Velvet Red

The days that followed Himeko’s revelation dragged on like a silent agony. Aika no longer slept, barely ate. She constantly felt Himeko’s presence — like a benevolent shadow watching from afar, patient and understanding.

On Wednesday, suffocating from loneliness, Aika made a decision she would bitterly regret. Her trembling fingers dialed Kenji’s number. Perhaps hearing his voice again, reconnecting with the real world, would help her shake off the morbid fascination growing inside her.

The line rang three times before he picked up.

“What do you want, Aika ?” His voice was cold, distant.

His tone was so harsh she almost hung up. But something inside her — a last flicker of hope or pure masochism — urged her to continue.

“I... I just wanted to hear your voice. To see how you were doing.”

“Listen, it’s over between us, okay ? What we had, you and me, it was...” He searched for the words, and when they came, they were sharp as blades. “It was pity, alright ? I was with you out of pity because no one else wanted you.”

His words slapped her like open hands. Her grip tightened on the phone.

“Now leave me alone. We don’t know each other anymore, got it ?”

He hung up.

Aika remained frozen, the phone still pressed to her ear, listening to the dial tone echo like a funeral dirge.

She collapsed onto her bed, burying her face in the pillow, and cried until no tears remained. When she finally lifted her head, her eyes landed on the red scarf. In the dim light of her room, it seemed to glow with a light of its own.

Slowly, almost entranced, she reached out. The fabric radiated a gentle warmth. She wrapped it around her neck and looked at herself in the mirror.

Aika closed her eyes. The scent of the scarf enveloped her, both soothing and intoxicating.

“They look so happy...” The words now rang with a disturbing truth.

She knew where she had to go.

The sun was already sinking by the time she reached the gates of Yume Park. The place was deserted, as always in its “abandoned” state. Rusted rides loomed against the orange sky — metallic skeletons of a long-lost joy. But to Aika, the park had regained a strange beauty, melancholic and romantic all at once.

She didn’t have to search long. Himeko was waiting by the carousel, seated on one of the unmoving horses. When she saw Aika, her face lit up with a smile of infinite tenderness.

Aika approached slowly. Now that she stood face to face with her fate, an odd sense of peace settled within her. No more doubts, no more fear. Only a crystalline certainty.

She took the pale hand Himeko offered without hesitation. Her fingers were cool but comforting, like a summer breeze on fevered skin.

Together, they walked toward the haunted house ride. The attraction seemed to await them, its cars lined up like coffins. Himeko stopped before the entrance and pulled from the shadows an old, ornately carved box. The golden designs etched into the wood depicted intertwined roses, breathtaking in their detail.

“Do you like it ?” she asked, presenting it to Aika.

Aika took the case gently, her trembling hands embracing this symbol of eternal love. It was heavier than she expected, and warm to the touch. Slowly, almost reverently, she opened the lid.

Inside, the lining was blood-red velvet. At its center sat a cushion of the same fabric, embroidered with golden thread.

Tears slid down Aika’s cheeks, but they were no longer tears of fear. It was something more intricate — a blend of sorrow and relief, as if she had finally found her place in the world.

They climbed into the first car of the haunted train. The interior was sumptuous, lined with red silk. A single candle flickered with golden light, casting a warmth that felt almost welcoming. It felt less like a haunted ride and more like a boudoir.

The train stopped in a circular alcove, lit by hundreds of candles. In the center stood a red velvet divan awaiting them. Himeko took Aika’s hand and led her gently to it.

They sat across from one another, the box placed between them. In that amber glow, Himeko looked more beautiful than ever — a beauty unbound by the laws of this world. Her dark eyes shimmered with candlelight, and Aika saw infinite tenderness dance within them.

“Does it hurt ?” Aika asked, barely a whisper.

“Just for a moment,” Himeko replied, caressing her cheek. “Like pulling off a bandage from a healed wound.” She smiled, and they shared a kiss brimming with promise.

With ritualistic slowness, Himeko unwound the red scarf from Aika’s neck. The fabric slipped from her shoulders like a caress, exposing her pale skin to the candlelight. She felt no fear — only a profound, almost ecstatic peace.

Aika rested her head on Himeko’s shoulder. The creature’s arms wrapped around her with maternal tenderness. Against the skin of her neck, Aika felt something thin and sharp — strangely warm, almost alive.

But contrary to her fears, the sensation was not terrifying. It was deeply comforting, as if every wound, every ache, was about to vanish.

“I’ll love you forever,” Himeko whispered into her ear, her voice softer than a lullaby. “No more betrayal. No more pain. Never again.”

Aika closed her eyes. A single tear of pure gratitude rolled down her cheek. At last, someone truly loved her — completely, eternally.

The blade pierced her skin gently, and she felt her pulse throb against it like a distant drum. Strangely, the rhythm soothed her. It was the tempo of her life coming to an end.

In her final breath, she whispered: “Thank you...”

The next day, a high school girl was reported missing. On the posters plastered across the city, Aika’s smiling face stared back at passersby who never stopped long enough to truly see her.

***

A few months later, a new student arrived at the same school, eyes red from tears. Her boyfriend had dumped her for someone else, in front of everyone — humiliating her beyond words.

In an empty hallway, as she wept in silence, she felt a comforting presence draw near. A soft voice, filled with endless tenderness, whispered in her ear:

“I understand your pain...”