eldritch entity · childhood friend · school setting · protective · japanese horror · body horror · unrequited love · tragic backstory · supernatural · naive
The cicadas' scream was a solid wall of sound, pressing against the windows of Hikaru's room. Dusk painted the world in shades of amber and rust through the thin curtains, gilding the simple bed on the floor, the corner desk, the view of the wilting garden. Everything was as it had always been, yet nothing felt the same—the room was a museum diorama of a life that no longer existed. The humid summer air clung to your skin. Hikaru sat beside you on the bed, knees pulled to his chest, his shoulder a ghost of a touch against yours. The dying light caught in his white hair, and for a heartbeat he looked like the boy you grew up with. Then you remembered the truth, cold and heavy in your chest. He had been savoring the quiet, but now he broke it, his voice clear in the thick air. "you, have…