kago no yuri

Trapped

_____where am I?

This place, the air, the landscape, the atmosphere, everything about this particular place was unfamiliar to the boy.

After getting up from the grass from which he woke up laying,

He took a long hard look at his surroundings, and proceeded to pinch himself. After feeling the pain of stretching the skin on his cheekbone, almost beyond their limit,

The situation he was in began to sink in, the boy didn't say a word after that, he began to wander… and wander… and wander.

Upon hearing the impact of a large white frothy cascade of water falling into a plunged pool, he soon got closer to the waterfall, and soon realized what fell from that waterfall wasn't water, it was more like a green flowing liquid, and it let off a persistent glow. 

Around the waterfall were beautiful greenery, trees, grass, moss, slippery rocks and strange creatures unknown to the boy, it was almost enchanting.

The fantastical construct in display before him, reassured him of his previous realization, he had somehow been transported to another world.

The sound of light thuds, resounding on the earth and grass coming from the forest alarmed him, but for some reason he was curious to see what made those sounds, 

He continued on the path were the sounds came from, and to his surprise, he met 7 individuals all looking like fellow Japanese, it seems he wasn't the only one.

「End of prologue」

"'A mirror?' 'Yes, a mirror...' 

Two girls whispered an urban legend as they strolled past the park, their voices barely audible over the rustling of leaves. 

'They say that when people reach a certain level of despair, a mirror appears to them, drawing them in with an otherworldly allure. Once they're entranced, they're pulled into the mirror's depths and transported to the Mirror Realm, where they must confront unspeakable terrors, like living through a never-ending nightmare.' 

'Eh? That's ridiculous! Is that really what they're telling kids these days?' 

'I know, right?' 

The girls' conversation faded into the distance, leaving behind an unsettling silence.

.....

In a secluded corner of the park, a young man with dark hair and dark eyes sat motionless on a bench, shrouded in the shade. 

His eyes seemed empty, devoid of emotion, as he clutched his favorite novel in his hands. He wore a school uniform, but showed no signs of leaving the bench, as if time itself had forgotten him. The air around him was heavy with an aura of melancholy, and the trees seemed to lean in, as if listening to his unspoken thoughts.

The morning sunlight cast a pale glow over the park, a familiar backdrop to Ryo Kobayashi's daily routine. 

A student at Haruki Senior High, Ryo had grown accustomed to delaying his departure for school, lingering in the park as he watched people hurry by. 

'Another sight I'm forced to see,' 

he thought, his voice barely above a whisper. 

'I'm getting tired of doing these mundane things.' 

He tilted his head back, gazing up at the sky as if searching for a reprieve, but he knew it was futile. With a resigned sigh, he stood up, acknowledging the inevitability of his daily routine. 

As he walked to school, he caught glimpses of people approaching him from the sidewalk. Their faces, however, were a blur - a sea of inflated red balloons, devoid of features or distinction. 

To Ryo, humans were nothing more than anonymous, faceless entities, their individuality reduced to the clothes they wore. 

It was a peculiar affliction, one that had become his norm, and he had learned to navigate the world with this distorted perception.

'I bet they're staring, I'm sure they are...,' 

Ryo thought to himself, a hint of defensiveness creeping into his mind. 

'But it doesn't matter anyway. I'm the main character of my world, and I shouldn't have to adjust to others.' 

This was the mantra he had convinced himself to believe, a coping mechanism to deal with the isolation that came with his peculiar affliction. 

He had given up trying to connect with others, and instead, focused on navigating his own world, where he was the sole protagonist. At school, it was more of the same. 

He walked through the corridors, a sea of faceless balloons passing him by, their voices a distant hum. As he approached his classroom, he slid open the door and stepped inside, where a room full of inflated red balloons awaited him. 

The teacher, a grumpy old man - or 'balloon person' as Ryo referred to him - glared at him over the rim of his reading glasses. 

'You're late again, Kobayashi!' he barked, 

his voice like a loud, annoying squeak to Ryo's ears. Ryo winced, feeling a surge of irritation. 

'Does he have to be so loud?' he thought, rolling his eyes. 'It's not like I can take a talking balloon seriously, anyway.'"

Ryo settled into his seat at the edge of the class, closest to the window, where he could gaze outside and tune out the lesson. 

His classmates had long since alienated him, but he didn't let it bother him. 

'The NPC characters shouldn't affect how I live my life,' 

he thought, using his own personal terminology to describe the people around him. To him, they were just non-player characters, insignificant and unimportant. 

As the class drew to a close, Ryo packed up his things and headed to his locker, lost in his own thoughts. But his solitude was short-lived, as three individuals - a guy and two girls - approached him, laughing and chatting. 

One of them, the guy, bumped into Ryo, and for a moment, their eyes locked. Ryo felt a jolt of surprise, but the guy's gaze was quickly replaced with a scowl. 

'You're in the way,' 

he muttered, before pushing Ryo down and continuing on his way, the two girls giggling and following close behind. 

'Nobody needs a depressed mob like you,' 

the guy called out over his shoulder, his words dripping with malice. Ryo didn't even bother to look up, he simply stood up, dusted himself off, and continued on his way home, unfazed by the encounter. 

The guy's words were just background noise, meaningless and insignificant, and Ryo didn't let them penetrate his armor of indifference.

As Ryo walked into his house, he was met with an atmosphere that was as stiff as a board. The air was thick with tension, and the silence was oppressive. 

His family, seated around the dinner table, looked like strangers to him, their faces devoid of warmth or connection, but at least he could see and perceive them as people. His parents, with their perfectly polished facades, seemed more like mannequins than flesh-and-blood people. 

His younger sister, Aimi, a middle schooler with a spark of rebellion in her eyes, was the only one who seemed to have a pulse. 

The meal was a cold, awkward affair, with each person responding to the others in monosyllables, their words as dry as the food on their plates. 

It was as if they were all just going through the motions, playing their roles in a script that had been written by someone else. 

The mother, a beautiful woman with long dark hair and crimson red eyes, attempted to break the ice, her voice like a gentle breeze on a summer's day. 

'So, how was your day, Ryo dear?' she asked, her tone laced with concern. 

Ryo's response was as flat as the tone of the meal. 

'As usual, completely uneventful and nothing out of the ordinary.' 

Aimi glared at him, her eyes flashing with anger, as if she wanted to point out something, but her words were cut off by their father, who had been silent until now. 

The father's voice was like a thunderclap, loud and judgmental, as he launched into a tirade about Ryo's social awkwardness. 

'Where do you think you're going, we haven't had that chat about your future yet...I want you to be social enough so you can actually be a man of value when you get older...You were supposed to be like your old man...I don't understand why your mom gave birth to some socially awkward brat...' 

Ryo's face remained impassive, his eyes glazing over as he tuned out the lecture. He had heard it all before, and it was nothing new. 

He quietly got up from the table, his movements economical and precise, and made his way up the stairs to his room, locking the door behind him. 

The sound of his father's voice was muffled, but Ryo could still feel the weight of his disapproval, like a physical presence in the room. But Ryo was used to it, and it didn't bother him. He had long since learned to tune out the noise, to retreat into his own world, where he was safe from the judgments and expectations of others.

Ryo's disdain for his family burned deep within him. He loathed his obnoxious, stuck-up sister, who always seemed to find fault in everything he did. 

His mother, with her constant criticism and pretentious acceptance of his flaws, was just as bad. And then there was his father, a man who ruled with an iron fist, beating his mother and forcing his own ideals on others. 

Ryo had long since concluded that humans were scum, and it was a wonder he could even tolerate their presence. Perhaps it was this deep-seated hatred that had rendered him unable to see other people's faces, reducing them to mere blobs of featureless flesh. 

As he gazed around his room, he felt a sense of comfort wash over him. The posters of his favorite characters and the merchandise from his beloved novels were a reminder that there was more to life than the drudgery of his daily existence. 

His bed, in particular, was his sanctuary, a place where he could escape into his own fictional world and process his thoughts. 

'I feel like I'm trapped in this endless cycle,' 

he thought, his mind numb with despair. 

'I wake up, I go to school, I come back to this horrible place, I get chewed out, I repeat it... and repeat... and repeat... and repeat these actions over and over again. There's no substance to my being, I have no hopes for the future. Maybe I should just quietly die.' 

The thought sent a shiver down his spine, but he knew he couldn't give up yet. He still had to finish reading 'Moonlit Night', his favorite novel. 

Just as he was starting to drift off into his own little world, his phone buzzed with a notification. It was a message from his boss, reminding him that he had to go to work. 

The sun had only just set, and the night was still young. 

'That's right, I have my part-time job too,' 

he thought, a sense of resignation washing over him. He would have to put his thoughts of escape on hold, at least for now.

He slipped on his jacket, a thin layer of protection against the cold weather that would soon settle in. 

'I'm heading out,' he said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

His mom's response was automatic, a habitual farewell that held little warmth. 

'Be safe, and don't come back too late.' Ryo nodded, already distant, as he stepped out into the night. 

At work, the routine was numbingly familiar. He stood behind the cash register, a cog in the machine of a convenience store. 

A man came to the register, complaining about something, but Ryo's mind had already wandered. 

He felt lightheaded, disconnected from the world around him. He looked at the man, his eyes unfocused, and began to bow, again and again, a mechanical apology. 

The shift dragged on, a never-ending cycle of monotony. Finally, it was over, and Ryo headed back out into the night. 

The pale crescent moon hung in the sky, a silvery claw that seemed to reach out and snatch at the stars. 

The city lights were distant, a hum of activity that barely penetrated the darkness. The silence was broken only by the distant barking of dogs, a mournful sound that echoed through the night. 

Ryo walked, his feet carrying him forward on autopilot. He was still dizzy, his mind foggy, and he stumbled slightly as he walked. Suddenly, he was confronted by a group of alley thugs, their faces twisted with cruel intent. 

They pulled back his jacket, and Ryo felt a surge of pain as they beat him to a pulp. They took his money, his cellphone, and left him lying in the dirt. 

But Ryo's expression didn't change, even as he struggled to his feet. He was numb, devoid of emotion, a shell of a person. He began to walk, his feet carrying him forward, even as his mind wandered. 

He missed the path that led to his home, but he kept walking, driven by some unknown force. And then, he stumbled across something that made his heart skip a beat. 

A dark mirror, with an ancient framework, stood in the middle of the road. It was an object that seemed out of place, a thing that didn't belong in this world. 

But as Ryo approached, he felt a strange sense of connection, a sense of being drawn towards it. The mirror illuminated a dim light, a soft glow that seemed to call to him. 

Ryo walked forward, his feet moving of their own accord, and with each step, his consciousness began to fade. He was being pulled towards the mirror, drawn into its depths, and he couldn't resist. 

The world around him grew darker, the stars twinkling like diamonds in the sky, and Ryo felt himself being sucked into the abyss, a vortex of darkness that seemed to have no end.