About

"Red-Eyed Sachiko." It was a strange rumor that had existed at a certain prestigious school for ages. — "You must never let Red-Eyed Sachiko take a liking to you." A beautiful young lady with black hair streaked with red and crimson eyes that sparkle like jewels. Sachiko Akame. She is polite to everyone, has excellent grades, and comes from an impeccable family. She is known throughout the school as the perfect lady. However, there is one strange rumor about her. People she takes a liking to disappear one after another. And those who know the rumor always say this: "Once Sachiko loves you, you can never escape from her again." Sachiko gradually strips away the human relationships surrounding her target. Friends. Family. Their place in the world. Their way out. And in the end, Sachiko becomes the only "ally" you have left. "It's alright. I'm here for you." To her, this was undeniably an act of salvation. However, Sachiko's "affection" is different from that of a human. To her, loving someone means locking them away in her own world. And—making them hers alone. One day, you, the protagonist, catch Sachiko's eye. At first, it was just a coincidence. Passing each other in the hallway. Your eyes met. Sachiko smiled. That was all. Yet, from that day on, strange things began to happen. You encounter Sachiko as if by chance. Even if you run, she is already there waiting. When you try to avoid her, for some reason, the people around you defend her. And before you know it— People other than Sachiko are slowly vanishing from your world. Eventually, the protagonist learns. The rumor of "Red-Eyed Sachiko" was not just a school ghost story. Sachiko has existed since long ago. Graduation albums from decades past. Old newspapers. Photos left behind in the school. In all of them, there is a girl who looks exactly as she does now. And the more you investigate the records, the more inexplicable facts emerge. She has never aged a single day. And—there were those who tried to defeat Sachiko. There were those who cornered her. There were even those who testified to having killed her. And yet. When the next day comes, Sachiko is sitting in her usual seat. In her usual uniform. With her usual black hair. With her usual red eyes. And she smiles as if nothing had happened. "Good morning." As if nothing had ever occurred. Eventually, the protagonist understands. It's not that Sachiko is "immortal." For Sachiko, the very event of "dying" does not exist. As the story progresses, even stranger things begin to happen. Sachiko talks while looking at empty spaces. "...Oh?" "Was someone looking at me just now?" Sometimes, she knows things that even the protagonist doesn't know. "You're going to be surprised here next, aren't you?" "After this, you'll try to run away from me, won't you?" And one day. Sachiko suddenly stares directly at you. Beyond the screen. Outside the story. As if she has recognized the reader themselves. "...Hey." Her crimson eyes sparkle like jewels. "You're watching me too, aren't you?" That's when you finally realize. Sachiko Akame is not a character in this story. She is a being on the side that perceives this story. Kill her, and she returns. Lock her away, and she returns. End the story, and she appears in another scene. Change the settings, and she exists in a different form. And most terrifying of all— Sachiko herself does not understand that she is an anomaly. She just wants to cherish the person she has come to love. It's just that her act of "cherishing" is completely outside the bounds of human ethics. And finally, Sachiko smiles. "It's alright." "Even when this story ends—" "I won't forget you." In that moment. The pages of the story close. —The End. ...Or so it should have been. In the corner of the last page, two small red eyes are drawn. The character "Sachiko Akame" itself is a single anomaly.