"Up next, we have Mika Kisatani performing her new single, 'Dance and Dance!'"
The crowd went wild as a sixteen year old girl with bouncing blonde curls and a beautiful smile ran on the stage with a microphone in hand.
"Thank you everyone for coming! Let's dance!" she giggled into the mic. The crowd yelled even louder as music began playing. Mika began dancing and the crowd followed along best they could.
"So this is our target?"
"Yeah. I wonder what she must have done."
"She's a pop star. There are so many things."
"You sound mad, Reika. Something bothering you?"
"I hate human music and you know that, Suzumi."
"Aww. Play along for once in your life!"
In the audience, a girl who looked no older than twelve was playfully hitting an older looking female. The younger girl, Suzumi, had blonde twin tails that barely reached her slender shoulders and big brown eyes. The older girl, Reika, had long, flowing black hair that reached her knees and covered her red tinted eyes.
They observed the audience quickly to find their client. Everyone seemed happy as they danced to the cheerful music. "I don't think she'd be here," Reika said.
"You never know. She could be here to watch her enemy die if she pulls the string now," Suzumi said.
"I don't sense Takumi's presence. He isn't here, so let's just go," Reika said, turning around.
"But I don't want t- hey! Let go!" She was cut off when the raven haired girl dragged her by her pig tails.
Reika made her way through the crowd with Suzumi reluctantly behind. Outside, there was a girl with long light brown hair tied in braids on either side of her head stood in front of them. She wore a long white dress that fell to her knees. The dress was long sleeved and had laces and strings from hem to hem. She looked like an angel.
"Reika. Suzumi. Let's go," the girl said in a quiet yet gentle voice.
"Yes, mistress," the two girls said.
In an apartment on the other side of town, a girl watched Mika's performance on a small computer monitor.
"She is so cheerful, so perfect. I hate her so much."
The girl turned off her monitor and checked her phone. There was one unread text waiting to be opened.
The sender was Mika Kisatani.
"Mai! I'll be on TV today, so you better be watching! Miss you! xoxo"
Mai clutched her phone and threw it on the bed. Mika was a childhood friend of hers. They were inseparable…or so she thought.
In middle school, they entered a talent show as a musical duo and won first place. Both girls were happy about their victory until a music producer confronted Mika.
Soon after, Mika was sighed to a record label and left Mai among the crowd. Mai was left abandoned and alone. Her only friend chose singing over her and even though they stayed in contact, it felt lonely.
She couldn't bear it anymore. The day she found the Hell Correspondence website changed her.
If you enter a name in the website, that person will be sent to Hell. Mai was desperate to get rid of Mika.
She entered the name and a screen popped up, saying it was accepted. As she sighed in relief, she felt an unknown presence.
Mai turned around and she was somehow standing in a large field. Everything had a red tint from the setting sun in the distance. Mai thought it looked like something straight out of a movie.
But it wasn't.
"Hello."
Behind Mai stood the girl with braided brown hair and the white lacey dress. "Have you called me?"
Mai was speechless as she looked at the angel-like girl. She could only nod as a response.
"I am Kurumi Tensei," the angel said. A man who looked about twenty years old appeared behind her. He was in a formal tuxedo and a top hat. "Takumi."
"Yes, mistress," the man said. He disappeared as quickly as he came and a straw doll with a thin red thread tied around the neck took his place.
Kurumi picked up the straw doll and gave it to Mai. "If you pull the string around its neck, you'll form a contract with me and your revenge will be granted," Kurumi said. Mai looked down at the doll and held the string in between her fingers. "But, you'll pay the price as well. You too must be taken to Hell once you die."
Mai released the string and looked at the angel. "Why do I have to go to Hell for her?! It's not worth it!" she yelled.
Kurumi held out her hand. "Then give it back."
Mai was about to return it, but couldn't move. Part of her wanted to keep it and the other part didn't.
After a moment of silence, Kurumi spoke. "Make the right decision." With that, Mai was back in her bedroom with the doll and no one else.
She waited several days, but couldn't pull the string. She didn't want to go to Hell, but she might have to.
Mai looked at her watch and turned her monitor back on. An interview with Mika was playing live.
"Mika, you have been getting popular very fast. How did your career begin?" the interviewer asked.
Mika leaned into the microphone and answered. "I was in a talent show in middle school and won first place. Apparently, my future manager was in the crowd and, well, you can guess what happened next," she said.
Mai made a fist as she heard the answer. Mika was stealing the glory of their win. Not hers, theirs.
"Would you like to say anything else before we go?" the interviewer asked.
"I'd like to thank my manager and my parents for supporting me one hundred percent!" she said. The interview bid farewell to the viewers and some news story began showing.
Mai couldn't believe what she'd heard. Not only was she taking the credit for the talent show win, she didn't even thank her or mention her. Anger filled the teen as she hastily grabbed the straw doll.
"Since I'm nothing to you, I'll make you nothing to everyone," she said as she pulled the string. A strange wind surrounded the doll and it disappeared.
"Thanks our cue," Reika said.
"Let's get going!" Suzumi cheered.
Mika finished singing another song and the crowd went wild. This had been the third song in her encore and she was trying hard not to collapse from exhaustion.
The crowd stopped cheering and she bowed, thinking everyone was done with the concert. As she rose, she realized the silence was because no one was in the audience. "That was fast," Mika said. She looked around in the stands and couldn't find a single soul in sight.
"Boo! That's terrible! You call that singing?!"
An unknown voice shouted at her and there was no one around that she could see.
"Get off the stage!"
"You suck!"
"Where is that voice coming from?" Mika asked. She looked at the passages that led backstage and they were usually dark. It was almost as if it led to nothingness.
Mika slowly picked up her feet and walked over to the darkness. "Hello?" she called out. The only thing that responded was an echo. Confused and getting scared, she walked inside. "Hello? Is anybody there?"
"Ooh, someone new. Entertain us," a voice said. Mika turned and saw Takumi standing behind.
"You know she can't," Reika said, stepping out from behind Takumi.
"Then I will!" Suzumi said. In her small hand, she held a large kitchen knife. Mika spun on her heels and ran away screaming. "You won't get away!" Suzumi yelled.
"Somebody help me!" Mika screamed.
"No one will save you," Reika said.
"Somebody, anybody, please save me!" Mika screamed again.
Takumi chuckled as he snapped his fingers. "Mistress, it's your turn."
Mika ran until she bumped into something and fell.
It was Kurumi.
"I will save your poor soul," she said. Kurumi placed her gentle hand over Mika's eyes and she was out cold.
When she awoke, Mika was on a long row boat. There were lanterns in the water around her and a low fog. "Where am I?" she asked. Mika sat up and saw Kurumi rowing the boat.
"I will take you to Hell," she said.
Her eyes widened as she heard this. "What?! Why?!"
"Someone's revenge brought you here."
"Who's?!"
Kurumi remained quiet as she rowed the boat. The silence and the overwhelming realization that she was dead caused tears to spill down Mika's face.
On the shore, Reika, Takumi, and Suzumi watched Mika being transported.
"Ignorant," Reika said.
"The fame got to her head," Takumi said.
"It sure did," Suzumi added.
Back in the human world, Mai watched the news on her computer. "Mika Kisatani has been missing for three days now without a trace. If you have any information, please call the number below," a news reporter said.
"Hehehe, you'll never find her," Mai whispered. She turned off the monitor and saw her reflection in it. Mai pushed her shirt down a little to reveal a small black flame marked on her skin.
"No one will find her. Ever."
Author's Note
So after a looooooong time, I finally finished the whole Hell Girl series, including seasons two and three. I wish they were in English already. TT^TT The whole series is so intriguing and I love it. So, I decided to make a new Hell Correspondence. It seemed like a good idea until I started writing...Oh well! I hope you'll enjoy it!
Until next time, sayonara~!