Alist met Shandley when they were both nine years old.

She found the girl in dirty blonde hair at Darya Harbor's narrow alley crying til her eyes emptied out a fountain.

What was notable about their first meeting is the name Shandley repeatedly engraved on the wall with a knife.

Although she did not how the crazed girl ended up in the alley with a table knife, Alist could tell that she is inwardly growing a terrible personality that was so unlikely of a girl.

The Yandere Type.

Animes, mangas, and even light novels mention about these kinds of characters in romance genres as the people, mostly girls, that suffer from an Obsessive Love Disorder.

They may look cute and pretty in the fictional genres but in the real world, this type of people are greatly abhorred in society especially as they can invade one's personal space.

The yandere types are people Alist hated most which was why she can easily perceive prevailing signs of the disorder in a person.

Another fact on why the alley was empty is because of Shandley's loud wails that were amplified throughout the area.

Unable to tolerate Shandley deliriously filling up the wall with the guy's name, she walked up to her and asked her of how she was doing.

After several minutes of coaxing the girl to stop her delirium, Shandley poured her heart out to the discerning stranger who listened to her emotional crisis of loving a man called X who was ten years older than her.

X happens to be Shandley's kind and handsome neighbor who doted on her for only two years but long enough for her to develop that lovesickness.

Until the news of X getting married reached the devastated girl's ears.

It seemed that she couldn't hide the obsession burning in her heart no longer and vented out in the alley that became impassable to both travelers and guards.

Since the alleyway had no residing dwellers near it, the desolated space was left alone for Shandley to echo the name of her unrequited lover.

About eight signs of Yander-ity are present in the young girl so there was no telling whether or not this obsession will eventually evolve at a height extending down to hell.

During the lovey coos and praises that Shandley echoed about X to a concerned citizen, Alist kept feeding her some pan-fried abalone to calm down her emotions.

She even secretly clipped a pink Crystal Abalone to the teary-eyed girl's dress to restore her mana which she wasted on wailing as she happens to be a Sound Specialist.

Although she hated the yandere types, Alist was lenient on Shandley because there was still hope in changing her personality so she went on a long and serious lecture from the term 'yandere' to the examples of white lotus and green tea bitches.

At the end of the talk, Shandley was a little moved from the discussion so Alist decided to pull out her LSS Playlist that earwormed into her head for the last eighteen years of living in the previous world and selected the song Perfect Illusion by Lady Gaga.

Alist may not have a singing talent back in the old world but because the singer's voice plagued her mind for so long, she can vividly remember the way she sounds like.

With the help of the Volitional Blood Beckon to manipulate her vocal cords and cranking up the voice in her throat, Alist sang the single while perfectly imitating Lady Gaga's voice like a mynah or a parrot.

"You were so perfect … you were a perfect illusion!" She ended.

Shandley was roused by the song and the voice that she asked Alist why she did not sing in her own voice.

"It wasn't my song," she replied "It was a monster singing in my head so obviously its her's. There were actually angels and demons belting out in my mind. Want to hear 'em all? You could even sing it in your voice if you like."

From cat scratching echoes to pop song revivals, the abandoned alleyway became a heartbreak song haven for Shandley and Alist.

Yes, only heartbreak songs to commemorate Shandley from going down from the apex of the Yandere Mountain.

~o~

Currently, Shandley is singing Zedd and Kehlani's Good Thing in full lyrics of the song except Alist altered the lines "fast cars" to "fast carts" and "take pictures" to "draw pictures" because these don't exist in the novel yet.

Shandley could have easily mimicked the artists' voice for every song she sang but she valued her own singing voice.

One can say that singing cured her yander-ity and effortlessly landed her a job at the popular Covetor destination as the official singer of the resto bar.

Alist was glad that her friend is living her life happily on stage banging notes on the creaking wooden piano to which Shandley improved with her sound speciality.

She considered giving her a Red Crystal Abalone for her own good as a growing Specialist and as a noble.

A covert noble, in fact.

Alist could tell from Shandley's golden hair, purplish blue eyes, and inherent pale skin that she descended from crown royalties.

It is indeed a mystery as to why her highborn friend landed in the town of Darya but she didn't pry further.

Alist's only concern was who would be looking after Shandley now that she planned on leaving the Talinean Continent for Sidero.

Shandley may be close to her sister but that's that.

Her family may not know her friend so she figured her godmother Xenia could accommodate her but Shandley will be lonely whenever she goes to work.

Plus, her endowed womanly body is showing in her mature physique and her personality is as shy as her age.

Thinking of resolving it later on, Alist brushed off the thoughts and whispered Shandley's nickname inaudibly seeing as she finally finished performing.

"Deleer."

Shandley reacted to the cue habitually and went straight into Alist's direction.

The singer exclaimed. "Al—… I mean, Victory!"

Her fair blonde haired friend then flattered Alist with praises about the "angels-and-demons-and-monsters" songs she sang and asked if there are other songs she hasn't told her yet.

"Maybe." Alist chuckled "But they will come eventually."

"Oh", Shandley looked a little disappointed. "Well, let's just go outside and I'll call this a day … (directing her attention to the crowd) Ah folks, thanks for coming but that's it for today's show. Anyways, the game will begin any minute now. Good bye!"

But there were some who couldn't stand to see her leave.

"Miss Deleer, stay! I want your autograph."

"Before you leave, let us know when you're here again."

"Make sure to sing my song, Deleeeeer!"

"Little Miss, can you go out with me?"

Shandley used the nickname Deleer as her stage name so as to protect her identity as a minor.

This alias came from the word 'chandelier' in funny way.

Shandley hastily left with Alist, heading towards the port.

Aside from her parents and godmother, Shandley knew about her hair photobleaching and heterochromatic eyes.

She understood that her chameleon friend had to remain under the sunlight so she could maintain her Victory alias.

She could even tell that the condescending voice Alist projects was something she imitated from someone else's.

Being a Covetor is a dangerous profession and everyone has to be their own predatory selves in order to challenge their opponents and snatch mana fodders from their grasps.

Shandley could only leave it up to Alist's tenacity in protecting herself from the other Covetors.

"By the way", Shandley turned to Alist. "The number of Covetors now are many compared to last year's sea game. There were some newcomers too. Oh! Twisted Trapper's back and he may be better in snatching abalones than you. I'm curious as to what happened to all those crystal shells though. He must be wearing shell bracelets by now."

Alist scoffed. "It's not like the old man changed or anything. He's probably that greedy because old age kills his mana."

"Haha. You're right but unlike him, you are greedier. Always watching and waiting to pounce into the lagoon. Speaking of watching…er, maybe stalking, do you remember the  guy that seems like…well, a stalker? Not that I have never been stalked but it's been two years since I felt that vibe."

Thinking about it, Alist recalled familiar faces she always saw in the resto bar.

"You mean the faceless guy in a dark cloak and black pants? Seems like a sinister omen to me, Deleer."

"Hah!" Shandley interjected "Says the girl who always wore darker shades of tunics every time I see her."

"But my tunic shirt is white!"

"But it's covered in black designs. I'll have a word with Madame Xenia about your fashion choice. If I recall correctly, there are over thirty gowns and kirtles in your space bag, right?" Shandley projected a mischievous look.

Alist could only sigh at that fact, knowing that she has a firm stand on preserving her previous life's preference for wearing tracksuits when going outdoors.

Nevertheless, she was fine with the fit but stretchable trousers and shirt her godmother made.

"Going back to the real deal", Shandley brought back the main topic "I mean it when I said I've been stalked for two years and I can feel it from that guy. There was like a burning gaze blowing in my direction. You know that feeling when you're in a sauna? That feeling!"

Alist frowned but quivered at the words "burning gaze".

'Could it be the Male Lead?' Alist gasped in her mind. 'No! It's too early and he should be in Eudaria now. Plus if it was actually him, don't tell me that he's going after Shandley instead of that heroine ice beauty! Oh fuck! I haven't even ensured my will and testament for getting involved in the novel's original plot.'

Shandley added another description of the faceless man. "But just this yesterday, he kind off got the audacity to reveal his face to me."

Alist jumped at the words "reveal" and "face".

"Deleer, open your Silence Zone around us right now!"

Shandley moved three steps back and complied. "Jeez! You know I can hear you even when you whisper. What's this about? Are we targeted by Covetors you've got a beef on?"

After the silencing effect took place, Alist directed her friend away from the crowd. "You were saying?"

"I said that I finally saw his face because he showed me and boy, he was fun to hang out with that he walked with me around the harbor." Shandley recalled dreamily.

This only made Alist even more incredulous.

"So, what did he looked like? Is he like X?"

Shandley scorned at the question. "No! He's nothing like X. That guy was sitting at the entrance of the alleyway where I practiced my singing and told me to ignore him while I continue the song. After my rehearsal, he approached me with his head still hooded. He had purple eyes like me and whitish hair because the bangs on his eyes are white but I think I can see yellow streaks in his hood. He wore a silver chain necklace which was a mana item and he's got this air of a hot-blooded noble smiling calmly at me. Then he commented that he liked the songs especially Giveon's Heartbreak Anniversary and Shontelle's Impossible. With that, we started hanging out."

Alist's mouth dropped down to the  wooden pavement.

"You're dating him, Deleer?!"

"No! No! No!" Shandley waved the speculation away. "We've just met and are just hanging out as acquaintances. Who knows, we might turn out as friends and we'll have three in our lonely group. Plus, he's a cool Wind Specialist."

The astonished friend staggered as if she lost her balance.

"And w-w-what's his n-n-n-name?" She stammered her final question.

Shandley replied without batting an eye. "Well, we're not supposed to say our real names especially now that he's participating in the tournament. He's called Auster."

The blow of the said name made Alist's deadpanned expression convincingly let her soul escape from her body.

'FUUUCCCKKK!' She screamed in her mind. 'He's worse than the Male Lead.'

Era Duress.

One of the villains that competed for the Female Lead's love and the destined rival of the Male Lead.

He is the second son of Aeolian Duress, a Sovereign Duke of  Ordell Kingdom in the Edudarian Continent, and the Male Lead's cousin.

As rivals, Era and the Male Lead challenged each other for large contributions to the kingdom's expeditions.

Era had a bad boy habit of sabotaging the plans of the Male Lead with his impulsive personality contrasting to his cousin's calm but fiery demeanor.

The future villain isn't much of a smiler but he only does so when in front of the Female Lead.

His wind abilities comprises of siroccos and Air Detraction.

Era is also known as the Air Ripper.

In battles, he is a formidable Specialist Fighter who uses pressurized hot air to suffocate his enemies and to strip off their oxygen supply so they will lose their fighting spirit.

'But it's not like that tactic works on his love rival', Alist recalls. 'In the end, Era couldn't accept the union of the Male Lead and Female Lead that he laid waste on his own mana by sending extreme tornadoes from all directions of Eudaria which forced his family go bankrupt due to paying  for all the damages he's done.'

Aside from Shandley mentioning his facial features, Alist was convinced that he is Era Duress because of his alias.

Auster is a codename used by the future villain in the expedition arcs of the story and it already defines the wind abilities that he can do to his opponents.

But what surprised Alist the most is that he finally intends to participate today despite being in Darya for two years.

'He must be here for the Red Crystal Abalone.' Alist noted.

"Shandley," She turned to her friend. "It seems that he approached you with hidden intentions. How about this: I'll go talk to him and ask him what he wants?"

Shandley nods. "Okay. Just do that. Anyways, I don't want to waste my time on a person who isn't actually a friend after all. Maybe I was just bored because it's just us, Alist."

With that, Shandley cancelled the silencing skill and the two strode off to the Abalone Atoll.