Summary
Lala Nishino has the perfect life; her beauty is recognized by talent scouts and magazines, she has many admirers, and she has a handsome, talented boyfriend whose a member of the basketball team and is very well liked.
Every day she is so happy, she can hardly believe it!
However...
Aki has been behaving odd lately. One day while showing her friends some recent pictures of their recent date, he comes by and asks her to stop doing that. He also turns down her request for a date to an upcoming movie premiere she was invited to, claiming to have last-minute practice. He's been saying this a lot lately, which she fins unusual. They were close six months ago when they hooked up. Her friends assure her that it's probably due to her birthday being the next day, he might be planning a surprise. Finding this explanation reasonable, she drops the subject.
It's then the group spot a wrapped package addressed to Lala that contains a marionette. Her friends are concerned as two nearby classmates recognize it as something recently sold on an online auction they saw: it's rumored to control the person the owner loves the most. Lala is doubtful, and believing she has Aki's unconditional love already she tosses it to one of her friends -Junko- and teasingly reminds her that she's the only one without a boyfriend.
After school Lala and Aki hang out at a cafe. Lala informs him of what happened but he brushes it off as her overthinking it when she wonders if she has a stalker. Aki is about to say something when Lala interrupts to ask if he noticed her new lip gloss. He briskly excuses himself to the restroom rather than answer, and Lala uses this as a chance to look through his phone seeing as he left it behind. She is shocked to find a text from Junko, asking him what side dish he would like for lunch. Barely given time to register this, the distraught Lala throws it back into his bag before he returns.
Lala's thoughts remain preoccupied by that text the following day when her friends give her their presents and warm wishes. She finds it hard to believe because Junko is so plain, and she lacks dating experience. But at that moment she overhears someone mention that a couple of boys asked for Junko's phone number recently, and recalls spotting her look up bento recipes the other day. Seeing Aki and Junko interact causes Lala further anxiety, and by the time class resumes she comes to the decision to break up with Aki and find someone better. But she isn't sure she can, she likes to be the envy of everyone too, and if they found out he cheated on her things would only get worse.
If only she could make Junko go away...
It's then Lala spots the marionette sticking out of her bag, and she waits until break to swipe it and hide in the restroom. She puts a strand of hair from both herself and Aki inside of the marionette and rejoins her friends, keeping it behind her back. She moves it and mentally tells Aki to ignore Junko, and to her delight it works when he turns from her to head to practice. Junko is shocked, but she approaches Lala to speak to her, only for Lala to trail behind her boyfriend and offer to make him a bento for his upcoming game.
Seeing how upset Junko looks makes Lala happy but she remains spiteful until she angers Junko by cuddling up with Aki and acting very lovingly. Aki then requests Lala wait for him until after club and her friends gush over how romantic they were today. Lala remains in high spirits as she decides to keep going, she's not had enough yet.
She sits down and takes out the marionette while wondering what to make Aki do first. She wants him to focus on club less and her more, he should be pampering her and tend to every need she has, take her on dates more often, buy her things, and of course get down on his knees to beg for forgiveness. Lala decides to start there and poses the marionette, but for some reason Aki doesn't copy it. She collapses in frustration when Junko sees her and asks that they speak in private.
They head to the girls restroom and Junko hesitates to start until Lala confronts her with what she discovered. This causes Junko to cry as she profusely apologizes for betraying her trust, she's had feelings for Aki since they were first-years, and they used to hang out and talk about things. She knew she would have to move on because he's dating Lala, but she can't help feeling the way she does. She asks for her forgiveness, and Lala coldly informs Junko that Aki could only ever like her, so she needs to stop. Aki joins the girls just then, but Lala is frustrate when he takes Junko's side. He apologizes for not coming clean sooner, and this was why he asked her to wait earlier, because he was going to bring this up. He realized how much he likes Junko in the time they spent together, and she likes him back. Lala insists that she also likes Aki; but he cuts her off by saying he isn't her puppet. She never loved him, only the popularity that came from it. She only loves herself.
The duo leave Lala behind and she angrily yanks the marionette from her bag. If he wants to be free that badly then she will se him free. She violently mangles the marionette and throws it out of a nearby window, just in time for her to notice her arm is hurting. It has become bloody and a bruise is forming.
Outside, as some classmates wonder where Lala is when a frightening scream erupts from the school. They run to he location to find Lala, battered and bloody on the ground; her body posed similarly to the Marionette. Unable to speak, Lala stares at it as she realizes the pain she thought she was causing to others only happened to her. Every demand she made to Aki was indirectly done through her, such as ignoring Junko after she told him to, and she was the one initiating their romantic mood. When she tried to make him kneel down, it was her who was on the floor.
Lala slowly reaches over and opens the head of the marionette to find the hair strands she inserted. She realizes Aki was right, in that it was never about him.
She only loved herself, so the marionette controlled her.
As Lala succumbs to her injuries, Junko and Aki are some distance away from school. Junko mumbles to herself that everything went the way she expected and she is delighted. Aki seems to notice but Junko coyly insists it's nothing; she is happy they can be together in the open now. She happily clings onto his arm, causing Aki to realize something. But he decides not to say anything.
Tropes:
- Expy: Junko greatly resembles Riri, the protagonist of "The Witch of the Library Room". She also shares a few traits with her.
- Foreshadowing: As Lala attempts to control Aki, she indirectly does what she requests. For example, she wanted him to ignore Junko and he abruptly walks away from her. She ignored Junko and left to follow Aki right after.
- Here We Go Again!: Aki is left with another super possessive girlfriend who greatly cares about her own happiness.
- Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: Lala's birthday took place during the story.
- Gory Discretion Shot: Lala isn't shown falling from the window or hitting the ground, the scene cuts away to some students who hear her scream and returns as she lays there.
- It's All About Me: The reason why Lala refused to break up with Aki, and why her attempt to manipulate him failed.
- Karma Houdini: Junko caused Lala to be severely hurt and possibly die, but nothing happens to her.
- Karmic Twist Ending
- Murder the Hypotenuse: Junko's behavior at the end of the story implies that she bought the marionette for Lala to get rid of her.
- Secretly Selfish: Both Lala and Junko, girls who openly look harmless and innocent but only care about themselves.
- The Fake Cutie: Lala, who puts on the "adorable girlfriend" routine.
- Voodoo Doll: The Marionette acts as one, requiring the owners love for their target -and hair- to make it work.
- Yandere: Junko is a downplayed version. She set everything up to get rid of Lala one way or the other.
