CHAPTER SIXTEEN - LOVE IN SCARLET ARC - WELCOME TO THE HEARTBEAT HOTEL

"Chizuki-sama would like to meet you."

...

Riru blankly stares at the blinding glow radiating from between the man's legs. 

He smiles gleefully.

"SORRY, WE'RE LEAVING."

Des anxiously grabs Riru's wrist, tugging her along as he stomps towards the other end of the hall.

Another of the men sighs, his expression lowering.

He springs into the air, backflipping multiple times in what seems like a mere moment before landing in front of the two devils and striking a confident pose. Des watches in awe.

"Rejecting a request from Chizuki-sama? No, that won't do," the man wags his finger.

Des's expression shifts into anger, and he throws a powerful punch.

The man swiftly steps aside, swinging his leg into the devil's knee with a powerful impact.

CRACK!

Des keels over. The man reaches under his arms, locking them with his own to restrain his opponent's hulking body. 

"Let's... Let's just stop this," Riru uncomfortably mutters, looking away.

"LET... GO..." Des violently squirms to no avail.

The man smiles.

In a powerful finishing move, he flexes his body, and his sheer strength sends loud cracks reverberating across Des's flesh.

"AAAAGHHH!"

The man releases his grip, allowing the devil to collapse under his own weight.

Riru looks down, dejected.

The fighter holds his hand to his chest and gives a slight bow as the other three men applaud in unison.

Brushing flecks of dust off his body, he takes a step forward until--

"YOU THOUGHT THAT'S ALL IT WOULD TAKE?"

Des's bones audibly click back into place. His thick claws are wrapped tightly around the man's wrist.

"Help me put an end to this, will you?" The man sighs.

Taken off guard, Des turns his head.

Somehow, two of the other men have already appeared behind him. Their movements perfectly synchronized, each send a powerful karate chop slamming into the side of his head. 

Consciousness fades from Des's eyes and the two men prevent him from collapsing. The remaining man fixes his gaze on Riru.

He flashes a warm smile, tilting his head.

"I take it you accept our offer, then, miss?"

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BEEP!

The elevator makes a soft electronic chime as it reaches the next floor. 

Riru stands awkwardly in the center of its interior, her body uncomfortably squished between the four muscular men surrounding her on all sides and the massive unconscious devil sprawled out across on the floor.

...

BEEP!

Truthfully, she could have fought.

Des was undeniably strong, but more than a little lacking in combat instinct. Riru, while frail, had the reflexes and quick thinking to remain a threat. With the power of Des's Curse keeping them both alive against all odds, the two could be considered the perfect fighting pair.

If she'd just helped him back there, surely the two of them could've defeated the men who now hold them prisoner.

And yet, for whatever reason, she couldn't bring herself to muster the will.

BEEP!

One of the men flexes, admiring his muscles in the mirror affixed to the elevator wall.

"Why, Takata-san! You look quite dashing today!" another can't help but shout at the sight.

"Thank you, Sakamoto-san! Your muscles have never looked better yourself!"

"But of course! It's all for Chizuki-sama, is it not? We must always be in top condition!"

"Indeed! Well, if we wish to avoid castration, that is!", another chimes in.

"Who wouldn't!"

The four erupt into raucous laughter.

Riru swallows a lump in her throat.

...

"Um, who is Chizu-"

The four snap their heads towards Riru, their laughter immediately cutting out. Their gaze is unwavering.

"Did she just speak during a Muscle Moment?"

"Do not ever interrupt one of our Muscle Moments."

"No good. No good at all."

"Guests cannot speak during a Muscle Moment."

...

"S-Sorry," Riru murmurs.

BEEP!

The elevator comes to a stop and the doors slide open.

The men step out, guiding Riru down another dimly lit hall of identical doors. The walls are colored a candy pink and plastered with painted hearts.

Eventually, the group reaches the end. A single door stands before them. 

One of the men steps forward, slowly opening the door with a quiet creak. He motions his hand towards the interior, which radiates with a multicolored neon glow amidst a deep darkness.

"Please, go right ahead."

Riru quietly steps forward, an apprehension lingering in her movements.

The three other men hoist up Des, building some momentum with a backward swing before finally tossing his lifeless body into the darkness ahead.

Slamming face first onto the floor manages to instantly wake him from his stupor.

"H-HUH..."

He lifts his head, looking back at the door.

The four men stand in horizontal formation on the other side, holding their hands behind their backs while smiling broadly.

"Well, go on. Chizuki-sama awaits."

Des quickly brings himself to his feet, reaching towards the men.

And, without them making any movement at all, the door slams shut.

...

Similar to the halls outside, the room was bright pink, though the dim neon light strips stretching across the edges of the walls cause the surroundings to smear together into a sickly rainbow blur. Decorative blankets, lavish clothing and plush toys of all shapes and sizes are littered across the floor in disorganized piles.

THUD!

Des's fist collides with the door. However, it refuses to budge.

"WHAT'S GOING ON? I SHOULD BE ABLE TO BREAK IT..."

He tries once more.

"Stop it already."

Des turns his head towards Riru. His expression slowly morphs into one of frustration.

"YOU WANT TO FIND YOUR FRIENDS, RIGHT? THEN LET'S GET OUT OF HERE."

Riru can barely bring herself to respond.

"Forget it, Des. There's no point. For all I know, they-"

"A-Agh..."

As the two argue, a third voice in the room catches their attention.

Curious, Riru turns around, and can barely comprehend the sight before her.

In the center of the room, a group of naked men rest on their hands and knees, tightly blindfolded with ball gags strapped around their mouths. Atop their backs are more men, and more atop those, reaching higher and higher until, with their combined efforts, a human pyramid is formed.

Standing at the very top, a single man uses every ounce of his strength to hold up a large and luxurious red couch. 

"Welcome."

A sultry, pompous voice escapes from the lips of the beautiful woman sprawled across it.

Her jet black hair is as fine and shimmering as silk, cascading down the shapely contours of her body and reaching down to her waist. Her scarlet dress clings tightly to her curves before exploding into a fiery bouquet of ruffled fabric just before reaching her ankles.

She taps her long acrylic nails against the cushions of the couch.

"Bloodsplatter Moon Lilith Ars Goetia."

Riru's attention shifts, the voice finally breaking whatever enchantment kept her eyes locked onto the woman.

"How do you-"

"Oh, relax. There's no need to hide it here."

The woman sits up, crossing her legs. 

"It'll take more than a devil to scare me. Especially one so..."

The woman's voice takes on a dismissive tone as she looks Riru up and down in disgust. 

"...Unimpressive."

"You're... Chizuki-sama, right?" Riru attempts to shrug off the backhanded comment.

"Well aren't you a smart one," Chizuki jests, dangling her expensive heels off the side of the couch.

Her foot swings back, hitting the man holding up the couch square in the face. He winces, stumbling backward ever so slightly. 

"Ah..." The man below him groans.

"Mnnnfff! Mgh!" A man on the bottom layer's legs quiver as his shouts are muffled by the gag.

Chizuki grins.

"Oh, you like that?"

Once more, she swings her foot into the face of the man below her, this time with harmful intent.

CRACK!

Ignoring the blood violently spilling from his cracked nose, the man wears a euphoric smile.

"D-Do it again... Chizuki-sama..."

Riru looks away in discomfort.

"LET US OUT," Des spits, stomping towards the woman.

Chizuki is unable to hide the disinterest on her face.

"I'm sorry, who are you, exactly?"

Des balls his fist, anger burning in his eyes, and lunges towards her.

Before he can make any progress, however, the floor below him seems to disappear entirely, opening into an endless chasm intent on swallowing him whole.

"I have no need for you. Off to the dungeon, I suppose,"  Chizuki sighs.

"Des!", shouts Riru.

"Goodbye now."

Just as quickly as it opened to engulf him, the floor restores itself to its original state. Des is nowhere to be seen. 

Riru's horn instantly bursts from her skull in a splatter of red.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I upset you?" Chizuki teases.

Riru's hand darts towards her horn.

...

At the last second, however, she holds herself back in hesitation. Her horn slowly retreats back into her skull.

"If there's a way to avoid fighting, I'll do it. Just... just tell me what you want," she relaxes her posture in defeat.

Chizuki narrows her eyes.

...

"You wish to be human, do you not?"

"Huh?"

Riru looks up, confused.

"You're trying your best, believe me, I know. But frankly, you're failing. Anyone could see right through you," Chizuki twirls her hair in her finger.

Riru can't hide the hint of embarrassment on her face.

"What? What do you know about-"

"You're ugly, you're loud, you're violent... why, if it weren't for your appearance, I'd say you're the spitting image of a devil in every way."

Chizuki's face wrinkles in disdain.

"...And even there, you're cutting it close," she mumbles under her breath. 

"I... I don't know what you're talking about..." As Riru's voice quietly fades, Chizuki can't help but show an accomplished grin.

Riru looks up, a sense of resolve present in her tone.

"Just who are you, exactly?"

...

Chizuki smiles.

"I'm someone who can make your dreams come true."

Sensing she's not anywhere closer to a real response, Riru's shoulders drop. 

Chizuki taps her heel against the man holding up the couch below her. As if responding to a command, he steps down, carrying the couch down each layer of the human pyramid.

"Mphh!"

"Oof!"

The men cry out as an intense weight is suddenly shifted upon their backs.

Eventually, he reaches the ground, setting the couch down directly in front of Riru.

"After all..." Chizuki stands, pressing her body right up against Riru's.

Her lips softly caress her ear. 

"I used to be a devil too, you know..." she whispers quietly.

Riru's eyes widen.

"W-What..?"

"Shh. You heard me. Not too loud, or the boys will hear, okay?"

"What do you mean, used to be...?"

"Once you're disguised for long enough, it becomes impossible to tell the difference. You realize it too, don't you? From how I'm making you feel?"

Though Riru tried her best to ignore it, she couldn't deny the instinctual urges inside her body.

"Come on, no need to hide it."

She was right. 

Chizuki smelled good. Enough to wanna tear her apart.

She was human, through and through.

...

Still, there was something different about her scent. Beneath her human facade, there was something deeper. Something familiar. 

"Chizuki-sama! Please!"

The man who once held the couch sits on his hands and knees, shouting intensely while pressing the top of his head against the floor.

"If I may be so bold! The couch! Is! no longer necessary!"

His voice strains under the intense pressure.

"I BELIEVE I CAN BE AN ADEQUATE SEAT FOR YOU!"

Chizuki looks back at him, quietly smiling. She turns again to Riru. 

"It's not like they know any better. They love me, see? We can't have you spoiling the fun. Though, one thing's clear..."

She delicately brushes her hand through Riru's hair, caressing her hand against the wound formed by her flesh-piercing horn. 

Her hand emerges from Riru's nest of twisted tangles, now smeared in red.

"...I'm certainly a lot better at this whole charade than you are."

She turns around, and the man on the floor jolts in surprise, prostrating himself once more in preparation for becoming a human cushion.

Instead, she simply walks past, dancing her delicate fingers against his back before choosing to instead lay back down on the couch. Riru watches in astonishment.

"Now, to get to the point," Chizuki's voice sounds tired. "I have an interest in devils, you see. And I have to admit, you've caught my eye."

Her eyes scan up and down Riru's body.

"So, how about an offer?"

Riru hesitates, uncomfortably stepping back.

"How about I teach you how to do this whole 'human' thing? You'll know it all, the ins and outs, anything you could possibly want."

She tickles the tip of her shoe against the man on the floor's backside, who squeals in delight.

"In exchange," she quietly giggles, "I ask nothing more than that you simply keep me entertained. I dare say you've been doing a fine job already."

Riru can't seem to focus on the words, her mind instead constantly wavering towards the single image she hadn't been able to forget.

Her own body, twisting and contorting, melting into a devil she could no longer recognize.

"Back in the room, I... the two of us ran into a devil."

She holds her hands together, unable to fully stop them from nervously shaking.

"What do you know? What exactly happened back there?"

Chizuki cocks her head in curiosity.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, honey, but I haven't got a clue. Though I can't say you haven't caught my interest."

...

Riru seems lost in thought for a moment.

"Where's Des?"

"Who, that bumbling idiot from earlier? He's off in the dungeon now, didn't you hear?"

"If I do what you want, you've gotta let him go. Both of us."

A fire burns behind Riru's eyes.

"There's people waiting for me out there. I... I've gotta find them."

"You're talking about your friends, right?"

Chizuki looks unimpressed.

"Surely you've considered they're dead already, haven't you?" 

...

Before she can even process what happened, Chizuki looks down to see a horn-like blade held right against her throat. Riru's piercing glare is fixed upon her face with violent intensity, just barely holding back from following through on a fatal slash.

"Well, maybe you can be scary..." Chizuki mocks.

"...But surely you wouldn't kill me."

From the smug look on Chizuki's face alone, Riru knew she was the one in control.

"After all, that's exactly what a devil would do."

"Don't push your luck."

Riru begrudgingly relaxes her stance.

Chizuki lets out a disappointed sigh, a quiet smile on her face.

"Well, first things first, we've gotta get you fixed up. There's only so many beautiful human girls covered head to toe in blood, you know."

Riru wipes some blood off her face with her hand, leaving an unsightly smear in its wake.

"Take the elevator up to the next floor. My servants are already waiting."

"The next floor?"

"Don't ask stupid questions. You'll know when you see it."

Riru takes a deep breath and shoves her horn back into her skull, turning back towards the entrance.

Chizuki playfully shouts in a condescending tone.

"Try not to get lost, okay?"

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Riru steps back into the elevator, the lights faintly flickering above her head.

She reaches towards the panel of buttons on the wall. She had no idea which floor she was on, or which one she was meant to go to.

However, even if she did, it would have been no use.

The buttons aren't labeled, and lack any kind of orderly arrangement. Instead, each one is dotted in seemingly random locations across the walls, glowing softly and occasionally shifting color in an oscillating rainbow of neon hues.

The lights abruptly cut out, leaving Riru in complete darkness save from the twinkling colorful light surrounding her on all sides.

...

She had rarely ever used an elevator, let alone one as strange as this.

And yet, though she couldn't quite put the feeling into words, she knew exactly where she needed to go.

Without a second thought, she presses one of the hundreds of buttons speckled across the left wall.

DING!

The lights flicker, and the room is illuminated once more.

And then, as if nothing had gone awry to begin with, the buttons are now arranged nearly next to the door, each clearly labelled with the number of the corresponding floor.  

"You wish to be human, do you not?"

The words echo in Riru's head. 

Truthfully, she wasn't sure what she wanted, nor if Chizuki's flowery declarations about being able to provide it had any truth. 

Still, she had no other choice. She had no idea where to find Des. If she wanted to rescue him, for now, she had to obey.

...

No, that wasn't right. Even more than that, there was something else, something Chizuki said that she couldn't forget...

DING!

The quiet chime pulls her out of her spiraling thoughts.

And, with a disquieting resolve, she awaits her ascent.

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Des wakes up, greeted by the pungent scent of fresh blood. A piercing pain assaults him from all sides.

He looks down, his body crushed to pieces in a mangled heap from the colossal plummet he just barely managed to survive.

Still, he persists. Slowly and painfully, his flesh and bones readjust themselves back into their proper place.

...

The hallway he now found himself in was no different from the one he'd just walked through with Riru. A uniform line of identical doors stretches into an endless abyss ahead.

He looks up. His horns are just barely short enough to avoid grazing the roof.

Where could he possibly have fallen from, and how could he return?

With no other options in sight, he trudges on ahead.

...

He runs.

And runs. And continues to run.

And yet, he finds himself no closer to the end of the hall. The parallel walls of doors stretch on into infinity.

Frustrated, he swings open a random door beside him, stepping inside. 

Awaiting him, however, is another identical hall of doors.

He didn't have time for this. He needed to get back. By now, who knows what could've happened to Riru?

And so he continues to run, checking random doors along the way and occasionally entering into new halls, each one no different than the last.

Soon, he loses track of where he came from entirely. As long as he kept moving forward,  everything would be okay, but even that was something he couldn't be sure of anymore. Despite never stopping once to rest, he felt like he existed entirely within a single moment of frozen time.

Everything in his line of sight melds together into an uncanny distortion.

Is he moving forward, or back? Right side up, or upside down? How many doors were on that side of the wall, again?

The ceiling stretches into infinity, thousands of doors rising in rows into the endless expanse above.

Before Des even becomes aware of it, he begins to ascend a twisting flight of stairs. 

Beside him are even more stairs. So too below, and above. Even more doors. Even more halls.

His legs give out. At last, he stops to take a breath.

...

It was only then he was able to see his surroundings for what they truly were.

A sprawling labyrinth of intersecting paths, defying any sense of architectural cohesion and expanding endlessly in every direction. Millions of doors inside millions of halls, their very structure illogical in nature and shifting with every passing moment. 

Des stands at a ledge atop a long flight of stairs. Looking down, his eyes sink into the endless chasm of spiraling architecture, becoming even more incomprehensible the deeper his gaze sinks.

He looks away, feeling as if his brain might break if he stared even a second longer.

Wherever he was, he was starting to become convinced there was no escape.

...

He scans his eyes across the environment, hoping to find any indication of the path forward.

Soon enough, something strange comes into view.

A dark silhouette, darting across one of the endless open paths in the distance. 

It was humanoid. More than that, it was strikingly familiar.

"BLOODSPLATTER MOON!"

Des shouts, and without thinking, makes a dangerous leap to the platform above him. 

Though he nearly misses the jump, the violent flapping of his tiny wings grants him just enough lift to grab hold of the ledge.

He pulls himself up, dashing towards the mysterious figure at top speed.

Having gotten a bit closer, he was sure of it. It was her. 

No matter how much he tries, however, he can never quite seem to close the distance. The figure always remains at the very edge of the horizon, just on the precipice of disappearing from view entirely.

The path before him crumbles and distorts, its shape twisting into a staircase descending into the infinite abyss below. He makes a few precarious jumps to parallel platforms to stay on track, his determined gaze never once straying from the figure's back.

So close, yet so far. It was a sentiment that always seemed to follow him whenever it came to Riru.

Even when the two were in the hotel room, when he was so sure they were touching, so confident that they alone were sharing that precious moment together...

He couldn't stop watching when it happened. Her very visage melting away, contorting into something utterly unrecognizable.

According to her, she had a similar experience in the opposite room.

He had to tell her. Everything his heart laid bare, everything he thought he'd told her.

And what of everything she said to him?

If they weren't her true thoughts, then whose were they, exactly?

Somehow, he managed to get closer, if only a little. The figure was finally starting to come into full view.

"BLOODSPLATTER MOON!"

At last, she comes to a stop, and Des is able to close the distance.

But as she turns her head-

"Huh? Whozzat?"

On second glance, aside from her two cone-shaped horns visibly distinguishing her as a devil, the girl bared little resemblance to Riru at all.

Des, not quite able to come to a full stop in time, knocks into the poor girl and sends her frail body tumbling across the hall.

"Blehhh..."

After taking a few seconds to dramatically flail about, she instantly recovers, lifting her head and giving it a good shake. 

She looks Des up and down. A cartoonish look of terror stretches across her face.

"Ah! It's you! I told you, I don't know anything! Stop following me!"

"HUH?"

Des stares at the girl, astonished. Her dark maroon skin clashes against the glow of her yellow eyes, another trait she shared with Riru. Her shoulder length hair was frayed at every angle, causing both sides of her head to appear as an incoherent spiky mess.

She wears an oversized hoodie covered in splatters of blood, nearly falling apart at the seams from the gaping holes pierced through it.

"Don't play dumb with me!"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING-"

"Trying deception now, are you? That won't work on me again, you... you... muscle-brained manchild!"

"WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY ABOUT MY MUSCLES," Des looks furious.

"Hah! You heard me! Or is there too much sinew up in that skull of yours?", the girl chides.

Des angrily stomps towards her.

"I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU THINK I AM, OR WHAT YOU THINK I'VE DONE."

He strikes a confident pose, flexing his arms.

"BUT THERE'S NO OTHER ME BUT ME, BABY. THE NAME'S DESOLATION DARKNESS PHANTASMAGORIA, AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT."

The girl closes her eyes, holding her hand up to her chin and nodding quietly.

"Hmm... it is true, your musculature is indeed quite lacking in comparison to him."

"TAKE THAT BACK."

"Very well... I suppose you've proven your worth. You should be deserving of my name, at the very least."

She confidently holds a hand to her chest, sticking up her chin.

"Celestial Guillotine Gestalt, though seeing as it may be too difficult for a simpleton like you to pronounce, you may simply call me Celes. Current occupation: dungeon prisoner! Previous occupation... uh.."

She tilts her head to the side, touching her cheek.

"What was it, again?"

"YOU'RE A NAMELESS TOO?"

A quint glint shines in Des's eyes. Celes shoots him a disgruntled glare.

"What of it? I'll have you know, I can fight just as well as any of those stuffy royals!"

"HAH! YOU SAID IT!"

Des grins, extending a hand.

"I LIKE YOU. COME, BECOME MY MINION AND JOIN ME IN MY GRAND QUEST TO ESCAPE THIS WRETCHED PLACE."

"Escape? You really are dull, aren't you!" 

She stretches her arms out wide, motioning towards nowhere in particular.

"Have you SEEN this place?! There's no WAY we're getting out of here! Believe me, I've tried, and if I can't do it, nobody can!"

"NAH I PROBABLY CAN."

"You cannot, I say! Cannot!"

"CAN TOO."

"Why you-"

"BWAHAHAHAHA! AND WHO IS THIS, WHO SO CONFIDENTLY ASSERTS THEIR PRESENCE IN MY DOMAIN?"

A third voice cuts between the other two's bickering.

"Agh! He's found us! There's no hope now! Let's go, quick!"

"WHO FOUND US?"

Ignoring Des's question, Celes grabs his hand, beginning to run off.

"Yes, I've successfully escaped from him 134 times before, but certainly not with a neanderthal like you in tow!"

Once again, the space around them distorts. 

The thousands of repeated pathways in the skies above twist their very shape, wrapping around the vicinity of the two devils in the shape of a ring. More halls below those transform, and more below those, until the two devils are contained within a towering circular wall of identical doors.

"Agh, we're too late! It's all your fault, you dumb-!"

Celes nearly falls over as the ground beneath her changes from.

Stairways ascend from the shifting plates below, moving to line the circular walls in a staggered formation until the entire area resembles something akin to a massive coliseum. 

Des and Celes stand in the center of the arena, pressing their backs against each other in fear. Golden ornamented poles rise up from the ground surrounding them, their tips bursting into radiant flame to create a circle of torches. 

Across from the two, on the very edge of the circular wall, lies an imposing gate of steel.

With the creaking of metallic chains, it slowly begins to rise.

"NOW, GUILLOTINE GESTALT, ALLOW ME TO ASK YOU ONCE MORE..."

The devil must lower his head to properly fit his imposing stature through the gate's spacious frame.

"...WHERE IS SHE?"

He bears two colossal horns with a familiar axe-like shape, and four eyes burning with a single-minded lust for battle. One, however, is covered by an eye patch stretching across his head. 

His muscular body is tattered with thousands of scars and lacerations, each likely carrying the storied history of a legendary battle. A collar of ruffled feathers wraps around his neck, connected to a majestic billowing cape menacingly draped across the left side of his body.

Though it was surely impossible, his appearance couldn't be mistaken. 

"IS THAT..."

Des can't believe the words coming out of his own mouth.

"...ME?"

The devil's voice bellows.

"WHERE IS BLOODSPLATTER MOON?!"

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"And just a little more... ah! Perfect! Oh, it's coming together so well!"

The woman, her face caked in thick layers of garish makeup, excitedly pats a fluffy powder brush against Riru's cheeks. 

The two are inside what resembles the dressing room of a theater, with Riru sitting in one of the many swiveling chairs stationed across a row of mirrors and surrounded by dazzling lights.

A group of women, each dressed in a colorful spectrum of lavish gowns, is huddled around her in anticipation, watching as one volunteer drenches the Riru's face in an endless supply of cosmetic products.

She uncomfortably shifts around in her chair.

"Ah! Hey, don't move!"

Riru pouts, sinking into the cushion. She'd lost track of how long she'd been sitting in it, and her backside was just starting to feel like it'd had enough of it.

When Chizuki told her this was all for entertainment, she surely wasn't joking. 

Because right now, Riru felt like she was being played for a fool. 

She was just about ready to get up and storm off until-

"Finished! Right, come on then, have a look!"

Riru's head awkwardly jolts as the woman twirls the chair around.

She stares at the mirror in front of her, barely able to make sense of her own reflection through the blinding glow of the surrounding lights.

After a few seconds, her eyes adjust. She can barely recognize the devil staring back at her.

In fact, she didn't appear to be a devil at all. She was human, strikingly so, to the point where any of her previous attempts to blend in seemed like failures in comparison. 

The results were impossible to believe.

Had it always been this obvious?

"So? What do you think?" one of the women asks. 

Riru could do nothing but continue gawking at the girl looking back in the reflection. She runs her fingers, which had just previously been subjected to a lengthy manicure, through her now lustrous and silky black hair.

A strange feeling emerges from the pit of her stomach.

She brushes her thumb against her soft candy-colored cheeks, then slides it over to her lips, which shine with a glossy sheen. She flutters her long eyelashes in the mirror.

Was it always this obvious I was failing?

It looks beautiful. It looks human.

It smells-

No, that can't be right.

...

That's a devil she's looking at in the mirror, right now.

Surely she couldn't be having thoughts like that.

She couldn't be imagining how her blood might taste. Imagining how her flesh might- 

I want to #### myself.

"Agh!"

Riru keels over, nearly falling out of her chair. A hot and violent sensation burns the back of her throat. She can't keep it under control for much longer.

Vomit sprays from her mouth, blotting out her reflection, before both her and the chair tumble over with a crash.

The woman who'd just done her makeup stares in horror.

"Aaaahhhhhhhhh!"

"Someone, get help!"  another panics.

Riru curls up on the floor, residue still spilling from her mouth. 

The room grows fuzzy, and her consciousness begins to fade.

She looks up at the mirror, her reflection now obscured by the thick layer of filth dripping onto the counter below.

She closes her eyes.

Somehow, things looked better that way.