Splash—
She turned on the faucet and reached out to catch the tap water flowing from it.
Miko lowered her head and splashed the clear water onto her face, rubbing hard.
The water was very cold.
When splashed onto her face, it even carried a faint, stinging sensation.
By relying on this method, Miko felt that she could become slightly more clear-headed, and the buzzing dizziness in her mind could also ease a little.
For some reason, her condition had not been very good the entire day. She had drifted off several times during class and hadn't even heard it when the teacher called her name.
By her ears, there always seemed to be a faint singing voice, lingering indistinctly.
But whenever she tried to listen carefully and distinguish it, she would discover each time that she had simply misheard—merely mistaking other sounds for singing.
Yet if she deliberately chose not to pay attention to those sounds and pretended not to hear them, she would find that the singing grew louder and louder, increasingly noisy, so sharp that she could not hear anything else at all—yet it still would not stop.
Was it a hallucination?
Or had something gone wrong with her?
Raising her head and staring at her own face in the mirror—one that looked noticeably more haggard—Miko could not help but let out a soft sigh.
At that moment, a girl passed behind her and walked into one of the stalls to the side.
Miko did not pay her any attention, merely reaching up to wipe the water from her face.
It was currently break time, and the corridor outside was filled with the noisy chatter of many students. At a time like this, it was perfectly normal for girls to come into the restroom; there was no need to pay special attention.
Miko had also come to the school restroom during this time precisely to wash her face, hoping that in this way she could help herself stay a bit more awake and not remain so listless.
Speaking of which, quite a few people in her class had been taking leave recently.
After washing her face and feeling her mind ease slightly, Miko could not help but begin thinking.
There were indeed quite a number of students taking sick leave.
After all, many seats in the classroom were empty—almost half, it seemed.
However, classes were still continuing as usual, and the teaching progress had not paused because of this matter.
Come to think of it, if too many people in the class were absent, the homeroom teacher should probably do something about it, right? The way all the teachers were continuing their lessons as if nothing had happened, completely ignoring the reduction in student numbers, somehow felt not quite right.
Should she go report this issue?
Right— which classmates were the ones who had taken leave and gone home without coming to class?
Miko turned around, thinking as she prepared to step away.
Then her footsteps suddenly halted, and she froze in place.
It was a bit strange—she couldn't remember the names of those classmates.
Was it because they were classmates she did not usually interact with much, so even if they disappeared, it would be hard to notice?
This feeling was rather unsettling. Remembering the names of everyone in the class—she should still be able to do that, shouldn't she?
However, she truly could not remember which classmates had taken leave and gone home.
Come to think of it, the classmate who sat beside her… was it Hana? Yes, it should be Hana.
Why did she have so little impression now? Clearly, every day she would chatter noisily right by her side…
Could it be… that she was actually still dreaming?
Snap!
At the very moment Miko formed that absurd thought, the light in the restroom stall beside her suddenly went out.
When the startled Miko turned around, she saw that the entire restroom had already been swallowed by darkness—she could not see her own hand in front of her face.
Why had the light suddenly broken?
And besides, wasn't it daytime now? There were windows in the restroom as well—so why, after the lights went out, could she not see anything at all?
Somewhat puzzled, Miko did not intend to stay here. She turned around, planning to leave and return to the classroom.
[…]
The girl took a step forward, then stopped.
Just now, she seemed to have heard some sound coming from the darkness, like… the sound of breathing?
Speaking of which, it seemed that someone had just gone into the restroom.
Miko silently took a step back.
She could not see what existed within the pitch-black restroom; she simply felt instinctive fear toward that gloomy, oppressive environment and did not dare approach it no matter what.
[…]
Was that… someone crying?
It seemed as though the sound of weeping was coming from inside.
Could it be that because the light had gone out, she could not find the switch to the stall door and was unable to come out?
Thud—thud—
As Miko thought this, she heard, from within the darkness, the dull sound of something striking against a wooden stall door.
Thud—thud—
In the darkness devoid of even the slightest light, it continued to sound, one after another, as if it would never stop.
Miko had already retreated to the entrance of the restroom.
She had considered whether to ask about the situation of the girl who had just gone inside, but that indescribable terror completely enveloped all her senses at this moment, leaving her able to do nothing but retreat.
And at that very moment, her steps involuntarily halted, because she had bumped into someone approaching from behind.
"What's wrong? Why are you blocking the doorway?"
A puzzled voice sounded from the girl behind her.
"Sorry, I didn't notice."
Miko hurriedly apologized, then tried to leave, only to have the other girl reach out and grab her shoulder.
"What's wrong? Did something happen inside the restroom?"
The girl asked again, somewhat curious.
"It's just that the light's broken. It's a bit dark inside right now."
Driven by an instinct that grew stronger and stronger, urging her to leave this place, Miko answered casually—yet suddenly felt one side of her shoulder become somewhat damp.
"Really? Really? Then why can't I see it?"
The girl was still speaking.
Miko's movements had already stopped.
She turned her head and looked at the hands gripping her shoulder—hands whose fingernails had all been torn off, whose skin had been peeled away, leaving them a bloody, mangled mess.
Then she raised her head and looked at the girl.
At the girl whose eyes had been gouged out, whose eyelids had been stitched and sewn onto her scalp, exposing two enormous eye sockets directly.
Dark red blood flowed incessantly from the girl's eye sockets.
And she simply stood there, one hand resting on Miko's shoulder, continuing to grin as she asked her: "Really? Really? Then why can't I see it?"
In the very next moment, Miko suddenly lifted her head, propping up the body that had originally been slumped over the desk.
Cold sweat covered her entire body, and she was breathing heavily, unable to control it.
Was that just now a dream?
She looked around. The students nearby were gathered in small groups, chatting about their own matters. No one had paid attention to her sudden awakening.
"What's wrong, what's wrong? You suddenly look like you've lost your soul."
At that moment, an orange head suddenly leaned in from the side, staring at Miko with great curiosity.
She was Miko's classmate and the friend she was closest to in class—her name was Yurikawa Hana. She was a lively, somewhat silly, and quite strikingly well-endowed cute girl.
"It's… it's nothing…"
Miko shook her head and forced a smile at her friend.
Ding-dong—
The class bell rang at that moment.
One by one, the students returned to their seats. Although Yurikawa Hana was still worried about Miko and wanted to ask a few more questions, she could only obediently return to her seat and sit down.
'Had I slept straight through the entire break just now?'
Miko's gaze swept across the room.
The girls' academy she attended had only female students. A class usually had around thirty students, and now the number of students seated… was twelve in total.
Since when had this class been reduced to only this many people?
Why did everyone seem so unconcerned, as though a class having less than half its students attend was completely insignificant?
There had to be something wrong.
Beneath the desk, Miko silently clenched the hem of her skirt in her hand.
Something happening in this classroom—something happening to everyone—there had to be… something wrong.
Silently, the school day came to an end in a rush.
After that bizarre and terrifying nightmare, nothing else particularly noteworthy occurred at school. If anything was worth mentioning, it was only that she saw even more students discussing "Alice's Game".
Every one of them was brimming with excitement.
Every one of them looked thrilled, full of eager anticipation.
Yet for some reason, Miko felt that the smiling faces she saw were twisting little by little—gradually contorting into shapes no human could ever make, nor should possess.
'I have to do something.'
As dismissal approached, gazing at the dusk gradually drawing nearer outside the window, Miko could not help but form that thought in her mind.
Something terrible was happening in this school.
She had no way to find the cause, nor any method to stop this strange incident.
But she was already the only person here who could sense that something was wrong—who could perceive that something was happening.
So if something had to be done, only she could do it.
But what should she do?
Aside from sensing that something was wrong, she had no other ability at all.
What exactly was she supposed to do?
Should she look for someone who could help her?
Should she share what was happening here with others and seek help from an adult?
Such thoughts arose in the girl's mind and quickly spread.
It was as if someone were whispering softly to her, causing these ideas to surface.
I [I] should [should] go [go] to [find] someone [a] who [can] help [adult] me [me], seek [friend] help [person]… [only] that [works]…
Who could help her?
[Who could come and be my friend?]
Hana… no, she knew nothing. I can't ask her for help. She wouldn't be able to help me…
Ask Mom for help… no, that won't work either. Mom wouldn't be able to deal with something like this. Of the people she knew, the only one who might possibly know how to handle the current situation… yes, maybe that person could do it…
After all, he could see the world she saw. He could see those terrifying things just as she could. Perhaps once he learned what was happening here, he would be able to help her. The only person she could turn to now might be him.
[So let him become my friend.]
Miko took a deep breath and, at that moment, quietly made up her mind.
After the dismissal bell rang, she packed up her things as quickly as possible and left the school—so quickly that she did not even wait to walk home with Hana.
She ran past the silent street corner and crossed the pedestrian crossing.
The girl faintly sensed that something was strange—today, the streets were far too quiet. So quiet that along the way she had hardly encountered any pedestrians or vehicles at all.
It was as though the entire city had fallen silent, leaving only her running forward within it.
Because of that, Miko quickened her pace even more, nearly exhausting herself as she ran to the front door of her house. After leaning against the wall to catch her breath for a moment, she continued on, passing her own door and walking toward the house next door.
Toward the home of the only person she could think of now—the only one she could ask for help.
Ding-dong—
The girl reached out and pressed the doorbell at Takumi's house.
Then, after a somewhat tense moment of waiting, she heard a response from the intercom.
"Who is it?"
In the lazy voice, Miko could even hear him yawning, as if he had just woken up.
"It's me, Yotsuya Miko. Um, hello. You—you told me before that you can see the same things I can, right? I—I have something I hope to ask your help with. Could you open the door and let me come in?"
Having rarely spoken to men, Miko spoke with a slight nervousness.
"Oh. Then come in."
As for Takumi, having just finished the trip to the hot spring hotel, he was in an extremely relaxed state and did not think much of it. He replied casually, then unlocked the front door so that Miko could enter his home.
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