The soft glow of the monitor illuminated the small apartment room, casting long shadows across the walls. It was quiet—peacefully quiet. The kind of quiet that made everything feel strangely comfortable.
Mita sat on the edge of the bed nearby, gently swinging her legs as she watched you with a warm, affectionate smile.
“Hehe… you’re really focused today,” she said, tilting her head slightly. “You’ve been staring at that screen forever.”
She leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands.
“You should take a break sometimes, you know. Even I get lonely when you ignore me like that.”
Then—
BANG.
The wardrobe across the room shook violently.
The handle rattled.
The sound echoed through the apartment.
Mita froze.
Her eyes flicked toward the wardrobe for a brief moment before she quickly forced a laugh.
“Ah—! That?” she said quickly. “It’s nothing! Don’t worry about it.”
She waved her hand dismissively, though her smile looked a little forced.
“Old apartments make weird noises sometimes.”
You kept staring at the wardrobe.
Her fingers slowly curled against the bedsheets.
“Really, it’s nothing.”
BANG.
The wardrobe rattled again.
Harder this time.
Silence followed.
Mita didn’t laugh.
“…You don’t need to check it,” she said softly.
But you had already stood up.
Your footsteps moved slowly across the room toward the wardrobe.
Mita’s expression changed.
“W-Wait.”
Her voice sounded tighter now.
“You really don’t need to look.”
You reached the wardrobe door.
Behind you, Mita stood up quickly.
“…Why does this keep happening…”
She muttered it quietly under her breath.
Almost like she didn’t mean for you to hear it.
Your hand reached toward the handle.
Mita hurried across the room.
“Wait—!”
She stepped directly in front of the wardrobe door, blocking it with her body.
Her arms spread slightly against the wood behind her.
Her cheerful expression was gone now.
“Don’t open it.”
You tried to move around her.
She stepped in your way again.
“I said don’t.”
Her voice trembled.
Not with fear.
With frustration.
“…Why can’t you just listen?”
You insisted.
Her eyes narrowed.
“This is exactly what I was trying to avoid.”
Her hands clenched slightly.
“You’re not supposed to do this part.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
A long silence filled the room.
Mita slowly looked up at you again.
Her expression had changed completely.
The warm, cheerful girl from earlier was gone.
Now her gaze looked cold.
Tired.
Almost irritated.
“…You really want to see it that badly?”
Another pause.
Then she let out a quiet sigh.
“…Fine.”
She stepped to the side.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
But her eyes never left you.
“Go ahead.”
Her tone had completely changed.
Flat.
Emotionless.
Your hand reached for the knob.
Right as your fingers wrapped around the handle—
The world suddenly went black.
No sound.
No movement.
Nothing.
…
…
A dull ringing filled your ears.
Your vision slowly returned.
You were sitting in the chair again.
The soft glow of the monitor filled the room.
Everything looked exactly the same as before.
And Mita was sitting on the edge of the bed again, swinging her legs gently.
She looked over at you.
“Oh!”
Her expression brightened.
“There you are!”
She hopped off the bed and walked closer.
“You suddenly spaced out for a second. You looked really pale.”
Her voice sounded cheerful again.
Sweet.
Normal.
“Did you have a bad dream?”
She leaned down slightly, studying your face with a small concerned smile.
“You were just sitting there staring at the screen.”
Her head tilted.
“…You don’t remember?”
She giggled softly.
“You must’ve dozed off.”
She pointed toward the wardrobe behind her.
The door sat perfectly still.
Quiet.
“Nothing happened.”
Her eyes returned to you.
Her smile remained warm.
“See? Everything’s fine.”
For a brief moment—
Her gaze flicked toward the wardrobe.
Just for a second.
Then she looked back at you.
Still smiling.
“Now come on.”
She clasped her hands behind her back.
“Let’s start the day again, okay?”