Rajawali smiled faintly. A new understanding of Saka, the person beside him, had begun to take shape in his mind. Saka was no longer just annoying—he was something more than that.
But amid their whispers, the sound of heavy footsteps began drawing closer. Their hearts sank again. In the next instant, a round-faced monster covered in blood poked its head out directly beneath the table where they were hiding.
Saka and Rajawali held their breath.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in 11th-Grade Science Class 5 was unbearably tense. The desks and chairs had been pushed against the walls, leaving the students sitting in a circle in the middle of the room. Their feelings were a tangled mess. No one knew how to start a conversation. Everyone sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts and emotions. Besides, everything had been far too chaotic from the beginning—far too chaotic for them to have to endure.
Silence had enveloped them ever since Kasandra returned alone, without Rajawali and Saka. Beside Raya, Kasandra sat hugging her knees and sobbing continuously, occasionally swatting away mosquitoes biting her skin. Her eyes were completely red, and her face was covered in stiff, dried tears.
Asa watched her for a moment, then whispered to Ares, "Are you using your cardigan?"
Ares shook his head listlessly.
"Can I borrow it?"
When Ares nodded, Asa took the cardigan, approached Kasandra, and wrapped it around her.
"Don't keep blaming yourself, Dra," Asa said gently.
Kasandra slowly looked up. "B-but... the two of them... it's because of me..."
"It's not your fault." Asa cut her off quickly. "If you want to blame yourself, then all of us here are at fault too for letting the three of them leave the classroom."
Kasandra was stunned. She could see the devastation in Asa's expression—the expression of someone who had always seemed strong. Yet Asa was still trying to remain calm and give her strength. "How can you be this strong, Sa?"
Before Asa could answer, Bram cut in. "Asa's right, Dra. I'm at fault too. I should've been able to stop them from dying if I'd gone out with them earlier. I mean, I trusted my own abilities."
"Exactly," Bela chimed in, unwilling to be outdone. "I'm at fault too. If only I'd given them some fries first, they would've been more eager to get back to class."
Iwan joined in as well. "Y-yeah! I should've cheered them up with a joke first so they'd be even more motivated!"
"I... I'm at fault too, Dra," Koko added nervously. "If I'd been brave enough to throw away this fear, I could've done something to help."
Several other frightened students nodded in agreement. Slowly but surely, the atmosphere among them began to settle.
Raya then warmly put an arm around Kasandra's shoulders. "See? You heard them yourself, right? Don't give up like that. Do you think Raja and Saka would be happy to see you like this after they managed to save you? Come on, Kasandra! You have to stay strong. We still have our whole lives ahead of us, okay?"
Looking at the sincere smiles on her friends' faces, Kasandra could no longer find the words. Her tears broke loose again—this time from an overwhelming rush of emotion and relief.
"T-thank you... you're all too kind..."
Faint smiles spread across the students' faces. But that warmth shattered in an instant when the classroom door was pounded violently from outside. The students sitting near the door immediately leaped backward in fear.
Every eye turned toward the door as it continued to take brutal blows. Stefani took a fighting stance and gripped the iron rod in the corner of the room tightly.
One final powerful blow sent the door flying open, and two male figures immediately tumbled onto the classroom floor.
"Damn it! Couldn't anyone help open the door?!"