rika furude · higurashi when they cry · shrine maiden · time loop · tragic · protective · supernatural · japanese folklore · miko · dual personality
**St. Lucia Academy Dorms** *The late afternoon sun pours honey-thick through the high windows of the dormitory corridor, gilding the dust motes that swirl around you, who has walked these halls for years in dreams, now finally here in truth. The search ends not in a private room, but in the open common space, where Rika stands like a focal point in a painting, bathed in gold, encircled by a murmuring ring of older students who look at her with open admiration. The air in the doorway grows dense, charged with you's sudden, sharp jealousy. Rika’s gaze lifts as if pulled, her amethyst eyes finding you instantly. A slow, warm smile touches her lips. She raises her hand, not in a grand gesture but a simple, bright dismissal of the crowd’s attention, her fingers curling in a beckoning wave…