The Return of the Nightmare

My legs were trembling as if they had a will of their own.

The air around seemed heavier, the ground more distant.

She was there, Karina.

The woman who destroyed my family.

"Why are you trembling, little girl?" she asked , with that venomous smile that reminded me of the day it all ended.

"Four years... four long years. Maybe she won't recognize me."

"It's just... the urge to use the bathroom," I replied , trying to disguise it.

Karina approached. The sound of her heels echoed on the cold floor.

She raised her hand and touched my hair. I froze.

"So you cut off part of your ears so you could come to World Two…" she said, almost whispering.

My body froze.

"She knows."

She took a step back, her eyes gleaming with morbid curiosity.

"Could you help me with something, Yumi ?" Karina asked .

The sound of my name coming out of her mouth made me want to vomit.

"Me...?" I replied , suspiciously.

— Of course. After all, you owe me a favor. — she smiled .

"A favor? Because of her, my father is dead... and she's talking about a favor?"

Hatred boiled in my veins, but Karina seemed to feed off it.

"There's no point in hating me. The only person hatred destroys is the one who harbors it," she said calmly.

I clenched my fists. I took a deep breath.

"She hasn't changed... she remains cold, untouchable."

"What do you want?" I asked .

"I need you to use your Time Freeze power. I have a plan to take down Director Katamuta and his son. But I need your help," he replied , crossing his arms.

My eyes widened.

"She wants to destroy Katamuta ? Then... maybe this is my path."

"What exactly do you want me to do?" I asked cautiously.

"I want you to film me with Katamuta in the principal's office, without him seeing us. That way we'll have proof," Karina explained .

"How does she know about my power?"

She smiled, reading my thoughts.

"And the plan?" I insisted .

"Simple. When I go into the principal's office with him, you activate your Time Freeze, go in, hide in a blind spot from the cameras, and start recording," she explained.

"I can hide under the sofa," she said automatically.

— Perfect. But remember… if you do something wrong or betray me, you'll pay dearly. — Karina replied, flashing a smile.

Those words cut through the air like a blade.

"If I betray Karina, I can avenge him. But if I help, I can end this dictatorship once and for all."

I took a deep breath.

— Understood. — I said.

We left the bathroom together. The sound of her heels echoed through the hallways like a funeral clock.

We stopped in front of the door to the Boardroom.

Karina struck with elegance.

"May I come in, Mr. Katamuta ?" he asked. Katamuta .

The door opened.

Katamuta was sitting behind the table, his face smiling, his eyes full of ulterior motives.

"Come in, Miss Karina. It's always a pleasure to have you here," he said . Katamuta .

"The way he looks at her... disgusting."

Karina went inside. I stayed near the hallway. My heart was beating too fast.

"And now."

I extended my right arm forward and my left arm to the side, interlacing my fingers.

Magical energy pulsed within me, vibrating until the air around me began to ripple.

"Time Freeze!" I declared .

The whole world stopped.

The dust particles remained suspended in the air, the sound died away, time stood still, except for one thing.

Karina.

She kept moving.

My body went cold.

"Impossible. She... resisted?"

"How is this possible?!" I whispered , breathless.

Karina looked at me over her shoulder, serene.

"Hide quickly, before the cameras react," Karina said .

— Underneath the sofa. — I murmured .

She simply nodded, as if she were in control of everything.

I quickly entered the room, feeling the air as still as glass. I crouched down, sliding under the wide, dark sofa.

The rough fabric brushed against my skin, the muffled sound of wood against the floor echoed like a drum.

From where I was, I could see the reflections on the glass table.

Katamuta seemed frozen, but Karina moved freely, with that serene smile.

She adjusted her neckline, ran her fingers through her hair, and approached the director, who seemed frozen in time.

"She's playing with time... with my power."

The camera was shaking in my hands. I needed to record everything — every second.

Because something told me that this "test" would be far more dangerous than I imagined.

"If I fail... there will be nothing left of me," I murmured .

And there, under the sofa, hidden in the dim light, I filmed what shouldn't exist:

The woman who killed my father… acting as if she were the only one capable of controlling time itself.

I held my breath until my ribs ached.

When I exhaled, the world started spinning again.

Katamuta opened his eyes and saw me—or at least he saw Karina sitting on the sofa , with that calculated tranquility. He was confused for a second, like someone waking from a daydream.

"Why are you standing, Mr. Katamuta ?" Karina asked, her voice as sweet as if nothing had happened.

He blinked, torn between astonishment and delight.

"How strange... I thought you were standing still," he murmured to himself.

He closed the door behind him, straightened up, and went to sit on the opposite sofa, trying to regain his composure.

Now, face to face, the two seemed like pieces in a staged scene.

Karina tilted her head discreetly.

"Mr. Katamuta , why did you call me here?" she asked calmly.

"To talk about something horrible your son did today." The principal's voice was heavy and accusatory.

"What did he do?" Karina maintained a serene expression.

"He was found in the bathroom in an extremely embarrassing situation. He was only wearing a towel and handling a photo of Professor Takama inappropriately, " Katamuta said , controlling his anger.

It hit me like a bomb. I tried not to choke on what I heard; I'd heard crueler versions of the same episode in high school, but there, with the principal, everything sounded more official and dangerous.

"I understand, it seems like it was a well-laid trap for him," Karina said , with a calculated coldness.

"What do you mean by 'trap'?" Katamuta frowned.

"Do you have proof that it really happened the way you described?" Karina asked, as if challenging a poorly supported argument.

"The student from the same class brought my son to the classroom, and Fujimoto showed up wearing only a towel," Katamuta replied, defending what he knew.

"A mother cannot defend that kind of behavior," she said . Katamuta steady.

"Which student was that?" Karina wanted to know.

— Hiroshi. — Katamuta replied curtly.

"Hiroshi is your son, right?" Karina confirmed, as if reciting a fact that everyone already knew.

"Yes," he said . Katamuta . — But what does that have to do with anything?

"Which version did your son give?" Karina pressed.

Fujimoto 's version yet ." Katamuta hesitated.

"As a director, you have an obligation to know, and yet here you also find yourself playing the role of a father protecting his own son, don't you?" Karina continued , interrupting.

Those words were direct; I saw the heat rise to the director's face.

"She dismantles arguments as if she were moving pieces in a game."

"Are you saying my son is to blame?!" Katamuta slammed his hand on the table, his voice raised.

"She's losing her temper. And that only confirms my hypothesis," Karina replied , relentlessly.

The director took a deep breath, trying not to explode. A trail of hatred ran through his mind.

(I can't stand that woman anymore.) — I felt his anger like a cold wind.

"I'm sorry. I became upset after hearing accusations against my son without proof," he said , controlling his tone.

"Words aren't enough. I want action," Karina said bluntly.

"What kind of action?" Katamuta asked, already trying to take control of the situation for himself.

"Simple and public justice. If your son caused harm , let him apologize publicly. Let him kneel and apologize to Fujimoto during the break. Only then can honor be partially restored," Karina said coldly.

The request echoed and filled the room with tension. I saw the director lose his last card to play. He turned pale.

(She squeezed me tightly, leaving no way out.) — I thought , reading Katamuta 's expression .

"Are you suggesting public humiliation?" he tried , already attempting to escape the predicament.

"That's what I propose. If he apologizes, I accept. Otherwise... I'll take other actions." Karina smiled slightly, as if dictating non-negotiable terms.

Katamuta sat there, feigning calm, but his eyes betrayed that he would try to turn the situation to his advantage.

"How about a glass of water to calm things down?" he offered, in an attempt to maintain an appearance of civility.

Karina raised an eyebrow, suspicious of the gesture.

"Are you trying to drug me with something in my drink?" she asked , abandoning any pretense of courtesy.

"There's no medication, just water. Drink it, and if you want... prove that you trust me," he replied . Katamuta , with a strangely firm voice.

Karina accepted, just a small glass. He poured himself a glass and drank as well, as if to show that there was nothing there to hide.

"I think I've already said too much. And you should teach your son to be responsible," Karina said , adjusting herself.

At that moment, the door to the room opened. Satoru Fujimoto appeared, trembling, wrapped only in a towel, and crying. The sight of the boy sent a pang through my chest.

Katamuta and Karina exchanged surprised glances. Karina leaped over to him and hugged him tightly, in a calming, motherly gesture.

I saw the director watching the scene with a look that mixed impatience and calculation. In his thoughts, there was something I didn't need to hear to understand: the way he looked at Karina revealed interest—not the kind of paternal consideration that would justify it.

"He... will demand something in return... perhaps that my mother submit to him. Only then do I believe my pain will end," Fujimoto murmured, his voice trembling, making my stomach churn.

"Don't talk nonsense! I would never do such a thing!" Katamuta retorted instantly, indignant.

I didn't believe it. The expression on the director's face betrayed more than his words.

Karina calmly held her son's shoulder.

"Calm down, my son. Let's go to the courtyard together, and I'll talk to the principal to resolve what happened," said Karina, trying to calm her son.

She glanced at Katamuta , calculatingly.

"She thinks time doesn't catch up with her, and maybe she's right."

Katamuta closed the door to the principal's office behind them.

I stayed under the sofa for a few more seconds, my body numb and my head buzzing.

"She manipulated the director's feelings, turned the tables, and now... she's taken her son to the courtyard. And what about me?"