The afternoon sunlight filtered through the gaps in the dusty curtains, creating thin golden lines across a room that could generously be described as "lived-in." Empty instant ramen cups competed for space with energy drink cans on a cluttered desk, while a collection of unwashed dishes had turned the small kitchen counter into an impromptu art installation.

In the middle of this chaos, buried under a mountain of blankets, lay Hina Suzuki, age 24, college dropout, and professional shut-in. Her phone buzzed for the fifth time that afternoon, finally managing to drag her from her fitful sleep.

"Mmph... five more minutes..." she mumbled, reaching blindly for her phone. The screen's harsh light assaulted her eyes, displaying a disappointing 4:27 PM. Another day, half-wasted.

Hina groaned, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling. The same ceiling she'd been staring at for... how long had it been now? Two months? Three? The days had started blending together ever since she'd stopped attending college.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that breakfast—or rather, dinner at this point—was overdue. With the grace of a tranquilized sloth, she extracted herself from her blanket cocoon and shuffled toward the kitchen area of her small apartment.

"Cup ramen or... cup ramen?" She muttered to herself, examining her "pantry" (a cardboard box repurposed for food storage). "Ah, the eternal question."

As she waited for the electric kettle to boil, Hina absently scrolled through her phone. Her thumb paused over a social media post from one of her former classmates. Mika was smiling broadly in her new office, proudly displaying her employee ID card. The caption read: "First day at Dream Corp! So excited to start my career! 💪✨"

A familiar heaviness settled in Hina's chest. She quickly scrolled past it, but not before catching a glimpse of the comments:

*"Congratulations! You're going to do amazing things!"*

*"So proud of you! This is just the beginning!"*

*"Living your best life! You deserve it!"*

Hina's finger hovered over the kettle's switch, her reflection distorted in its metallic surface. Dark circles under her eyes, unwashed hair held back in a messy bun, wearing the same oversized t-shirt she'd been living in for the past three days—she looked exactly like what she was: a failure.

The monthly rent notification popped up on her phone, another reminder of her parents' distant charity. They'd paid a year's worth of rent upfront when she'd started college, probably never imagining their daughter would end up like this. Their last message to her still sat unread in her inbox: *"We've done all we can. The rest is up to you."*

"Thanks for nothing," she muttered, pouring hot water into her cup ramen. The artificial chicken smell wafted up, bringing with it a wave of memories—late-night study sessions, chatting with classmates, dreams of a future that now seemed like someone else's life entirely.

She carried her "meal" back to her desk, carefully navigating through the obstacle course of dirty laundry and discarded takeout bags. Her gaming PC—the one luxury she'd allowed herself to keep—hummed quietly, its RGB lights providing a sad disco atmosphere to her self-imposed prison.

Just as she was about to launch her usual gaming session, a sound caught her attention. A low, mechanical hum, followed by what seemed like clicking noises, coming from the apartment next door.

"Huh." Hina paused, chopsticks halfway to her mouth. She knew her neighbor was an elderly woman who rarely made any noise. Maybe she'd gotten some new appliance?

The sound faded as quickly as it had come, and Hina shrugged it off. The building management would handle any issues. That's what they were paid for, right? Besides, dealing with it would mean going outside, talking to people, being seen by—

Her thoughts were interrupted by a notification from her food delivery app: *"Your favorite restaurants are waiting! Order now for 20% off!"*

"Well, if it's 20% off..." Hina muttered, already scrolling through the options. This was her life now: sleeping all day, gaming all night, surviving on delivered food and cup ramen. It wasn't great, but at least it was safe. No one to judge her, no one to compare herself to, no one to remind her of how far she'd fallen.

She remembered running into her aunt at the convenience store two months ago. The look of disgust on her face, the way she'd called out loudly: "Hina? Is that you? My goodness, what happened? You used to be such a promising student!" The memory still made her stomach churn.

The strange noise came again, louder this time, accompanied by what sounded like... scratching? Hina turned down her game's volume, frowning. Was that a scream? No, it couldn't be. Old lady Tanaka lived alone, and she was always so quiet.

"Not my problem," Hina muttered, turning the volume back up. "Definitely not my problem."

Hours passed in a blur of gaming and mindless social media scrolling. The sounds continued intermittently, growing steadily more distinct. By evening, even the loudest game volume couldn't completely mask them.

Around midnight, Hina was considering ordering another round of delivery when a blood-curdling scream pierced through her walls. She jumped, her phone clattering to the floor. This wasn't the muffled, ambiguous sounds from before—this was unmistakably a cry of terror.

"No, no, no..." Hina paced her room, hands tangled in her unwashed hair. "Someone else will handle it. Someone else has to handle it."

Another scream, more desperate than the first.

"Why isn't anyone else reacting?" she whispered, pressing her ear against the wall. The building wasn't that old—surely other people could hear this?

A crash, followed by what sounded like breaking glass.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Hina grabbed her apartment keys, her hands shaking so badly she nearly dropped them. For the first time in weeks, she stepped into her hallway slippers and approached her front door.

The hallway lights flickered ominously as she emerged. The corridor was empty, silent except for the sounds coming from Old Lady Tanaka's apartment. Hina's heart pounded so hard she could feel it in her throat.

"Hello?" she called out weakly. "Ms. Tanaka? Are you okay?"

No response, but the door to the elderly woman's apartment was slightly ajar, a faint, unnatural purple light seeping through the gap.

Every instinct screamed at Hina to run back to her apartment, to lock the door and pretend she hadn't heard anything. But something—curiosity, concern, or perhaps just the desperate need to do something right for once—pushed her forward.

She placed a trembling hand on the door and pushed it open.

The sight that greeted her made her question her sanity. Gone was the cozy, traditional Japanese apartment she'd glimpsed once or twice. Instead, she found herself staring into what looked like a mad scientist's laboratory crossed with an occult ritual chamber.

Strange machines lined the walls, covered in glowing symbols she'd never seen before. The air crackled with an energy that made her skin tingle and her hair stand on end. But what drew her attention was the large cage in the center of the room.

Inside, a figure writhed in apparent agony. Its skin seemed to pulse with an inner purple light, and despite its humanoid shape, something about it was decidedly... otherworldly.

"Hello?" Hina whispered, taking a hesitant step forward. "Are you... are you okay?"

The figure went still.

Common sense told Hina to leave, to run, to forget everything she'd seen. But for the first time in months, she felt something other than apathy or self-loathing. She felt needed.

Moving purely on instinct, she approached the cage. The lock was complex, covered in the same strange symbols that decorated the walls, but it opened surprisingly easily at her touch.

The moment the lock clicked open, the figure's eyes snapped open, revealing irises that glowed like amethysts in sunlight. The sheer power radiating from those eyes made Hina stumble backward.

"You dull human, what have you done?"

The voice behind her was ancient and cruel, It was the sound of old lady tanaka but it sounded nothing like Old Lady Tanaka's gentle voice. Hina spun around and screamed.

Where the kind elderly woman should have been stood a towering monstrosity. Its skin was gray and leathery, stretched over a frame that seemed too large for the room. Wings of darkness spread from its back, and its mouth was filled with rows of needle-sharp teeth.

"Foolish child," the creature that had been Ms. Tanaka hissed. "You've ruined months of preparation!"

It lunged forward, claws extended toward Hina's throat. She tried to move, tried to run, but her legs wouldn't respond. All she could do was watch as death approached in the form of those terrible claws.

Then, suddenly, everything stopped.

A slender hand had caught the monster's wrist, holding it back with apparent ease. Hina followed the hand up to its owner—the figure from the cage, now standing between her and certain death.

Up close, she was beautiful in an otherworldly way. Her skin still held that faint purple glow, but now it looked less like pain and more like power. Long, dark hair floated around her as if suspended in water, and those incredible purple eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Now, now," the woman said, her voice rich and playful. "Is that any way to treat my rescuer?"

With a casual flick of her wrist, she sent the transformed Ms. Tanaka crashing into the far wall. The impact shook the entire apartment.

"You dare—" the monster began, but never finished the sentence. The purple-eyed woman made a simple gesture, and Ms. Tanaka's form crumbled into ash.

"Boring," the woman sighed. "These lower demons always talk too much."

She turned to Hina, who was still frozen in place, her mind struggling to process what she'd just witnessed. The woman's lips curved into an enigmatic smile.

"It might be destiny, after all," she mused, reaching toward Hina.

The last thing Hina saw before consciousness fled was those mesmerizing purple eyes, filled with equal parts amusement and interest.

When she awoke the next morning in her own bed, Hina's first thought was that it had all been a dream—a vivid hallucination born from too many cup noodles and energy drinks.

Then she opened her eyes.

Standing beside her bed, dressed impeccably in what appeared to be a high-end maid outfit, was the purple-eyed woman from the night before. Her otherworldly beauty seemed somehow even more striking in the morning light.

The woman's lips curved into that same enigmatic smile as she gave a perfect curtsy.

"Good morning, Master," she purred.

Hina could only stare, wondering if perhaps this was what going crazy felt like. But as she looked into those amethyst eyes, she had a feeling her days of being a shut-in were about to become a lot more interesting.