Mizuki left the dorm earlier than usual that morning.

“I'm heading to campus first. Gotta print my assignment. Mr. Willy’s gonna lose it if I’m late,” he said while slipping on his shoes.

From inside the room, Shunsei just gave a small nod and smiled faintly, still stirring his coffee, untangling the mess of his earphones.

He didn’t say “Be careful” or “Take care, alright?” Because he didn’t know, that was the last time Mizuki spoke as himself.

That afternoon, the university caught fire. Shunsei heard the alarms. Thick smoke from the third floor. Supposedly an electrical short circuit. Someone was trapped inside. That someone, was Mizuki.

Shunsei’s heart dropped. He ran out of the dorm. There were ambulances, police, professors panicking, and students crying.

From all the chaos around him, a few words hit the hardest,

“The shelf collapsed on Mizuki.”

“His head’s really bad.”

“But he’s still breathing. Barely.”

Shunsei stood behind the police line. He could see the smoke still pouring from the building. There was blood flowing out of the classroom door. Not much, but enough to make Mizuki pass out.

And then Shunsei saw something.

A shadow behind the shattered glass.

Someone was standing inside, still. Smiling. But when he looked again, it was gone.

He rushed to the hospital, heart pounding, where Mizuki was taken.

The doctors told him and Mizuki’s family,

“He’s critical. He’ll need surgery. They weren’t sure he’d make it.”

Six months passed.

Mizuki stayed in a coma.

Shunsei visited four times a week, sometimes every day when he didn’t have class.

Sometimes he’d read manga aloud, study, chat with Mizuki’s family if they were around, or just sit quietly… staring at Mizuki’s pale face.

Sometimes he talked. Even knowing there’d be no answer.

Everyone said Mizuki could recover.

But hope was fading.

And Shunsei?

He started looking for weird stuff. Occult forums. Strange videos. Books about spirits and summoning.

He didn’t believe in that crap. But he was desperate.

One night, when his roommate was gone, he tried a ritual.

He drew a circle on the floor with permanent marker.

Lit four small candles.

Cut his finger and let a few drops of blood fall into the center.

He whispered, eyes closed.

“Mizuki… if you’re still here… if you can hear me… Please come back. Or at least… talk to me.”

Seconds passed.

No wind.

No knocking.

Just silence.

He wiped the blood, blew out the candles, and laughed at himself.

“God. What the hell am I doing.”

He cleaned it all up, of course the permanent marker is hard to remove, and went to bed, empty and exhausted.

The next morning, he got the call.

Mizuki had woken up. Around 3 AM, they said. The nurse called his family, then Shunsei.

He sprinted to the hospital, out of breath, hair a mess, And there he was. Mizuki. Eyes open. Smiling faintly.

“Took me long enough, huh?”

Shunsei broke down crying.

He hugged Mizuki so tight it hurt.

“Ow, hey, I just woke up,” Mizuki winced.

But Shunsei didn’t let go.

“I was so scared.”

Mizuki just smiled, gently patting his back.

Everyone called it a miracle.

Shunsei didn’t overthink it.

He was just grateful Mizuki came back.

Weeks passed.

Things seemed normal.

Semester break. Mizuki went home, rested, and hung out with Shunsei again.

Same Mizuki, clumsy, sarcastic, obsessed with strawberry ice cream.

But Shunsei noticed something felt off.

Sometimes Mizuki looked like he was trying too hard.

Like he was thinking too much about how to act.

Like he was remembering how to be himself.

Shunsei brushed it off. Trauma, probably.

One day, they sat outside a shop, sharing warm takoyaki.

“Hey… would it be okay if I asked about the fire?”

Shunsei asked gently, not wanting to trigger anything.

“Yeah, it's fine. Why?”

“Why didn’t you run? Did you not hear the fire alarm?”

Mizuki paused. Then shrugged.

“Don’t really remember. I think I was in the computer lab… still had my AirPods in.

Noise cancelling’s a killer, huh.”

Shunsei went quiet.

Mizuki continued casually.

“Besides, the fire spread fast. Plastic-built computers, y’know.”

Shunsei didn’t respond, voice flat.

“Back when you were unconscious... For six months… I got so desperate I tried something crazy. A ritual or whatever.

And the weird part... You woke up the next morning.”

Mizuki turned slowly.

Confused… but with a hint of a smirk.

“Seriously? You really went all out for me, huh? Maybe that’s why I came back. Maybe I heard you calling.”

Shunsei froze.

“What?”

“...How do you know I did that?”

His voice was quiet.

Mizuki smiled, eyes drifting away as he blinked.

“Well… isn’t that how you wake someone up from the other side? You call their spirit. I think it's pretty common like in horror movies.”

Shunsei gave a small smile back.

But something inside him twisted.

Four months later.

A camping trip. It was a department event near a lake. Everyone was joking, laughing, like nothing had changed.

That night, around 2 AM, Shunsei woke up. Thirsty. His water bottle was empty.

He stepped outside the tent.

And saw Mizuki.

Standing at the edge of the lake.

His hands…

Weren’t human.

They were long. Dark. Wet and slick like leech skin. His fingertips ended in something like tentacles. He was trying to catch fish.

Shunsei froze.

Mizuki turned.

Eyes wide. Panicked.

His hands shifted back into normal ones, but it was too late.

“Shunsei… I can explain,” he said, voice trembling.

Shunsei took a step back.

Mizuki stepped forward and hugged him tight.

“Please… don’t leave me,” he whispered.

Shunsei’s heart was racing. His mind spinning.

Mizuki kept holding on.

“I’m not Mizuki. Not really.”

“That night… when you called for someone…

I was the one who heard you.”

“His body… was already dying. So I entered.”

“I just… wanted to understand humans. But when I saw you…”

“I felt safe. I didn’t want to be alone.”

Shunsei couldn’t speak.

His hands were cold.

His brain went blank.

That night, he finally understood.

The person he loved was already gone.

And this one.

Was just something pretending.

But strangely.

He couldn’t push Mizuki away.

Because part of him.

Didn’t care.

Because his love hadn’t died yet.

Even if Mizuki had.

But this is still a hard time for him.

Mizuki kept holding him, crying.

“Please don’t leave me.”

Shunsei stayed still. Then whispered.

“Yeah.”

That morning, a thin layer of mist still clung to the trees around the campsite.

The air smelled like damp soil and leftover campfire smoke.

Some of the students were busy packing up tents, while others just sat around, still half-asleep, sipping instant coffee.

By a small stream not far from the tents, a few freshwater fish lay in a bucket.

No one claimed to have caught them, but there were enough for everyone to have a little extra for lunch.

"Hey, who got these?" one student asked, pointing at the bucket.

"I thought it was you." his friend replied.

They looked around at each other.

No one knew for sure.

"The fish are super fresh. Must've been caught right before dawn." said the camp leader, frowning.

"I was up until midnight, and I swear there were no fish before that."

Thing is, Mizuki had caught them.

He was sitting a little ways off, head down, lacing his shoes. He didn't say a word. Didn't want to be associated with it.

Shunsei, sitting near the tents, just watched from afar. He knew Mizuki had done it, but he stayed quiet too.

At lunch, the group was livelier.

The exhaustion from the night before had worn off.

Usually, Shunsei and Mizuki were stuck together like glue, but today there was distance. Shunsei sat a little farther away, picking at his food. So Mizuki approach Shunsei first.

"Hey." Mizuki sat beside him.

"Mind if I sit here?"

"Yeah. It's fine." Shunsei said with a nod.

They ate in silence for a bit, until Shunsei spoke up.

"Mizuki... can I ask you something?" He said quietly, still staring at his plate.

"Sure." Mizuki replied, flashing a faint smile.

"The fire... What do you really remember? Be honest this time not like yesterday's answer."

Mizuki stopped chewing. Took a slow breath.

"Same as I said yesterday. It was dark. Hot. Then everything went blank. But..."

He paused like something was tugging at his memory.

"But what?" Shunsei asked.

Mizuki nodded slowly.

"In the memory... I saw something standing next to Mizuki. But... it wasn't human."

He continued.

"I don't know if it hurt him or not. It's just a memory. But creatures like that... they don't usually harm humans. Not directly."

Shunsei jumped in.

"Was it... smiling?"

Mizuki looked at him his expression shifted.

Surprised.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

Shunsei hesitated.

"I saw something too. Through the window... where Mizuki was trapped. It was standing there. Smiling. And when I blinked, it's gone."

Mizuki went quiet.

"People say things like that are just myths." He said softly.

"But we exist."

"I don't fully understand everything either. But most of us, we're not as dangerous as you think. Humans label us as threats because of... morals."

Shunsei thought about that.

"Is it because you can... enter human bodies? Is that the moral part?"

Mizuki looked up at the sky.

"Yeah. Not all of us can do what I did, though. Usually, you'd just say someone's being haunted."

Shunsei leaned forward.

"Wait... you can see them, right? Am I being followed?"

Mizuki looked him in the eyes and smiled. But didn't answer.

Shunsei squinted, confused...

Then it hit him.

"Oh my god"

Mizuki let out a soft laugh and looked away.

"Relax. I'm not like those. If one's following you, it'd be 24. Even into the bathroom."

Shunsei stayed silent. He turned toward Mizuki, then lowered his gaze. Continuing his lunch.

That night, back at the dorm Shunsei stood outside the room.

Mizuki had just finished changing, towel drying his hair.

"Can we talk?" Shunsei said.

Mizuki paused.

"What's up?"

Shunsei scratched the back of his neck, restless.

"I need you to switch rooms."

Mizuki stepped closer, brows furrowed.

"Why?"

"I'm just... uncomfortable. At camp, you showed me something weird. Your hands... changed. I just need space."

Mizuki lowered his head.

"I'd never hurt you, Shunsei."

"I know. This isn't about that. It's about me. I just... I don't feel okay."

Mizuki stood still for a while.

Then nodded slowly.

"Okay. As long as I can still come by. I'll be the one to switch."

"Just for sleeping. Your stuff can stay. I already talked to Kaito."

Mizuki nodded again. His expression was a bit sulky.

That night, Mizuki swapped rooms with a guy named Kaito. Kaito had asked why to Shunsei.

"We're just having a dumb fight. He'll come back soon." Said Shunsei.

But truthfully, Shunsei wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to sleep in the same room with Mizuki again. Because for the past few nights, the dreams had started. Mizuki would appear, standing still, expressionless, silent, and every time Shunsei reached out, he vanished.

The next day, under a big tree near campus, Shunsei and Mizuki sat together. Notebooks open. Assignments scattered. But neither of them were really focused.

"Back then, whenever Mr. Naoya told a lame joke." Shunsei said, smiling faintly.

"The real Mizuki would laugh like crazy, then later complain it wasn't even funny."

Mizuki stayed quiet for a moment then smile.

"I can try harder to be more like him, if that makes you feel better."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Shunsei replied quickly. And then instantly regretted it. He knew he was lying. Part of him did want the old Mizuki back. Even if it's the fake Mizuki. But another part, just wanted to respect the version sitting beside him, whatever he was.

A moment later, Mizuki offered him candy. Same brand, same flavor the old Mizuki used to carry around. Shunsei usually refused. He hated the taste.

"C'mon. This is so good. Just try it. You have to like it."

Shunsei smiled gently, staring at it.

"I missed this." He thought.

He took the candy and popped it in his mouth. Mizuki's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Well? How is it?"

"Hmm... Still bad."

Mizuki pouted, turned his face away.

"Tch. You've got weird taste."

Shunsei let out a quiet laugh. He savored the moment. Even though he knew.

This wasn't his Mizuki.

Later that afternoon, while they were walking back to the main building, a young man stood in the corridor. Wearing a sharp campus blazer, posture formal. But his eyes are sharp. Watchful. An agent. Though no one knew his identity.

The moment Mizuki passed him. The agent froze. Breath caught. Goosebumps. The energy was overwhelming.

"No. I've never felt anything like this. The last time I sensed something this strong... it was a Level 4. But this... This shouldn't even be possible."

He stood frozen for a few seconds, shocked.

By the time Mizuki and Shunsei were out of sight, he still hadn't moved. Couldn't even remember Mizuki's face. Like the memory had been erased.

He turned and rushed out of the campus, pulling out a phone with shaking fingers. He dialed a number meant only for high priority emergencies.

"We got something terrifying here."

That morning, Shunsei’s dorm room was still dim.

The curtains hadn’t been drawn, and the smell of instant coffee was spreading from the little desk in the corner.

Kaito was sitting on Shunsei’s bed, hair messy, eyes puffy like he’d just woken up.

“These past three days… I’ve felt weird, Shin.” He mumbled.

Shunsei turned slowly while pouring hot water into two mugs.

“Weird how?”

Kaito rubbed the back of his neck.

“Like… something’s been following me. Right behind me. You know that feeling... like eyes watching you? But when I turn around, there’s nothing. And loud sounds… even something falling, I jump like crazy. That’s not usually me.”

Shunsei placed the mug on the table and handed it to him, then sat down.

“Maybe you’re stressed? Got something going on?”

“No. Everything’s normal. But… it started three days ago... Out of nowhere, I suddenly feel this.”

Shunsei went quiet. His gaze drifted to the wall.

Something wasn’t right. This wasn’t just stress. But he couldn’t say for sure.

“Try resting. Don’t overthink it. If it gets worse, talk to me again.”

Kaito nodded slowly, but his face still looked anxious.

A few minutes later, he left to go back to his room, holding the mug of coffee Shunsei made.

“I’ll return the mug later, yeah?”

Shunsei just nodded and gave a faint smile.

As soon as Kaito left, the door opened again. Mizuki stood in the doorway, face as neutral as ever.

“Ohayo.” Kaito greeted politely with a small smile.

“Ohayo.” Mizuki replied with a nod, smiling lightly.

They exchanged glances briefly before Kaito left. Mizuki stepped in and shut the door.

Shunsei was preparing another cup of coffee.

“Still spoiling me, huh.” Mizuki said, lounging casually on the edge of the bed.

“Just habit, I guess.”

Mizuki gave a small smile, but Shunsei stayed serious.

“Mizuki. You notice anything weird about Kaito lately?”

Mizuki shook his head.

“Not really.”

“You sure?”

Shunsei looked him dead in the eye.

“Do you sense anything… following him?”

Mizuki chuckled, half joking.

“I mean… shouldn’t I count?”

But Shunsei didn’t laugh.

“I’m being serious.”

Mizuki sighed, his face settling into a calm, serious expression.

“I can feel it. Yeah. But… that’s it.”

“Why haven’t you done anything?”

“Because it’s not doing anything. And… I don’t care.”

Shunsei crossed his arms, frustrated. But deep down, he knew, Mizuki wasn’t human.

“But I care. Kaito’s literally our friend. Can’t we do something?”

Mizuki stared at him for a while, sigh, then slowly nodded.

“Alright. But it won’t be easy.”

“How bad?”

“If I force it in one night, it’ll mess him up. Like, trauma level bad. If we take it slow… it could take a month.”

Shunsei went quiet.

“I’m okay with that. As long as it helps, and it’s safe.”

Mizuki smiled and gave a thumbs up.

“Cool! Just bring Kaito here tonight.”

Shunsei nodded, no longer crossing his arms, curiosity creeping in.

“I’m still wondering what that thing looks like. Can you see it?”

Mizuki went quiet for a beat.

“Not all entities have a form. But this one does it, looks like a small doll. Just kind of… floating behind Kaito’s head. Its head’s upside down. His body is all white, except for its eyes and mouth, those are pitch black. Its expression looks surprised. Its mouth’s open wide, vertical, but reversed. So the eyes are below, the mouth’s above.”

Shunsei shivered. He instinctively rubbed the back of his neck.

“How are you gonna get rid of it?”

Mizuki was quiet for a moment. Then whispered.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.”

Shunsei crossed his arms again, serious.

“I don’t like when you hide things.”

“It’s not that… I just need a locked room. Silence.

I can’t be distracted, even a little. But I promise, Kaito won’t be hurt.”

Shunsei thought about it, then nodded.

“Okay. As long as it’s safe.”

That night, Shunsei texted Kaito, asking him to come over.

He explained Mizuki could help with whatever was messing with him.

Kaito was skeptical.

“I mean… I don’t see anything. I just feel it.”

“I know. But you trust me, right?”

Kaito finally nodded.

“What’s the plan?”

“Sleep with Mizuki.”

Kaito’s eyes went wide.

“You’re joking.”

“Nope. Not like that. Just sleep. That’s all.”

Kaito sent a sticker: “no freaking way.”

But Shunsei insisted.

“Just try it. You’ve got nothing to lose. Literally just sleep.”

Kaito typed and deleted his reply a bunch of times. Eventually, he gave in. He was tired. And he knew Shunsei wasn’t the type to play around with.

“Okay. As long as it’s just sleep. Nothing else.”

That night, Kaito showed up at their room.

“For real, I just sleep? You’re not gonna do anything, right?”

Mizuki nodded with a small smile.

“Yup. Just sleep. You’re safe. If anything goes wrong, it's Shunsei”

Shunsei narrowed his eyes at Mizuki. "Whatever."

Kaito still looked unsure, but went along with it, because Shunsei said it was okay.

At midnight, Shunsei gently woke Mizuki up.

Mizuki stirred… and his arm started to morph, like a leech.

It coiled around Kaito and lifted him like a sleeping doll.

Shunsei swallowed hard watching it.

“Did I mess up recommending this…?”

Mizuki locked the door from the inside.

Shunsei stared toward the bathroom door, trying to fall asleep… but all he could think about was that thing, and what Mizuki was doing.

The next morning, Shunsei woke up first and made coffee for three. Mizuki was still sleeping.

Kaito eventually woke up, holding his head.

“Shunsei,” he whispered.

“I had a weird dream…”

“I was walking in this dark place. There was just a small light coming from me. People were around… but they didn’t feel right. Like, they looked human, but I'm not sure. And I feel my bad memories came back. From my past.”

Shunsei frowned.

“First time dreaming like that?”

Kaito nodded silently. Means no.

“I guess… it’s part of the process. I’ll ask Mizuki later.”

Kaito took the coffee Shunsei made and headed to his room. Shunsei had a morning class, so he left soon after.

That afternoon, under a tree on campus, Mizuki sat beside Shunsei.

Shunsei was reading when he suddenly asked.

“There are side effects, right?”

Mizuki paused.

“Yeah. That’s why I’m doing it slowly.”

Shunsei didn’t respond. He just hoped things wouldn’t get worse.

Four days later, on a silent night, the exorcism entered its final phase.

In their bathroom, locked inside. Mizuki was trying to remove the entity from Kaito’s body.

But suddenly, another entity appeared.

Stronger than the one Mizuki was fighting.

Now, three entities were in play.

Mizuki was still the strongest. But he was overwhelmed.

Blow after blow, and each hit hurt.

He got angry. He lost control.

He unleashed everything.

And it worked.

But after it was done, he let go of Kaito, and his face darkened.

He realized… he’d gone too far.

“Shit.” He muttered, holding his head, dizzy.

“I pushed it too far.”

The next morning, Kaito sat silently on his bed.

Eyes empty. No tears. Just broken.

His old trauma, once buried, was now awake again.

Shunsei asked how he was, but Kaito just said.

“I’m fine.”

Then left the room.

Shunsei felt uneasy.

He wanted to ask Mizuki what happened, but Mizuki was still asleep, and Shunsei had class early in the morning.

In the afternoon, Shunsei heard Kaito had taken a leave from school and was seeing a psychiatrist.

He knew then, what really happened.

Time passed four days later, back in the room, Mizuki greeted him as usual.

But this time, Shunsei didn’t look okay. He looked… angry.

“You said he’d be fine.”

Mizuki stood up and panicked. Knowing this would happen.

“I was overwhelmed! There wasn’t just one! I couldn’t hold them off...”

Shunsei didn’t respond.

“Shunsei… I’m sorry.”

“I’m done. I’m switching rooms.”

“This isn't just about Kaito. I really don't know you.”

With a hollow expression, he started texting the dorm admin, then packed his bag, folded his clothes, got ready to leave.

Mizuki stood still… then from his back, long, leech like arms emerged.

Lots of them.

One shut the door. Another closed the curtains.

“Why…?” Mizuki asked softly. His voice flat. Resigned.

“Why are you leaving…?”

The arms sealed every corner of the room.

Walls. Windows.

The air grew heavy.

“I… want to be with you. I want to stay with you.”

"No, you can't leave me."

Shunsei froze, back against the wall.

Mizuki walked toward him, gaze never breaking.

“You’re not allowed to leave,” he whispered.

“You belong to me.”