Whispers of Shikiban:The king walks among us-Chapter 76 --

Reika stood in the middle of the room, her mom's lips slightly parted, trembling.

"It... it can't be Reika."

But it was.

Reika laughed. At first soft. Then louder. Until it turned manic. Like something broke loose inside her.

Her laughter sent a chill crawling down her parents' spines.

"What did you expect?" she said between broken chuckles. "You thought you raised an obedient little puppet?"

Her eyes were wild, glinting with something feral. The pure glow in her green eyes seemed to burn through them.

"You can hate me. Abandon me. Disown me." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "But who the hell told you to touch me? Was that your idea of parenting?"

Her shout cracked the silence.

"You took my childhood. My humanity. Every damn part of me that could've smiled without guilt."

She paused. Her lips twitched, but it wasn't a smile.

"I feel like my face collapses whenever I try to smile now," she whispered. "My life... maybe it would've been beautiful. If I had even one supportive parent. Just one."

She stared at them.

"No one stood beside me. Not even you. Not when I was in the most painful, vulnerable moments of my life."

She shook, fists clenched, memories flashing.

Flashback

Age 14.

Reika sat on a school bench, slouched, surrounded by her friend group.

"Oi, Reika. Why do you look so sad, huh?" Sorra asked, nudging her shoulder.

Reika blinked, sunlight hitting her face. She gave a faint, tired laugh.

"I'm thinking about the exam," she said. "My prep's garbage."

"Eh? Are you serious?" Kotoha raised an eyebrow. "You always top the exams."

Reika smiled awkwardly. "Just luck, maybe."

"Hey, I heard Gozi has a crush on Reika." Yuriku smirked. "After all, she's pretty enough to catch his attention."

Gonzi Nakarcimo. The name every girl in class screamed. Handsome, smart, not even a playboy. Too perfect.

"Yeah but there's, like... tons of girls drooling over him." Reika waved it off.

"You're so shy," Sorra grinned. "I swear, if he looks you in the eye, you'll die blushing."

The school bell rang.

Reika stood. "Alright, I need to head home early."

"Later we can hang out, okay?" Yuriku said.

"Ahh, no... my parents will worry," Reika smiled, but inside, she was already hearing her mom scream.

"Call your parents and hang out with us!" Sorra offered.

"No, no. We've got a family program... so I can't. Next time," she lied.

"Okay, girl..." Yuriku sighed. "Next time."

Reika grabbed her bag, raised her hand. "Bye-bye."

She didn't notice the way Kotoha's eyes followed her—cold, jealous.

Present

Reika sat on the metro, scrolling through her gallery. A picture of her and her friends made her pause.

She giggled softly.

"I really want to feel that kind of happiness again."

She smiled.

"Life is... actually beautiful sometimes."

An old couple sitting nearby glanced at her.

"God bless her," the woman whispered.

"She looks like sunshine," said the man.

Reika nodded a little, pretending she didn't hear. Like she was in a game where she had to act human.

But her smile faded as she stood in front of her home. That house.

Her heartbeat picked up. Her face tightened. She couldn't stop herself from trembling a little.

This was the place she got yelled at. Beaten. Broken.

The door opened. Her mom stood there.

"What did the teachers teach you today?" she asked, expression blank.

"History. About the late Yaoi period," Reika replied.

"Go freshen up. Dinner's ready."

"Okay."

After dinner, Reika lay on her bed and unlocked her phone.

99+ messages.

Her brows furrowed. She opened the group chat.

At the top was a blurred image. Her eyes widened as it loaded.

A sexually explicit photo. Her face. But not her.

Kotoha: I heard Reika is a model for illegal adult magazines. And she's a prostitute. Look at the photo.

Sorra: Eww. Our friend is... disgusting. freēwēbnovel.com

Yuriku: My god... Reika?? I'm crying. I trusted her.

Reika's hands shook. Her breath caught.

It was AI-generated. She knew it. But it didn't matter.

More messages came in.

Chessegero: Hey... I wanna buy Reika.

Another: She's a slut.

Even the one from the boy she once liked:

Wait. Am I crushing on a slut?

"Bitch."

"No way..." she whispered. Her lips parted. Eyes frozen.

She knew.

The nightmare had just begun.