Beneath Their Devotion (Yanderes x Reader)

9. The Attic

Y/N's steps echoed softly through the dim hallway, her breath coming in quick bursts as she hurried after Mika.

Why would she run off like this? Y/N thought, heart heavy. Mika's odd behaviour had only grown more pronounced, and tonight it felt like she was slipping through her fingers entirely.

Y/N had stayed in the room with Yuna and Miri for a little while, but her mind kept wandering back to Mika. The way she'd stormed off, her face etched with frustration, gnawed at Y/N's conscience. Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore. Mumbling a quick excuse, she left the room and stepped into the hallway, determined to find Mika and make things right.

But now, Y/N realised that she had no idea where the attic was.

"Yuuichi," Y/N called, turning to the tall figure walking behind her. "Do you know where the attic is?"

Yuuichi's gaze, lazy and unreadable, flicked to hers. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be much help, would I?"

Y/N exhaled, irritation bubbling beneath her skin. She had no time for this. Mika was her only priority right now. "Can you take me there?"

"As you wish," he murmured, moving in front of her with a languid grace.

Their journey upward was met with suspicious stares from the students they passed, eyes lingering a moment too long as if trying to piece together the odd pairing.

Whispers trailed in their wake, a cacophony of half-muted voices speculating and questioning. The presence of a Circle member beside her was unmistakable and impossible to ignore. Both members and non-members alike took notice, their expressions ranging from surprise to wariness, some even turning away to avoid Yuuichi's gaze.

"Do you hear them?" Yuuichi asked, breaking the silence as they ascended the spiraling staircase. His tone was light, but there was an edge to it, his eyes narrowing briefly as if the whispers were a personal affront.

Y/N bit her lip but didn't answer, her focus trained on the steps ahead. She refused to give them the satisfaction of looking back.

"They're wondering," Yuuichi continued, his voice laced with annoyance, "why you're with me. They're so bothersome." His lips curled into a scowl.

"I don't care what they think," Y/N shot back, though the flush creeping into her cheeks betrayed her.

"That's what I like about you, Y/N."

They reached the attic door—a heavy, timeworn barrier with a handle that had dulled with age. Yuuichi stepped aside, gesturing with a lazy sweep of his hand.

"After you."

Y/N hesitated only for a moment before pushing the door open. The attic stretched out before her, a cavernous space shrouded in shadows and dust. Faint moonlight filtered through a circular window at the far end, casting eerie patterns across the room.

But it was empty. Mika wasn't here.

Y/N stood frozen, her breath catching in her throat as she scanned the attic. Old trunks and artifacts lay scattered, cloaked in layers of dust.

"She's not here," Y/N whispered, the words more to herself than to Yuuichi, who leaned against the doorway.

"It appears not," he murmured, unbothered.

Y/N's hands curled into fists. She had trusted Mika, believed in her word, and now... she wasn't here.

She couldn't really have planted evidence to lead them astray. Y/N wasn't ready to give up.

Determined, Y/N moved deeper into the room, her footsteps stirring small clouds of dust. She sifted through relics and objects with care, hoping for some clue in note form or any other form.