Renji woke to the sound of something tapping.
Soft. Rhythmic. Deliberate.
His breath caught in his throat as he turned toward the window. The glass was clear, reflecting only the dim glow of the streetlamp outside.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
It wasn't the wind.
Renji's fingers clenched the sheets.
His mind knew Fujikawa was gone. The spirals had unraveled. The town had been erased from existence.
And yet…
Something had followed them.
He slid out of bed slowly, careful not to wake Aoi and Kaito. The wooden floor creaked under his weight as he approached the window.
The tapping stopped.
Renji swallowed. It was just my imagination.
He pulled the curtain back.
Nothing.
Just the empty street.
He let out a slow breath. Maybe his paranoia was getting the better of him. Maybe it was just the wind after all.
But as he turned back to bed—
A chill ran down his spine.
Something had changed.
The small wooden nightstand mirror reflected the room behind him.
But his reflection—wasn't moving.
---
The Lingering Presence
Renji's heartbeat slammed against his ribs.
His reflection stood there, perfectly still. His body frozen. His face blank.
> Not him.
Renji's breath hitched. His own reflection's eyes slowly shifted, locking onto his.
A cold whisper brushed against his ear.
> "…You didn't really think it was over, did you?"
Renji stumbled back, knocking over the lamp. The crash jolted Aoi and Kaito awake.
Aoi sat up groggily. "Renji?"
Kaito rubbed his eyes. "What the hell?"
Renji pointed at the mirror, his pulse pounding. "Look—"
The reflection was… normal.
His own face. Moving as it should.
Like nothing had happened.
Renji's hands shook. He turned to Aoi and Kaito, trying to keep his voice steady. "Something's wrong."
Kaito frowned. "What do you mean?"
Renji hesitated, his mind racing. If he told them, they'd think he was losing it.
But deep down, he knew.
The town was gone. But the curse?
> The curse wasn't finished.
---
Echoes of Fujikawa
Morning arrived with an eerie sense of normalcy.
The three of them sat in the small diner, silent as they picked at their breakfast.
Renji's fingers tapped against the table, his mind still replaying the mirror incident over and over.
Aoi finally broke the silence. "Are you gonna tell us what happened last night?"
Renji hesitated, then exhaled. "I saw… something."
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Something?"
Renji glanced around, lowering his voice. "My reflection. It wasn't me."
Aoi and Kaito exchanged uneasy looks.
Renji clenched his fists. "I know it sounds crazy. But what if—what if we didn't completely escape?"
Kaito sighed, rubbing his temples. "Renji, the town is gone. We watched it disappear."
Aoi, however, looked thoughtful. "But what if pieces of it still exist? What if—" She hesitated. "What if something survived?"
A chill settled over them.
Renji's stomach turned. Something had survived.
And now…
It was watching.
---
End of Chapter 35
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To Be Continue