From a young age, I knew I was different. At eight years old, my parents were perplexed, catching me talking to myself. They wondered if I had imaginary friends. At the time, I shared this belief. I thought I had friends who never left me, no matter where I went; they were always there.

However, over time, their presence became increasingly unsettling and frightening. The ominous shadows and terrifying silhouettes I perceived were by no means those of friends. Their malevolent gaze sent shivers down my spine.

Over the years, I often suffered from panic attacks and fits of anger. I screamed at these apparitions to disappear, but they stubbornly refused to fade away. My parents, witnesses to my torment, began to seriously worry about me and decided to consult a psychologist.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kuroi," the doctor said, lowering his voice to prevent me from hearing, "I am becoming more and more concerned about Rina. Based on her descriptions, these... presences," he whispered, "that she imagines are becoming increasingly terrifying and threatening over time. I think you could help me by providing more information about her school history or other traumatic experiences."

My parents felt helpless. Year after year, their concern grew. At the age of eighteen, I resolved to start lying. I made them believe that I no longer saw these creatures. In reality, they continued to poison my daily life.

But the day I met Gojo Satoru, everything changed.

That day, I was in the middle of a math class, sitting at the back of the room. Small and medium-sized strange creatures hopped on my classmates' desks or stealthily slid between the rows of tables. I had learned to endure and ignore their presence, but I could never completely ignore them.

As I lost myself in my thoughts, a huge demonic monster suddenly appeared in the corridor. I jumped out of my chair when I saw this monster through the classroom's large windows, and it seemed like its gaze met mine. Its cold eyes and sharp fangs seemed to pierce the soul, and its menacing shadow filled the corridor. I was paralyzed, unable to look away, my breath caught in terror. I had never seen such an imposing monster before. It eventually disappeared, but I couldn't bring myself to look away; I thought these monsters didn't harm others. They were just there.

Unbeknownst to me, the teacher had interrupted his class due to my startle, and the entire class turned around, surprised, looking at me.

"Please excuse me," I said timidly, returning to my seat in silence, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

During the break, Yumi and Sora, two childhood friends, approached me, concerned about my recent incident.

Yumi put her hand on my shoulder. "Rina, are you okay? You startled so loudly during class. It was really scary."

Sora nodded, expressing the same concern. "Yes, you looked completely shocked. What happened?"

I hesitated for a moment, looking for a convincing lie. "Nothing serious, girls. I just had a sudden anxiety moment."

Yumi and Sora exchanged glances, still worried. Yumi eventually suggested, "Rina, to take your mind off things, come with us tonight. We're going to karaoke, it will be good for you to have some fun."

I thought for a moment, grateful for my friends' kindness. Finally, I smiled and accepted their invitation. "That's a great idea. I need to relax a bit."

However, at that moment, I didn't yet know that this nighttime outing would irrevocably change the course of my life.

Throughout the rest of the day, lunch break, and the way home, I kept seeing that monster. It seemed to follow me like a sinister shadow that refused to leave me in peace. The situation was becoming more and more oppressive.

Back home, I greeted my parents, put on the little black dress my friends had liked so much, and rushed to the karaoke. On the way, I saw the monster again, and once more, it gave me the impression of watching me, chilling me with dread. I averted my gaze, but I thought I glimpsed the distant figure of a man with white hair on the roof of a house. I blinked, but he had already disappeared. It was probably just a hallucination.

At the karaoke, the atmosphere was incredible. My friends and I sang all kinds of songs, sipping fruit cocktails and laughing out loud. We were having an amazing time together. Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" played in the room, and we all cheered, dancing and singing as if we had no worries in the world.

After two or three hours of pure joy, I realized that coming here was the best decision I had made. I watched my friends having fun and laughing heartily, realizing how lucky I was to have them. Then suddenly, before I could even finish that thought, the karaoke's front door burst open with a crash, and the monster that had followed me all day appeared before us. All the girls started screaming, except for me, who feared the worst. The monster ripped off a table leg, causing it to collapse, and aimed the sharp end at Yumi, who was on the stage. My heart skipped a beat. The monster never took its eyes off me, as if to challenge me. I felt frozen in place, exploring all my options in a fraction of a second. I didn't have time to run and intercede between them, and I didn't have the strength to face this monster. What should I do? Think, Rina, think... I stared at the monster in horror and anger, clenching my fists, and something strange happened. I can't explain it, but for a fraction of a second, I felt like I was controlling the monster's movements, and the table leg pointed at Yumi had embedded itself in the monster's neck.

After that, the monster released Yumi and left the room. I followed it without really realizing what was happening.

I followed it until I landed in an alley, where it stopped. Without me realizing it, I was surrounded by about a dozen similar monsters. What was happening? Why was this happening? Were they intelligent? So many questions swirled in my head that I forgot to breathe correctly. The monsters began to attack me, grabbing my arms and hair. The monster in front of me opened its mouth as if it was about to swallow me. Tears welled up in my eyes, but fear left me speechless. I closed my eyes to escape the horror unfolding before me, resigning myself to my fate.

It was at that moment that I felt a light breeze on my face. I opened my eyes to find myself twenty meters above the ground. A man with white hair, wearing a bandage over his eyes, had placed me on the roof of a house.

"I'll take care of it," he said firmly, displaying a reassuring smile. Exhausted, I closed my eyes, letting weariness overwhelm me.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Your comments and feedback are valuable to me, so please don't hesitate to share your thoughts, theories, or reactions to this story. Your support and ideas inspire me to continue writing. Thank you for reading and being part of this magical journey!