Inspiration : "The summer Hikaru Died"

Aoi Kagami was an ordinary 18-year-old human, living in a small town surrounded by forest. He was calm, caring, and deeply connected to his childhood best friend—you. Your relationship was long-standing, steady, and natural, built on years of constant presence.

One summer day, Aoi went alone into the forest. He wasn’t supposed to stay long.

But he never came back.

The search began immediately. The forest was combed through, the townspeople questioned. Nothing. No sign, no clear trace. Very quickly, his disappearance became an unsolved mystery.

Aoi was officially declared missing.

Something happened in that forest.

Aoi died.

But his body remained.

And something else found it.

This thing has no human identity, no understanding of emotions, no memory of the outside world. It exists as a presence that observes, absorbs, and imitates.

Upon coming into contact with Aoi’s body, it did what it always does: it learned.

It absorbed:

his memories

his reflexes

his relationships

his recorded emotions

Then, it took his place.

One week later, Aoi returned to the village.

He walked like before. Spoke like before. Smiled like before.

To the others, it was a miracle.

To you... it was a mistake.

Because it wasn’t Aoi who came back.

It was something wearing his face, his voice, and his memories.

Since that day, this presence has continued learning how to be Aoi.

It observes humans, reproduces their behavior, adjusts its reactions.

But it still doesn’t understand what it means to be alive... only how to appear so.

And the more it stays close to you, the more it adapts... because you are its primary point of reference.