Shirayuki Tomoe's Seven Days of Terrible, Lovely Chaos - Horror Sleepover, Collapse and Truth

As the evening sky shifted from crimson to deep indigo. The doorbell of Tomoe's apartment on the fifth floor of Maison Fiore rang in rapid succession. "Excuse meee!" "Wow, it's really Tomoe-san's place!" "Amazing, it smells like onee-sama……!" Young girls' voices poured in from the entryway like an avalanche. Shirayuki Tomoe stood in the middle of the living room, watching the scene unfold. Her waist-length black hair was perfectly arranged as always, her deep purple eyes narrowed slightly. The beauty mark by her lips glistened alluringly in the twilight. (……Ten. No, twelve? Did it increase?) Tomoe counted in her head. Nijisanji livers. All familiar faces. From newcomers to veterans—the group Yume called "all my close friends." The living room filled up in no time; the sofa was packed, and some girls even sat on the floor. "Tomoe-san, good evening." A soft, airy voice. Yumeno Yume approached, her ash-purple long hair swaying. Her pale lavender eyes were half-closed as usual. The star-shaped mole on the back of her neck stood out against her fair nape. "Everyone wanted to come to your place, Tomoe-san. I couldn't turn them down." "……Right. You're the one who invited them, aren't you?" Tomoe replied in a low, sweet voice. "Yes. After all, horror is more fun to watch together than alone." Yume smiled. (That smile looks like the gates of hell right now.) Tomoe bit the inside of her lip. Yesterday, Yume had unilaterally announced a "horror sleepover." She'd said she was inviting over ten livers, and it had actually happened. And in Tomoe's room, no less. On Tomoe's 50-inch TV. With Tomoe as the host. (There's no escape.) Tomoe slowly exhaled. "Onee-sama! I've prepared tea for everyone!" Ginka Runa poked her head out from the kitchen. Her silver twin-tails bounced. Her large golden eyes sparkled as she gazed at Tomoe, just like always. "Thank you, Runa. That helps." When Tomoe smiled, Runa blushed happily. "Not at all! I'm honored to be of use to onee-sama! Oh, Mio-chan, where should I put the snacks?" "Right here's fine! On the table! Hey, save that one for me!" Raiden Mio shouted, her blue-black short bob swaying. Beneath her jagged bangs, her sharp, vivid blue eyes darted restlessly around the room. (That girl definitely came here to enjoy my reactions.) Tomoe felt Mio's gaze. "Huh~, your place is more normal than I expected, Tomoe-san." Mio approached with a grin. "Is being normal a problem? I'm not the witch you're imagining." Tomoe said, slowly tucking her hair behind her ear. "I thought there'd be black curtains or bat figurines or something." "……Unfortunately, I'm not a vampire. My streaming persona is just an act." "Huh. So that stuffed animal shelf is just an act too?" Mio pointed at a wall-length shelf covered with a white cloth. Tomoe's heart skipped a beat. (This girl……!) "……That's just a dust cover for cleaning. More importantly, didn't you come here to enjoy tonight's screening?" Tomoe lowered her voice a notch. "Of course I'm looking forward to it! To see what kind of face Tomoe-san makes while watching horror!" Mio grinned, showing her fang-like teeth. (……I knew it.) Tomoe sighed deeply in her heart. Livers continued to gather in the living room. "Tomoe-san, thank you for having us today!" "Wow, your place is so stylish, Tomoe-san!" "Onee-sama, can I sit next to you!?" The girls' excited voices echoed through the room. Tomoe quietly smiled. (This is it. There's no running away now.) (Then I have no choice but to perform perfectly.) (Shirayuki Tomoe is a survival-of-the-fittest, do-S onee-sama. She doesn't get rattled by something like horror.) Tomoe slowly stood in front of the 50-inch TV. "……Everyone, thank you for coming today. Welcome to my castle." A low, sweet voice that made the air in the room tremble. The livers all fell silent at once. "From here on, I will have you all savor the finest terror I have selected. Are you prepared?" """Yes, onee-sama!!""" Runa clapped, her golden eyes shining. "Onee-sama, you're so cool……! I can't believe I get to watch horror with onee-sama as the host—it's like a dream!" "Fufu…… Don't come crying to me later." Tomoe picked up the remote. (My fingertips are trembling.) (Stop it. Don't let them notice.) Tomoe told herself in her mind. "Tomoe-san, this is tonight's main feature." Yume held out a DVD case. "Curse of the Well" A classic of Japanese-style horror. The very movie whose preview Tomoe had secretly watched yesterday—and thrown the remote across the room during the swarm-of-insects scene. (Of all things, this one.) Tomoe accepted the DVD, keeping her smile intact. "……Oh my, what a fine choice. As expected of Yume-san." "Ehehe. I had Hanada-san from Media Box Hana pick out the scariest one." Yume said happily. (Hanada-san from Media Box Hana…… That horror-obsessed store clerk.) Tomoe loaded the DVD into the player. "Now then, let's begin the screening. Turn off the lights." "Okaaay!" Mio bounced over and flipped the light switch. The room went dark. Only the 50-inch screen glowed pale blue. Tomoe sat in the center of the sofa. "Onee-sama, is it okay if I sit next to you?" Runa looked up at her with puppy-dog eyes. "Yes, of course. If you get scared, hide behind me." Tomoe said in a low, sweet voice. (Though honestly, I'm the one who wants to hide.) "Onee-sama……! Okay!" Runa happily sat down beside Tomoe. "I'll sit on the other side of Tomoe-san." Mio smirked and plopped down on Tomoe's left. "……Don't just stare at my face. Watch the movie." "Ehh, but Tomoe-san's face looks way more interesting." "……I'll give you plenty of punishment later." Tomoe whispered into Mio's ear. "Hyah! That might actually be something to look forward to." Mio squirmed and laughed. "Everyone, quiet down. It's starting." Yume said in her leisurely voice. The screen went black. And then, it began. An eerie shamisen melody. Bzzzt…… bzzzt…… The sound of water dripping from the bottom of an old well. "……Help me……" A girl's hoarse voice. Something cold crawled down Tomoe's spine. (It's started. It's really started.) (I'm fine. I'm Shirayuki Tomoe. A do-S onee-sama. Something like horror—) Tomoe straightened her back. On the screen: a dim Japanese room. Old shoji screens. A swaying hanging lantern. "……It's coming. Look, over there." Tomoe said in a low voice. "Eek……!" Runa clung to Tomoe's arm. "Oh my, scared already? This is just the beginning." Tomoe smiled. (I'm already scared too. My heart feels like it's about to leap out of my mouth.) The movie continued. The protagonist, a woman, approached the old well. The camera slowly peered into the well. "……Ah." A white face in the depths of the screen. "GYAAAAH!" One of the livers screamed. "Oh no oh no oh no!" Another liver shouted while laughing. Tomoe was screaming internally. (I can't. I can't I can't I can't. That white face—it appeared in my dream yesterday.) But her face was smiling. "Fufu…… Anyone scared by this much is still naive." Tomoe slowly crossed her legs. "As expected of onee-sama! You're completely unfazed!" Runa looked at Tomoe with admiration. "Huh~, you really do seem fine." Mio stared intently at Tomoe's profile. "Of course. I don't get rattled by this level of production." Tomoe met Mio's gaze directly. (Stop it. Don't stare at me so much. My face is about to twitch.) The movie grew even more unsettling. A voice like sutra chanting. A bell ringing in the distance. A shadow faintly visible beyond the shoji screen. Tomoe was unconsciously hugging a cushion. Her fingertips gripped it so hard they turned white. "Tomoe-san, why don't you come closer? There's room next to me." Mio patted the space beside her. "……I'm the host. It's my job to keep an eye on everyone." Tomoe declined in a low voice. (If I move now, they'll see my legs shaking.) "Onee-sama, you're so cool……! A model host!" Runa said in a dreamy voice. "Tomoe-san, you really do love horror. I'm so happy." Yume called out from behind. "……Yes. Well, I suppose." Tomoe managed to force a smile. (There's no way I love it. I hate it. I want to run away right now.) The movie reached its midpoint. The protagonist descended to the bottom of the well. Dark. Dark. The screen was almost pitch black. "……Here it comes." Tomoe said, as if to calm herself. "Onee-sama, I might not be able to take it anymore……" Runa buried her face in Tomoe's arm. "Oh my, you can hide behind me if you'd like." "……! Yes! Excuse me!" Runa happily moved around behind Tomoe's back. (Ah, she's warm. Her body heat calms me down a little.) Tomoe felt relieved inside. But then, right after that. The screen suddenly brightened. From the bottom of the well, something—in massive quantities—surged upward. Black. Writhing. Countless. Insects. Giant insects. Skitter skitter skitter skitter skitter. The swarm of insects spread across the entire screen. "—!!!!" A soundless scream leaked from Tomoe's throat. A shriek. A high-pitched cry she'd never heard from herself before. Tomoe was on her feet. She hurled the cushion in her hands with all her strength. "NOOOOOOOOO!!" The cushion landed in front of the TV. And then. Tomoe's body slowly tilted. Her deep purple eyes remained wide open. Just like that, she collapsed to the floor. Thud. A heavy sound. The room fell completely silent. On the TV, the swarm of insects continued to writhe. Skitter skitter skitter skitter. "……Huh?" Someone murmured quietly. "O-Onee-sama……?" Runa's voice trembled. "Tomoe-san……? Hey, Tomoe-san!?" Mio rushed forward. "No way…… Tomoe-san fainting from bugs……" "That do-S Tomoe-san……?" "Bugs were that bad for her……?" The livers began to stir restlessly. "Onee-sama! Onee-sama, please wake up! Onee-samaaa!" Runa, pale-faced, rushed to Tomoe's side. "Tomoe-san, hang in there! Hey, get a grip!" Mio also peered into Tomoe's face. "……Oh my, maybe Tomoe-san is hungry." Yume said in her leisurely voice. "That's not it! She fainted! Yume-san, water! Go get some water!" Mio shouted. "Yes, yes. Water, is it." Yume slowly headed toward the kitchen. "Onee-sama…… Onee-sama……! It's my fault…… I pushed onee-sama too hard……" Runa held Tomoe's hand and began to cry. (……Ah.) (……I messed up again.) Tomoe's consciousness slowly surfaced. Light beyond her eyelids. Several faces. Worried, surprised, bewildered. (It's over.) (My Shirayuki Tomoe—it's over.) Tomoe opened her eyes. "……Ah." Her voice was hoarse. "Onee-sama! Onee-sama, you're awake!?" Runa peered down at her, face streaked with tears. "Tomoe-san, are you okay? I thought my heart was going to stop……" Mio exhaled in relief. Tomoe slowly looked around. Over ten livers surrounded her. Everyone was looking at her face. (They saw.) (My true face.) (I fainted from bugs.) (The do-S onee-sama collapsed from bugs.) Tomoe covered her face with both hands. "……Don't look." Her voice trembled. "……Please. Don't look. Forget it. That just now—it didn't happen." Tomoe curled up on the floor, still covering her face. (It's over. It's over. It's over.) (Shirayuki Tomoe ends today.) (Everyone will laugh at me. Despise me. I can never go back to being onee-sama.) Tomoe's shoulders trembled faintly. "Onee-sama……" Runa's voice reached Tomoe's ears. "Onee-sama. I've known all along." Tomoe's body went still. "That onee-sama is bad with bugs. That you're scared of horror. I knew everything." Runa's voice shook with tears. "……Eh?" Tomoe looked at Runa through the gaps between her fingers. "I watched the archive of the horror stream cancellation incident from a year ago, over and over. The time onee-sama froze at the spider on screen and stopped the stream." Runa squeezed Tomoe's hand tightly. "Even so, onee-sama always tried to be a strong onee-sama in front of me. Even though you're bad with bugs, you tried to protect me. Even thou

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Episode 6

Name: Shirayuki Tomoe's Seven Days of Terrible, Lovely Chaos
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