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A pair of white hands wove over shadowy fabric, dancing to a soft, eerie tune. If anyone had walked past the storage room at that moment, they wouldn’t help but feel a chill in their hearts. Humming to herself in the dark, Hijiribe Ruri’s pale skin almost seemed to glow. Along with her already otherworldly air, she looked more like a spirit than a young girl.
Ruri lifted the mask on her lap, admiring it lovingly in the dim light. The girl’s beautifully delicate face was contrasted by the monstrous mask. Its heavy, grotesque features further emphasized her unearthly presence, making her look ethereal to the point of being insubstantial. It was a scene out of an old Western oil painting - the lovely maiden taming the terrible beast. However, Ruri’s body held a monster much more dangerous than the false one in her hands. It would gradually emerge in the tragedy to come, awakened by Ruri’s crushing rage and despair. But for now, the dreamlike girl was still living in a quiet reverie, cheerfully imagining the monsters she shaped in her hands.
Ruri sighed happily
The upstairs studio had large glass windows. These were almost always open against the plastic fumes of the paints used in special makeup. As a result, the spacious room was always well ventilated and brightly lit. She ordinarily worked alongside her teacher there, although she preferred the dark storage room to the cheery studio. Hijiribe Ruri had a tremendous amount of respect for her teacher, despite his tendency to speak in ways that could be mistaken for sexual harassment.
Ruri, it seems that the actor playing Carmilla Saizou is an interesting person - a callous but warm young man.
I want you to make his mask.
He had said this to her before packing up his things to go on vacation with his wife, leaving Ruri alone for the weekend.
Gathering her materials, Ruri had eagerly moved her base of operations downstairs. Settling down amidst the stacks of paint and fabrics, she relished in the cool darkness. She went back in time to her childhood, where she would curl up in the dimmed living room in front of the television. Ruri adored the monsters she saw then.
Absolute freedom.
That was what they signified for her. In that overly large house of her past, she dreamt of being untethered from the world. Monsters always did as they pleased - rampaging and even bringing about destruction without regard.
Hijiribe Ruri desired freedom. However, she also knew that she was unable to become a monster herself - and so, she channeled her desire into the monsters she created. Her joy, sadness, anger and love - she left her heart in every stitch, every dab of paint.
Ruri smiled to herself, imagining the dark storage room as a cave where her monsters slept - waiting to awaken to the sunshine.
Hanejima Yuuhei… a callous but warm person…
Twirling the mask in her hands, she wondered about the young actor that would bring her monsters to life.
“I-I’m so sorry!”
Eh? I’m apologizing?
The assistant spoke in a shaking voice, bowing furiously purely out of instinct.
But he’s angry, isn’t he?
He stole a glance at the actor.
H-he’s definitely angry!
The young man known as Hanejima Yuuhei had been standing unmoving for several minutes. He seemed to be staring intently at something in front of him. However, his handsome face was utterly devoid of emotion. In face of this abnormal lack of expression, the assistant felt as if the room had dropped several degrees in temperature. Unable to guess at the actor’s thoughts, he could only assume that Yuuhei was displaying an icy fury.
In truth, Heiwajima Kasuka was surprised.
“Who made this mask?”
The assistant pushed up his glasses with shaking fingers. “I-It was Hijiribe Ruri-san from Zakuroya Tenjin’s studio, I think. I-If you are displeased with this costume, I can talk to the manager right away!” He sounded eager to make his escape.
“No, I think it’s very beautiful.”
Gently holding the painted fabric in his hands, Kasuka slowly ran his fingers over the stitches, feeling the multitude of emotions sewn into the seams.
“Ikeda-san,”
“Yes??”
“What does it feel like…. to be moved?”
“???”
Kasuka asked this rather vulnerable question with a completely expressionless voice, making him seem all the more alien and robotic.
“No… sorry, that was a selfish question.”
“!!??????”
Heiwajima Kasuka could not understand his own feelings nor the feelings of others. Thus, the awkward young man could not understand the questions in his heart.
Although he could not understand it, he felt a clenching sensation in his chest at a certain realization.
This person who made this mask…. Is probably someone who can love monsters...
This is a story of a human girl who wanted to become a monster and a monster who wanted to become a human boy. Years later, their paths would inevitably intertwine once again. But that would be another story.