Understan No one moved.
The door stood slightly open, just enough to let darkness seep through the gap like something alive. The handle creaked once more, then stopped.
"…I found you."
The whisper lingered in the air long after the voice itself had faded.
Haruto raised his hand slowly.
"Don't go near it."
His voice was controlled, but the tension beneath it was obvious.
Ren swallowed. "So… what now? We just stand here all night?"
"No," Haruto said. "We think."
Aoi didn't take her eyes off the door.
"It's waiting," she said quietly.
Kaito frowned. "Waiting for what?"
"For a mistake," Haruto answered.
Silence followed.
Because they all understood what that meant.
Haruto stepped back from the door, forcing himself to think clearly.
"If it can imitate voices… then its goal is simple," he said. "It wants us to respond. To react."
Ren crossed his arms. "So we don't react. Easy."
"No," Haruto corrected. "We control the reaction."
That caught their attention.
Aoi turned toward him. "What do you mean?"
Haruto looked at each of them, one by one.
"We stop being targets."
Kaito blinked. "And become what?"
Haruto's expression hardened.
"The ones setting the trap."
The Plan
At first, no one spoke.
The idea sounded simple.
Too simple.
Ren was the first to respond.
"You're saying… we use it?"
Haruto nodded. "It imitates voices to lure us. That means it relies on predictability. It expects us to act like normal people."
Kaito shook his head. "We are normal people."
"Not anymore," Haruto said.
That line landed harder than anything else.
Aoi felt it.
Because it was true.
After last night, after what they had seen—
There was no going back.
"So what's the plan?" Ren asked.
Haruto glanced at the door again.
Then back at them.
"We give it what it wants."
Kaito stiffened. "You're not serious."
"We make it think it's working," Haruto continued. "We respond. But not emotionally. Not blindly."
Aoi's voice was hesitant. "You want us to… talk to it?"
"Yes."
The word hung in the air.
Ren let out a breath. "That sounds like a terrible idea."
"It is," Haruto admitted. "But doing nothing is worse."
Kaito clenched his fists. "And if it attacks again?"
Haruto didn't look away.
"Then this time… we'll be ready."
Setting the Trap
They moved carefully.
Every step felt heavy, deliberate.
Haruto instructed them quietly.
"No one opens the door. No matter what."
Ren nodded.
"Got it."
"Aoi," Haruto continued, "you stay behind me."
She didn't argue.
"Kaito, stay near the wall. If anything happens, don't rush forward."
Kaito looked like he wanted to protest.
But didn't.
Everything was set.
The room grew silent again.
Haruto took a step toward the door.
The air changed instantly.
Like something outside had noticed.
The First Move
"…Hello?" Haruto said.
The word felt unnatural.
Forced.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
"…Haruto…"
The voice returned.
Perfect.
Identical.
But it wasn't him.
Ren muttered under his breath, "This is messed up…"
Haruto kept his focus.
"What do you want?" he asked.
A pause.
Longer this time.
As if the thing was… thinking.
"…Open… the door…"
Haruto exhaled slowly.
"No."
Silence.
Then—
The atmosphere shifted.
Not violently.
But sharply.
Like a line had just been crossed.
Something Changes
The temperature dropped again.
Lower than before.
Aoi felt it immediately.
Her breath became visible in the air.
"It's getting closer," she whispered.
The door creaked slightly wider.
But still—
No figure appeared.
Only darkness.
"…Why… not…" the voice asked.
This time—
It didn't sound like Haruto.
It sounded wrong.
Distorted.
Haruto's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It's reacting," he said quietly.
Ren tensed. "Reacting how?"
"It's not used to being refused."
That realization changed everything.
The Pressure Builds
The house groaned softly.
Not from age.
From something else.
Something pressing against it.
The walls felt tighter.
The air heavier.
Aoi stepped back unconsciously.
"…It's angry."
Kaito's voice was barely steady.
"Then maybe we should stop this—"
"No," Haruto said sharply.
They all froze.
Because his tone had changed.
Determined.
Focused.
"This is the first time it's reacting differently," he said. "That means we're doing something right."
The Mistake
And then—
It happened.
A soft knock.
Not on the door.
Behind them.
Three slow taps.
Everyone turned instantly.
The window.
Kaito's eyes widened.
"…That's not possible."
They were on the second floor.
Another knock.
Closer.
Aoi's breath shook.
"It moved…"
Haruto realized it immediately.
"It's not bound to one place."
Ren whispered, "So the door… was just a distraction?"
Too late.
The Trap Reverses
The window creaked.
Slowly—
It began to open.
A cold wind rushed in.
Stronger than before.
The lights flickered violently.
And then—
A shadow slipped through the gap.
Not fully visible.
Not fully real.
But there.
Inside.
Final Beat
Haruto stepped forward instinctively.
But this time—
The petals didn't appear.
Nothing stopped it.
And for the first time—
There was no protection.
Only them.
Facing it directly.