口が裂けても君には

Kuchisake-onna, the slit-mouthed woman of Japanese urban legend, is losing her power as fewer and fewer people believe she exists at all. Then she runs into Kouichi Sano, a thirteen-year-old who looks at her torn face, refuses to be frightened, and nicknames her Miroku-chan. His teasing leaves her wondering whether she is failing at being a monster or has simply been taken for company instead. These three chapters are the original short version of the story, published before its longer serialization.