Rumors about the serial murders spread throughout the school almost instantly. Class 2D was considered the primary target. The information wasn't actually confirmed yet, but people seemed determined to make the story as interesting as possible. The class full of problem children, the class that should have been eliminated—they deserved to be killed.
That was the twisted opinion people had of Class 2D. But they didn't know that the people they wanted to see wiped out were actually desperate for help. The fear of death was putting tremendous pressure on the students' mental and physical health. Pressure from their parents, along with whispers from the surrounding residents, only added to their already overwhelming anxiety.
"What are we going to do? My parents already told me I'm not allowed to go to school."
"Same. They even asked me to transfer."
"Are the victims only women? Fujiwara Sena and Aikawa Yuri were both women of Japanese descent."
"If the killer is only targeting Japanese people, then we natives can breathe easy, right?"
Personal assumptions often distorted reality. They deliberately created an exception just to feel safe and erase their sense of being threatened.
"Have you guys noticed that the victims have a few things in common?" Chaterine asked, looking at each of us in turn.
I stared at her blankly. "What do they have in common?" I asked, making her immediately put on an eager expression. She stood up and began walking around us.
"First, the victims are women. Second, they're Japanese or of Japanese descent. Third—and this is just my guess—both Fujiwara Sena and Aikawa Yuri were known for having a bad reputation as seductresses."
Sophia, Giva, and I tried to process what Chaterine was saying. She was right. So far, the victims had all been women of Japanese descent. If that was true, then I understood why the killer hadn't taken my life last night, even though he had a perfect opportunity to do so.
"Oh, right. It always happens at night in secluded places," I said unconsciously, making my three friends stare at me with shining eyes. I was puzzled by their expressions. "What's with your faces?" I asked, furrowing my brow.
"We just didn't expect you to be capable of thinking that far ahead," Sophia said, complete with a condescending look.
"Exactly! Usually, you never understand what we're talking about," Giva chimed in, while Chaterine merely snickered.
I rolled my eyes lazily at them. So all this time, they had thought I was so stupid that they were surprised I could figure out something this simple? No! Actually, it wasn't simple at all. I could understand it because I'd experienced strange events over and over again and gotten involved in them. But I couldn't tell them that.
When night fell, I prepared myself to stake out the killer. If the rumors going around were true, then as a native, I would probably be safe. I walked through the alley closest to my house—the exact alley where Aikawa Yuri had been killed. I walked with an overwhelming sense of fear. Besides being afraid of the killer, I was also afraid of running into Aikawa Yuri's ghost demanding revenge, like in a horror movie.
As I passed through the police line blocking off the area, the hair on the back of my neck instantly stood up. The wind blowing through was so cold that my body began to shiver. Still, I continued down the alley and stopped just before the crime scene. I stood there, anxious.
Unfortunately, I had been standing there for almost two hours, and nothing happened. So I decided to go home.
The next day, I was shocked by the news of Andin's death. Andin was the student who sat directly in front of me. She did like changing boyfriends, but she wasn't of Japanese descent; she was a native.
Andin's death triggered mass panic among the native students. In other words, the claim that the victims were only Japanese had been disproved. There was only one absolute fact—and it was a depressing one: every victim had come from Class 2D.
"Hah!" I let out a rough sigh. No wonder the killer hadn't attacked me last night. Apparently, he had been carrying out his latest attack somewhere else. What was I supposed to do? I wanted to know the truth, but my brain couldn't come up with a next step.
"AORA!" Marco called, stressing every letter of my name.
I looked him in the eye suspiciously; I still hadn't stopped suspecting him. Today was his first day back at school, and Haijima Yoko had come too. The two of them looked extremely suspicious, but I had to act normal. "What?" I asked.
He smiled and ruffled my hair. "Good! You got here on time today," he said. He acted like a father proud of his child's progress. Marco slowly brought his face closer, then whispered in my ear, "Don't go out at night, okay? It's dangerous!"
A shiver ran through my body. His words seemed to drug my consciousness, and I froze on the spot. "If you become a murder victim, there won't be anyone left for me to yell at around here," he continued.
I swallowed with difficulty. I looked into his eyes, then smiled as warmly as I could.
"Ahem! If you two want to get all lovey-dovey, at least look around first," Chaterine teased, shooting me a mischievous glance. Once again, she was making assumptions. Did they think Marco and I were making out? No! Marco had just threatened me! At least, that's what I thought—right up until the incident when I accidentally ran into someone wearing a hoodie with a black face covering.
"I'm going to the teachers' room to see Ms. Nuri," I told my three friends.
"We'll wait for you. It'll be dangerous if you go home alone later," Giva replied. She looked worried, and so did Chaterine and Sophia. I looked at them, touched. I was happy they cared about me, but my curiosity was much stronger.
I slowly shook my head and looked at them gently. "You guys go ahead. I'll be fine," I insisted, finally getting a nod from them.
After they left, I wandered aimlessly around the school grounds. For some reason, I wanted to explore the place. As for Ms. Nuri, I had actually lied. Even if someone forced me, I still wouldn't go see that flirtatious teacher.
My feet carried me to a rooftop; I'd never been there before. I looked around, but there wasn't a single person there. I felt relieved. I stretched out my arms and closed my eyes. A gentle breeze brushed against my face, bringing me the peaceful feeling I'd been searching for all this time.
Crash! Crash!
I heard a racket coming from behind a small room on the rooftop. I walked toward it slowly. The room looked run-down; I could see spiderwebs in every corner. I tried to peek inside. There was nothing there, only darkness filling my field of vision.
When I was about to turn around, I thought I saw a shadow pass by. Curious, I tried peeking into the room again. I saw a face! A human face! I covered my own mouth so I wouldn't make a sound.
The door slowly opened, revealing someone in a hoodie grinning at me. He brought his face close to mine, then stretched his grin even wider. "Hi," he said. I could see the cracked corners of his lips.
He grabbed my face and lifted it until it was level with his. "It's been a long time since we last met. I'm glad you came to visit me all by yourself like this. But I can't let you go anymore, can I? If you get away, this place won't be safe anymore, and I like it here."
He yanked my face roughly, forcing me to stand and follow his footsteps. He slammed my body into cardboard boxes covered in red stains. I trembled in fear when I saw several kitchen knives in the corner of the room. The knives were smeared with red liquid; I didn't know yet whether it was blood or something else.
"I'm not supposed to do this to an old friend, but I don't have any other choice. All I can do is apologize."
An old friend? Who? Me? Did I know this man? No! His voice sounded unfamiliar. He was fairly muscular. There was no way I could have been friends with someone this terrifying.
Slowly, the man picked up one of the knives covered in red liquid. He toyed with it right in front of my face, making me even more frightened. I wanted to run from this place. At least I was relieved that it wasn't Marco; he wasn't the serial killer.
I edged backward, feeling around for something I could use to escape, and... my hand touched something blunt.
"An old friend? I don't have a friend like you!" I shouted, then slammed the blunt object into his face.
He fell backward. I used the opportunity to run. I raced down the stairs, glancing behind me every so often. I could hear footsteps drawing closer and closer; that meant he was chasing me.
I ran as fast as I could toward the school gate. I was sure he wouldn't dare chase me all the way there because students and teachers were still passing through the school. When I reached the gate, I smiled in relief. I was holding my breath, but at least I knew a little more about the truth behind the murders.
"What's wrong?"
I was startled by the voice. It was Marco's. I looked at Marco's face, and sure enough, it was clean, without even the slightest injury. So I had misunderstood everything all this time. "I'm sorry," I murmured to him.
He furrowed his brow, then placed a hand against my forehead. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked.
Hah! I let out a rough sigh. I looked at Marco irritably. Was I really that stupid in everyone's eyes? My three stupid friends thought I was stupid too. Without answering Marco's question, I walked home. He didn't chase after me or ask to walk home together. For some reason, I was a little disappointed by that.