9.2K results

1: Satoko had a hard time again tonight. Haunted by nightmares, she ran out of the house. Stumbling, she made her way to her usual spot. To free her mind. 2: In the usual spot in the park, a shadow was visible. With its back turned to the entrance, it was sitting on a swing. Satoko walked closer to the shadow illuminated by the streetlight. The closer she got, the more annoyed she felt, as if her place was being taken. Satoko stood right in front of the shadow and sat on its lap. The shadow buried its face in Satoko's back. Satoko covered her face with her hands. Both of them breathed heavily, their shoulders heaving. In the secluded park late at night, with no one to hear them, They cried out loud. After about an hour, they felt a little better. They each returned to their rooms in their rundown apartment buildings. Only their names were known, and nothing more was asked. That was their "way to unwind." 3: A strange cry echoed in the park. Hiroshi thought about passing by without getting involved. He was an unpopular video streamer who had come to this rundown apartment complex to shoot a ghost video. His solo courage test videos didn’t attract much attention, but he was supported by a core group of fans. It was when he finished shooting in a vacant room and stepped outside. There was a commotion in the rundown park within the apartment complex. He tried to pass by unnoticed. As he moved through the darkness, the figures slowly came into view. Two people were sitting together on a swing, crying their hearts out. Excited, Hiroshi took out his camera from his bag. 4: It was Rino who noticed they were being filmed while they were comforting each other. She quickly turned her face away, and both of them collapsed off the swing. Hiroshi kept taking pictures of the moment. "Stop filming!" Rino shouted. Realizing something was wrong, Satoko raised her body and looked at Hiroshi. Their eyes met through the camera. Their faces were strikingly similar. 5: It all started a year ago.   Satoko moved to this rundown apartment complex with her mother to start over. Now, Satoko was being bullied. She didn't know why. She thought it was her fault. She had no place where she belonged at school. However, she didn't want to worry her mother. She decided to put on a brave face. But this backfired. The bullying escalated from being ignored to physical violence. They recorded it on video and threatened her with it. Even so, Satoko never showed her emotions. Especially not at home. The pain she couldn't tell anyone about built up inside her. Night after night, she couldn’t sleep, and both her body and mind were worn out. One night, when she felt like she was about to explode, she sneaked out of her room. She wandered, searching for a place where she could throw away her emotions. Before she knew it, she found herself standing in front of the swing set in the park within the apartment complex. There, her emotions broke free. 6: The curtain fell on Rino's professional boxing career. She challenged the champion and lost by a KO. At the hospital, she was diagnosed with a detached retina in her right eye. She had the advantage until the final round. But in the end, she fell for her opponent’s taunts. She was drawn in by the beauty of her opponent, who attacked like a wild beast. She convinced herself, “I can tame her.” She forgot her position as an out-boxer. Her opponent was an infighter, and she took hit after hit. When she came to, Kazuha, the winner, was raising her hand high. She regretted her recklessness and tried to play it off with a joke for everyone at the gym. This was her last challenge before turning thirty. She was prepared, but she couldn’t lie to herself. Rino lost all motivation and felt she had no place to belong. She slipped into a rundown apartment complex without telling anyone. She intended for this to be her final home. Every night, she woke up, tormented by flashbacks. Kazuha’s form as a fighter was beautiful. The blows from unseen angles were seared into her mind. Whenever she wished to become a winner, she was brought back to reality. The moment she sat up, she felt like she was suffocating. She left the room in search of air. Unconsciously, she found herself sitting on a swing. For some reason, she could breathe. Along with a flood of tears. 7: That night, she felt like she was drowning again. She could feel herself breaking apart. I have to go there. Summoning all her strength, Rino headed for the swing. In the dim light, she saw a figure sitting there. Someone else had taken her spot. She approached with rough breathing and dragging footsteps. Barely managing to reach the swing, she said, “Give it up!” She placed a hand on the figure's shoulder as she uttered the raspy words. The figure, startled, tried to shake off her hand. An elbow jabbed into Rino’s stomach. Anger surged within her at the unfairness. Rino struck the figure in the side. The figure lost balance and fell face-first to the ground. After taking the swing, Rino realized something. The figure wasn’t moving. Could it be? Rino hurriedly lifted the figure up. That’s when she noticed—the figure was a woman. And she had a face that looked just like hers. 8: Suddenly, the sound of labored breathing and dragging footsteps could be heard. It was clear, even amidst the sobbing. As the footsteps drew closer, her body froze. Something placed a hand on her shoulder, accompanied by a muttered incantation right behind her. She desperately shook it off, but her legs wouldn’t move. Cowering and trembling, she suddenly felt a shock to her side. When she opened her eyes, she found herself looking down at her own body. Satoko felt as if her soul had left her. 9: Satoko remained frozen in place. Realizing that this could be her end, tears welled up. The other self opened her mouth. “Thank goodness! You’re alive.” Knowing that she was still alive, tears flowed once again. “I’m sorry!” The other self was crying and apologizing. It was like looking into a mirror. Until the sky began to lighten. Finally, they exchanged names. She felt more at peace than ever before. 10: Hiroshi started running with the camera in hand. The two of them were exhausted from crying. Satoko couldn't get back on her feet and continued to hurl slurred insults at Hiroshi. Rino stood up and chased after him. She tripped and fell several times along the way. In the meantime, Hiroshi jumped on a bicycle and managed to shake off Rino. 11: Satoko felt a creepy sensation after being secretly filmed. "Who did it, since when, and why?" Her heart rate increased, and anxiety surged through her. "It's Rino's fault." Desperately trying to shift the blame, she wiped her tears with her arm. She couldn’t get up from her curled-up position. When Rino came back, she tried to help Satoko up. Satoko refused Rino's help, pressing her arms against her face. As Rino gently stroked her back, Satoko blamed her. "They probably came to film me," Rino repeatedly apologized. Rino then shared her past. Satoko listened in silence. That day, Satoko went home with her tears still flowing. 12: Hiroshi transferred the data from the camera to his computer. When he watched the video, he could clearly see the two figures. Not only did they look alike, but they were also both beautiful. The length was perfect for a short video. He put on his headphones and started editing. He replayed the part where Rino noticed they were being filmed. Satoko was shouting something. After filtering out the noise, he could clearly hear the words. "If you reveal this, you’ll die!" He couldn’t make out anything else. Feeling uneasy, he tried face recognition. The result hit on the name Rino. 13: Hiroshi didn’t know who Rino was. She was famous as a beautiful boxer. There were even feature videos of her from past TV programs. She retired last April after being injured in a match with Kazuha. After that, only threads expressing concern for her well-being could be found. Rino, who looked just like Satoko in the park at night, with contrasting expressions on their faces. Hiroshi felt that this unexpected combination would make for an intriguing video. Hiroshi was skilled at video editing. His videos weren’t popular because he wasn’t good at choosing themes. He edited the video, turning it into a music video with a popular song. He added the tag “#FormerBoxer.” 14: When Hiroshi woke up the next morning, there was a notification on his phone. The video had gone viral, reaching 100,000 views. It seemed that the quality of the footage was the reason for its popularity. The comments were mostly about the appearance of the two women. Excited by the large number of views for the first time, Hiroshi decided to skip university and started working on another video. He chose a different song. He edited the video so that Satoko’s shout matched the highlight, and the scene where Rino staggered was blended into a dance sequence. Exhausted, he fell asleep, and when he woke up again, it was late at night. Around the same time as the previous day’s upload, he posted the new video, hoping for similar success. Hiroshi's mind was consumed with thoughts of gaining more views. 15: Satoko went to school as usual. She spent the class trying to keep a low profile. Her mind was filled with thoughts of what had happened that morning. She was worried that someone in her class might have filmed her. That fear kept overwhelming her. By the afternoon, Satoko began to feel unwell. She felt sick during class and ended up vomiting on her desk. She decided to handle the situation herself. She borrowed a bucket and a rag from the restroom and returned to the classroom. She felt discomfort in her stomach and her vision became blurred. She had tried not to stand out, but as a result, she drew even more attention. It took her some time to get the cleaning supplies, and when she returned to the classroom, she felt the cold stares of her classmates. As she wiped her desk and crouched down to clean the floor, Satoko's condition suddenly worsened, and she collapsed on the spot. At that moment, the people around her realized the seriousness of her condition. 16: Satoko collapsed, causing a commotion throughout the school. She was transported to the hospital by ambulance. Reactions varied. Some were suspicious, others sympathetic, and some even laughed. Kanako was pleased to have filmed the entire incident involving Satoko. She was one of those who despised Satoko. Unlike Hiroshi, she posted the video with malicious intent. She was aware of the popularity of Hiroshi's video. She linked her video to his and spread it widely. Kanako underestimated the online community. 17: Rino waited for Satoko every night. They lived in the same apartment complex. However, they didn’t know where each other lived. They had deliberately avoided sharing such details. Even when it rained, Rino waited until dawn without an umbrella. Even when she developed a high fever the next day, she still waited the same way. On the fifth day, someone came looking for her. As she sat on the swing, a voice came from behind. When Rino turned around, she shot a murderous glare. She tried to stand up from the swing. But all she could do was cling to the chains. Her face was gaunt with dark circles, and she was utterly exhausted. Even so, she attempted to attack the visitor. But she had no strength left and fell forward. The visitor caught her firmly in an embrace. The visitor was Hiroshi. 18: "I won't forgive you!" Rino muttered weakly. "You're Rino, right? Are you okay?" Hiroshi asked anxiously. He noticed that Rino's body was unusually hot. "I'll call an ambulance!" Hiroshi suggested. Rino groaned and refused. "Don't! I don't have any money." "If you stay like this, you'll die!" Hiroshi said firmly. "Just let me die like this!" Rino said with a trembling voice. "Satoko is in danger. Please help!" Hiroshi pleaded. "It's your fault!" Rino flared up and grabbed Hiroshi by the collar. Hiroshi began to explain. "I'm sorry for filming without permission." "I thought the video would go viral because the two of you are beautiful." "It became really popular and is getting attention from all over the world." "You uploaded it without permission?" Rino asked in disbelief. "I did." Hiroshi answered, looking embarrassed. "Don't mess with me!" Rino tightened her grip on his collar. "Please watch my video." Hiroshi took out his tablet and played the video. The two of them were really dancing and looking cool. Their expressions were well-edited and scattered throughout. Surprisingly, it was a video that could leave a good impression. "It's surpassed a million views. It's still growing!" Hiroshi said, looking at Rino's face. "This is just a candid video!" Rino lowered her eyes and answered with frustration. Deep down, she began to feel a different emotion towards Hiroshi. She found his honesty somewhat endearing. "I'm really sorry." "Please forgive me." "I'll pay you both once I get some earnings." "I was an unpopular streamer." "This incident has increased my subscribers." "People are revisiting my past videos too." "It's all thanks to you two. I'm really sorry." "I'll cover the medical expenses." "Please, go to the hospital." Hiroshi begged Rino. "In that case, take me to my room!" Rino leaned on Hiroshi's shoulder, and he helped her to her room. 19: Rino's room was bare. There was nothing but a sleeping bag and camping gear. Sportswear was hanging on the walls. Rino herself was soaking wet. "What should I do?" Hiroshi asked, confused. The sleeping bag was wet too, and he wasn't sure what to do. "Just take me to the sleeping bag." Rino muttered wearily. "Okay." "I'll help you dry off, so please change your clothes." "I won't look." Hiroshi suggested. When he turned around, Rino was already asleep, softly breathing. Hiroshi, now even more puzzled, started looking for something to use to dry the sleeping bag. He found some towels hanging on a plastic ribbon. He used them to wipe down the sleeping bag. It took three towels to absorb the moisture. "I've dried the sleeping bag." "Now, please change your clothes and get some sleep." Hiroshi called out to Rino. "Thanks. What's your name?" Rino replied weakly. "It's Hiroshi." "Thanks, Hiroshi. I'm just going to sleep like this." Rino tried to go to sleep without changing. "Wait a minute." "You'll get worse if you sleep in wet clothes." "Please change." Hiroshi urged. "My body won't listen to me. Can you help?" Rino smiled as she asked. Hiroshi couldn't refuse when she smiled at him with such earnest eyes. "Okay. Just a moment." He laid dry towels on the floor and helped Rino lie down. He found a windbreaker and helped her put it on. Then, he took her to the sleeping bag and tucked her in. "Thank you." "I'll contact you when I wake up." "Leave your contact information." Rino started to fall asleep again. But there was nothing to write on. He looked around but found nothing. Hiroshi decided to go to the convenience store. 20: Rino opened the convenience store bag and was surprised. There were ten expensive nutritional drinks inside. She had slept in the dry sleeping bag and had completely recovered. But she gratefully accepted the drinks. "I remember hearing that Satoko was in danger." She vaguely recalled hearing that from Hiroshi. Concerned, she called the number on the note. "Hello?" "It's Rino." "Thank you for helping me." "How are you feeling?" "I'm completely recovered! The drinks really worked." No way, Hiroshi thought in surprise. It’s only been half a day. She sounded much different than before. Those nutritional drinks really work! he thought. Hiroshi suddenly remembered something. "Is it okay if I come over now?" Hiroshi wanted to tell her about Satoko. "Uh… I’m not mentally prepared yet." Rino blushed. "I want you to see Satoko's video." "As soon as possible." Hiroshi was trying to persuade her. Rino realized she had misunderstood and started to sweat nervously. "I'm ready anytime!" Rino replied confidently. 21: Hiroshi arrived in about 30 minutes and rang the intercom. Rino opened the door. "Good morning." "I'm glad to see you're feeling better!" Hiroshi said, slightly out of breath. Rino blushed, still feeling embarrassed from the earlier misunderstanding. "Come in," Rino said, inviting him into the room. Hiroshi noticed that Rino's demeanor was different. She was wearing makeup and a dress. Even with natural makeup, her beauty stood out. "How much time do you have?" Hiroshi asked, thinking it would only take about 10 minutes. "I'm free, so it's fine!" Rino replied cheerfully, though her voice was a bit tense. "Aren't you going out?" Hiroshi asked curiously. Rino paused to think and then answered sharply, "I usually wear dresses!" In her mind, she added, "But I only have one." Hiroshi decided to change the subject. "This is what I wanted to show you," he said, taking out his tablet and playing the video. The video showed Satoko in a difficult situation. Rino's expression hardened. "Hiroshi, was this you?" She asked in a voice that seemed ready to explode in anger. "It wasn't me!" Hiroshi desperately denied. "Then what is this?" Rino asked, irritated, pressing closer. Hiroshi continued to explain. "I don't know either." "It was posted under Satoko's name." "It got linked to my video and spread on social media." "The comment section has been flooded, and it’s been reported." "The post was deleted for violating the platform's rules, but it's still being reposted on other sites." "Is Satoko being bullied?" Rino finally understood everything. She realized why Satoko needed to unwind and why she refused to be filmed. She regretted only talking about herself, and tears welled up. "Rino..." Hiroshi began to speak, but then he stopped. Rino's eyes were red, and her eyelashes were wet with tears. Hiroshi thought Rino was beautiful, no matter what expression she had. 22: The video of Satoko was heartbreaking. It showed numerous acts of cruelty that trampled on her dignity. Rino thought that Satoko had endured it well. As Rino watched the video, tears streamed down her face. Hiroshi, too, was moved to tears. "I can't forgive these people!" Rino said, clenching her fists. "Hiroshi, can you find out who did this?" Rino asked. Hiroshi realized that Rino intended to get revenge. "I can find out," Hiroshi answered honestly. "Find out right now!" Rino said, her anger barely contained. "What will you do once you know?" Hiroshi pressed. "I won't cause you any trouble," Rino replied bluntly. "Violence will only work against you." "Why?" Rino asked. Hiroshi explained, "The person repeatedly posted under their real name." "Using a high-performance camera was also a mistake." "They've angered your fans." "The person has been identified and is now being exposed online." "Then why can't I retaliate?" "The culprit is Satoko's classmate," Hiroshi said, cutting her off. "Kanako is the one who posted the video," Hiroshi said, showing her a photo. It was a picture of Kanako with an evil smile as she filmed with her smartphone. "Nowadays, we can identify people from the reflections in their eyes." "She was careless with her uniform and name tag." Hiroshi sighed. "Even though she's the perpetrator, she's still a minor. As a former professional boxer, you can't afford to get involved." Rino was struck by Hiroshi's sharp warning. "But there's one more problem," Hiroshi continued. Rino felt that Hiroshi was the type of person who liked to drag things out. "Kanako disappeared after the online backlash." "But she's still updating her social media." "And the content..." Hiroshi hesitated. Rino looked at the posts and gasped. Kanako had self-destructed, been identified, and was being attacked online. She seemed to have a strong personality, and her replies were sharp. Over time, her posts turned into resentful messages against Satoko. There were insults, threats, and even images of knives. She had identified Satoko's hospital and even her room number. It was as if she was threatening to attack Satoko at any moment. "The posts have already been deleted." "I received copies of the content." "Her account has been suspended, and Kanako's whereabouts are unknown." Rino looked at the dates and felt uneasy. "Hiroshi, when did this happen?" She asked cautiously, and Hiroshi answered calmly. "Last night." Hiroshi really did like to drag things out, Rino thought. "Start with the conclusion, idiot!" Rino shouted. Hiroshi wanted to say something in protest but instead apologized to Rino. "I know that hospital. Hiroshi, lend me your bike!" Rino looked him straight in the eye and held out her hand for the keys. "What are you going to do at the hospital?" Hiroshi didn't understand Rino's intentions. "I'll figure it out when I get there!" Hiroshi nodded quickly and agreed with Rino. "Also, it has a combination lock." "I'll show you how to unlock it," Hiroshi said as he left the room. "Oh, really? Fancy," Rino replied as she followed him out. Hiroshi decided not to mention how Rino was slightly off. 23: The area around the hospital was in turmoil. Several police cars were parked outside, and yellow caution tape was strung around the entrance. As Rino approached, feeling uneasy, the crowd began to murmur. She saw a figure outside the rooftop fence. There was another person inside the fence, moving very erratically. The figure hanging on the outside was Satoko. Rino realized that the person inside the fence was Kanako. The surrounding police officers were tensely monitoring the situation, trying to bring it under control, but Kanako, with an almost inhuman strength, was pounding on the fence. It was clear that she was putting Satoko in a dangerous situation. “How long has this been going on?” Rino asked the crowd. “About two hours,” came the response. Satoko seemed to be reaching her limit. Rino quickly thought, then retied the laces on her sneakers. She was glad she had changed into her tracksuit before coming. “I’m here to try to talk the suspect down.” “We haven’t received any such instructions.” “Please check again. I was told to go up from here.” “Understood.” As the officer grabbed his radio, Rino swiftly ducked under the tape. “Thank you for your hard work!” she said, saluting the officers as she ran up the stairs. The officers shouted after her, but Rino, with her former boxer agility, dodged their pursuit and finally reached the rooftop. The police were focused on Kanako, giving Rino the chance to slip between them and get between Kanako and Satoko. “You’re Kanako, right?” Rino said. Kanako’s eyes widened as she stared at Rino, but there was madness in her gaze. She was holding something sharp and rushed toward Rino with abnormal speed. The police shouted, “Get back!” but Rino calmly dealt with the situation. “You’ve been causing my friend a lot of trouble, haven’t you?” Rino didn’t miss her chance and delivered a precise uppercut to stop Kanako’s movements. Kanako lost her momentum and collapsed on the spot without even having time to react. At that moment, Satoko’s strength gave out as well. “Satoko!” Rino climbed the fence with great speed and caught Satoko just before she could fall. After that, Rino’s memory faded.

It had been several long, strange months for Kiran.  He’d heeded the call for assistance with his clanmate Estashia and had traveled the long journey from Roenden to Vitalus to help free the haedian’s Matriarch.  He’d done plenty of hard manual labor with the rest of those who’d responded to the call, hauling out carts of debris and rocks, and had carried supplies and messages between workers up and down the massive cavern system.  One of his personal achievements had been using his unique mentalist skills to help soothe the minds and emotions of the workers.  It was one of the few experiences in his life where he felt proud of his control of what was granted to him, that he could use it for actual good and make his clan proud.  He never anticipated, however, he would end up babysitting. Kiran sighed heavily as his amber gaze fell to the duo of adolescent haedian females that sulked in the shadows at the fringes of the Matriarch’s enormous cavern.  Obsidia, a dusted shadow girl and

The racket of Redshore City echoed as Buster Moon approached the haunting site of the city’s maximum-security prison. It had been months since Buster and his gang performed their Out of this World show in Crystal theater, since he adopted Porsha, and since Jimmy Crystal had tried to kill him. Buster’s trauma had never truly healed, so now he was here for a different kind of closure. A face-to-confrontation with the wolf whose greed and wrath nearly destroyed everything he loved. The prison’s visitation room was cold and clinical, a sharp contrast to the vibrant energy Buster was used to. Jimmy Crystal awaited him on the other side of a glass partition, his face etched with a mixture of bitterness and defiance. Their past interactions had been rife with conflict, but today was different. This meeting wasn’t just about confronting Jimmy; it was about forging a path forward, one that left the darkness of their shared history behind. The koala took a deep breath and started with a steady