The room was dark, almost completely black, with only a faint, sourceless glow that made the edges of things feel uncertain. No windows, no clock, no way to tell whether it was day or night. The air was still and heavy, carrying the faint scent of old wood and something metallic underneath, like rust or dried blood that had never quite been cleaned away.
Index sat motionless in an old wooden chair, his black suit and black gloves blending perfectly into the shadows. The smooth white mask covering his entire head caught no light at all. On his lap sat Crypt, the small child with long black hair spilling over her boys' clothing, her identical white mask tilted slightly as she swung her legs in that familiar, lazy rhythm.
Crypt tilted her head, her light, sing-song voice breaking the quiet first.
"So… that was quite the ride, wasn't it? From the very beginning."
Index remained silent for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Indeed."
Crypt giggled softly, swinging her legs a little higher. "Chapter 1. Rain on the roof. Mimo standing there getting soaked like it was the most normal thing in the world. Sorine pulling her inside, that little kiss… and then the group stumbling into the storage building. The first taste of Kyo. Sorine almost stayed with her mother. Vey chose to stay hollow. They all fought their way out, but the hollow got a little bigger that day. Cute, really."
Index's voice was low and calm. "They refused."
"Exactly!" Crypt clapped her small gloved hands once. "Then Mimo doing her night work. That poor salaryman in the alley — throat open, guts everywhere. She wiped the knife so neatly. Addictive little thing, isn't she? And the observers watching from the corner. That was us, by the way."
Index gave the faintest sigh. "We were there, and it wasn't a salaryman but a teen boy."
Crypt leaned back against his chest, still swinging her legs. "Chapter 2. Kairo waking up hard, staring at that torn picture of Mimo like it was holy. Poor boy. Then the group going to the roof, Tsubaki teasing him. Ren dropping those little warnings that sounded like threats. 'Some grips come with teeth.' Classic Ren."
She paused, then added with a playful lilt, "And Vey being all mysterious and non-binary cool in the back. I like Vey. They try so hard to stay empty."
Index murmured, "They succeeded… for now."
"Chapter 3," Crypt continued cheerfully. "Vey in the science lab. The room turning into that warm love hotel, mirrors everywhere, illusions of the group promising they'd never leave. Vey fought it so stubbornly. 'I'd rather stay hollow.' Brave. Stupid, but brave."
Index nodded once. "The room listened."
Crypt giggled again. "Then Tsubaki's turn. Poor girl thought she was on a date with Ren. The warehouse, the little boy first — all that gentle talking until he broke inside. Then the pipe work. Brutal, but clean. Mimo really has a talent."
She swung her legs faster. "Chapter 4, 5, 6… the group falling apart after Tsubaki. Sorine's pure sadness, Vey's rage at Ren, Kairo's quiet spiral, Mimo playing the perfect supportive girlfriend while hiding everything. Kairo jerking off to Mimo's picture in his room like it was therapy. That was… entertaining."
Index's tone stayed even. "Necessary coping."
"Chapter 7, the crêpes date that never happened because of the rain," Crypt said, clearly enjoying herself. "Kairo trying so hard to confess, rain interrupting at the worst moment. Then the store — all those bodies. Kairo vomiting, getting hard from the trauma because his brain only knows one way to deal with fear now. Mimo just standing there like she was looking at spilled milk. No disgust at all."
She leaned closer to Index conspiratorially. "That Ren-faced Kyo in the back, stabbing everything. Revenant, wasn't it? Wearing his face, killing like it was practice."
Index finally spoke a bit more. "It was."
Crypt clapped lightly. "Then the bus stop. Kairo spilling his guts — literally and emotionally. Confessing his love, the guilt over Tsubaki, the nightmares, the masturbation habit. Mimo touching his face and saying 'the hollow was hungry.' She's getting bold."
Index gave a small, almost amused sound — rare for him. "She is adapting."
"And now," Crypt said, swinging her legs again, "Sorine in the repeating hallway for who-knows-how-long, fighting the loop until Ren carried her out. Vey slapping him. The janitor room talk. Hikaru finding Aiko's body. Everything spinning faster."
She paused, counting on her small gloved fingers with exaggerated seriousness. "So that was… Chapter 1, 2, 3… wait, Chapter 8? No, Chapter 9? Wait — Chapter 11? I think I lost count somewhere around the crêpes."
Index turned his masked head slightly toward her. His voice was dry, calm, and teasing in that understated way only he could manage.
"You are getting it all wrong. You can't count well. Better to repeat kindergarten."
Crypt gasped dramatically, clutching her chest as if mortally wounded. "Index! How cruel! I am a highly sophisticated observer. I do not need kindergarten."
Index remained perfectly still, but there was the faintest hint of amusement in his tone. "Apparently you do."
Crypt huffed, crossing her arms, but her legs kept swinging. "Fine. Whatever. The point is, they're all so busy refusing the offers. It's almost admirable. Almost."
She leaned back against his chest again, the playful energy returning. "They're stumbling around, trying to hold onto their little friendships while the hollows inside them keep getting wider. Sorine fighting so hard to keep moving forward. Vey clinging to their distance like it's armor. Kairo drowning in guilt and using Mimo's picture as a life raft. And Mimo… sweet, gentle Mimo, feeding her own hunger while smiling at everyone."
Index nodded once. "The viscera is starting to show."
"Exactly!" Crypt said brightly. "And we get to watch the whole thing. The rain, the blood, the confessions that get interrupted at the worst moment. It's like a soap opera, but with more stabbing."
Index was quiet for a longer moment this time. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and serious.
"This is only the beginning of someone's grand plan. This… is the genesis of it all."
Crypt stopped swinging her legs for a second, then nodded slowly, the playful tone fading into something quieter, more thoughtful.
"Yeah… it feels like the real story is just starting to wake up."
She looked up at Index, her masked face somehow conveying a grin. "We agree to keep observing till the end of the story, right? It's going to encompass the entire world if it were to be written, after all."
Index was quiet for a beat, then replied in his usual calm, dry tone.
"…It would be a very long book."
Crypt burst into bright, delighted laughter, the sound echoing softly in the dark room. She clapped her small hands again, legs swinging with renewed energy.
Index remained perfectly still, but the faintest tilt of his head suggested he was almost — almost — smiling behind the mask.
The two masked observers sat together in silence once more, watching the rain fall outside their hidden space — patient, amused, and endlessly curious about how the story would unfold.
The hollow was growing.
And they had front-row seats.