his cheeks flushed pink too.

"Nice to meet you, Zenitsu. I know this is serious and all, but are you free on the 28th?" he asked with a smirk.

I blinked, taken aback. Was he flirting? "U-uh—"

Yuzu rolled her eyes. "How about we save the flirting for later, and get to why we’re here? Tsuki has something important to say too."

We introduced ourselves one by one. Inosuke flexed for no reason, and Kori barely looked up from her phone the entire time. The awkwardness stretched on until Yuichiro finally cleared his throat.

"Right, well... I know who the killer is," he said, his tone suddenly sharp. The entire group erupted into questions, except for Tsuki, whose face darkened — or, what was left of her face, anyway.

"Calm down, calm down, everyone," Yuichiro said, holding up his hands. "I believe I know, too," Tsuki spoke up, her voice barely audible. We all fell silent as she continued. "It’s Muichiro."

The air felt like it had been sucked out of the room. Everyone went dead quiet.

Yuichiro sighed heavily. "Yes. It’s true. Muichiro has... let’s call it a condition. He becomes obsessed with a person—attached in a way that’s beyond normal. He’ll do anything, anything, to make sure they belong to him and only him. He’ll even kill. I’m... sorry about your face, Tsuki. He was trying to get rid of you because you figured it out."

Tsuki's voice cracked as she whispered, "Yeah, I... I figured."

"So, wait—you're telling me we’ve been hanging out with the killer this whole time?!" Inosuke shrieked, his eyes wide.

"Shut up, Pig-Head," Kori muttered, finally looking up. "This isn't a game."

Yuichiro stepped forward, his voice serious. "Listen. My brother has your friend, Tanjirou. He is the one Muichiro’s obsessed with. If we don’t do something soon, well... it won’t end well for Tanjirou. I want to help you, but we need more people. We can’t take him down alone."

"I'll call Yuki," Tsuki offered, already pulling out her phone.

"I’ll get Kouta," Yuzu added.

Yuichiro nodded and took out his phone too, glancing back at me with a small smirk. "Pretty boy, do you know where Tanjirou lives?"

I froze. There was something about his gaze that made my skin crawl, but at the same time, my stomach fluttered. I couldn’t figure out if I trusted him or not, but the situation was too serious to play games.

"Yeah, I do," I answered, still feeling nervous.

"Good. Does he have any family?" Yuichiro asked, his voice softening.

"He has a sister," I replied.

"Make sure she’s safe when you get the chance," he said, and then dialed a number, his eyes still locked on mine. "Hey, Aki? I need your help with something."

While Yuichiro was on the phone, Inosuke, standing next to me, nudged me hard with his elbow. "Hey, Thunderhead, are you blushing? Did Muichiro’s twin make a move on you?"

"Shut up, Inosuke!" I hissed, my face burning even more. "It’s not like that!"

"Oh, it's totally like that," Yuzu chimed in with a smirk. "You know you love the attention."

"Yeah, well, I'd rather not get involved with someone whose twin brother is a yandere killer, thanks!" I shot back, but even as I said it, I couldn’t shake the way Yuichiro had looked at me. Why did I feel drawn to him?

Just then, Yuichiro hung up the phone and turned to me with that same smile. "By the way, Zenitsu, I wasn’t joking earlier. The 28th. You free?"

I opened my mouth to answer but was saved by Tsuki yelling, "Enough with the flirting! Can we focus on the fact that one of our friends is probably about to get murdered?!"

Yuichiro smirked. "Oh, relax, We’ll save your friend. But a little banter never hurt anyone... well, except maybe Muichiro’s victims." He chuckled darkly, and the sound of it sent chills down my spine.

This was going to be a long night.