These Dangerous Girls Placed Me Into Jeopardy-Chapter 33Vol 2. .7: The Worry of the [Eavesdropper (Advanced)]

After listening to my story, Cherry picked up her coffee cup, took a small sip, and then raised her head to look out the window, her gaze slowly growing distant.

“Black Street, huh...”

She seemed interested in my story. Anyway, as long as I could shift her attention away from the failed confession, that was enough.

“Ah!”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Cherry suddenly stood up in a panic, placed some coins on the table, and snatched up her bag in a hurry as she called out to us.

“Um, Sakura, Leon! Something urgent came up—I’m heading out first!”

“Huh? Wait, Cherry! Where are you going?”

I quickly got to my feet and called after her, but she was in such a rush she didn’t even acknowledge my question before dashing straight out the door.

She was that anxious... What in the world did she see?

Through the glass, I caught a glimpse of Cherry’s expression as she ran off. It was no longer gloomy and dejected—instead, she looked overwhelmed with excitement and joy... I had a hunch who she’d seen.

Still, better to confirm it.

“Hey, dumbass Leon, did you see anything?”

“Huh? See what...”

Leon turned to look at me, puzzled, still sucking on his milk tea.

This idiot! Of course he saw something!

“I’m asking, what did Cherry see that made her bolt out like that?”

“Ohhh, that? She saw Ethan.”

“Ethan?”

He even referred to him respectfully as ‘bro’? What the hell kind of spell has Ethan An cast on my two childhood friends?

“You know, Ethan An. That name ring a bell now?”

“So it really was him...”

I tapped my chin and nodded. So Cherry ran off in such a rush because she saw the guy she liked.

Because of this Ethan An, Cherry refused to change seats and insisted on staying in the back row.

I really don’t get it. What’s so great about Ethan An?

“Hey, Leon, what’s so great about that Ethan An guy?”

“Mm? You’re asking me?”

“Obviously. Who else would I ask? Haven’t you been hanging out with him lately?”

Leon and Ethan had gotten pretty close recently. They greeted each other in the mornings, chatted during breaks.

Leon didn’t have many friends, but he was close with the ones he did have. It was rare for him to warm up to someone so fast. Was it because the two of them were weird in the same way and hit it off? Or was Ethan An really just that charismatic...

“Hmm... I guess it’s how straightforward he is. I used to think he was some antisocial loner, but after actually talking to him, I realized he’s exactly the kind of person his name suggests—straightforward.”

“Whoa, high praise from you. That’s rare.”

“It’s easy to be friends with someone honest. You don’t have to overthink things. Just interact naturally. It feels free.”

Leon pushed up his glasses and spoke with a mock-philosophical air.

“If I were a girl, I might fall for him too. A boyfriend who doesn’t lie—don’t you think that’s the kind of security everyone wants?”

I gave him a sneer of disdain.

“Ugh... gross... I can’t believe I’m only just now learning that you’re a damn fruitcake...”

“Hey! You’re the one who asked! And I was just speaking hypothetically!”

“Sure, sure. Doesn’t change the fact that you’re as gay as it gets.”

“Pff...”

A guy who doesn’t lie. Honest and straightforward... Leon did have a point. No girl would dislike someone who made her feel safe.

That kind of thing definitely scores a lot of points.

Still, I didn’t quite get why Cherry was so obsessed with him... Maybe the issue wasn’t with Ethan An at all, but with Cherry herself?

“Sigh... Hey, Leon, have you noticed anything weird lately?”

I hadn’t expected him to respond so casually as soon as I asked. Straw between his lips, hands behind his head, looking totally absentminded.

“Yeah. I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff. Super dangerous too. I almost died.”

“Hah? Take this seriously!”

“Believe it or not, I am serious!”

He didn’t look like he was lying.

So that meant... Leon had really been in life-threatening danger?

Hmm... My voice unconsciously softened out of concern for his safety.

“What happened? Was it really that dangerous? Leon, you didn’t get caught up in it, did you...”

Leon’s expression turned serious as he replied.

“I’m fine. I’ve seen it a few times, but I haven’t been caught up in it... yet.”

“What exactly is going on?”

“I don’t really know the details. But it’s definitely dangerous at night. If it gets dark, go straight home. Don’t mess around like you used to. Anyway, it’s already pretty late. Let’s head back.”

With that, Leon stood up and tugged my arm, pulling me out of the café. H-Huh?! All of a sudden... D-Don’t tell me he’s going to... Eek, w-we’re moving way too fast! At least start with holding hands...

“Sakura, have you heard the rumors about that high-profile dismemberment killer?”

“Huh? The dismemberment killer? Mm, I don’t know much about it... I only heard people saying that it’s not just one person... Wait, don’t tell me, Leon, you—!”

Leon furrowed his brows and nodded silently.

“Yeah... I saw a ‘murder scene.’”

A murder scene?!

“Murder...! You ran into that killer from the news?!”

“Yeah, it was the dismemberment case.”

“Then, Leon, you...!”

“It’s okay. I didn’t let them see my face. The moment I saw that scene, I bolted. If I’d been even a second slower, I probably would’ve ended up just like the victim.”

“Phew... thank god...”

Ever since before, Leon always somehow managed to “just happen” to witness all sorts of bizarre things.

From ghosts to UFOs—he even claimed to have seen a dragon and a vampire. I’d always been half-skeptical. I could hear from his tone that he wasn’t joking, but still, I figured maybe he just had a nightmare or started hallucinating and convinced himself it was real.

But this time... he witnessed something that had actually happened.

“Leon, did you see the killer’s face?”

“...Yeah, I did.”

“Then why didn’t you tell—!”

Leon cut me off, like he already knew what I was about to say.

“It’s pointless... because the killer isn’t just one person. There’s more than one. In fact, there’s even one in our class.”

“What?! Who is it?! Report them!”

“See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you... I don’t think it’s that simple. Those freaks even seem to be killing each other...”

“Killing each other?! What the hell is going on?!”

The killers were turning on each other? What the hell kind of situation was this?

“No idea. Honestly, I’m just a bystander. A ‘spectator,’ really. I haven’t gotten deep enough into it to know what’s truly going on.”

“They say the spectator sees more clearly, right? You still haven’t figured out what happened?”

“If I could «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» hear their conversations the way you do, maybe I’d be able to piece it together... Speaking of which, I shouldn’t have to remind you, right? It’s not like any information can escape your ears, after all.”

I did know a few things about the dismemberment case... but not much. Just that it might be related to ‘ghosts.’

“I’ve heard some rumors... but you know what they say—‘Hearing is false, seeing is believing.’ I’ve definitely heard a lot, but figuring out what’s gossip and what’s real is no easy task.”

“Right... well, anyway, let’s head back.”

“Wait, what about Cherry?!”

“Relax. She’s with Ethan, isn’t she? She’ll be fine.”

“...Alright.”

I was still a little worried about Cherry, but in the end, I went back home with Leon.

What I didn’t expect... was to receive a call from him just after I got out of the shower, towel in hand, still drying my hair.

As I listened to what he was telling me, my expression grew more and more serious. This kind of bad news really had to come at the worst possible time.

“...That’s how it is. So I was hoping you could go pick up Lan Hua. Sorry for the trouble, I really am!”

He said he’d rejected Cherry’s confession and had left her alone near the subway terminal.

“I got it. I’ll take care of Cherry... Thanks for letting me know.”

Calling me on purpose to tell me—at least he had some decency.

He must’ve felt guilty. Probably worried that Cherry might do something dangerous in her heartbreak, so he called me, her best friend.

“Guess I can see why Cherry likes you so much now. At least you’re better than those trash guys out there.”

Better than the ones who string girls along and treat them like backup options while chasing others.

But still...

“...I still can’t bring myself to like you.”

As Cherry’s best friend, my only thought about Ethan An rejecting her was this: What a bastard. Blind idiot. Ungrateful trash.

Click.

I hung up the phone with a loud snap.

Then I immediately headed to my room, threw on a jacket, grabbed my keys, and shoved my earbuds in.

Leon had mentioned it during the day—nighttime was when the killer appeared.

Especially the subway terminal, all the way out on the edge of the city, deserted and isolated... Cherry was in danger!

I had to find her—fast!

When I got near the subway terminal, I didn’t see any sign of Cherry. I ran all around calling her name, heart pounding, but there was no response.

Ugh! I should’ve dragged Leon along too... Please, let nothing have happened to her...

“Aaaah! Aaahhhhhh!!”

That voice—someone screaming. But not Cherry’s. It was a man’s voice.

I looked toward the sound. A few men stumbled out of an alley, scrambling and crawling away in sheer panic, their faces twisted in terror as they looked back behind them and ran for their lives.

Something happened in there?

No way...

A terrible thought crossed my mind, and my heart sank. I bolted toward the alley.

Finally, I found Cherry. She was standing there, unharmed. Her clothes were intact, too.

Phew... things weren’t as bad as I feared. I let out a silent breath of relief.

...No. Wait. Something was off about her.

“C-Cherry?”

Hearing my voice, Cherry slowly lifted her chin, leaning back just a little, head tilted forty-five degrees, showing me her profile.

Her hands were soaked in blood. Her clothes were spattered with it. In her grip was a knife...

I couldn’t even speak. Not because her expression was horrific—no, it was because... she looked so beautiful.

After drinking, her delicate face was flushed, her eyes unfocused, and her lips—wet and shining—looked even more seductive.

Under the moonlight, she smiled brightly. It was the happiest smile I’d seen from her in days—no, the brightest smile I’d ever seen.

She was... smiling?

She got rejected, and instead of crying... she smiled?

All those words of comfort I’d prepared froze in my throat. Looking at her smiling face, I suddenly felt a deep, aching pain in my chest.

Lan Hua’s love for Ethan An was obsessive. Almost unhinged.

There’s a thin line between obsession and madness.

To an outsider, it might just seem like temporary insanity.

To Ethan, that kind of affection might seem like a joke.

But to Cherry—to Lan Hua herself, that obsessive love... had become everything.

No. I couldn’t let her fall any deeper.

As her friend, I had to stop her.

Make her wake up. Make her realize that a love born of obsession could never end well.