Casualties (Yandere Males x Reader)

[22] Strange Normalcy

"Can you move a little to the left please?"

"Like this?"

"Hm... maybe a little to the right?"

"Uh, is this okay?"

"Actually, back to the left."

Midway moving to the left, you halted. "...Are you messing with me?"

A stifled chuckle was heard from behind the canvas. "Of course not."

"You totally are!"

Satoshi's face peaked from behind the canvas and he smiled. "You looked a bit tense. I thought I could get you to relax. Sorry if that was annoying. You're doing fine, don't mind me."

Oh, that was a surprisingly wholesome reason. He was right though. Feeling his gold eyes observe your features made you re-read the same line of dialogue in the manga Seiji lent you a million times.

Yes, in the end you accidentally ended up saying yes to his request. Before you took it back, you caught a glimpse at the painting Satoshi was working on. The sheer talent portrayed on it incited your curiosity on how he'd draw you. So, here you were.

The faint sounds of charcoal sketching against the canvas, the occasional flips of you turning the page, and the few instances where Satoshi would ask you to look up to better study your features; honestly, you expected the process to be awkward, but the atmosphere was oddly comforting.

"I know this is a little late, but I never got the chance to thank you for the cake."

The cake? Oh! He was referring to when your parents left behind pastries for you to distribute on your first day of school. You literally shoved one into his hands and ran off before he had a chance to decline.

You chuckled sheepishly. "You kind of didn't have a choice but to accept it."

"That's alright. I thought it was cute."

You almost dropped the manga you were reading. Caught between the crossfire of taking his words as flirtation or a compliment that had good intentions but misleading effects, you never landed on a conclusion since Satoshi motioned for your attention. He smiled and turned around the canvas, revealing his sketch. You looked at it in awe. It had barely been half an hour and he had already captured your features perfectly. Heck, he made you look a little too good.

"You can leave now if you'd like, I wouldn't want to take up too much of your time."

"What about the painting?"

"We can continue another day. There's no rush to complete this. You've just gotten out of a meeting, right? You should go home and rest. Stop by when you're free."

"Should I come by during lunch?"

Satoshi smiled. And man, with how utterly soft it looked, it almost made you forget that he was a male lead with the potential to kill someone. "Whenever it's convenient for you."

You nodded. "It's getting kind of late, you should start to head home soon."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'll stay here a little while longer."

His words didn't come off as dismissive or rude, but you couldn't help feeling the same sense of distance in them like you did on the first day. It was paradoxical; you spent time with him which would've naturally made you feel closer, but the invisible line between you and him was more conspicuous now.

You picked up your bag. "Alright. Get home safe."

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