On a rainy evening, as twilight draped the city in gray, Yuto, a painter, stumbled upon an old, weathered mirror lying abandoned at the corner of a street. Its strange, otherworldly sheen seemed to call out to him, compelling him to take it home.
After dusting it off in his studio, Yuto was startled to see a girl with piercing blue eyes reflected in the glass. She smiled faintly, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I’ve finally found you. Do you remember me?”
Yuto’s heart raced, a mix of confusion and an inexplicable familiarity washing over him. He didn’t know her, and yet it felt as though he did. Through their conversations, he learned her name: Erika. She was a soul trapped within the mirror, a remnant of a life that ended too soon. Drawn to her charm and sorrow, Yuto began to spend every evening by the mirror, sharing words and moments with her.
“I’ve been alone here for so long,” she confided.
“I’ll do anything to help you,” Yuto vowed.
Erika’s smile deepened. She explained that she could be freed, but only under one condition: Yuto must paint her portrait with absolute perfection, capturing her essence in its entirety. Only then could she escape her glass prison.
Fueled by determination, Yuto began his work. He painted tirelessly, day and night, his brush seeking to immortalize the delicate beauty of her smile and the haunting depth of her gaze. Yet, no matter how finely he honed his craft, something was always missing.
“Almost there,” Erika would murmur from the mirror. “Look at me closer. Feel me more deeply…”
Her whispers grew insistent, binding Yuto’s mind and heart. Soon, his life outside the studio crumbled; friends and responsibilities were abandoned as his obsession consumed him. Even so, doubt crept in. Could he truly free her? And if he succeeded, would she remain by his side?
One night, Erika wept, her tears shimmering like the blue of her eyes. “I’m sorry, Yuto. I never wanted to cause you pain. But please… don’t leave me alone.”
Her plea ignited his resolve. At dawn, he made the final stroke, completing the portrait. Holding it up to the mirror, he watched as the glass shimmered with an ethereal blue light. Erika’s form emerged, as if stepping into reality itself. But before Yuto could reach her, darkness overtook his vision.
When he awoke, Yuto found himself trapped within the mirror. Reflected beside him was Erika, now standing in the real world, tears streaming down her face. He understood in that moment: to free her, he had taken her place.
“Yuto, thank you,” she whispered, her voice heavy with grief. “I’ll never forget you.”
Cradling the painting he had poured his soul into, Erika left the studio, carrying his memory into her new life. Within the mirror, Yuto’s serene smile lingered, a silent testament to a love and sacrifice that would never fade.
