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Chapter 8 - The Mirror That Lied

> "The one who lies the most…

is often the one staring back from the mirror."

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Scene:

An abandoned, decaying building.

People call it the "Reflection House."

It's said that every mirror inside shows not what you want to see…

but what you've always tried to hide.

Saito arrives — guided by a page in Mira's old diary.

---

That page said:

> "The Mirror Man only appears…

when your own lies start to exhaust you."

---

He walks inside.

Dust on the floor. Cold air.

And mirrors… shattered, warped, silent —

Yet full of eyes.

In each mirror, he sees himself — but different versions:

One is crying.

One is screaming.

One… just stares blankly, lifeless.

---

Saito (whispers):

"…Are all these… me?"

He stops in front of one large mirror, wipes off the dust.

And there… it stares back.

His face.

But darker.

Empty eyes.

A smile that doesn't reach anywhere.

---

The Mirror Man.

He looks just like Saito.

But there's no light in his gaze.

No voice at first.

Just silence.

Saito (stammering):

"W-Who are you?"

Mirror Man (coldly):

"I'm you — without fear.

I'm you — without humanity.

I'm what you were made into…

not what you chose to be."

---

Saito stumbles back.

Saito:

"I… I'm human. I don't want to be perfect anymore."

Mirror Man (low laugh):

"Were you ever human?

You were a project.

A 'model child.'

A 'product of expectations.'

And me?

I'm the part you never faced."

---

Suddenly, the entire room vibrates.

In every mirror… the Mirror Man appears —

Dozens of him, surrounding Saito.

Mirror Man (louder):

"You've lived for their approval.

You never tried to feel —

Only to fit in."

---

Saito begins to break.

Not physically.

Emotionally.

Tears in his eyes.

Hands trembling.

Saito (angry, desperate):

"No! I'm changing!

I listened to Akari…

I learned from Mira…

Aira showed me I don't need to be fixed—"

Mirror Man (cutting in):

"Lies.

You don't absorb their pain.

You use it — to call yourself human."

---

Saito's knees give out.

He falls to the ground.

Head down.

Eyes full of tears — real, this time.

Saito (whispering):

"…I just want to live.

Not to be perfect.

I want to cry.

I want to be wrong…"

---

And for the first time,

The Mirror Man… pauses.

The darkness in his eyes begins to fade.

Mirror Man (softer now):

"If you're becoming human…

Then I'm dying, Saito."

---

Cracks spread across the mirror.

And then —

The Mirror Man dissolves…

into nothing.

Just a whisper remains:

> "Being human isn't about getting it right.

It's about telling yourself the truth…

even when it hurts."

---

All the mirrors shatter —

except one.

And in it —

Saito sees himself.

Not smiling. Not perfect.

Just… tired.

But alive.

---

Suddenly, from the doorway —

an old, familiar voice.

The Old Man, smiling calmly as always.

Old Man:

"So, you finally saw it, son?

The face you hid the most…

was always your real one."

Saito (smiling faintly):

"…And the biggest lie…

was what I saw in the mirror."

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Final narration (Saito's inner voice):

> "I always thought I was a mirror — clear, perfect.

But I was just a hollow frame.

Now…

I see my real face.

No mask.

No fear."

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TO BE CONTINUED…

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