Yume's P.O.V.

" Why are you giving up so early? Subaru kun is still waiting for you! Yume! "

A loud complaining voice echoes. When I notice the owner of this voice, I widen my eyes with surprise and joy since...

I find that Ako, who is holding a wooden stick in her hands, is standing right in front of me!!!

Ako's P.O.V.

" Why are you giving up so early? Subaru kun is still waiting for you! Yume! " I shout at Yume, who is laying on the ground hopelessly, after giving that pervert man a great hit on the back of his neck. He faints as I expected. 

I kick away his body, which is on top of Yume's body. Then, I see her widen her eyes with hope and surprise before yelling out my name with tears. Instantly, I am proud of myself since I feel like a superhero who rescues innocent girls from villains. 

" Ako chan!!! "

I smile. " Hey! Calm down! Let's me find out the keys from the body of this man and unlock the chains first. " 

" Um. "

I kneel beside his body and search for the key. Finally, I find it in the pocket of his jacket. I immediately rescue Yume from the shackles. After that, she sits up quickly and pulls me into a tight hug. 

" Thank you, Ako chan~~~ I thought that you would hate me forever after I and Subaru became a pair... Thank you for forgiving me... " She murmurs with sobbing tone near my ears. I can feel wetness on my shoulder. 

I softly pat on her back, and reply with a small smile, " You're my best friend... How can I hate you? " 

I feel that the hug gets tighter after my reply. " Hey hey! Calm down! I can't breathe! And shouldn't you tidy up your clothes first? " I chuckle in my best friend's warm cuddle.

" S-sorry... " She lets me go from the embrace and wipe her tears. " But you really remind me of this. " She buttons up her shirt and wipes away the dust on her clothes. " Thank you, Ako chan~~ " She never forgets to add a bright smile...

When I see her smile, I cannot help but feel guilty.  I really want to tell her the truth, but I have no courage to say so. If she knows it, she must leave me at once... She will not be friends with me again... She will never forget me...

" Hey! Ako chan! How did you discover me? Here looks far away from the city. Why would you come here? " She suddenly turns to me and asks. 

" Well... " My nervousness rises. Her casual questions precisely stab at the wound of my heart...

" Eh... " I feel her stare at me with questions. Maybe she is getting suspicious...

" Well. I knew that there was a new dessert shop in Sakura Park, so I specially went there to try. After I bought something to eat, I found that you were kidnapped by a man suddenly. I was so worried since I thought that he was your Boss and stepfather. I would forever lose a friend in my life if he really killed you, but I couldn't report this to the Police since this might bring trouble to you. Therefore, I secretly followed him to this old factory. I thought that he might discover my existence and he tried to escape from my eyes. Fortunately, I found him back here. I immediately save you after noticing you being tortured by that terrible guy... " I explain when hiding my anxiety from her. 

" Oh... " She smiles again. " I see. Thank you, Ako chan~ "

I sigh in relief. I am the top actress in Bird Theater Class. Acting or lying in front of the others do not bother me at all, including towards my best friends... 

Right? 

However, even she does not suspect my honesty, I cannot make the guilty in my heart disappear...

The feeling of relief is just temporary...

This morning, I woke up with tears on my face. Pushing my quilt away, I found that the edges of it are totally wet... 

I grab a tissue paper to wipe my tears away. Looking at myself through the mirror, my face filled with tears stains. And my appearance seemed to be older than my actual age. This was absolutely a serious fault for an idol. 

I pushed the mirror onto the ground when covering my face with both of my shivering hands. I didn't want to see that ugly face again! I was a beautiful young girl before, why would I become like this?!  Tears rolled down my cheeks again...

Someone heard the sound of the broken glass and rushed into my room. " What the hell! What have you done, Ako chan?! " However, when she saw my crying stage, she immediately apologized and left my room. 

I have cried hard for about two days, but I felt like I have cried for my whole life. All my lovely and happy memories seemed to be replaced by sorrow ones. Especially the memories of being rejected by Subaru and seeing him and Yume kiss passionately in a romantic night. When I recalled all of these, they just liked a blade, which thrusting into my heart without any mercy.

I knew that it was me who commanded him to confess his true feelings to Yume, but that was not my real willingness. I just wanted Subaru to be forever happy, and Yume could bring him love and joy, so they were true pair... Even I didn't gave up on him, he would not love me as well. And this move would make three of us, me, Subaru and Yume, feel distressed and painful...

I sighed and checked up my phones. I was relieved when finding that no works today. I did not want anyone to see my broken stage...

Instantly, I noticed a green plastic blanket on my wrist. I did not think that I had it before. Maybe I was too upset to remember when and where I bought it... Okay. Forget it.

When I was surfing the Internet, I suddenly discovered a new dessert shop in Sakura Park. Maybe sweet things could make me feel better... Therefore, I decided to go there, but I had never expected that this would make me feel worse since I found that Yume and Subaru were having a sweet date there...

My heart broke even more when watching them doing lovey-dovey actions. I hid behind a tree and sobbed quietly. What could I do here? Watching them enjoy happy hours while I was in agony?

I finally decided to leave until I heard  a loud sound from behind.  I turned around in confused and discovered that Yume was fighting against a strong man. I hid behind a brush. Soon, she was being hit and she fainted. That man brought her away after looking around for any presence. 

I stepped out from the brush and sneaked behind him. I knew that he was Yume's stepfather. He wanted to kill her so long to destroy the evidence of his crimes. Well. I thought that there was another reason. He might be envious of her happy new life, so he wanted to destroy everything belonged to her...

Fortunately, I have participated in a gangster film before, so I have trained to follow the others without letting them discover me. I traced him to the discarded factory and hid in the piles of abandoned machines. I saw him tie Yume on the ground. I heard their conservation. I watched him trying to rape Yume... 

I didn't stop him... Just staying my place and watching...

Yume was my best friend! How could I just stay here and watch her being tortured? How could I not save her?

When I wanted to rush out to punish that villain, a selfish thought in my mind stopped me instantly. 

There seemed to have a demon near my side, he kept on persuading me not to save her...

If Yume lost her purity, Subaru might not love her again... He might leave her and fall in love with me...

If Yume was dead, Subaru might forget her soon and come to my side...

If Yume was gone from us, Subaru would be mine... I could forever stay with him... No one could ever steal him from me...

Then...

Me... Saotome Ako... would be the girlfriend of my long-term crush, Subaru Yuki...

Wasn't that your wish, Ako...? 

Wasn't that what you want, Ako...? 

Yes!

I wanted!

I could feel that I tightened the clench of my fists. 

If you wanted it, so you should not save her... 

Her pain would be your happiness... 

My happiness...

But...

I don't want to develop my happiness on the others' pain! Not just only the pain of Yume, but also Subaru's! He would be so upset if he knew that Yume was dead with the loss of her virginity. If he knew that I was here with Yume at this moment, he would never forgive me!

So just don't tell him! He would not know if you did not tell him! 

No! I couldn't since...

I loved my friends!!!

I would not give up my friends just because a man who never loved me! 

So...

I would save her...

Then, I really rushed out with a stick in my hands and hit the man without his notices...

" Ako chan! What are you thinking about? " Yume leans closer to my face without my notices. 

" Oh. Nothing... Just daydreaming... " I cover everything up with a nervous smile. Luckily, it is not not discovered by her.  I don't want her to know that I have thought a lots before rescuing her from the torment... I don't want her to find out that I have had a selfish thought of stealing Subaru from her after her death...

" Okay. Let's leave this terrible place! " 

" Yes. " 

" Do you really think that you can escape? " We flinch when hearing this voice. We turn around at once and find that Yume's stepfather has waken up. And we both notice something glimmering in his hand. 

A gun...