Chapter 14 — Shadow of the Past
The red chamber was cloaked in silence. A heavy, almost suffocating silence, as if the very walls could sense the weight of the decision pressing down on its occupants. Shun Hayashi, Ren Sakamoto, and Aoi Himura sat at the cold metal table, each wrapped in their own armor of caution and doubt.
Ren leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, voice edged with biting sarcasm. "Well, looks like the moment's here. Someone's gotta walk into the lion's den. No one's volunteering, so... who's it gonna be?"
His eyes, despite the smirk tugging at his lips, were sharp—measuring. Aoi shifted uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze. Shun remained still, unreadable.
Aoi's fists clenched tightly. "You think I'm going to throw myself in there? No way. I'm not some expendable piece."
She slammed her hand on the table, the crack echoing in the small room.
Ren's expression sobered. "I get it. None of us wants to die. But this isn't about wanting—it's about surviving. If we don't send someone strong, we lose by default." He leaned forward. "We have to send the one who can keep their head cool when everything goes to hell."
Shun's eyes narrowed. "Sounds like you're volunteering someone else."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Shun," Aoi snapped, her voice still tense. "You're not invincible. And we all know you've been watching us like a hawk. What's your play?"
Ren raised his hands in a calming gesture. "Let's be honest. Shun's the one who's stayed detached. He doesn't panic. That makes him the best candidate."
For a moment, Shun simply looked at them both. Then, slowly, he nodded. "I'll go. If no one else is stepping up, I'll take the risk."
He stood, his tall frame casting a shadow across the table.
Aoi's expression softened. "Don't come back broken."
Ren murmured under his breath, "If you don't come back, make sure it counts."
Without another word, Shun turned and walked toward the door. The silence that followed was thick and chilling.
---
The Blue Room.
Mei Tsukino sat still, eyes distant, her voice barely above a whisper. "Everyone else avoided me. They said I was cursed. That bad things happened when I was around. But he didn't believe that—or at least he pretended not to. He smiled. He listened."
Her fingers trembled in her lap. "I thought maybe… maybe I finally had someone."
She paused.
"One day, he asked me to meet him at the old shrine outside town. Said it was for fun. A dare, maybe. When I got there… he wasn't alone."
The tension in the room grew sharp. Tatsuya's gaze hardened. Daichi leaned forward without realizing.
"There were other students. Laughing. Holding phones. They said if I wanted to be normal, I had to stop acting like a ghost. I didn't understand… until they pushed me."
Mei's voice flattened. "I fell. Hit the steps. I heard someone scream—someone hit their head trying to catch me. Another broke their arm. Blood everywhere."
She looked up, her voice quieter. "They blamed me. Said I lured them there. Said I snapped. No one believed me. Not even the school."
"Monsters," Daichi muttered.
"I got suspended. The boy transferred. Disappeared. The rumors never stopped."
Tatsuya asked gently, "Was that the worst part?"
Mei shook her head. "No. That came later."
She drew in a shaky breath. "I was ten when I lost my parents in a fire. Orphanages followed. Then… a family came. They smiled a lot. Said they liked quiet girls. So they took me in."
Her voice turned numb.
"The father's name was Akira. The mother, Mayumi. Their son, Kaito. Older than me. Calm. Kind—when they watched. But when they weren't… he whispered things. Hurt my cat. Locked me in closets. Said the fire missed me the first time."
Her voice darkened.
"I told Akira. He said I was making it up. Then one day, I broke a plate. He hit me. Not hard. Just enough. Mayumi didn't say a word."
"They never should've had a daughter," Daichi said, voice low.
Mei nodded. "I stopped crying. Stopped speaking unless spoken to. I made myself so small they forgot I existed. But I never forgot. Not the fire. Not the boy. Not Kaito. Not Akira's hands. Not Mayumi's silence. I remember everything."
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Then, with a cold calm, Mei said, "And that's why I can wear the mask tonight."
Tatsuya's voice was steady. "You're not going in as a scared girl anymore."
Mei stood. "No. I'm going in as every shadow they made me swallow. And if they think I'll tremble…"
Her voice was unshaken now.
"Let them learn what silence really means."
---
Next In Chapter 15 — Fractures in the Dark
The walls of the Blue Room close in. Shadows tighten their grip. Mei steps forward, no longer the girl haunted by pain—but the one forged by it. And across the hall, Shun walks into enemy territory with nothing but resolve.
In this game where trust bleeds and lies bloom like scars—
The past is not just a memory. It's a weapon.