Erase

Act 42: The Account

The advent of the Internet and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter has made it easier for people from different sides of the globe to interact with each other.

These days, over billions of people from all over the world have social media accounts. Boys and girls, children and adults. Even large conglomerates have used these platforms to reach out to their customers.

However, social medial has also become home for various shady individuals. Be it those who use these networks for scamming or phishing, those who are deviants who engage in lascivious behavior using the platform, or just those who post strange stuff.

One of them in particular had caught their interest on Shino and Mayuka.

FRIDAY

-Outside the School 5:18 PM-.

It was a particularly normal Friday afternoon. Shino and Mayuka had just finished their first day in school after the fateful incident at the concert venue.

Shino checks on her phone to check on her personal blog and how it's been doing recently in spite of the lack of updates.

"Yo, Shino. Have you been checking on your blog lately?" Said Mayuka.

"Actually, I'm doing that right now." Shino replied. "Why'd you ask?"

"Nothing at all. It's just that..." Said Mayuka. "I've noticed someone posting some... strange replies."

"Strange replies...?" Shino replied. "Where?"

"What are you talking about?" Said Mayuka. "They're on every post you made! See?"

Mayuka takes a hold of Shino's phone and shows her the comments section of some of her previous blog posts. Among the top comments, was an anonymous user who spammed the comments section of every single post, leaving nothing but a peculiar link behind.

"He's been spamming your comments section with links." Said Mayuka. "From the looks of things, it seems to be the same link over and over again."

"Have you opened it?" Shino replied.

"No can do. What if it turns out to be a link that force downloads a nasty virus?" Said Mayuka. "Or it reveals itself to be a phishing site that steals all of our precious information?"

"Well, we wouldn't know unless we try, right...?" Shino replied.

"Right... Maybe once we go home." Said Mayuka.

ONE HOUR LATER

-Mayuka's Bedroom 7:20 PM-

Upon reaching home, the first thing that Mayuka and Shino did, before even taking off their uniforms, was to turn on the computer in order to check the links that the anonymous user posted on Shino's blog.

Shino watches over

"Wait, Mayu..." Said Shino.

"Huh...? What is it, Shino?" Mayuka replied.

"Can you... try visiting the link on a virtual machine?" Said Shino. "You know, so that... we won't be able to accidentally destroy the computer with viruses?"

"... Good point." Mayuka replied. "But how do I do that?"

"Well, it goes like this..." Said Shino.

ONE HOUR LATER

After an hour of explanation, searching for step-by-step guides and scouring for various reputable download sites, the two girls were finally able to get the virtual machine up and running.

"OK, now that we're all set... let's do this." Said Mayuka.

Mayuka opened up the Internet browser inside the new virtual machine that they installed and typed in the URL to Shino's blog.

As soon as she found one of the spam comments that featured the link, Mayuka did not think twice and proceeded to click on the link.

Alas, what was on the link was not a virus, but a Facebook profile for someone who goes by the name of...

"... Nana?" Said Mayuka.

"What?" Shino replied.

"Here, look..." Said Mayuka.

Shino followed and took a look at the profile.

The profile was a strange one. The only images were pictures that were completely blank. There were text posts as well, but they were just as vague, only consisting of blanked out strips of Unicode, kinda like something out of Doki Doki Literature Club.

The only thing that was visible in the profile was their name and profile picture: a picture of a 3D model of an anime-style girl with black hair, a pale white complexion, and wearing nothing but a black and white sleeveless dress with the number "7" written all over. The avatar had a rather blank, emotionless expression on her face, with equally dull, lifeless black eyes.

The 3D model seems to have been made using the 3D modelling and animating software called MikuMikuDance, or "MMD" as it is most commonly called. MMD is known for its use in various short Internet videos involving cutesy anime characters, and, in particular, being used to animate the Virtual YouTuber, Kizuna Ai.

However, while the avatar in question is indeed rather cute, something about its blank eyes and rather dead expression felt rather unnerving to both Shino and Mayuka. Especially considering the rest of the profile's contents.

"What is... this?" Said Shino.

"I know. I'm just as confused as you are..." Mayuka replied.

"Should we... send them a message?" Said Shino.

"Well, you know what they say, don't knock it 'till you tried it." Mayuka replied, before taking a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing..."

Mayuka, using Shino's account under her own request, proceeds to send a friend request to the mysterious profile.

"Hi Nana (⌒‿⌒)"

Much to their surprise, the response came rather swiftly.

"Nana" immediately accepted her friend request, and responded with a series of quick messages sent through Facebook Messenger.

"Hi Shino"

"I'm Nana desu"

"Nice to meet you \(^ヮ^)/"

"They... responded..." Said Shino.

"And they seem rather cheerful, at that." Mayuka replied. "I expected them to be somewhat more... vindictive..."

"Should we reply?" Said Shino.

"Sure. But I don't know what to say..." Mayuka replied.

"Let me help you out." Said Shino.

Shino then takes over the keyboard and types in her reply.

"Is Nana your real name?"

Within a few minutes' time, Nana eventually responded.

"Yep Nana is Nana LOL (' ω ')"

"You know... for someone who posts complete blackness in their profiles..." Said Mayuka. "Seeing Nana talk like your average 4Chan anon is a huge surprise."

"True... She doesn't seem creepy anymore." Shino replied. "I kinda like her now, fufufu!"

"Now, now. Don't get too excited. We still need to ask her some things..." Said Mayuka.

Mayuka types in her reply to Nana before sending it to her. It read:

"How's it going rn?"

However, things eventually took an unexpected turn to the dark with Nana's reply.

"Nana is fine thanx ＼(≧▽≦)／"

"How bout you?"

"How's the collar in your neck?"

That last question from Nana very clearly and rather visibly perturbed both Shino and Mayuka.

"The collar... in my neck...?" Said Shino.

TO BE CONTINUED