Heroines, Villainesses, and the Hero's Yandere Harem? I want them all!
Chapter 36: The Ache

Chapter 36: The Ache

"Na... A... Na... ANNA!"

"Haah!" A girl with pink hair and pale pink eyes jolted upright, gasping for breath, her skin slick with sweat.

"Whoa—hey, calm down," a voice said beside her, grounding and familiar.

Her breathing slowed as she gradually came back to herself. She looked up and met Jason’s gaze—worried, searching, steady.

"W-what’s wrong with you?" he asked gently.

"I... It’s nothing," she replied quickly, forcing a smile.

"It’s not nothing," Jason said, not buying it for a second. "You’ve been spacing out a lot lately. That guy almost got you if I hadn’t shouted."

Anna glanced around.

They were still in the training hall—Combat Class. The clang of weapons and shouts of students filled the space. Most of the class was still locked in battles with their sparring partners. Only a few had already subdued their opponents and were resting by the sidelines.

She had been one of the first to win.

But it was a close call.

If Jason hadn’t shouted her name from the corner of the room, jolting her out of whatever strange haze she’d fallen into, she might’ve lost.

Or worse.

"I’m serious," she began, trying to explain—but suddenly, she felt two hands on her shoulders. Jason leaned in, their faces only inches apart.

"What’s going on?" he asked quietly. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

Her cheeks flushed hot. His face was so close it was almost unfair.

"I SAID IT’S NOTHING, IDIOT!"

She shoved him back and turned away, storming toward the exit.

"Hey—wait, I’m sorry! I was just worried—Anna!"

She didn’t look back. After a brief word with the instructor, she left the grand practice hall and made her way straight to the nearest washroom.

Once inside, she stood in front of the mirror and stared at her reflection.

"What is wrong with me?" she whispered.

Her eyes were bloodshot. Her face pale. Her hands trembled slightly.

She placed her hand on the faucet, channeling a bit of mana. Water began to flow, and she let it wash over her fingers.

"Haah..." she exhaled slowly.

Splash.

She cupped water in her hands and splashed her face. Cold. Grounding.

But it didn’t help.

She looked back up at the mirror.

"Why am I thinking about him?" she muttered.

Her hands clenched the edge of the sink.

"Why am I thinking about that bastard?!"

Suddenly, pain.

A sharp, unbearable agony tore through her chest.

"Aghh!" she screamed, collapsing to her knees.

Blood trickled from her nose, dripping onto the tile floor.

She couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t think.

Could only feel.

The pain was immense, more than just physical—it felt like her very soul was fracturing. She gritted her teeth, gripping her sides as the world blurred.

Minutes passed. Or maybe just seconds.

Then, slowly, the pain began to fade.

"Haah... Haah... Haaah..." She sat there, gasping, trembling, the blood on her lips drying.

After a long moment, she pulled herself up using the sink, her legs shaking under her weight.

She didn’t understand what was happening to her.

Ever since the enslavement spell, she had started seeing things—visions. Dreams. Or were they memories?

Blurry fragments. Faded images. But real pain.

And real emotions.

Her mind was tangled. Her heart worse.

And every time she thought about him—her so-called master—her chest constricted.

A cascade of overwhelming feelings hit her whenever he crossed her mind.

But the one emotion that always surfaced above the rest—

Hatred.

Pure, blistering hatred.

She hated him so much it made her physically ill. Just the thought of seeing him again sent her heart into chaos.

And yet... there was something else.

Buried deep.

Something she couldn’t name.

It wasn’t affection.

Not exactly.

But it was there. Quiet. Unsettling.

Something that would change everything.

"No," she murmured. "No, no, no."

She washed her face again, scrubbing away the dried blood and sweat.

Then she looked at herself in the mirror, stared herself down.

"I love Jason," she said aloud. "I love Jason. I love Jason. I love Jason."

She repeated the words like a mantra, over and over, her voice growing more desperate with each repetition.

"I love Jason. I always have. Since the very first day. I’ve waited for him to notice me. I’ve waited so long... I can’t let him ruin everything."

Her eyes burned, not with tears—but with fury.

"I won’t let him destroy all my hard work. I won’t let that.... guy ruin me."

With a breath of shaky resolve, she walked toward the restroom door and pushed it open.

It swung outward.

And standing just beyond it was the last person she wanted to see.

"Oh, Anna," a voice purred. "Fancy running into you here."

A girl with long black hair and blood-red eyes stood smiling—a wicked curve to her lips, playful. Mischief sparkled in her gaze as she watched her.

"Angelica," Anna said with a flat expression. "What do you want?"

"Me?" Angelica tilted her head innocently. "I don’t want anything. But you, on the other hand... look like you’ve got a little problem. Care to share?"

Her trademark grin was painted with a rich crimson lipstick, the kind that turned heads in every hallway. And Anna could tell—Angelica knew something.

"Haah," Anna exhaled, brushing past her without another word.

But then—

"Annabelle," Angelica said sweetly.

Anna froze.

"...What?"

"I’d really hate it if you hurt Jason," Angelica said, her voice still soft and sing-song. "You know how much he means to me, right?"

Anna didn’t turn around. Her voice, however, was sharp and unwavering.

"He means just as much to me... maybe more."

With that, she walked away.

Angelica watched her disappear down the hall.

Her smile faded.

Her eyes narrowed.

"I hope so," she said quietly. "For your sake."

Her gaze drifted upward to the ceiling, her thoughts a labyrinth of schemes and calculations.

"What are you hiding from me, dear Anna?" she murmured. "Who was that man the other day...?"

"Could it really have been... Eren?"

All traces of amusement vanished from her face.

Only cold calculation remained.