short-story: origins

[masked_up]

This story contains a very brief reference to an attempted sexual assault. There are absolutely no details.

This story also contains brief descriptions of gore. It's a kuchisake-onna story, after all.







My name is Megumi and I am a kuchisake-onna.

...In summary.

That's the wrong way to tell the story.

It's like if you turn in a math test and the teacher hands it back to you and tells you that you don't get credit unless you show every step you used to solve the equation.

How do I explain how I, a living breathing person, became a kuchisake-onna?

I honestly don't know that part. But, I can remember the steps leading to it happening.

I was just an OL. I was attacked one night before fighting off my attacker and getting home.

I tried to go on with my life, but eventually I had to confront the fact I had died.

My body can't register temperature changes. A hot day feels the same as a cold day. I didn't notice until I realized my OL uniform didn't feel drafty anymore.

Moreover, I no longer got hungry. It didn't feel like fasting. I just had the exact same energy throughout the day, with no appetite.

But then, I didn't want to eat anyway.

The wounds around my cheeks won't heal. It was silly to think they ever would. There's visible hanging tissue whenever I open my mouth. My ability to stop food from seeping out through them is nonexistent. I can't even sip through a straw or suck candy without feeling very, very awkward.

If you think that detail is gross, I didn't even tell you the best part.

The big gaping stab wound in my chest that's still open.

I didn't mention that, did I?

It was created by the same thing that gave me the permanent smile. A traditional tanto blade.

It definitely didn't come from someone's kitchen. Any idiot could see it's an antique. It's too old, and worn. The handle even holds stiff with a wrapped cord that just feels old.

Though that brings the next obvious question.

Why did someone attack me wanting my money if they had access to an antique? One which must be worth tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of yen, by itself?

I guess the most likely answer is that just because you own something expensive, it doesn't mean you can sell it.

He probably stole it from somewhere.

But, that's not the real reason by far. He didn't want my money. He wanted my body.

Did he get it? Well... the simple answer is no. Unless you're talking in the sense of stealing my life and leaving me dead. Stabbed with a knife through my ribs.

I did keep the knife.

It's my knife now.

No one's taking that away from me.

Ah. I digressed.

I quit being an OL because I was afraid of being found out. Saying goodbye to my coworkers was tough. We were all friends. Saying goodbye to the manager, on the other hand, was easier. Being an OL is degrading work in a lot of ways. And frankly, when you eliminate the cost of food from your budget, you have more flexibility. Financial freedom, if I'm being positive.

I still had to pay my rent, though. Of course I did. What was my alternative? Stalking the streets? No, thank you.

So, I got a simple job as a convenience store employee.

After a week, the novelty wore off and I quit. Turns out customer service is even more degrading.

It was getting harder to leave my house and look normal. Getting ready to face the new day was officially a chore. Not to mention I became the master of finding excuses for not to take off my face mask. I have a small cold. I'm germophobic. I'm socially conscious about the health of society. I'm shy. I'm a kuchisake-onna.

Always good for a laugh. For them, at least. Laughing makes me ache.

There was one last excuse I sometimes used.

I have an internet profile and I don't want someone to recognize me in real life.

I wasn't prepared for someone to ask if I was a streamer.

Moreover...

That was a really good idea!

Something I could do from home. A simple way to make money that anyone could do. One where I didn't have to stare people in the face. I could interact with people in ways that I chose. Ways I felt safe.

It was perfect.

A dip into my savings, an account on Twitch and YouTube, and a bit of creativity...

Eureka.

I could do literally anything. Play games, react to videos, give advice, tell stories...

I couldn't do a mukbang, but honestly, that's for the best.

I really took to it, too. Turns out if you commit to anything, as long as you consistently do it, you get better at it. And better yet, people recognize and appreciate your dedication.

I'm not exactly a high earner by streamer standards, but I'm making enough to pay for rent, and that was better than I expected.

More than half of me isn't even sad I died anymore.

It was objectively the best thing that could've happened to me.

It opened my world to a way of life I never considered nor thought I would enjoy.

Entertainment!

It's not just an industry for me. It's a passion.

I don't want to stop. Even if all of my wounds healed tomorrow and I needed to eat again, I'd stick with this life.

It makes me happy, and I know from interacting with my audience that it makes them happy, too.

That's why I'm fully satisfied with my life and who I am.

The other lives were crushing me. I let social expectations kill my entire personality and now I have that back.

So, I'm happy. I feel free. Utterly, utterly free.

...

Hahaha.

That's probably the last thing a real onryo would say. A traditional onryo is obsessed with her hate and her thirst for vengeance has driven her to become something inhuman.

If anything, I feel more human. Why would I ever hurt anyone? They've done nothing to me.

That man is an exception, but seeing him ever again is not a likely scenario so I took the positive approach and stopped thinking about him.

I really am a bad onryo. Or maybe a more modern onryo. Or maybe I'm just me and not an onryo at all.

The only label for me that matters is Kuchisake-Onna Streams.

Do you like it? I think it's fun. Even better than my actual name.

They say everyone hides who they are on the internet, but it's a place I can truly express myself. Where I can be who I am.

Thank goodness for technology.

If I didn't have streaming, I really would be stalking the streets with that knife.

Or maybe a pair of scissors.

---

"That's all for now! Thanks for watching. If you liked: scream and subscribe. Join the Kuchisake-Onna Streams Fan Club today!"

I wave at the camera set up, making a peace sign, before letting my hand drop and staring seriously into the lens.

"Or... am I not pretty?"

And, I kill the feed.

Beautiful.

Brilliant.

Just need to do some editing and insert the outro music and it'll be ready in about a week.

'Some editing' is underselling it. It's easily the most time consuming job. The actual streaming is easy. But, people don't click to just listen to me talk and wait for a reaction. They want the compilations. Those take a lot more time. But, I can't ignore the needs of the fans.