"That woman said she wanted to date me, even marry me and have babies together."
"But today, she suddenly decided she won’t date me anymore."
"How dare she just decide that on her own?"
"Don’t you think there’s something wrong with her?!"
The bandaged boy stood by the water’s edge, muttering angrily, nearly jumping in agitation. His dead fish eyes burned with fury and resentment, looking as if he wanted to hunt down a few unlucky souls to gut.
The conjoined twins exchanged glances before speaking in unison, "So you’re mad because she said she doesn’t like you anymore?"
"Impossible!" The bandaged boy bristled like a cat, his pupils shrinking, the whites of his eyes more pronounced, giving him an eerie, inhuman air. "Who cares about her stupid feelings?!"
He stiffened his neck and said stiffly, "I just think… she must be on guard against me now. I won’t get to take her life when she’s most relaxed, and that means I’ll miss out on the most delicious meal. What a waste."
The elder twin suggested, "If it’s such a waste, just make her happy again."
The younger twin echoed, "Yeah, just cheer her up."
The bandaged boy’s eyes lit up. "Cheer her up? How?"
"If you want to make a girl happy, there’s one surefire way," the old gardener chimed in, appearing out of nowhere. He plucked a red rose and chuckled. "Give her flowers. If it’s something unique, she’ll be delighted in no time."
The boy had an epiphany, his eyes gleaming with newfound wisdom. Noticing his colleagues’ dubious looks, he scoffed, "Hmph! I don’t care about making her happy or winning her back. I just want the perfect meal, that’s all."
With that, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, tilted his head up, and sauntered off, his carefree demeanor making him look utterly detached—cool and indifferent.
Once he was out of sight, the younger twin muttered, "Isn’t this a bit cruel?"
The elder twin shrugged. "What’s the big deal? It’s not like a human would ever genuinely like a monster. When that idiot realizes he’s been fooling himself, he’ll—"
"—hide somewhere and cry!" the younger twin finished.
The twins exchanged glances and burst into sinister, cackling laughter, thoroughly enjoying the impending drama.
The old gardener snipped another flower, humming cheerfully. "This’ll be fun to watch."
As night fell, another group was dragged into the slaughterhouse.
Every night, random people were pulled into the massacre. Rumor had it that only those who survived five rounds of the game would earn a chance to escape the Crimson Moon Academy and break free from this terrifying role-playing nightmare.
Tonight’s participants prayed desperately that the butcher wouldn’t be the infamous Slasher. The good news? The butcher was the Headless Woman. The bad news? A survivor claimed to have spotted the Slasher’s shadow.
"Two butchers in one game? Impossible!"
"No, I really saw him!"
The escapees huddled behind a tree, whispering frantically.
"You must’ve been hallucinating from fear. There’s never been two butchers in one game before."
"If there really are two, do we even stand a chance?"
"Maybe… I was mistaken?"
The one who’d claimed to see the Slasher began doubting himself. Thinking back, he’d only caught a fleeting glimpse while running—just a flash of the Slasher, and… was that a bouquet of white flowers in his hands? No way.
He must’ve imagined it.
"Hey, have any of you seen a woman?"
A voice suddenly cut through the silence, materializing right among the hiding group. The speaker was searching for someone, describing her in unsettling detail.
"Her hair is long and black, like dead water weeds. Her skin’s pale as chalk, her eyes big and dark like rotting grapes, lips red like she’s eaten children. And she’s short—shorter than the old gardener’s green onions."
Under his hood, the boy’s bandaged face revealed nothing but hollow, lifeless eyes. He crouched lazily, clutching the white flowers, and repeated, "Well? Seen her?"
The escapees froze.
His dead fish eyes narrowed, irritation seeping through. "Are you deaf?"
"AHHH—IT’S THE SLASHER!!!"
The group scrambled up, tripping over each other in their panic. One unfortunate soul crashed straight into the Headless Woman, his scream cut short as she yanked his head off and fitted it onto her own neck.
She twisted it into place, the mismatched body wobbling unsteadily before stumbling forward—bashing into trees multiple times before finally adjusting.
Then, arms outstretched, she staggered after the fleeing survivors. A loud thud followed—she’d tripped over her own feet and face-planted.
Sniffling, the man’s head let out a woman’s whimper. "This is so hard… Work is so hard… I don’t wanna work… Why do I have to work even after death? Waaah…"
Despite her sobs, she bravely wiped her tears, stifled her cries, and shuffled forward on unsteady feet to resume her hunt.
Behind a stone bench in the pavilion, Xia Miao tossed aside the branches she’d used for cover and peeked out. After some observation, she’d figured out the key to survival: stay hidden until dawn, and she’d clear this round.
In other words—just don’t get caught.
Crouched low, she inched forward… only to turn and find her vision filled with white.
The lanky boy had appeared before her without a sound. He squatted lazily, thrusting the bouquet toward her while stubbornly looking away, his entire posture screaming I don’t want to be here.
"Here. Stop being mad."
Xia Miao stayed silent.
Annoyed, he whipped his head around to glare, his eerie eyes brimming with irritation. "Listen, I’ve had enough. The only reason I’m bothering to coax you is because you’re delicious. Don’t push it—don’t get all… spoiled… or whatever!"
He was trying to say "spoiled brat," a phrase he’d picked up from the old gardener, but his vocabulary was too limited to recall it properly.
To his outrage, Xia Miao acted as if she hadn’t seen him, shifting directions to continue crawling away.
His eyes bulged. He scrambled after her, popping up on her right. "Hey! Don’t ignore me!"
Xia Miao looked the other way.
He leaned in again from the left, "Damn it, if you keep ignoring me, I swear I'll gouge out your eyes!"
Xia Miao turned her head to the other side once more.
She had been so warm toward him before, even fantasizing about marriage and children, yet now she acted as if he were invisible. This woman was undoubtedly the most cunning person he'd ever met!
His pupils constricted sharply beneath the bandages, his lips pressed into a tight line beneath them, seething at the feeling of being stuck in a one-sided argument.
Grabbing her arm, he pinned her against the tree trunk. His tall frame loomed over her as he bent down, his presence suffocating—as if he might pull out a knife at any second and slash her to pieces, staining the air with the scent of blood.
Yet, in the next moment, his furious warning came: "Don’t you dare play mute—talk to me!"
Furious beyond reason, he was already reaching for his blade when suddenly Xia Miao shoved his head away with force. His skull slammed into the wall with a loud thud, pain flaring instantly.
"Don’t you know you should apologize to a girl you like?!"
His brain struggled to process the words. Once they registered, his eyes widened. "What nonsense are you spouting? What 'like'... what 'girl'...?"
He wanted to mock her for being delusional, but then he saw Xia Miao’s flushed cheeks, her dark, glistening eyes fixed solely on him.
For some inexplicable reason, he suddenly felt the temperature around them rise.
