Yandere Levelling in Her World

Ren's entire face was smothered between Misa's breasts, the soft weight of them pressing in from both sides like warm pillows. Her arms locked around his head, refusing to let even an inch of space form between them. One of her hands gently stroked his hair while she rambled on, half to him, half to the empty air.

"—and then that idiot from the eastern branch tried to lecture me about 'optics.' Optics! As if I give a damn about optics when half the city's power grid is held together by duct tape and prayers. Oh, and the sponsors today—god, Ren, you should have seen them. Masks, voice changers, the whole paranoid theater. They'll wire billions, but heaven forbid anyone learns their names. They act like we will go everwhere and spread rumors about them."

Ren made a low "mmph" sound that might have been agreement. It was hard to form words when your mouth was full of Misa's cleveage and softness. He didn't mind. Listening to her vent while being literally buried in her chest was one of the few moments the world felt quiet.

Eventually curiosity won over comfort. He turned his head just enough to speak, lips brushing skin. "Why do they care so much? And why do you? Project Balance, what's the real point of it? Just fixing the ratio so men stop being treated like rare pets?"

Misa's hand stilled in his hair. For a second the only sound was her heartbeat against his cheek.

"Well now it's mainly a part of it but I also want to fix this because we're dying, Ren," she said quietly. "Not dramatically. Not with bangs and explosions. Just… fading. Ten women for every man, twenty in some regions. Birth rates collapsing. Entire generations growing up from sperm banks. Society's eating itself alive, and everyone pretends it's normal because it's always been this way."

Ren pulled back an inch. "It has always been this way. As far back as records go."

"Yes. And that's exactly is what's wrong." Misa's eyes were intense, almost feverish. "When I was little I read old, banned papers, scientists who got laughed out of academia for saying an equal society was possible.

They were called dreamers, lunatics, heretics. But the numbers never lied. Something broke the balance a long time ago, and we just… accepted the broken world as natural. The deeper I dug, the more it felt like someone had rigged the world."

Ren's expression darkened. He knew exactly who had rigged it, that selfish, lovesick goddess who turned the planet into her personal dollhouse because she couldn't stand the idea of "her" god loving anyone else equally and wanted to possess his whole existence.

Every skewed ratio, every lonely woman, every man treated like breeding stock, it all traced back to what Ren remembered about her. The more Misa spoke, the colder the rage in Ren's gut became. One day, he thought. One day he'd shove that "great love" of hers right back down her asshole.

He exhaled slowly and started to extract himself. "I should head back to my room."

"Nooo~" Misa's arms tightened like steel cables, voice suddenly cute and whiny. She nuzzled the top of his head. "Stay. Just a little longer. I'm still stressed."

Ren gave her a flat look. "If I stay in this room we both know what'll happen."

Misa's lips curved into a wicked grin. "Exactly."

He answered by cupping her face and kissing her, slow, deep, deliberate. Misa melted with a muffled moan, fingers clutching his shirt. When he pulled back her eyes were glassy, cheeks flushed.

"We can't make noise," he murmured against her lips. "Kyouka's room is right next to this. They will hear."

The grin vanished. Misa's expression turned tragically pouty. "Why do we have to hide? I hate hiding."

"Because you're my foster mother on every official document, and how do you think Hiyori and Kyouka will feel about you?" He patted her head the same way she'd been patting his earlier. "We'll take another vacation soon, just you and me. No work, no secrets, no clothes preferably."

That earned a delighted giggle. Ren stood, adjusted his shirt, and paused at the door. He glanced back. "You took the birth control, right?"

Misa blinked once, twice, then smiled sweetly. "Of course I did."

Ren nodded and left.

The moment the door clicked shut, Misa's hand drifted to her stomach. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"Of course I did… not."

She flopped backward onto the bed with a dreamy sigh, hugging a pillow to her chest like it was him muttering Ren's name while her hand slowly creeped upto her garden to water it properly.

Ren walked the dimly lit hallway, hands in his pockets. As he passed Hiyori's room he heard rapid controller clicks and enthusiastic swearing at a boss fight. He smiled faintly, let the kid rage in peace and continued to the Kyouka's room.

Kyouka was asleep on her side, silver short hair fanned across the pillow. Even with healing powers and modern medicine, her skin still carried faint pink patches where third-degree burns had nearly taken her life. Ren sat carefully on the edge of the bed, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

Ren suddenly had a flashback of that day. He remembered carrying Kyouka, whose skin was charred and whose blood was splattered all over his body.

Her eyes fluttered open. It took a second to focus, then a soft smile curved her lips.

"Hey," she whispered, voice rough from disuse. "How long have you been watching me sleep, Ren?"

"Not long. Just got here." He brushed his thumb over her cheek. "Pain gone?"

"Physical pain, mostly." Her smile faded. She stared at the ceiling. "But everything else… the guild's gone, isn't it?"

Ren stayed quiet. There was no point lying; she already knew.

"Misa tried to hide it," Kyouka continued, "but the nurses talk. They said no survivors except me and another girl." Her fingers clutched the blanket. "I don't even remember the attack. Last thing I saw was Lan Xinyue's ice pillars punching through the sky like spears. After that—nothing."

Ren took her hand. "Rescue team pulled you out. Same distraction let someone put a bullet through the prime minister's head. Whole capital was in chaos."

Kyouka gave a humorless laugh. "Misa is right. We can't stay here."

"Maybe. But as long as the four of us are together, nobody's touching you again." He leaned in, lips brushing his lips against her ear. "Get better soon, Kyouka. We've got a lot of catching up to do, starting with all the things I didn't get to do while you were unconscious."

Kyouka's pale cheeks colored. She swatted his arm weakly. "WHAT!."

Ren gave a knowing smile. He kissed her forehead, then her lips, gentle, lingering. "Sleep. I'll be around."

He stood, dimmed the lights, and slipped out, closing the door with a soft click.

"Why do I feel like something big is coming? What is this dreading feeling?"

***

Judith sat in the principal's office, alone as usual. The room was quiet except for the soft scratch of her pen on paper. She was working through reports like she did every evening, her eyes half-focused and her mind drifting from one thought to another.

Then she heard it.

A faint sound behind her. Something between a thud and a gasp.

Judith froze. She had not expected anyone to be here at this hour. Her hand instinctively slid into the drawer. Her fingers wrapped around the cold metal of the gun she kept hidden, and she swiftly pulled it out as she turned.

Her breath stopped.

A girl lay on the floor, limbs weak, blond hair stained with dark patches of blood. The scarlet liquid had splattered across her face, her clothes, and even trailed across the polished tiles.

Judith's eyes widened. She recognized that face immediately.

"Silver…?" she whispered, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Judith stood up so abruptly her chair toppled over. She knelt beside the girl, hands shaking so hard she nearly dropped the gun. Silver's eyes were half-open, clouded with pain, her body trembling with every unsteady breath.

"What happened to you?" Judith asked, panic rising in her throat.

Silver tried to speak, but the moment she parted her lips, a thick trickle of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. Judith reached out, wanting to support her, but Silver slowly raised her hand and pushed Judith's phone down before she could even dial.

"Don't… call," Silver muttered. Her voice was soft and hoarse, like it was being dragged from somewhere deep inside her broken lungs.

"Silver, stop. You need help," Judith said firmly.

"No…" Silver shook her head weakly. "Mother… be careful. That woman… she is here."

Judith's body went cold.

Mother. Silver had never called her that out loud. Not once. Judith felt her throat tighten, her heart pounding as she stared at the girl who had never shown vulnerability, never bled in front of her, never looked this fragile.

"Silver… talk to me. Who did this to you?" Judith whispered.

Silver drew in a shaky breath. "I tried… to sneak into the academy. I wanted to warn you. But she found me… first." Her voice trembled. "I tried to stop her from entering. I even slowed her down. But… I failed. She… she is here…"

Blood spilled from her lips again. Judith reached forward and wiped it with her sleeve, her hands trembling.

"Stop talking. Please. You are hurting yourself," Judith begged.

Silver's fingers tightened around Judith's wrist. "Listen. You must leave this academy. Quickly. She is not someone you can face right now."

Judith swallowed. "Who? Who are you talking about?"

Silver opened her mouth, but a sudden chill washed over the room before she could answer.

Judith heard footsteps.

Slow.

Steady.

Purposeful.

A woman's voice spoke from behind her, clear and calm, cutting through the tension like a knife.

"She is probably talking about me."

Judith felt her blood run cold. She turned around slowly, her grip tightening on the gun.

A familiar figure stood at the door, leaning casually against the frame as if she owned the place. Her expression was relaxed, almost amused. Her eyes gleamed with a cold, sharp intelligence.

Judith's heart dropped as she recognized her.

Lan Jia.

Lan Jia stood there with a soft smile, one hand resting lightly at her side, as if nothing in the world was wrong. Her gaze flicked briefly toward Silver on the floor, then returned to Judith as if observing a mildly interesting inconvenience.

"Well," Lan Jia said, tilting her head slightly. "It has been a while, Judith."

Judith felt her stomach twist. She knew the name Lan Jia. Everyone did. But she had never once met the woman face to face. Hearing her addressed so casually made her confusion deepen.

"I don't know who you are," Judith said, her voice tense.

Lan Jia smiled, almost delighted. "Of course you don't. But that's not important right now."

She stepped forward, her eyes drifting over the room before settling back on Judith.

"What matters is that I am here to kill every single student in this academy… and you as well."

Judith stiffened, the words slicing through her like ice.

Lan Jia's smile widened, but then she stopped, as though a thought had just crossed her mind.

"Unless…"