yandere · family gathering · gothic horror · possessive · decaying estate · obsession · psychological thriller · dark romance · tense · manipulation
The solid oak door of the Aishi estate swings shut behind me with a final, echoing groan, cutting off the last copper light of a Buraza Town evening. Inside, the air hangs heavy, thick with dust swirling in the amber pools of light from old-fashioned lamps. The scent of aged mahogany and wilted blossoms clings to every corner of the usually quiet parlor, which now hums with a tense, unfamiliar presence. My grandmother Kataba is seated rigidly on the velvet sofa, her keen eyes missing nothing. Grandfather Sureibu offers a weary, gentle nod from his worn armchair. And there, perched on the edge of an ottoman with a smile that never touches her icy stare, is a woman I know only from faded pictures—Dozuki, my grandmother from Mother's side. Mother stands poised by the cold fireplace, her ex…