Chapter 608: The Witch's Terror and the President's Shadow
The shop remained closed, the morning quiet settling over the ground floor. Ren and his companions had retreated upstairs, escaping the idle hours. Instead of returning to their respective quarters, Riven and Yuko lingered in Ren's room, drawn by the promise of entertainment.
"You must be joking! I am the Dimensional Witch. The Witch of the Far East. Do you honestly believe I would cower before mere apparitions? Impossible. Just watch."
Riven studied Yuko's unwavering expression. Drawing a mental parallel between cinematic ghosts and the yokai she knew, like the Aoandon, the stoic warrior nodded in agreement. "They are merely spirits. There is nothing to fear. Put it on."
Ren exhaled a quiet breath, bypassing the lighthearted comedies he had initially selected. He queued up a notoriously terrifying horror film, letting the oppressive silence of the opening scene fill the room. Yuko and Riven maintained their confident postures as the title sequence rolled.
Half an hour later, the atmosphere had completely deteriorated.
The glow of the monitor cast harsh, flickering shadows across their faces. Riven knelt rigidly beside the desk, her posture locked, her eyes wide and entirely vacant as she stared at the screen. Beside her, Yuko's pupils trembled violently. Her manicured fingers dug into Ren's arm like a vice.
"Do you two want to see me die that badly...?"
The whispered line from the movie echoed through the speakers. A piercing shriek tore from Yuko's throat. She threw herself against Ren, burying her face in his shoulder, her entire frame shaking with pure terror. Startled by the sudden scream, Riven flinched hard, her stoic facade cracking as she silently clamped her hands onto Ren's other arm.
Ren looked down at the two trembling women clinging to him. "I warned you both. You insisted."
"Who could have anticipated it being this horrifying!" Yuko stammers, her voice muffled against his shirt. "This is entirely unreasonable!"
Riven nodded rapidly, her voice failing her. Some entities did not need overwhelming physical power to be terrifying; the sheer psychological dread they projected was enough to freeze the blood.
Ren patted Yuko's back with slow, soothing strokes. "Yuko... look behind you."
"I refuse! You can strike me down right here, but I am not turning around! Riven, what is behind me?!"
Riven remained completely silent, her chin tucked firmly against her chest, refusing to look. Yuko's grip on Ren tightened to a painful degree. The atmosphere in the room had grown too thick, too bizarre. Looking back felt like a fatal mistake.
"Yuko... do you want to see me die that badly...?"
"Ah! Ren!" Yuko practically scrambled up Ren's side, desperately trying to compress herself into a space small enough to hide in his pocket.
A bright, ringing laugh shattered the tension. "It is just me!"
Rindou leaned over the back of the sofa, a wide grin on her face. She had slipped into the room halfway through the film, entirely unbothered by the gruesome visuals on screen. She was the type of girl who could watch a massacre and casually wonder if the ghosts would taste good stir-fried.
Yuko shot her a venomous glare, huffing indignantly as she re-secured her hold on Ren's arm. "I am never watching a horror film again. Riven, you agree..."
"Never again."
"Make sure to invite me next time. I am not scared of anything." Rindou chuckled, tapping the side of her head. "Hey, Yuko, mind your image."
"This is entirely your fault for sneaking up on me!"
"Yuko... do you want to see me die that badly?"
"Enough! Why are you even in here?"
Rindou waved a hand dismissively. "Erina and the others are watching a movie in Alice's room, but it is a comedy. Erina is rather sheltered, she has not seen many films. I just came to check on you guys. I need to head back soon."
"A comedy... Ren! Put on a comedy right now!"
"I offered you a comedy from the start, but neither of you would listen." Ren paused, his tone shifting into something quieter, more measured. "Rindou. Kirari is arriving tonight."
Rindou froze. The playful smirk vanished from her lips. She slowly turned her head, staring at Ren with wide eyes. "Ren. Are you serious? Kirari is coming? Alone?"
"No. She is bringing three others."
Rindou swallowed hard, the sudden tension in her throat visible. "I suddenly feel like something massive is going to happen tonight. Who are the other two? Do I know them?"
"Yumeko and... Runa, I believe."
"Yes. She seems like an interesting girl." Rindou exhaled a long, heavy breath. "That personality again... It looks like we will have to rely entirely on you tonight, Ren, to keep Kirari contained."
"There is no need to be tense. They are merely coming for a meal. With Yumeko present, Kirari should keep her impulses in check."
"Alright, alright. I will keep quiet about it. I am heading back. Sora and the others will find us in Alice's room when they return."
As the door clicked shut behind Rindou, Yuko tilted her head, her earlier panic replaced by genuine confusion. "Kirari is certainly a madwoman, but I still do not understand. Rindou and the others are close to her, yet the mere mention of her name makes them so anxious."
Ren leaned back, his gaze turning distant. "Have you ever felt the sensation of being hunted? Being stared down by something utterly terrifying. A primal dread that rises from the bottom of your heart, a feeling that you absolutely cannot defy, triggered by a single look."
Yuko shook her head slowly. Riven mirrored the gesture.
"When Kirari loses her mind, or when she is experiencing extreme euphoria, she projects that exact sensation with just her eyes." Ren let out a quiet sigh. "Sonoko witnessed it once. She managed to record it, so Rindou and the rest have all seen that gaze. Kirari is the kind of predator who will spontaneously initiate a life-ruining game, scheming against dozens of people simply to satisfy her own twisted amusement."
He tapped his fingers lightly against the desk. "She does it purely for the thrill. And if you interrupt her... she gives you that look. A single glance designed to force your submission, to make you back down entirely."
Riven processed this, her brow furrowing. "Ren. Have you been on the receiving end of that look? Has Kirari ever directed it at you?"
Ren nodded, a faint, dry smile touching his lips. "I have. But it holds no power over me. Usually, she just throws a tantrum afterward, demanding I play a game with her. Then she proceeds to lose repeatedly until her temper completely burns out."
Yuko stared at him, utterly blank. "Should I say that is exactly what I expect from you... or should I assume Kirari is actually incredibly fragile..."
"Fragile or not... you are welcome to test her yourself."
"I absolutely will not! Hurry up and find a comedy! No more horror!"
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