An hour had passed, and the party had reached a fever pitch, with music blasting and drinks flowing as guests lost themselves in the night. The air was thick with the scent of alcohol and sweat, and the once-cheerful gathering had morphed into something wilder, almost chaotic. Laughter and loud conversations filled the atmosphere, but the most interesting—and perhaps most secretive—place at the party was the barn adjacent to the main house.
Beatrix, flushed and breathless, pushed Ted's face away from hers. "Let's not get too carried away now, Ted. We haven't even checked the drugs yet. They're sitting in the barn, not running away," she said with a teasing but firm tone.
Ted, clearly intoxicated and barely able to contain his excitement, grinned at her. "Come on, Beatrix. You've made me so happy! Not only can I drink till I drop, but we've got the good stuff too!" His voice was thick with anticipation as he tried to lean in for another kiss, but she stopped him, her hand firm against his lips.
"Let's stop wasting time. We can't get caught," Beatrix whispered sharply, her eyes scanning the party to make sure no one was watching.
Ted chuckled softly, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Don't worry. We won't get caught. No one even knows what we're doing," he said, his voice dripping with overconfidence as he led her toward the barn, where the doors stood wide open, beckoning them into the darkness.
Unbeknownst to them, a cloaked figure had been watching from the shadows. The figure stepped forward just as they disappeared into the barn, muttering under his breath, "They say what's done in secret shall always be exposed… dinner always comes to the patient, aye Hanky."
As the figure slunk into the barn after them, Yuka, seated a distance away, set his glass down on the table with a soft clink. The party had somehow lost its vibrance again. The flashing lights and booming music felt distant, drowned by a sense of detachment that settled over him like a heavy blanket.
Yuka sighed to himself, rubbing the spot on his cheek where Beatrix's lips had briefly pressed. 'So... kisses only feel special for a few seconds, then it's nothing?' he murmured internally, almost to himself. The sensation of her lips was already fading, a fleeting memory slipping away like water through bare hands.
He shook his head, recalling those anime moments he'd seen before—those heart-pounding scenes that somehow never stuck with him in reality. 'If only I could live those moments again…'
"Is that what you really think? Have you even kissed a girl before?"
The voice came from his side, soft and sweet, pulling him out of his thoughts like a hook dragging him back to reality. Yuka froze, already knowing who it was before he turned his head. Anderson was sitting beside him, a playful smile on her face, her large eyes twinkling with mischief.
Yuka felt his heart skip a beat. This was his first real interaction with Anderson, and of course, it had to start like this. His mind scrambled for something—anything—to say that wouldn't make him sound like a complete fool.
"I... uh… No, I haven't," he admitted, his voice coming out more awkward than he intended.
"Kissing only feels memorable when you do it with someone you like," Anderson said, leaning in slightly, her gaze flicking to his lips before she added, "or maybe someone you have feelings for... like me."
Yuka's mind went blank as her words hit him like a train. 'She's staring at me... what would Asta do? No, what would all the anime perverts do?' Panic raced through his brain like a hundred-foot tsunami.
Desperate to say something—anything—that might match her flirty energy, he gulped and stammered, "Why don't we... um... see if you can make it memorable?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yuka felt like crawling into a hole and never coming out. It was entirely out of character for him—something straight out of an anime protagonist's playbook—but now it was too late to take it back.
Anderson's face drew closer, and for a moment, Yuka could feel her warm breath against his skin. She stared into his eyes, her own softening as her lips gently pressed against his. His cheeks flushed a deep red, his mind spinning wildly out of control.
'What am I doing? I don't know how to kiss! Oh crap... Crap... Crap... What am I supposed to do? Shit!'
The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but to Yuka, it felt like an eternity of bliss and panic mixed into one. When Anderson pulled away, he was left sitting there, dumbfounded.
"How was that?" Anderson asked, a hint of nervousness creeping into her voice as she tilted her head slightly.
"Awesome... sauce," Yuka blurted out, his face completely betraying him as he tried to hold back his blush, which only seemed to grow redder by the second.
Anderson giggled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Did it feel memorable?"
Yuka could barely form a coherent thought, let alone words. In his mind, a Disney-style musical was playing, complete with fireworks and a chorus singing "Hallelujah." But he quickly tamped down the ridiculous thought, trying to play it cool.
Before Yuka could respond, the moment was shattered by a loud, aggressive voice from behind him. "Hey! Blood poop hair! What do you think you're doing with the boss's spec?!"
Yuka turned to see three bulky boys walking up to him, each looking more menacing than the last. Their muscles bulged beneath their shirts, and their eyes were filled with thinly veiled hostility.
'Great. It's the bully squad,' Yuka thought, already recognizing them from previous encounters. He sighed internally. 'Why do I always end up involved with these guys?'
The leader of the group stepped forward, sneering at Yuka. "Tomorrow. School gym. Three o'clock. Don't be late."
Yuka, feeling the weight of Anderson's gaze and wanting to impress her, couldn't resist the urge to push back just a little. "Why?" he asked, his tone laced with defiance.
The bullies all froze, turning in perfect unison as if Yuka had just slapped them. The leader, his face red with anger, stomped closer. "What did you just say, poop head?"
Yuka smirked, feeling a sudden surge of confidence. "Did I just hear... crap talking?"
Anderson let out a stifled giggle, which only fueled Yuka's bravado. The bullies, clearly furious, shot a glance at Anderson and held back from escalating things further.
"We'll see you tomorrow, dead man," the leader growled before turning and stomping away, his cronies following behind him.
Yuka exhaled, feeling like he'd just dodged a bullet. Before he could bask in the victory, Anderson's voice pulled him back to reality. "Sorry about that... I've been thinking of breaking up with Ted. He's too violent... and honestly, not as cute as you."
Yuka's brain short-circuited for a moment. If this were an essay, he'd rewrite her sentence a thousand times just to confirm it was real.
Suddenly, the world shifted. Yuka blinked, his vision going dark for a moment before his surroundings changed entirely.
He was standing inside the barn now—the same cold, sturdy barn as before. But something was different. A dim, golden bulb flickered to life above him, casting long, eerie shadows across the floor. In front of him was a sight so nauseating it made his stomach churn.
Beatrix and Ted were inside, sniffing some powdery substance off a nearby table. Around them were other unsettling scenes of debauchery and excess, but Yuka could barely focus. His instincts screamed that something was very, very wrong.
'Why am I here? These visions only happen when something bad is about to go down.'
Yuka's eyes darted around the barn, his thoughts racing. He turned, and his breath caught in his throat. Standing not far behind him was a man in a dark hat and coat. His face was half-burned—wrinkled, twisted, grotesque—his eyes deformed and soulless. If there was ever an image of pure evil, this man was it.
'Is this... a nightmare? Oh no... He can't see me, right?'
Yuka let out a small sigh of relief, though his body remained tense. The man was staring intently at Ted and Beatrix, his presence exuding an aura of malice and danger.
Before Yuka could fully process the scene, the barn seemed to shudder. Emerging from the shadows behind the man was something far worse. A massive creature, hunched over with six grotesque arms, each ending in long, sharp claws. Its body was coated in a thick, dark liquid, and a foul, rotting stench emanated from it. The creature had no eyes or ears—only a blank, featureless face and a gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth.
"A Shintou... That means this man... he's a Ryoka," Yuka whispered to himself in horror.