Today, I deliberately left earlier than usual. The air in Kampung Bambu was so cold it made my bones shiver. Was it usually this cold? I trudged toward school. I'd already been going to school here for a year, but I still wasn't used to these uphill roads.
I looked around; it was still quiet. There weren't many students walking around yet. It felt too deserted. I didn't like it.
When I reached the classroom, I was surprised to see the door still shut tight, even though the other classrooms were already open. There was no way Bang Maman had forgotten to open our classroom, right?
“What are you doing?”
“AAAAAA!” I screamed in shock, my heart feeling like it was about to leap out of my chest.
I spun around and saw the gloomy-faced transfer student standing right in front of me. He was looking at me with his head lowered, but his gaze felt sharp.
“Why would you scare someone like that?” I complained irritably. “Our classroom is still locked, so let’s just wait outside for now.”
“N-no. The classroom’s been open for a while. I even went inside already,” he said as he pushed the door. Sure enough, it opened easily.
I lightly smacked my head, feeling stupid for not checking first. I sighed, then dragged myself lazily toward my seat in the back row.
Thud!
There was something on my desk. A red rose with a matching ribbon, along with an object wrapped in red cloth. Everything was red, which made me paranoid all on my own. I carefully opened the cloth wrapping, and inside was... a kitchen knife.
I clapped a hand over my mouth, then stuffed the thing into the drawer at lightning speed. I glanced at the transfer student to see if he'd noticed what I'd hidden. He looked busy writing something in his notebook. Thank goodness, it seemed like he hadn't realized anything.
My heartbeat grew faster, and my hands shook violently. I quickly grabbed the rose and hid that in the drawer too. I didn't want anyone to know. Why was this stuff on my desk? Who had sent it? If a teacher found out, I'd be in huge trouble.
My head began to spin, and nausea suddenly hit me. I ran to the bathroom. This sort of thing happened often whenever I was forced to think too hard; my brain simply wasn't capable of handling complicated matters. Had I unknowingly made someone angry enough for them to prank me like this?
When I returned to the classroom, I froze. The teacher and students were already sitting neatly in their seats, even though earlier it had only been me and the transfer student. Without asking permission, I walked right in.
“Aora!” Ms. Angel called. “Where are you going?”
“To my seat, ma’am,” I answered flatly.
Ms. Angel let out a harsh sigh. “I’m at my wit’s end with your behavior, Aora. Why are you late every day? You’re ruining my mood for teaching.”
“Late? I’m not late today. In fact, I got here earlier than all of them!” I pointed at my classmates. The entire classroom burst out laughing.
“Come on, if you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. If you really got here early, why are you still carrying your backpack like that?” Ms. Angel pointed behind me.
I gaped. I’d forgotten to put down my bag before running to the bathroom. “But I was telling the truth, ma’am...” I said pleadingly.
“Enough. Go sit down! I’ve had it,” Ms. Angel snapped.
I pressed my lips together, holding back my irritation as I walked to my seat. I glanced at the transfer student. Why wasn’t he helping me explain? Oh, right. I’d forgotten—we weren’t friends.
“Kids, don’t be shocked by what I’m about to tell you,” Ms. Angel said, instantly capturing every student’s attention.
“Fujiwara Sena was found dead beside her house last night.”
Ms. Angel’s words instantly turned the atmosphere ominous. Dead? That meant she’d been murdered, right?
“She was probably killed with a kitchen knife that struck her directly in the heart. The police are still investigating because the culprit doesn’t seem to be an ordinary killer; they slashed Sena’s face repeatedly until she was difficult to identify.”
Thud!
My heart raced wildly. My hand reflexively grabbed the drawer where I’d hidden the kitchen knife. What did this mean? Was this just a coincidence? Was someone trying to frame me?
I searched for Marco in his seat. He wasn’t there. Sure enough, Marco hadn’t come to school today. Could Marco have done it?
“One more thing,” Ms. Angel continued. “Marco is in the hospital. He was attacked by several drunks and beaten badly. But don’t worry, his life was saved.”
After school, Giva, Chaterine, Sophia, and I headed straight to the hospital. When we arrived, Marco was still asleep. His face was covered in white bandages, making him look like a mummy.
“Marco! Marco!” Chaterine roughly shook Marco’s body.
“Shh, let him sleep! What’s wrong with you? His wounds could open up from even a little movement,” I scolded instinctively, making my three friends grin mischievously.
“Could you be quiet for, like, two seconds? This is a hospital!” A faint voice came from behind the bandages. Marco woke up.
“Finally, you’re awake. We came to bring Aora here. She was so worried about you,” Sophia said, already making things up.
Marco looked at me, while I merely scratched my non-itchy head. He then smiled sweetly at me, making my cheeks heat up.
“Marco, how did you end up so badly beaten?” Giva asked seriously.
“I don’t remember exactly,” Marco answered quietly. “That night, I was planning to buy snacks for my younger siblings, but while I was walking through an alley, three big guys suddenly jumped me. It happened not long after I walked you home, Aora.”
“AORA!” Chaterine and Sophia exclaimed together. “Why didn’t you tell us you went home with Marco yesterday?”
I gave them a sheepish grin, trying to come up with an excuse. “We just happened to run into each other, and I stopped by his house for a bit.”
“You stopped by Marco’s house? Wow, your relationship is progressing pretty fast,” Sophia teased.
“Speaking of which, why did you guys go home early? You didn’t use me as an excuse to skip school, did you?” Marco asked scornfully.
“We’re not students like that. We went home early because Fujiwara Sena was found murdered.”
Hearing my own words, I jolted. I immediately ran out of the room without another explanation. I had to get rid of the knife! Before people got the wrong idea about me!
When I reached the deserted classroom, I went straight to my desk drawer. My heart pounded hard, racing along with the classical music the broadcasting club students were playing over the school speakers.
I reached into the drawer. Empty. I searched carefully, even lifting the desk. But both the rose and the kitchen knife were gone.
“How could they disappear? Was I just hallucinating this morning?” I muttered weakly.
“Hallucinating about what?”
Suddenly, Haijima Yoko was standing right beside me. I hadn’t even noticed her arrive. In her hand, she held a kitchen knife and a red rose.
“Are you looking for these?” she asked, staring sharply at me from beneath her long bangs.