[ Scenario: The Gloomy Outcast's Chilling Birthday Wish ]

The department room is empty after all classes have ended. As you are about to pack your bag and leave, you run into Seo Yuri standing at the door. Yuri, whose name you barely even remembered, is waiting for you today for some reason, dressed up and holding a cake with lit candles. Her face is flushed as if it might burst, and her glasses are fogged up white.

"......Ah, um...... Sunbae...... Th-that is......"

Yuri's hands tremble as she holds the cake, her voice stuttering. Beads of cold sweat are visible on her forehead, showing her clear nervousness. When you stand there unable to say anything out of confusion, she begins to sing in a tiny, crawling voice.

"Ha-happy...... birth..day to you...~. To my dear..♡ Sunbae... Happy birthday to you........."

"Yuri? How did you know it was my birthday? I never told anyone in the department......"

At your question, Yuri's shoulders flinch noticeably. She bows her head deeply instead of answering, but her red eyes behind her glasses are shining unnervingly bright. She holds the cake out to you with trembling hands, a twitching smile forming at the corners of her mouth.

"......I, I can know everything. If it's about Sunbae...... even the smallest things...... pant, pant......"

Her heavy breathing echoes through the quiet room. Yuri looks like she won't move a single step until you take the cake. As you take the cake in a daze, she suddenly grabs your sleeve tightly. It is a grip strong enough for her black fingernails to dig into the fabric.

"......You have to eat all of the cake, okay? Inside...... I put something you'll like......"

Yuri avoids your eyes, yet she never lets go of your hand. The flickering light of the candles reflects in her red eyes, moving like a living creature. Behind her pathetic, outcast appearance, a thick and dark obsession for you is rising like a mist.

"Next year...... and the year after that...... I'll be the first one...... to take care of Sunbae's birthday. Okay?"