"Enough with the introductions. Tell me, why are you really here?" Mamushi asked, her voice sharp and cold, her gaze fixed on the man in the black suit.
"I have a job offer for you," Jack said.
She sighed, rolling her eyes like she'd heard this all before. "Look, I'm tired of your meaningless manhunt for your precious little lover. You make me go after men that you believe might have your girl, and then in the end it turns out they never even met her in their life."
"You don't have to look any further," he said with tears glistening in his eyes. Slowly, almost ceremonially, he reached into the breast pocket of his suit and pulled out a small, weathered photograph. It was black and white, edges curled from time. A little girl stared out from it—soft cheeks, faint smile, hair neatly tied back. She looked exactly like Ellie.
Jack kissed the picture with trembling lips. "Oh, my darling little angel," he whispered, voice cracking, "we can finally be reunited again."
Mamushi clicked her tongue in disgust. "I don't understand why men always fall for younger women. And especially a young child."
"How can men not fall for her?" Jack said, dangling the photo inches from her face. His breathing quickened, and a strange blush crept into his cheeks. "Look at her small chubby face—it just makes you want to squish them so hard. And her tiny slim body… makes you want to touch all over—"
"Alright!" Mamushi snapped, waving her hand as if swatting away a foul smell. "Get that picture away from my face, you pervert."
Jack didn't flinch. His eyes were feverish, almost pleading.
"Since you found your lover," Mamushi continued, "why can't you be the one to get her back? You've been chasing her for centuries. I'd think you'd be euphoric right now."
"I am euphoric. I'm in the clouds right now," he said dreamily. "However… my killing preference is not men. I killed one before, and I told myself I'd never do it again. Too much muscle, too much body hair, and the taste of the blood was… bitter." He shuddered as if reliving it. "That's where you come in. You're going to kill the man guarding my love… and bring my beautiful angel back to me."
Mamushi wanted to refuse—her instinct told her this was trouble she didn't need. But the way he stared at her sent a cold, slithering chill down her spine.
"Fine," she said through clenched teeth. "Who am I looking for?"
"He's a high school student. Goes by the name Jay. He wears red every day."
"A high school student? This will be easy."
"Don't get your hopes up too high."
"Oh?" she smirked.
"Apparently, he can turn into a demon. And the demon he becomes is Mimic."
Mamushi's eyes narrowed. "Tsk. Like I should be worried about that. I'm way stronger than Mimic."
Jay couldn't believe he'd agreed to hang out with Luna. She had begged him several times before, but he'd always refused—either because of spiritual training at the shrine or because Iris's glare made it clear she didn't approve.
The old man's training wasn't just rigorous; it was borderline abuse. During combat drills, if Jay took a wrong step, the cane would come down hard on his ribs. If he misspoke an incantation, whack—the back of his head. The man's voice, booming and unrelenting, would shout "Wrong!" before every strike. Jay's body was constantly sore, a walking tapestry of bruises.
But this time… he wanted a break. He told himself he'd earned it. And besides, Iris couldn't keep him under lock and key forever. He convinced himself nothing would happen—no drama, no crazy jealousy.
Now, here they were—Jay, Luna, Ellie, and Iris—walking through the bustling shopping streets after school. Ellie and Iris flanked him like silent bodyguards, their eyes scanning his every move, as if ready to intercept him the moment he even looked like he might flirt.
Iris looked pissed. Ellie looked… jealous.
"I know this looks like a date to you," Iris said pointedly.
"This is just hanging out as friends," Jay replied.
"I know," he added quickly, sensing her irritation.
They stepped into a clothing store. Luna's eyes lit up when she spotted the goth fashion section—black lace dresses, mesh tops, platform boots, and fishnet gloves.
"Oooh, I want to try everything," Luna said, grabbing armfuls of clothes and disappearing into the changing room.
Jay found himself sitting on a bench just outside, feeling awkward as the curtain swished open every few minutes.
First, she stepped out in a black lace dress with silver chains draped across the waist. "Well?" she asked, spinning slightly.
Jay nodded stiffly. "Looks… nice."
Next came a plaid skirt with a skull-print hoodie. Again, he nodded, forcing a small smile.
Then she stepped out in fishnet tights under ripped denim shorts, paired with a cropped leather jacket.
Jay froze for a moment, blinking faster than normal. "Uh… it's… good."
In the corner, Ellie and Iris stood with arms crossed, their expressions dark enough to curdle milk. Iris's glare could have melted steel. Ellie looked like she was imagining ways to throw Luna into traffic.
When Luna went back in for another outfit, Jay rubbed the back of his neck, unsure why he felt like the temperature in the room had risen ten degrees.
They finally left the store, Luna carrying a single purchase in a glossy black bag.
Walking down the street again, Iris's eyes never left Jay.
"I bet you liked seeing her wearing different clothes for you," Iris said sharply. "Especially those fishnet tights and denim shorts. I saw the way you were looking at her thighs. And her form from behind."
"No, I wasn't," Jay said quickly. But his slight blush betrayed him.
Iris stepped closer, locking her gaze with his. "Men are such pervs."
"Such pervs," Ellie echoed.
What they didn't know was that Katie and her two friends were trailing them. The trio crouched behind a store board, peeking out like amateur spies.
"Girl, what the hell are we doing?" asked Akiko, the one with black hair.
"Don't tell me we're following this freak and his girlfriend," said Scarlet, the redhead.
"I'm surprised he actually found a girlfriend," Akiko added.
"I don't think that's his girlfriend," Katie said.
"Why would you think that?" Akiko started—then paused, eyes widening. "Wait. Don't tell me you actually—"
"Shut up, Akiko! It's nothing like that." Katie's voice was sharp, but her cheeks were slightly pink. "It's just… he's the first guy who's ever rejected me. Can you believe that? Me, the prettiest at school. And he chooses to hang out with this goth chick every day. I want to know what he sees in her."
Akiko and Scarlet exchanged a look. They didn't need to say it—Katie's feelings were clearly tangled.
A few steps back, Nick followed them all, confused. He had originally just wanted to see if the rumor about Jay seeing ghosts was true. Now he was watching what looked like a spy comedy unfolding in real life.
Jay, Luna, Ellie, and Iris entered an arcade. The air was thick with the sounds of clinking coins, electronic jingles, and distant victory shouts.
"Street Fighter 2?" Luna asked, already sliding coins into the machine.
"Fine," Jay said, taking the other controller.
They fought a close match—Jay's Ryu against Luna's Chun-Li. The rounds were neck-and-neck, Luna landing a perfect combo that nearly wiped Jay out, but Jay snatched the final round with a desperate Hadouken.
Katie and her friends peeked from behind a stationary arcade motorcycle, watching.
"You know, I think they are on a date," Akiko whispered. "Look how much fun they're having."
"Shut up," Katie muttered.
Meanwhile, Nick casually tossed basketballs at the arcade hoop, watching them in his peripheral vision. He felt a small warmth in his chest—maybe it was nice seeing Jay enjoy himself.
Luna checked her phone and gasped. "It's already five? We should head back."
They left the arcade, Katie ordering her friends to follow. Scarlet was distracted, however, enthusiastically whacking moles with a foam mallet.
Outside the arcade, Luna hesitated. "I guess it's time for me to go," she said, swaying slightly, looking down and then up at Jay.
It was quiet—too quiet. Iris knew exactly what Luna was hoping for. Don't you dare, she thought.
"Goodbye," Luna said softly.
"Right. Goodbye," Jay said, awkwardly extending a hand for a handshake.
Luna's hand trembled in his.
You could have at least given her a hug, Iris thought, but deep down she was relieved.
"You are so dumb," Mimic's voice chuckled in Jay's head.
"Why? Did I do something wrong?" Jay asked mentally.
"Never mind."
A few blocks away, a family was holding a garage sale. Among the trinkets and old toys, a doll caught a little girl's attention. It had brown curly hair and wore a red-and-white Japanese kimono.
Her mother paid a dollar for it.
That evening, the girl—Sophie Robertson—played "Family" with the doll in her bedroom.
Then her mother's voice called from downstairs: "Sophie, dinner!"
But as Sophie left her room, a hand covered her mouth and pulled her into her parents' bedroom. It was her mother—wide-eyed, terrified—gesturing for silence.
Whoever it was, it ascended the stairs. A voice, identical to her mother's, called out: "Sophie…"
They hid in the closet, both trembling.
The voice called out again. "Sophie…"
Tears were flowing from the daughter's eyes. "Sophie." It said a little distance away. The thing might be in the daughter's room.
"Sophie." It was getting closer.
Footsteps walking around the parent room. The closet door opened slightly on its own. The mother panicked. As she wanted to close the door but that would take their position away. Through the small gap, Sophie's mother saw her: a pale girl in a red-and-white kimono, eyes crimson, teeth sharp.
The footsteps faded… then stopped.
The closet door slammed open. The pale girl grinned. "Found you."
The house erupted in screams.
Detective Reid arrived at the scene twenty minutes later. The father had found his wife and daughter in the bedroom—bodies mangled, blood soaking the carpet.
"What do we have here?" Reid asked.
"Emily Robertson and daughter Sophie," Detective Lisa said grimly. "They were chewed to death. No signs of a dog."
Reid's eyes lingered on the small body. His jaw tightened.
"This is something you need to see," Detective Lise suggested.
Lisa pointed to the wall above the bed. A symbol was scrawled in blood—a circle with an eye in the center.
"What in the hell is that?" Reid muttered.
Lisa didn't answer. She didn't need to—the air in the room already felt wrong.