Lust, Pride, Envy, Wrath, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth—the Seven Cardinal Sins of all creation. The deities who ruled over sin had grown weary of their monotonous existence. So they descended freely into this world, eager to taste life’s most unforgettable bittersweet moments…

—Prologue

That night.

The forest depths, usually silent as a tomb, buzzed with unnatural noise. Night’s veil failed to conceal the filth unfolding beneath it.

This woodland lay far from civilization. Few dared tread here even at noon—let alone in the dead of night, in a graveyard.

Voices cut sharply through the forest’s stillness. A group huddled around flashlights in the burial ground.

At the center stood a tall boy. Opposite him, a slender girl.

"Tch… What a creepy dump! Tanaka, hurry it up! I’m not sticking around this shithole!"

Tanaka Kenta waved his friends down with a gesture. A cold smirk spread across his face as he shoved the girl before him hard.

*Thud!*

Hiru Kawakami staggered backward. Her spine slammed against a headstone. The impact toppled the weathered marker, sending clods of earth flying. Dirt scattered everywhere. A messy scene.

"Hnngh…" Hiru grunted in pain.

Weeds choked the neglected graves. The fall had scraped her skin raw in a dozen places. Yet she bit her lower lip hard, head bowed, refusing to meet the jeering faces.

*Tch…*

Every time Hiru Kawakami lowered her eyes like this—meek, accepting—Tanaka Kenta’s blood boiled. The more she endured silently, the more he craved breaking her. Making her sob. Begging. Learning his name meant fear.

A cruel smile curled his lips. "Kawakami… We meant to hold your bag for you. But we ‘accidentally’ lost it here. You won’t mind, right?"

No trace of guilt shadowed his face. The graveyard lay deep in the wilds, abandoned for years. Overgrown. Lifeless. "Accidentally lost" was just an excuse to torment her.

"It’s late. We should head back. Our parents’ll worry…" Tanaka Kenta feigned innocence. Snickers rippled through the crowd.

Hiru’s head dipped lower. Her fingers dug into the dirt. She fought to hold back tears.

She knew what came next.

"Kawakami must be frantic about her lost bag?"

"So why not search for it here tonight?"

"After all… no parents wait up for you anyway!"

Roars of laughter exploded. The group surged toward the graveyard’s edge.

At the exit, Tanaka Kenta turned back. "Oh, Kawakami. You’ll be at school tomorrow, right?"

"I recall your uncle works under my father…"

More laughter. Flashlights bobbed away into the trees.

Only Hiru remained. And one flickering flashlight, nearly dead.

Midnight in a forest graveyard would unnerve even a hardened man. For a high school girl? Pure terror.

Silence swallowed the woods after they left. Hiru’s ragged breaths and hammering heartbeat filled the void.

Thick darkness drowned her. Fear coiled in her chest. She couldn’t *not* be afraid.

But she had no choice. She had to find her "lost" bag.

Inside were her textbooks. And the last of her money…

Losing them meant buying replacements. Begging her violent, alcoholic uncle for cash…

She couldn’t bear more pain.

She’d held back tears before Tanaka Kenta. Crying would only make things worse. They’d relish her weakness.

Alone now, with only silent graves for company, the floodgates of pent-up sorrow burst open.

Why? What had she done to deserve this?

An alcoholic uncle at home. Bullies at school…

Everyone was scum. Every single one.

She sat before the toppled headstone, weeping quietly, wiping tears with trembling fingers…

When the tears stopped, she ignored the aches in her body and pushed herself up. The flashlight’s beam revealed the stone.

No photo. No dates. Just three simple characters:

*Yueci Ru*

What a strange grave.

Then—she felt the earth beneath her feet *shift*.

Horrified, she aimed the light downward, eyes locked on the trembling soil.

Where she’d stood, the ground rose and fell in steady pulses.

*THOOM—*

Dirt sprayed sideways. Something dark brown emerged beneath the soil…

A coffin?

A coffin buried under a graveyard, groaning in the dead of night—how utterly unnatural.

Hiru’s mind went blank. She froze, unable to move or think.

*Screeeak—Creeeak—*

A deep, grinding sound echoed from the coffin. Rusted hinges protesting.

The lid was opening. Slowly.

Hiru’s heart hammered against her ribs. Her gaze stayed glued to the coffin.

The movement stopped.

A breathtakingly beautiful girl met Hiru’s eyes.

Flawless features carved into porcelain skin. Uncanny crimson eyes, hazy with sleep, shimmering like mist over water. A faint sorrow lingered in her gaze… Long black hair spilled messily over her shoulders, lending her an air of fragility.

Hiru had never seen anyone so lovely. Even fear slipped from her mind.

Her heart raced. Heat flushed her cheeks. What was this feeling?

She stared into those red eyes. They held a strange magic. Pulling her in. Making her want to claim them—to keep them hers alone, forever filled only with her reflection…

Reality snapped back. She’d been lost in a stranger’s eyes. A stranger who’d just woken in a coffin at midnight.

This reeked of urban legend horror.

Silence pressed in. Hiru could hear the girl’s soft breaths from the coffin…

*Breathing*. So she was human?

Hiru hesitated. What should she do?

Slam the lid shut? Bury her again before she fully woke?

As Hiru stood frozen, the girl blinked. Slowly coming to. Her head turned. Her gaze settled on Hiru.

Hiru felt those crimson eyes on her face.

Then—the weak flashlight flickered wildly.

*Fzzzt…*

Darkness swallowed everything. The beam died.

Panic seized Hiru. From the coffin came the rustle of fabric—but she saw nothing.

Fear thrives in the unknown. Blind, Hiru lost all courage to face that coffin.

She stumbled back to flee—

An icy hand clamped around her wrist.

Too sudden. Too strong.

Before Hiru could react, a fierce yank pulled her off balance.

She staggered forward.

And tumbled straight into the waiting coffin.