Psycho

the final

I know I was going to take a break from this book but I said to myself fuck it I'm finishing this book right here right now this is going to be a long one.

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Tanjirou's POV:

Muichiro stayed down in the basement with me, talking to me like nothing was wrong, even though I barely gave him any answers. The way he acted—it was almost like we were just hanging out, casually chatting, as if he hadn’t just kidnapped me. I couldn't decide if it was endearing or terrifying. No, wait... it was terrifying. Definitely terrifying. No, scratch that, it was utterly insane... but I couldn’t help but feel that strange, unsettling tug in my chest. No! I must be losing my mind. What was happening to me? Forget it, forget it. This is crazy—just crazy. Damn it, Stockholm syndrome!

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Tsuki's POV:

Yuzu and I walked downstairs to meet the others. "Come on, we need to hurry before we're too late," I urged her, not bothering to wait for anyone else. The twins' house was a good 20-minute walk away, though I learned that after... well, after I kind of killed Kouta. That was a whole mess I didn’t feel like diving into right now.

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Tanjirou's POV:

Another 20 minutes passed, and I suddenly heard a loud crash—like a door being busted in. Muichiro shot his head toward the ceiling, his face twisted in rage. “That son of a bitch...” he muttered under his breath, his eyes burning with a familiar, crazy fire. He stood up, walked straight toward the basement door leading to the backyard, and left without a second thought.

I considered the idea of ambushing him. But... no. I couldn’t risk either of us falling down the stairs. Still, a part of me wanted him to trip and fall—there. I said it. But wait, why did I just think that? Damn it. I needed to stop pretending. I couldn't keep denying it anymore... I liked him.

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Tsuki's POV:

I kicked in the door. Everyone had their weapons drawn, and I signaled for them to head straight to the basement while I handled the other threats. The house was massive, and I knew it would take them a minute to find the basement. I just needed to buy them enough time. It seemed that only Muichiro was here, or at least no one else was around. I dragged my knife along the walls, leaving deep, scratching trails to make sure my presence was known.

Behind me, I heard the creak of footsteps and spun around instinctively. Muichiro lunged at me, tackling me with a feral snarl. I managed to get my knife up to block his, but the sheer force of his attack was enough to push me back. "I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE!" he yelled, his voice raw with fury. I struggled to keep his blade away from my face. The weight of his body was... intense. For someone his height—barely 5’4” in comparison to my 5’7”—he was shockingly strong. And there was no way I could push him off.

"You won’t win," I managed to grunt, feeling the tension between us, but he only laughed.

“You couldn’t even if you tried,” he mocked, pressing the knife harder, attempting to slice into my arm. With a burst of adrenaline, I found the strength to kick him off. He slammed into the wall, and I scrambled to my feet. "Right back at you," I spat, remembering all the chances I had to end this.

We both lunged at each other again, knives clashing. His was bigger, deadlier, and it was aimed for my throat, my chest—anywhere to end me quickly. But I was determined to take him down. My attacks were swift, but he was too fast.

I miscalculated. He dodged one of my slashes, and I lost my footing, stumbling and falling. My knife slipped from my hand as I hit the ground hard. In an instant, he was on me, stepping on my back and grabbing my hair. “You try, and you try, but you still lose. You knew you couldn’t beat me,” he taunted.