Into the Backrooms Chapter 1 The Yellow Hell

Issei Hyoudou was having a completely normal day at Kouh Academy or, at least, as normal as it got for a perverted teenager with a dream of becoming a Harem King.

The last bell of the day had rung, Kouh Academy had ended like usual with lectures half-listened to, his imagination drifting off during math, and then his two friends, Matsuda and Motohama, cornering him after school for the usual sacred discussion, boobs, asses, and the cute girls of their school. The Perverted Trio as they were affectionately—or perhaps not-so-affectionately—known, carried their degeneracy like a badge of honor.

Issei, as always, was stuck in the middle of a lewd conversation with his two equally hopeless friends, Matsuda and Motohama.

“Bro, I swear the third-year in Class 2-A isn’t wearing a bra,” Matsuda whispered, glancing around like a secret agent.

“I have photographic memory,” Motohama pushed up his glasses with a smug grin, “and I can confirm the bounce-to-ratio. She's at least a D-cup.”

Issei laughed. “Man, that’s the dream! A busty upperclassman who’ll let me stuff my face on her Oppai while whispering sweet nothings—”

“—About how much she loves you?” Motohama asked with mock innocence.

“No! About how she wants to smother me with those divine oppai!” Issei corrected with a dramatic fist pump.

The trio burst out laughing, earning a few disgusted glances from nearby girls and a sharp “Perverts!” from a passing student. Issei didn’t even bother responding as he was used to it by now and was proud of his dreams. 

After waving goodbye to his friends, Issei began the familiar walk home, his thoughts drifting toward the “research” he’d saved for tonight, lock the door, lie in bed, laptop open, and either revisit a favorite AV or scroll through one of the newer magical girl lewd doujinshi he’d bookmarked.

“I’ll start with Nya-tan’s video today,” Issei mused aloud with a big dumb grin, chuckling to himself. But then—

Step.

The pavement beneath his foot vanished. The sunset, the rows of neat homes, the low comforting hum of his neighborhood cars, birds, distant voices was replaced by a deafening, ceaseless buzzing. All blinked out in less than a heartbeat.

He blinked again. “Eh?”

Gone were the trees, the familiar sidewalk, the occasional barking dog.

Instead, he now stood in a long, monotonous hallway with yellow wallpapered walls, discolored and stained like the interior of a forgotten motel. A brown carpet squished faintly beneath his sneakers, slightly damp. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered slightly, emitting an oppressive buzz that drilled into his skull. 

“...What the hell?” Issei blinked, spinning on his heel. “Where’s the road? Where’s the sun? Where’s the usual MILF jogging around the block?!”

It was a hallway. An endless, looping hallway, with turns and corners that looked just like the ones behind him. 

“Okay, okay... okay... maybe I fainted?” He muttered to himself, trying not to hyperventilate. “Maybe I saw a pair of heavenly knockers, passed out from a nosebleed, and now I’m... in a dream? Yeah. That makes sense. Just a weird pervy dream. Probably from all that hentai.”

He pinched his cheek. Hard. “OW! Shit! Not a dream!

Issei spun around and sprinted toward the next corner, then the next. Each turn revealed more of the same—yellow walls, brown carpet, buzzing lights.

And the silence. The oppressive silence. His breath started to hitch. “Okay, okay, okay, calm down, Issei. Calm down! You didn’t get hit by a truck, right? You didn’t open some weird cursed book or rub a haunted busty statue—right?!” He stopped and slapped both sides of his face. “Focus! What do you know?”

He began listing off aloud, desperate to hear even his own voice in this eerie nothingness.

“Okay. I was walking home. Past the vending machine, yeah. Then I stepped near the crosswalk. And then… it was like I blinked and the world changed..” He stumbled forward again, the old carpet crunching under his feet.

His panic began to grow, deep in his gut.

He took a shaky step forward.

Then another and another.

After fifteen minutes, every turn looked the same. Every fake office cubicle and open doorway revealed nothing—no people, no windows, just more of this maze. The yellow walls were starting to feel like they were closing in. The carpet smelled worse the further he walked. And that damn buzzing.

“WHY IS THIS PLACE SO DAMN LOUD?!” Issei shouted, clapping his hands over his ears.

No answer.

His heart was pounding. This wasn’t a dream. He felt everything. His legs were sore and his throat was dry. 

“What the hell is this place...?” He muttered again as he continued to walk.

—------------------------------------

Issei didn’t know how long he’d been running.

Minutes? Hours? It felt like days.

The hallways didn’t just go straight anymore. They twisted. Bent at weird angles. Some were wide enough to fit a truck through, others so narrow he had to turn sideways just to squeeze between them. Some doorways led to more yellow walls, others to dead ends. One time, he entered a room that led to nowhere—just four walls and no exit.

He tried not to panic, but the chaos of the layout was playing tricks on his brain.

Every zigzag corridor made his stomach churn. Every T-junction forced him to choose a direction based on nothing but gut instinct. And every wrong turn made him feel further and further from anything resembling home.

He didn’t know how long he had been running. There were no clocks, windows or sun to tell the passage of time.

Only the lights. The constant buzz of the fluorescent lights was no longer just background noise—it had become a presence, a dull, ever-present whine that gnawed at the edges of his sanity. His feet pounded against the squishy brown carpet, each step a wet slap that somehow sounded worse than silence.

Eventually, Issei’s legs gave out.

He slumped into the corner of an empty room, panting like he’d just run a marathon. He leaned against one wall, his back sliding down until he sat flat on the musty brown carpet. The texture felt damp, unpleasant, like something had spilled here a long time ago and no one ever cleaned it up.

"...Okay," He mumbled to no one. “This is... fine. Totally fine.”

He sniffled.

“Just trapped in a never-ending IKEA from hell. That’s all.”

His throat tightened.

The fear was still there. Pressing in from all sides. But for the first time since arriving, it wasn’t the kind of fear that made him run. It was the kind that made him think.

How did he even get here? It wasn’t like someone knocked him out and dumped him in a van. Had he died? Was this hell?

“I was just walking home! I wasn’t doing anything! Unless... unless this is some kind of divine punishment...?” He winced. “Crap... is this the afterlife for perverts? A hell where you walk through yellow wallpaper for eternity with no boobs in sight?!” He buried his face in his hands. “That can’t be right. I’m too young to die! I didn’t even get to touch a real pair of Oppai!”

No answer. Just the buzzing lights above.

He let out a bitter chuckle, resting his head against the wall. “…I wonder if Mom and Dad noticed I’m gone.”  A sharp pang struck his chest. “They’re probably freaking out by now…”

He imagined his mother pacing the kitchen, calling his phone over and over. His dad driving around town asking neighbors if they’d seen him. The thought that they were searching for him, that they might never find him, made his heart ache worse than any scary sound ever could.

"I didn’t even say goodbye..." He whispered.

Then another thought struck him. He hadn’t gotten hungry.

He frowned. Now that he thought about it—he’d been running, panicking, sweating like a pig for what felt like hours, but his stomach wasn’t growling. His throat was dry, but there was no real thirst. His body should be begging for water, food, something... but it wasn’t.

“What kind of place is this?” He whispered, a chill sliding down his spine. “Is time even real here?”

He leaned forward, hugging his knees. His fingers trembled slightly, not from fear but from being overwhelmed.

After a long while, he stood back up, arms and legs trembling.

He wasn’t ready to give up.

No matter what this place was—some kind of trap, purgatory, a pervert’s punishment—he wasn’t staying here. He was going to make it out. Somehow. Some way.

Because he had goals. Big, bouncing goals.

He wiped his face with his sleeve, took a deep breath, and shook out his legs.

“Nuh-uh. Not giving up. Not Issei Hyoudou.” He pounded a fist into his chest. “So what if this place is creepy? So what if I don’t know where I am? So what if there’s no porn?! I’m not gonna sit around and cry in a corner! I’m gonna get out of here,” He declared, brushing the dust from his pants. “I’m gonna get back home… hug my mom, say sorry to Dad... and then—I’m gonna become the Harem King, dammit! With real, live, beautiful women. I’m going to touch boobs and butts and thighs and everything in between.”

With one shaky foot forward, then another, he plunged back into the maze.

—------------------------------------

Step by step. One corner after another. Turn left. Zigzag. Narrow crawlspace. Another stairwell leading to… what, another level? Issei didn’t know anymore. He had long since stopped trying to count how many twists and turns he had made.

It was all starting to blur. The yellow walls. The brown carpet. The buzz of the lights.

It echoed in his skull, a constant droning from the flickering fluorescent lights overhead. Some blinked rhythmically like a dying heartbeat. Others pulsed with an uneven hum, like something breathing in the ceiling tiles.

Issei Hyoudou kept walking.

He wasn’t even sure how long it had been anymore. Hours? Days? Weeks? Time didn’t exist here. No clocks. No sunlight. Just the buzzing sound from the light.

Despite the isolation. Despite the fact he hadn’t seen another soul, heard another voice, or felt a breeze in what felt like an eternity—Issei’s mind clung to one thing that never failed him: Oppai.

It sounded stupid, and maybe it was. But he needed something. Anything to keep him going.

He imagined Rias-senpai’s bountiful chest, soft and warm, like twin pillows from heaven. “…Man, Rias-senpai’s rack really is god-tier,” He muttered under his breath, voice hoarse but still carrying that familiar edge of passion.

To even Souna Shitori, her cool, no-nonsense stare paired with those perky, modest breasts hidden beneath her school uniform. The entire “Oppai Spectrum,” as he mentally called it, ran laps through his head like a pervy parade of hope.

“Heh... Big or small… I love them all,” He mumbled, chuckling despite himself. “Oppai is the light in this dark, yellow hell…” That dumb thought made him smile. Even if it only lasted for a moment. In this world that made no sense, Issei Hyoudou stayed true to himself.

At some point, he had to crawl through a square vent-like hole to move on. Other paths had stairs. Some were spiraling down into darkness, others up into more of the same. He swore one hallway was slanted like a ramp, but his internal sense of direction was long gone. Everything twisted together into a funhouse from his nightmares.

And yet… nothing changed.

The walls didn’t alter. The smell stayed stale. The hum stayed loud. The emptiness stayed—empty.

He wanted to cry.

“Where the hell am I…?” he whispered. “Am I even alive? Was this some kind of dimensional prank?”

No answer.

‘Maybe I really am alone.’ His thoughts began to grow darker, circling back to his parents, his friends, his home, and whether they were even still looking for him. What if he’d been erased from reality entirely? What if—

“HELP! SOMEBODY, PLEASE!”

Issei froze.

His heart jumped into his throat.

That was a voice. A real voice.

Echoing from somewhere deeper in the maze.

He didn’t stop to think.

“Hang on, I’m coming!” He shouted, his voice rough from disuse. He bolted down the corridor, his sneakers thudding against the carpet with a renewed energy. “Where are you?! Keep screaming!”

His legs burned. His lungs ached.

But adrenaline overrode it all.

He sprinted down the hall, his worn sneakers slapping against the moist carpet. He didn’t care that his legs burned, or that every turn could lead him in circles—he had a direction now. A goal. A voice to follow and even more than that, someone needed help.

He dashed through a long hallway, took a sharp right, then veered left through a series of sharp, unnatural angles that nearly disoriented him again.

The voice cried out again, fainter this time. “Please! Somebody!”

He turned a corner.

“I’m here!” Issei yelled back, nearly slipping on a slick patch of carpet. “Don’t worry, I’m coming!”

Whoever that was, she sounded terrified. And if there was one thing Issei couldn’t ignore, it was a girl in trouble. Even here, in this warped, liminal purgatory of yellow madness, he was still Issei Hyoudou. Someone who never left a person yelling for help behind.

—---------------------------

Issei sprinted through the yellow corridors, weaving through zigzagging turns and veering down random forks. His sneakers thudded against the damp carpet, echoing off the sterile, stained walls. Every time he thought he was getting close, the scream would shift—muffled, distorted by the labyrinth's twisted geometry.

“Damn it! Where are you?!” He growled through gritted teeth, heart pounding like a war drum in his chest. His body ached, his muscles screamed, but he didn’t stop.

He couldn’t stop.

That voice, the scream, was still echoing in his ears. It had sounded desperate. Terrified. Alone. And if there was one thing he knew too well after wandering this endless yellow nightmare, it was that being alone here was the worst thing imaginable.

‘Please be okay,’ He thought, pumping his arms harder. ‘Please don’t let me be too late!’ He had one focus now: get to her.

He turned another corner, nearly slipping from momentum—then froze.

For once, it wasn’t just a bland cubicle or empty corridor. This one stretched wider, its ceiling slightly higher. The corners were darker, the lights weaker here, casting long shadows against the cracked yellow wallpaper.

And at the far end of the room.

“WHA!” Issei’s eyes widened.

A girl was Bbcked into the wall.

Long, jet-black hair, disheveled and tangled. She looked young—maybe his age—dressed in what looked like a tattered school uniform. Her back was to the wall, shoulders trembling in fear, and her arms were up as if to shield herself from.

‘What the hell is that?!’

The thing looming over her wasn’t human. Humanoid in the loosest possible way.

It stood upright but was made entirely of writhing, oily black mass, like someone had sculpted a human out of thick tar. Its “arms” slithered into jagged fingers, twitching as it crept toward the girl with a jerky, stuttering gait.

“No you DON’T!” Issei charged.

He didn’t think—he just moved.

With every ounce of strength and speed he had left, he barreled toward the creature and slammed his shoulder into its side.

The impact was like hitting a sack of sludge and stone but it worked as it sent it skidding back across the carpet with an unnatural shriek like static gone wrong. He felt the recoil rattle up his bones—but the creature staggered. Black goo splattered against the wall like blood.

Issei hit the floor hard, wincing as his arm went numb from the hit.

“Gh—damn that hurt…” He grunted, quickly rolling to his feet. He turned his eyes to the girl, who was still frozen in place, trembling.

“Hey! On your feet!” He barked, reaching out and grabbing her hand. “We gotta go—now!”

She didn’t argue.

The girl barely had time to react before Issei yanked her up and took off running, pulling her behind him as the creature let out a low, gurgling growl behind them.

Issei didn’t look back, he didn’t need to as he was sure it was pissed and chasing them.

“Hold on!” he shouted, tightening his grip on her hand. “I’m not letting that freak touch you!”

The corridors blurred around them again as they sprinted. Issei didn’t know where he was going—just away.

“W-What was that?!” The girl cried, her voice cracking with fear as she ran beside him. “What the hell is going on?!”

“I was hoping you’d have the answer to that!” Issei panted, dragging her around a corner. “I’ve been trapped here for, I don’t even know how long!”

“I-I was just walking home and then I was here! In this hellhole!”

“Yeah. Same.” His voice was tight. “Either this is a prank from God—or it’s a pervert’s punishment game. Not sure which.”

The creature’s garbled screech still echoed somewhere in the distant maze behind them, but it was fading. Issei wasn’t sure if it had given up or was just biding its time.

Didn’t matter. Right now, he had one job: get this girl to safety.

He kept running, her hand clasped tightly on his own.

And in that brief, surreal moment—despite the fear, despite the adrenaline and the madness of this yellow hell—Issei noticed something.

Her hand was soft. Delicate. Warm. Small enough that his fingers curled protectively around it.

“…She smells nice,” He muttered under his breath, face tinting a bit red. “Even in this nightmare place… she smells like flowers…”

The two of them dashed through another winding hallway, took a sharp left, and ducked into a room that—while just as ugly and yellow as the rest—seemed quiet. Safe, at least for now.

Suddenly, the girl tugged against his arm. “Wait—wait! I… I can’t—run anymore…”

Issei immediately skidded to a stop, nearly tripping over himself.

“Ah crap! Sorry, sorry!” He blurted, quickly helping her sit down near the wall. She slid down, back against the faded wallpaper, trying to steady her breathing. Her chest rose and fell with each gulp of stale air, her fingers trembling slightly.

Issei crouched beside her, eyes flicking around the corners of the room, still on alert—but gradually, the tension in his shoulders faded. No shadows moved. No sounds pursued.

They were safe. For now.

He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and turned to check on her—

And then it hit him.

She was gorgeous.

Up close, he could actually take her in. Long, silky black hair draped around her shoulders like flowing ink. Her pale skin had a soft glow under the ugly fluorescent lighting, and her bright blue eyes—slightly red from crying—still shone with life. She wore a brown school uniform that fit snugly around her slim figure, the blazer hugging her sides and leaving little to the imagination.

Issei, being Issei, couldn’t help but notice the subtle but perfect curve of her chest—modest yet firm. Probably a solid C-cup, he estimated.

“Ah… crap, get a grip, Hyoudou,” He scolded himself, looking away quickly before his mind went full pervert-mode. ‘She just got attacked by a damn shadow demon or something. Now is not the time to be ranking her oppai.’

The girl, finally recovering her breath, slowly stood up.

“Thank you…” She said, brushing her hair from her face. Her voice was soft. “For saving me. I don’t know what that thing was, but… I thought I was going to die.”

Issei blinked. His heart stuttered at how sincere she sounded.

“O-Oh, uh… yeah! You’re welcome!” He said, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile. “It was nothing! Just doing what any decent per—I mean, person—would do!”

She actually gave a small laugh at that, and the tension in the room eased just a little.

“…I’m Issei,” He said after a beat, offering a hand. “Hyoudou Issei. Second year at Kouh Academy.”

The girl looked at him for a moment before nodding and gently taking his hand.

“Yuuka,” She replied, her lips forming a soft smile. “Yuuka Hana. I’m a second-year at Fuyuki High.”

Issei perked up. “Oh! Fuyuki? Never heard of it but it must be from Japan?”

Yuuka nodded. “Yeah. I was walking home after cram school. Then… I blinked, and I was here. In this nightmare.”

Issei’s expression turned serious. “I see.”

“Can we rest a little,” Yuuka said, sitting back down. “I don’t think I can walk much further right now.”

Issei nodded, then sat across from her, his back against the opposite wall. “Yeah. Take your time.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a long, steady breath. “…Thank you again, Issei.”

His heart did a backflip. “Y-Yeah… no problem…”

The room had gone quiet again.

No monstrous screeches. No shifting shadows. Just the dull hum of the overhead light, flickering like it might give up any second.

Issei and Yuuka sat across from each other on the musty brown carpet, leaning against the faded yellow walls. Both looked worn down—emotionally and physically—but for now, they had a moment to breathe.

They needed it.

“…So,” Yuuka finally said, hugging her knees lightly. “You don’t know how you got here either?”

Issei shook his head, rubbing his eyes. “Nope. One second I’m walking home, minding my business, maybe thinking about boobs, and then bam. I'm here.”

Yuuka gave him a flat look. “You were thinking about boobs?”

He gave her a sheepish grin, raising his hands in surrender. “I mean—yeah. Kinda my thing.”

She blinked once.“Huh?”

He scratched the back of his head, face flushed. “Look, I’m not gonna lie to you. I’m a pervert. Like, a genuine, battle-hardened Oppai enthusiast. It’s part of my identity.”

Yuuka groaned and pressed a palm to her forehead. “How does someone just… open with that?”

Issei rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks red. “Sorry! I figured honesty’s better than pretending to be somebody I’m not.” He muttered, looking down. “I don’t know what this place is or how long we’ll be here, but I didn’t want to lie to you. That’d be stupid.”

He looked up and met her gaze.

“I swear, Yuuka-chan. I’’m not a creep!” Issei said quickly, raising both hands. “I mean—yes, I like looking. I really like looking. But I’d never cross a line or hurt you or anything! That’s just… not me.”

Yuuka let out a long sigh and gave him a flat stare. “…Okay, Issei, pushing you away would be a terrible idea. You’re the only person I’ve seen here—and you saved my life.” She paused, giving him a look that was equal parts warning and weary acceptance. “But if you try anything pervy, I will hit you.”

“Deal,” he nodded quickly. “I get the feeling your punches hurt.”

“They do,” She replied flatly. Despite the tension, a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, already forgetting the trauma of almost dying.

Issei chuckled, resting his head against the wall. “You know, for a horror maze of doom, this is probably the most normal conversation I’ve had in a while.”

“Same,” Yuuka said, her voice softer now. “Talking helps. Takes my mind off… everything.”

Issei nodded.

Yeah. It helped.

—--------------------------------------------------

A few minutes passed in silence, both of them just breathing, thinking, letting their nerves settle.

Then Issei slowly stood up, stretching his arms. “…We should move,” he said. “That thing could still be out there. And I don’t like the idea of just sitting around waiting for it to find us.”

Yuuka gave a small nod and stood as well, dusting off her skirt. “You’re right. Staying put is asking for trouble.”

“And besides…” he said, voice growing more confident, “I haven’t given up yet. There’s gotta be a way out. I don’t care if I have to break through a wall, climb up a vent, or punch another shadow blob—I’m getting out of here.”

Yuuka hesitated, then asked. “You think there’s a way out?”

“I have no idea,” Issei admitted. “But I’m not giving up. I’m not the type to sit around and cry while a creepy goo-monster walks around looking for us.”

Yuuka looked at him for a moment, then slowly nodded. “Alright, Issei. Let’s find the exit. Together.”

“Yeah,” He said, grinning. “Let’s go.”

They stepped out of the room and into the hallway once more. The walls, as always, were that same sickly yellow. The air was stale. The buzzing lights followed them like ghosts overhead.

But this time, Issei didn’t feel as alone.

Yuuka walked just a few inches behind him, cautious but present. 

—-----------------------------------

Their footsteps were the only constant sound aside from the maddening drone of the fluorescent lights above. Room after room, hallway after hallway, the scenery never truly changed—only stretched and warped. One room would be barely a closet, the next a wide chamber with a ceiling twenty feet high. Some hallways narrowed to the point where they had to turn sideways, others were so wide it felt like they were walking through a warehouse.

Hours, maybe more, passed as Issei and Yuuka walked through the labyrinth of repeating yellow rooms, their conversation growing gradually more personal as they went.

“So you’re a Second-year?” Yuuka asked, glancing sideways as they passed through yet another crooked corridor with a ceiling barely high enough for them to walk upright.

“Yeah. Kouh Academy. It used to be an all girl school but it suddenly turned coed,” Issei replied, adjusting his pace to match hers. “It’s practically heaven for any male student.”

Yuuka sighed but said with a teasing smile, “That last part better be a joke.”

He grinned innocently. “What can I say? I’m passionate.”

She shook her head and chuckled softly. Despite everything, it felt good to talk. To connect. To feel like they were still human.

“Got any siblings?” Issei asked.

“No. Just me. I live alone with only my mom. She’s kind of strict, always forcing me to study.” Her tone softened. “She must be losing it right now…”

Issei went quiet.

“Yeah… My mom always scolds me for sneaking into the bathroom with magazines. My dad, he always covers for me when I mess up.”

Yuuka gave a faint smile. “They sound like good people.”

“They are,” he said, his voice growing firmer. “And I’m going to get back to them. I’m not dying in this yellow hell.”

Lately… something was off as they continued their journey through the backrooms.

“Is that a… mug?” Issei asked, blinking at a chipped white coffee cup that sat in the middle of the floor like someone had just set it down during a meeting.

Yuuka glanced at it warily. “There’s a folder on that desk. And… is that a sock on the ceiling fan?”

Objects were beginning to appear.

Random things. A half-filled paper cup. A chair with a broken leg. Scattered papers with no writing on them. A cracked filing cabinet against the wall. Things that shouldn’t be here.

“None of this feels right,” Yuuka muttered, hugging herself. “It’s like someone dumped trash from different offices here.”

“Yeah,” Issei said, eyes darting across the room. “But at least it’s something. I was starting to think this whole place was copy-pasted.”

As they crossed into another room, Issei spotted something glinting near a collapsed table leg.

A metal pipe—long, thick, dented at one end. Rust lined its edges, but it looked solid enough.

Issei walked over and picked it up.

Yuuka frowned. “Why are you grabbing that?”

“Just thinking ahead,” He looked at her with a shrug. “We don’t have weapons. If one of those shadow freaks jumps us again, I want to at least do something.”

Yuuka looked at the pipe, then nodded reluctantly. “Just… don’t drop it on your foot. I don’t know if tetanus is covered in this dimension.”

“Heh. Noted.” With Issei leading and now gripping his new ‘weapon,’ they pressed on.

They walked a few more rooms in silence, tension settling on them again like dust. The clutter increased—fragments of a world long gone or long abandoned.

But then the attack came without sound. No warning or screech.

WHAM.

“Ghhk—!”

Out of nowhere, Issei was struck, hard, by a black mass of twisted limbs. Its grotesque arm extended like a whip, slamming him across the room. He hit the wall with a sickening crack and crumpled to the ground.

“ISSEI!” Yuuka cried out.

She turned—only to find herself surrounded.

Another shadow-creature slithered out of the nearby wall. Its oily body hissed as it took shape, its lurching, unholy limbs moving unnaturally fast. She backed away until her heel hit the corner of the wall. Her breathing caught in her throat.

The first creature—the one that hit Issei—was now slowly approaching him again, raising one malformed arm like a hammer.

Issei’s vision swam. Pain lanced through his ribs, sharp and burning. The whole left side of his body ached like it had been slammed by a car.

His fingers twitched.

He heard Yuuka’s voice—panicked, desperate, afraid.

‘No. No no no no. Move!’ He promised her.

Issei’s vision cleared for a single moment—and in that moment, something inside him ignited. A deep red light flared to life across his left arm.

His hand pulsed—then transformed. Red energy wrapped around it in an instant, forming a sleek, draconic glove, glowing like it was forged from scales.

“What… the hell?” Issei gasped, eyes wide. The pain vanished—replaced by something hot, furious, and pure.

He gritted his teeth, forced himself to stand, and gripped the metal pipe so tightly it groaned under his fingers.

Yuuka’s scream jolted his heart.

With a sudden burst of strength, he launched forward—faster than even he expected. Without thinking, without hesitating, he ran.

The creature in front of Yuuka raised a clawed limb—ready to strike.

Issei slammed into it with the force of a freight train, pipe first.

CRACK.

The hit landed square across the monster’s head. The pipe bent on impact—but the creature flew. It slammed into the far wall and dissolved mid-air into black ichor, splattering like tar before vanishing entirely.

Issei didn’t stop.

The second one—the one that had struck him—turned just in time to receive the full brunt of Issei’s fury.

“STAY! AWAY! FROM HER!!” Issei roared, bringing the pipe down in a diagonal arc.

The metal struck true.

The creature’s skull-like upper mass shattered like rotten wood under a boot. Its entire body spasmed before collapsing into itself, leaving behind a thick, smoking smear on the carpet.

Silence.

The air smelled of ozone and ash. The pipe slipped from Issei’s fingers and clattered to the floor.

His legs shook.

The glove on his arm flickered and disappeared.

“…Issei?” Yuuka whispered, voice shaky.

“Yuuka… you okay…?” He muttered weakly.

But before he could hear an answer—his knees buckled.

The pain returned. The adrenaline faded. And the last thing he saw before everything went dark was Yuuka rushing toward him, calling his name—

Then nothing.

—--------------------------------

“Issei!” The scream tore from her throat before she could stop it.

One moment, they were walking—talking about school and family, pretending like this place hasn’t been eaten away at their sanity. The next, he was flying through the air like a ragdoll, slammed aside by something she hadn’t even seen coming.

And now…

Two of those black things had come from the shadows like living nightmares—one going for Issei, the other turning its body toward her.

Her legs refused to move.

Her heart pounded painfully inside her chest.

It was happening again.

Like before, when she first woke up in this place—paralyzed. Helpless. And utterly alone.

But just like back then she wasn’t alone.

Issei, even while wounded, had thrown himself between her and that monster without a second thought.

She watched, wide-eyed, as something changed in him.

A red light had burst to life on his arm—burning, pulsing like living flame—and in that moment, he didn’t look like a pervert. He looked like a hero.

She’d barely registered the pipe in his hand before he moved. He was fast—faster than anything human. His movements weren’t trained or precise, but they were fueled by purpose. She flinched as he slammed the pipe into the monster stalking her. The blow made a sound so vicious that even the creature couldn’t stay together.

Then, without hesitating, he crushed the second one—the one that had hurt him.

They melted into black sludge and disappeared into the carpet.

And then...

“…Issei?” she called, voice shaking.

He turned. Gave her a smile.

And collapsed.

“No—no, no no—!”

She rushed to his side, falling to her knees. Her fingers hovered uselessly for a moment, uncertain of what to do. His face was pale, chest rising and falling with labored breaths.

He was still breathing. Alive.

But unconscious.

“Damn you, Issei…” She whispered, brushing sweat-matted bangs from his forehead. “You idiot… you saved me again.”

She looked around. The room was still quiet.

But she knew better now. This place was never safe.

Her breath hitched.

“I have to move him.”

She wasn’t strong, but she wasn’t going to leave him.

She refused to.

Sliding an arm beneath his shoulders, she gritted her teeth and pulled. His body was heavy—muscle heavier than it looked, and she cursed every time her fingers slipped on the carpet or his arm slumped in an awkward position.

But she kept going.

Room after room, she dragged him—sometimes over the shoulder, sometimes by his arms, wherever the ground allowed her. Her limbs screamed. Her legs shook.

She didn’t care.

She wouldn’t abandon him—not after what he did for her.

Eventually, she found a small room—slightly cleaner than the others, with no clutter or weird stains. The hum of the lights was still there, but at least it was steady.

She laid him down gently, trying to cushion his head on her lap.

Then she sat her head back against the wall, panting heavily.

“…You better wake up soon,” She whispered, watching his chest rise and fall. “You don’t get to make me trust you… and then leave me alone again.”

Her voice caught at the end. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

“I’m still scared,” she admitted to the air. “But… I’m not giving up either.”

She reached out, gently taking his hand—just for a moment.

It was warm.

And she held on.

Done with this new story. Tell me what you think and if I got the place down perfectly. Why is Yuuka here? Ehh. I saw no reason why not. The Backrooms is a place where anything that can happen.