Haruki lay on his narrow bed in his tiny Tokyo apartment, staring up at the cracked ceiling. The past few nights had been brutal. Those dreams… sticky, recurring dreams that left him waking up drenched in shame and exhaustion.
"Again?" he muttered to himself, pressing his palms hard against his eyelids. "This time… I won't wake up. I'll take control. I'll stay inside it forever if I have to."
He closed his eyes. Sleep swallowed him quickly.
The street felt familiar, but distorted—like every dream always was. Neon lights danced in shallow puddles of rain. A metallic scent hung in the air carried by a nonexistent breeze.
Haruki stood there, body trembling with pent-up desire.
Then he saw her.
She stood across the sidewalk, wearing a thin white dress that clung to her body like a second skin. Her long black hair flowed like silk, swaying gently even without wind. Her crimson eyes gleamed with a direct, lustful stare—as if she could read every filthy thought in his head.
Yumi (voice soft like wind through cherry blossoms, yet laced with hidden seduction):
"…You came back again, Haruki-kun. Do you miss me that much?"
Haruki (clenching his fists, trying to sound firm despite his pounding heart):
"This time is different. I know this is a dream. And I won't let you control me anymore."
She stepped closer slowly. Her smile widened just a fraction. Those ruby-red eyes pierced straight through him.
Yumi:
"You controlling me? Cute idea. You create me every night… from all that suppressed desire inside you. I'm just a reflection of what you really want."
Haruki (lunging forward suddenly, grabbing both her wrists tightly—he could feel the real warmth of her skin):
"Enough. If you're part of me… then I'll do whatever I want. I won't wake up. I won't let you escape."
Yumi (crying out, voice mixing fear and thrill, struggling weakly as if half-enjoying it):
"Let go! What are you doing?! This is your dream… but you can't keep it forever!"
Haruki (pulling her against him, whispering roughly near her ear):
"Yes, I can. I'll stay here… with you… no matter how long it takes."
Suddenly, pure white light exploded, blinding everything. Yumi's scream faded into nothingness.
Then… silence.
Haruki opened his eyes slowly. The room was dark. The alarm clock glowed 3:00 a.m. Sweat soaked his shirt.
"Damn it…" he whispered, wiping his face with a shaking hand. "Failed again."
But something moved beside him on the bed. His heart stopped.
He turned.
There she was.
Yumi, lying right next to him—completely naked, just like in the dream. Her black silk hair spilled across the pillow like spilled ink. Her crimson eyes were wide open, staring at him with genuine shock… and real fear.
Yumi (whispering, voice trembling for the first time):
"…Where… is this place? The light… and then I was here. My body… it feels cold. This… isn't the dream."
Haruki (scrambling back until he hit the wall, eyes wide):
"Impossible… You're… here? How did you get in?!"
Yumi slowly lifted her hand, brushing her own arm as if confirming her own existence. Her skin looked impossibly smooth under the faint moonlight slipping through the window.
Yumi:
"You… you did this. You held me so tight… then the light… and suddenly I was here. I feel pain… hunger… fear. I'm… real now."
Haruki (swallowing hard, hesitantly reaching out to touch her shoulder):
"Cold… real. This can't be happening. I must still be dreaming… I have to be—"
Yumi (suddenly grabbing his hand, squeezing hard enough to make him wince in pain):
"Do you feel that? The pain is real. I'm not an illusion anymore. In the dream… I had no name. But now… give me one. Call me… Yumi. Beauty of the dream. That's what you wanted me to be, right?"
Haruki (voice shaking):
"Yumi… What do I do now? I pulled you out of my dream… and I don't know how to send you back."
She looked up at him with those glowing crimson eyes—a mix of anger, curiosity, and something deeper… something far more dangerous.
Yumi (in a chillingly calm voice):
"Maybe… you don't want to send me back. Maybe this is what you've always dreamed of. To finally possess what kept slipping away. But remember, Haruki-kun… you brought me here. So you're responsible for me now. And for whatever happens next."
Silence fell. The room filled with electric tension. Outside the window, Tokyo slowly began to wake.
But inside this small apartment, something entirely new had just begun.