Uraba

Renji Sakara is an ordinary high school student with a simple dream—confess his feelings to the girl he likes, Aika, the quiet and mysterious beauty of his class. So when she unexpectedly invites him over to her house, he feels like the luckiest guy in the world.

But his dream quickly turns into a nightmare. Aika drugs his drink, and when Renji wakes up, he finds himself strapped to a ritual circle in a dark basement, surrounded by eerie symbols and blood-stained relics. Aika, once kind and gentle, now stands before him with a wicked grin.

"Finally… after so many sacrifices, it worked!"

Before he can react, his body twists and contorts—his flesh reshaping, his bones cracking, his mind drowning in a storm of unfamiliar instincts. Renji is no longer human. He is something else.

Monster carrier

Renji had lost track of time. The basement was his world now—a prison filled with the stench of dried blood, old spellwork, and the lingering whispers of his own suffering.

Aika had gone to school. That was the only mercy in his torment.

He lay on the cold floor, staring at the chains that bound him. They were enchanted, designed to suppress his strength. But he had discovered something about his new body.

During the last few days, when Aika wasn't watching, he had experimented. His body could generate a thick, dense smoke. And when he focused hard enough, he realized the smoke could form illusions.

Summoning every bit of strength he had left, he exhaled, letting the dark mist spill from his body. Slowly, it filled the basement, creeping along the walls and floor like living shadows.

An illusion—his own body still lying in the chains.

With careful movements, he actually slipped out of his bindings, crawling to the far corner of the room. His heart pounded. He only had one shot at this.

The door creaked open. Aika stepped inside, humming a little tune. Her eyes landed on the illusion of him still bound.

And for the first time… she frowned.

"How…?" she muttered, stepping closer.

Renji bolted, rushing up the stairs with everything he had. His legs burned, his lungs ached—but the promise of freedom pushed him forward.

The cold night air greeted him as he stumbled into the forest. The scent of wet leaves and earth was overwhelming. His monstrous body was still unfamiliar, his breathing sharp.

A laugh nearly escaped his throat.

Chains coiled around his body, yanking him back.

He crashed into the dirt with a gasp. The pressure on his chest was suffocating as Aika slowly stepped out of the darkness, her crimson eyes glowing in the moonlight.

She licked her lips, a twisted grin forming. "Impressive~" she purred. "So you can make illusions now? Now I want to experiment on you even more."

Her head tilted, eyes gleaming with something worse than obsession.

"…I think I might be in love with you."

But before he could process her words—

A gunshot echoed through the trees.

Aika barely reacted. With a flick of her wrist, her chains snapped up, blocking the bullet midair. Sparks flew as the projectile deflected into the ground.

Then—a voice rang out from the shadows.

"So this is where you've been hiding, you crazy little bitch."

Renji's breath caught. Someone else was here.

And for the first time… Aika's grin faltered.

The Escape That Never Was