Riku came home with heavy steps, dragging Mei's thin legs across the creaky floor. He didn't bother changing out of the uniform. The apartment felt colder than usual. Quiet. Empty.
He sat down on the only chair in the room, staring blankly ahead.
"What is the video? Why did she say it like that in the dream…?"
And he fell asleep right there—still sitting in the chair.
In the Dream
The world around him was pale and gray. A space that felt both real and not. A thick fog surrounded him, the floor beneath his feet cold and endless.
"Mei?" Riku called out, spinning slowly. "Are you here?"
A voice answered. Soft. Distant. Sad.
"Yes."
"Where am I? Why do I keep coming here?" Riku asked. "What is this place?"
A pause.
"This is where I came when I cried myself to sleep."
Riku's chest tightened.
"And the video? What is it?" he asked.
Another pause. Then Mei's voice returned—fainter than before.
"I'll tell you."
"Please. I need to know. What happened?" Riku's voice cracked.
Mei's tone was hollow now, distant like a fading memory.
"Listen."
Flashback: That Morning
The morning sun was weak that day, hidden behind clouds as if it, too, didn't want to shine.
Mei walked the narrow road to school like she always did, her bag held close, eyes tired but determined. Another long day. Another shift waiting after class. Another notebook to finish before—
"Hey."
A voice behind her.
She froze.
No… not again.
"Asahi…?" she turned slowly.
The boy stood with his hands in his pockets, a smirk on his face that sent a chill down Mei's spine.
"Yo," he said casually. "You going to school?"
Before she could answer, he grabbed her wrist roughly and pulled her toward the alley behind the school gates.
"What are you—!"
"Give me money," Asahi interrupted.
"W-What money…?" Mei's voice trembled.
"You know. The usual." He leaned closer, his breath sharp with arrogance. "Five thousand yen. Daily."
"I told you—I don't have money!" Mei's voice rose. "I won't give you anything!"
Asahi's smile didn't waver. Instead, he pulled out his phone and held it up.
The screen lit up.
The thumbnail of a video.
Mei's face went pale.
"No… Not that video…" she whispered, taking a step back.
Asahi pressed play.
On the screen was that night. That night. Mei and Riku—when everything changed. Her voice, her confusion, her vulnerability.
"I didn't know it was recorded…" she gasped.
Asahi turned the screen off and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"I didn't record that… Riku did. Or maybe you don't want this going on social media, huh?" His voice was low. Cruel.
Mei's knees trembled. "Please… don't… I'll tell Riku… he'll—"
"You think he cares? He gave me the video," Asahi lied with ease. "So listen carefully."
He pulled out a thick stack of notebooks.
"Ten books. Complete the homework. Every week. Give me money. Every month. Got it?"
Tears filled her eyes.
"I can't… I won't…"
"Then everyone will see that little video of yours," he said, before walking away like nothing happened.
Later That Day
Mei sat in her room, the notebook pages blurring through her tears. The desk lamp flickered. Her fingers cramped from hours of writing.
"I didn't go to my part-time job…" she whispered, voice hoarse. "They fired me…"
She stared down at the unfinished assignments.
"No money… nothing left…"
Her hands clenched the pen so tightly it cracked.
"Then… then I wished… I wished you'd feel the same, Riku… feel helpless… trapped… like I was…"
Present Day – The Dream World
Riku's breath was shallow.
He stood frozen, listening to Mei's voice through the dream. Her spirit, trapped in sorrow.
"I didn't shoot that video… I didn't give it to Asahi…" Riku said quietly, his head lowered. "I don't know how he got it… but I swear…"
Mei appeared before him—not fully real, her form flickering like mist.
Tears streamed down her face.
"Then why did you let this happen to me?" she cried. "You weren't there! You never knew… Every day he came to me—threatened me, blackmailed me!"
Riku reached out, but his hand passed through her like wind.
"I'm sorry… Mei, I'm sorry… but I didn't know—"
"What's the use of your sorry now?!" Mei screamed.
The dream began to crumble, her sobs echoing like shattering glass.
"Do you know what it's like to cry alone every night, Riku? To live in fear? To break and still be forced to smile?"
Riku fell to his knees, his heart in pieces.
"I didn't want this… for you… for anyone…"
But Mei was already fading again into the gray.
And her final words in that dream were quiet. Shattered.
"You live in my body now, Riku… So carry my pain, too."
The dreamworld had become eerily silent.
Riku stood in the strange gray space, the air heavy and cold. Mei's voice echoed softly around him, like wind through a forgotten forest.
"So this is your task," she said.
Riku looked up. "What is it?"
There was a pause before she answered.
"You must delete that video from Asahi's mobile."
"And when the school sees the video… you'll tell them it's fake."
Riku's eyes widened. "The whole school?"
"Yes." Her voice was low. "They need to hear it from you. They never believed me. They laughed. They whispered. I became a joke. You... have to make it right."
Riku clenched his fists. "That's… simple. I can do it."
A slight, bitter chuckle slipped through Mei's voice.
"Then do it before summer vacation starts."
"Summer vacation? That's only ten days away."
"Ten days are enough," Mei said coldly. "If you succeed… I'll return your body."
Riku nodded slowly. "Then I'll do it. No matter what."
silence returned for a moment.
But Riku broke it.
"…And if I don't do it in ten days?" he asked, a slight tremble in his voice.
The air around him darkened. Mei's voice came, soft—but haunting.
"Then… you'll be stuck in my body, forever."
His breath caught. "And… you?"
There was a long pause. Then Mei answered, her voice barely a whisper.
"I'll disappear."
"Alone."
"Forgotten."
Riku's eyes widened in shock. "No… that can't happen. I… I won't let it."
"You'll be free," she said quietly. "But I won't be."
Riku took a step forward in the dreamworld, his hands clenched.
"No. That situation will never come."
His voice was firm now, full of resolve.
"I swear, Mei. I'll finish everything in ten days. I'll make them all regret hurting you. I'll delete the video. I'll make the school see the truth."
Silence followed again—until Mei's voice finally softened.
"Then prove it."
And with that—
FLASH
The dream vanished.
Riku woke up, heart pounding.
He sat up slowly in bed, still in Mei's body. But his eyes—her eyes—were no longer lost.
They were burning with determination.
"I'm not just doing this to return to my body," he muttered. "I'm doing this… for her."
"Day one begins now."
Riku groaned as he sat up on the bed. The sunlight crept through the curtains.
Then it hit him.
"Oh… right. I'm still in her body."
His face turned red.
He touched his chest—still there.
"This is so… weird."
Then—a sudden pressure in his stomach.
"Ah… toilet. Toilet!"
He dashed toward the bathroom, but stopped mid-step, frozen.
"Wait. Wait. I can't… this is a girl's body! How do I even…!"
His face turned crimson. "Do I really have to… sit down?!"
He stared at the toilet, then at the mirror. Mei's reflection looked back.
"I'm sorry, Mei. I swear I'm not enjoying this."
Ten minutes later, he came out, looking like a man who had seen war.
Kitchen – 8:00 AM
Riku opened the fridge.
Empty.
Well, not totally. There was rice, one egg, and soy sauce.
"Alright. Simple breakfast. I've seen cooking videos."
He put rice in a pan.
Ten minutes later, the rice was burning, the egg had fallen on the floor, and the soy sauce was spilled like blood.
Riku sat down, defeated.
"How did Mei live like this every day…?"
His stomach growled.
He looked at the burnt pan.
"Nope. I'm going to school hungry."
He picked up Mei's bag and looked at the mirror one more time.
His face was still hers. But inside… he was ready.
"Asahi. I'm coming for you."
He stepped out the door.