Posted: 2026 01 23

Houken woke up in an unfamiliar place. Everything was hazy, and he felt as if he had just awoken from a long dream. Forcing his eyes open, a dim darkness enveloped his vision. He was lying on the cold floor in the center of a space that resembled a main hall.

Where am I...?

I look around. The windowless walls are covered in black curtains, and the faint sound of bells staggered ringing in the distance, only making the silence more heavy and the air feel stale.

I reached into my pocket to take out my smartphone, but it wasn’t there. I wasn’t even wearing the same clothes as before, instead in an unfamiliar simple white outfit. The smooth fabric felt cool and clung to my skin, sending chills down my spine. It was like the attire worn by sacrificial animals in a religious ceremony.

"You've finally awoken, Houken."

A voice rang out, and Amatsu appeared out of the darkness. He looked completely different from his usual self. Clad in a black hunting outfit, Amatsu's beautiful features gave him an inhuman feel and elegance.

"Amatsu... I seem to have fainted and I can't remember what happened after that. Is this your house?"

"Home, huh? I guess you could call it that." Amatsu smiled and took a step closer. "From now on, this will be our forever home."

He was starting to sound completely insane.

Houken put his hand to his neck, trying to shake off the confusion he felt at not being able to grasp the situation, and noticed the blue stone that should have been there had disappeared.

Memories come flooding back. He remembered throwing the stone into the pond. A warning phone call from his grandfather. A voice shouting, "Run!". And then, Amatsu's hand tightly grabbing his arm...

"Hey, Amatsu. The curse on that stone has been lifted...right?"

"Curse?"

"You mentioned the blue cursed stone. Look, you showed me the documents, right?"

"Oh, that one." Amatsu's lips curved up and he gave a low chuckle. "I think I did a good job, didn't I?"

"...What are you saying..."

"That stone was definitely a curse."

Amatsu traced his jaw with his fingertips, his smile deepening. 

"That damn barrier that kept me away from me. But it's gone now."

To begin with, neither the local history of the library nor the legend of the Blue Cursed Stone existed.

Something inside Houken's head suddenly collapses with a rattle.

"Then, everything--"

Houken bit his lip until he tasted blood.

Ignoring my grandfather's words and blindly trusting Amatsu– were all irreparable mistakes.

"...Don't touch me!"

Amatsu extended his hand, but Houken reflexively shook it off. Amatsu's wide-open eyes turned into black bottomless pits, and a sense of pressure gripped Houken's heart.

Houken turned away from Amatsu and ran to the wall of the main hall, searching for an exit. However, with every step he took, an invisible wall seemed to block his path. A black curtain swayed to block his way, following Houken's movements as if it were alive. 

The sound of distant bells rang, causing him to hit his ears in annoyance.

"I guess you still don't understand." Amatsu's voice came from behind him. "You can't run away anymore."

Houken turned around and cried out. "What on earth are you doing?! Was it all a lie? You said we were friends, and that you were worried about me--"

The day Amatsu first spoke to me in the university courtyard, the smile he gave me, the days we spent together– was it all a lie?

Amatsu slowly approached and looked down Houken, his eyes seemingly peering out from the depths of an abyss.

"The person called Amatsu and the legends are certainly fake. However–” Amatsu's voice became even lower. "I love you, this feeling is very real."

Amatsu's hand grabbed Houken's chin to forcefully meet his gaze. His cold fingertips traced his cheek. "I've been watching you all this time. Ever since you were in your mother's womb before you were born—"

A shudder ran through Houken’s body. "You're crazy... you're crazy!" Houken cried out, struggling to shake off Amatsu's grip.

"Are you responsible for all the pain of those around me? My parents, my friends–"

Amatsu's smile remained the same and was silent without answering.

The silence weighs heavier on my chest at the silent affirmation.

"I love you, Houken. If you're my friend, you'll understand, right?"

For just a moment, my heart wavered.

Somewhere deep inside, I still wanted to believe in the smile that saved me from loneliness that day.

What should I believe?

Clenching his trembling fists, Houken closed his eyes tightly.

The darkness swallowed them both, and their black and white clothes became intertwined.

The bell rang one last time and they faded into the darkness.