Monsters don't appear in the dead of night.
They don't hide under beds, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
No.
Monsters walk among us, disguised as lovers.
And sometimes, the worst ones whisper *I love you* before they destroy you.
Yuuki met Kazuki on a rainy afternoon.
She had been walking home from school, her arms full of books, when the sky suddenly opened up. She hadn't brought an umbrella. She never did—she loved the rain, loved the way it washed over her, making the whole world feel clean and new.
Most people rushed for shelter, but she stood still, face turned upward, eyes closed.
And then, she heard his voice.
"You're going to catch a cold like that."
When she opened her eyes, he was standing there, holding out an umbrella.
Kazuki Tanaka.
The golden boy. The one everyone adored.
She had seen him before, of course. Everyone had. He was the kind of boy people noticed always surrounded by laughter, always wearing that easy, effortless smile.
Yuuki hadn't expected him to notice her back.
"I don't mind the rain," she said, offering him a small smile.
"Then at least let me walk with you."
That was how it started.
Just a walk.
Just a boy and a girl, sharing an umbrella.
But in the weeks that followed, Yuuki's world slowly tilted.
And she didn't even notice.
Kazuki was perfect.
He sent her good morning texts before she even woke up. He memorized her favorite coffee order, left little notes in her locker when she wasn't looking.
He made her feel seen.
And when he finally asked her to be his girlfriend, under the soft glow of the festival lights, with fireworks exploding behind them like something out of a romance movie—
She said yes.
Of course, she said yes.
Because who wouldn't?
Because love like that was rare.
Because when he kissed her, she felt like she was standing on the edge of something vast and beautiful.
She had no idea she was about to fall.
At first, it was little things.
Kazuki would text her constantly, asking where she was, who she was with. He would pout when she spent time with her friends instead of him.
"I just miss you," he would say, his voice soft, his eyes pleading.
"You don't mind, do you?"
And she didn't.
Because wasn't that what love was supposed to feel like?
Wasn't it supposed to be consuming?
She started canceling plans. She stopped texting back as quickly. She ignored the uneasy feeling in her stomach.
Until one day, she made the mistake of laughing at another boy's joke.
Kazuki's smile didn't falter.
But when they were alone, he grabbed her wrist—just a little too tight.
"Do you like him?"
She blinked. "What? No, of course not—"
"Then why were you flirting with him?"
"I wasn't—"
"Don't lie to me, Yuuki."
The way he said her name sent a chill down her spine.
She should have left then.
But she didn't.
Because he didn't hurt her. Not really.
Because the next day, he showed up with flowers and an apology and the sweetest words she had ever heard.
"I just love you so much. I can't help it."
Yuuki smiled.
Because wasn't that romantic?
Kazuki didn't like her friends.
"They don't care about you like I do," he would say.
"They just don't understand us."
So, one by one, she let them go.
She stopped answering their texts.
Stopped sitting with them at lunch.
Stopped being herself.
Kazuki was her whole world now.
And he made sure she never forgot it.
Yuuki didn't realize how much of herself she had lost until it was too late.
Until one night, when Kazuki showed up at her house, drunk.
Until he yelled at her for the first time, accusing her of things she hadn't done.
Until she saw the fury in his eyes, the way his hands clenched into fists.
And for the first time, she was afraid.
"Kazuki—"
"You think you can leave me?" he snarled.
"After everything I've done for you?"
Yuuki's breath caught in her throat.
Because in that moment, she knew.
She wasn't in love with a boy.
She was in love with a monster.
And monsters never let their prey escape.
Yuuki left him the next day.
She blocked his number. Deleted his messages.
Tried to rebuild the life she had abandoned.
But Kazuki didn't let go so easily.
He spread rumors. He whispered lies.
He made sure that even without him, she would never be free.
Because that was the thing about monsters.
They never really disappear.
They just wait in the dark
For their next victim.