Yuki screamed.
It was a horrifying type of scream. It tore from her throat like something had clawed its way out.
Then complete silence. Just her breath catching on the edge of panic.
She sat up fast.
Sweat soaked her hair and shirt.
Yuki was back in her room.
"How did I come back here?" Yuki said.
Her blanket was tangled around her legs.
She pulled it off and saw that she was wearing pajamas.
She stared down at herself. Her mind stalled.
"Someone changed me!" Yuki said in confusion.
She slowly rolled up the fabric, holding her breath.
Underneath were clean white bandages, wrapped carefully around her leg.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
The wounds were real. The pain was real.
So, it really was not a dream. The trench coat monster. The shadowy figure with the red-colored cage. All of these events had happened to her.
However, something did not make sense to her.
"Did the shadowy figure come back to get me home and change me? That is the only thing that makes sense," she said.
Yuki then had a thought flash to her head.
"No... it can't be Sasaki. There is no way that he could have saved me."
Whoever it was, she was 99% sure it was not Sasaki—her therapist. That man was a money-hungry show-off. He would only save her if money was involved, just like last time.
That thought stayed with her longer than it should have.
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. A dull ache shot through her calves, but she stood anyway.
On the floor beside her—
A glass of orange juice. A bottle of water. A metal bucket with a damp towel was folded inside.
Uh? Whoever helped me had time to give me all of this... How long was I out for, anyways? She thought.
Then Yuki moved toward her uniform that lay draped over the chair. She searched the pockets until her fingers curled around her phone.
The screen lit up.
3:00 AM.
"What! I was out for that long?!" Yuki yelled.
Yuki then heard a knock on her front door.
She froze.
Another knock. Louder this time.
Yuki stood still, barely breathing. The sound kept coming, measured but forceful.
She limped out of her room.
Her house didn't have stairs, which helped. But even walking on flat ground felt like dragging her bones across broken glass.
The living room came into view.
And she stopped.
Everything was clean.
Not just clean, but it seemed her mystery figure had even placed the couch and TV in the right place.
The stains from the dolls, the tomato sauce on the floor, the splatter along the cabinets—all gone. The entire space was completely cleaned and vacuumed.
Whoever helped her did her a solid favor by cleaning the house.
She moved toward the door.
Another knock.
Yuki looked through the peephole.
It was Sasaki.
"Speak of the devil," Yuki said with annoyance.
And his assistant was here too. The quiet one with the unreadable eyes.
Yuki didn't bother opening it. "What do you want?" she said.
Sasaki's voice was calm. "How about you open the door and we discuss it over tea?"
"I don't have your money," Yuki snapped. "So if that's why you're here, leave."
A pause.
Then Sasaki's tone shifted.
"You've been attacked, haven't you?"
She backed away from the door, breath shallow.
"H-how?"
"If you've been following the news, you know people have been disappearing. I'm investigating the cause behind it."
Her legs felt shaky.
"What does that have to do with me?"
Another pause.
"I think you must have also realized that spirits and demons are being drawn to you. I have a theory as to why… and how it might be connected to the disappearances."
His words sank in too easily.
"But I can't confirm anything from this side of the door."
Yuki stared at the handle. Her fingers curled around it and turned it.
The door creaked open.
Sasaki looked at her with that familiar, unreadable smirk. "May we come in?"
She didn't answer. Just flicked on the light and stepped back.
They walked in without taking off their shoes.
Sasaki Shin sat on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, while the assistant sat beside him.
Yuki went to the kitchen and brewed some quick tea and went back to the living room.
She then poured three cups of tea and put them on the side table next to the couch.
"Why, thank you for the tea," Sasaki said while sipping on the tea.
Yuki looked annoyed but tried to avoid showing it as she ran to the kitchen.
"Whatever," Yuki said.
While in the kitchen, she found a chair and dragged it toward the living room as it scraped against the floor.
Yuki sat across from them, not saying a word.
Sasaki took a few sips of the tea and put it back on the side table.
"Now, before I start talking about my theory. You have been attacked, right?" Sasaki said.
"Yeah, I have, but how do you know that? Actually, the better question is what are you two?"
Sasaki laughed a little as he covered his mouth.
"Look, I think what we are is a little irrelevant at this moment. How about we focus on what happened to you. You understand?" Sasaki said.
Yuki Ayano was not in the best mood to try and press him to know what they were, but she did want to know at the very least if his assistant was able to talk or not.
"Okay, it might not be relevant at this moment, but can you at least answer this question?" Yuki asked.
"Go ahead and ask your question," Sasaki said.
Yuki pointed at his receptionist.
"What's the deal with her? Can she not speak?"
The receptionist reached for her pockets and took out a small handheld notebook and a pen.
She started to write something on it.
Once she was finished, she put the notebook to Yuki's face and gestured with her hand for her to read it.
"The name is Sayuri Kanzaki, and no, I can't speak. I lost my voice a long time ago. Master Shin would not want me to reveal why at this moment. However, I can write to you whenever I have something to say."
Sasaki then clapped his hands together.
"Alright, enough of this. Can you start to explain what happened to you already?"
Yuki then started to explain from beginning to end what happened to her—from when she came back to her house, to her friend Kenji disappearing on her, and how she was attacked by a trench coat monster.
Apparently, Sasaki referred to that trench coat monster as being a demon. After that long explanation, Sasaki took a moment and got up, inspecting the living room.
"So you're telling me that the person that saved you also possibly cleaned the entire house as well?"
"Yeah, at least I think it's the same person."
"Uhm, I see. Well, whoever it is, it seems that they know quite a lot about you," Sasaki said while looking over the TV.
Sayuri stood up and walked toward Sasaki, lightly tugging at the sleeve of his suit.
He turned to her almost instantly, eyes narrowing—like he already knew what she wanted to say without a single word being spoken.
"You think so?" Sasaki said.
Sayuri nodded.
Yuki looked confused as both of them started to look at her with an intense look.
"Why are you both looking at me like that?"
"Sayuri, you have my permission to check her," Sasaki said, pointing his finger at Yuki.
"Check? What do you mean check? Hold on now!" Yuki said, putting her back against the wall.
Sayuri slowly walked toward Yuki as she wrote to her.
"Relax. I felt something strange coming from you, but it's really faint. Let me check your forehead."
Yuki then raised her hand and closed her eyes.
"Hey, I said stop. Stop it. Don't get close."
Sayuri then put her own forehead on Yuki's and closed her eyes.
Yuki's face turned red. Sayuri was in that position for about 30 seconds. Yuki had felt very uncomfortable at this point, but she could not move.
Sasaki then called out.
"So, what is it?"
Sayuri turned to Sasaki with an expression Yuki had never seen on her.
It almost looked like dread or fear.
Sasaki then took a moment as he looked directly at Sayuri.
"So… it's that bad. I see."
"What do you mean it's bad? What's going on with me? Explain!" Yuki yelled out, shaking.
All of a sudden, both Sayuri and Sasaki looked at the door with caution in their eyes.
Yuki, however—oblivious to what's happening in the outside world—ran toward Sasaki, holding his collar.
"Hey, stop looking at the door and explain what was bad about me!"
Sasaki then grabbed Yuki's arm and put his finger to his mouth.
"Shhhh," he said, trying to silence her.
Suddenly, the door creaked open.
Yuki held her breath, finally understanding the situation.
Once the figure stepped into the house, they dropped a bowl of soup that was in their hand—breaking it into multiple pieces.
As Yuki's eyes widened from the shock, she slowly walked toward the direction of the figure.
"I-I-Is that you, Riko!?"