Takumi navigated the school hallway, a small black notebook held loosely in one hand. The corridor felt like a tunnel of clean white walls and tall, reinforced windows that mirrored the gloomy, rain-slicked morning outside. Beneath his headphones, a mellow beat hummed—just loud enough to mask the distant buzz of other students.
Around him, the school pulsed with its usual morning rhythm. Some students drifted toward class with easy smiles, acting as if the horrors of the night before were happening in a different world. Others were wound tight, their anxiety showing in hunched shoulders and white-knuckled grips on their bags. In Aoshima, stress was the unofficial uniform; some wore it openly, while others buried it under forced laughter.
Takumi was lost in thought until a high-energy voice sliced through his music.
"Takumiii! Hey! Wait up!"
The sheer volume made him stop. He lowered his notebook, glancing over his shoulder with one hand shoved casually into his pocket.
"Nene," he said, watching the lively girl bounce toward him. She held her school bag in both hands right at her knees, her face lit up with a grin that was practically her default setting.
"How've you been, Takumi? Last year was a blur, right? And the holidays? Poof! Gone!" She practically skipped to a halt beside him, a faint trail of perfume catching the air.
Takumi slipped one earbud out and gave a slight nod. "I guess they were," he replied, already resigned to the fact that she'd be his shadow until they hit the classroom. "I'm assuming your siblings didn't drive you totally insane over the break? If I had to deal with that much whining every day, I'd have vanished into the woods by now."
Nene let out a dramatic, offended gasp. "They weren't that bad! Mostly. You just get used to the noise after a while."
Takumi gave a faint, knowing shrug, which earned him a playful chuckle.
"As usual, nothing rattles you," she said, bumping her shoulder against his arm. "Seriously, how do you stay so unbothered? If you're trying to impress me with the 'cool guy' routine, congrats—it's working. I'm convinced."
"I wasn't trying to impress you," Takumi replied, familiar with her teasing.
"I know, I know," she rolled her eyes. "You're just naturally like this. It's annoying."
She flashed another grin, but her voice suddenly hitched. "H-Hey—watch out!"
A blur of motion barreled down the hallway. Shoes screeched against the polished tile as a boy around their age skidded several feet before regaining his balance. He didn't slow down; instead, he slid right into the space next to Takumi, dropping a heavy elbow onto his shoulder with the grace of a falling tree.
"Cool as always, ain't ya, Taki?" the newcomer beamed, his grin wide enough to be seen from space. "Long time no see, bud! Lookin' fantastic!"
"Itsuki..." Nene sighed, looking exhausted. "Do you have to tackle him every time? You're a tower; he's a pillar. The physics don't work."
Itsuki was significantly taller than both of them, and his greeting was a daily ritual Takumi had learned to endure—provided Itsuki actually showed up to class.
"Nice to see you too, Itsuki," Takumi said evenly.
"I know that, bud!" Itsuki barked, laughing as he bumped Takumi's shoulder one more time before finally letting go.
Nene crossed her arms. "Well, look at you. You actually survived the break without failing out. I'm almost impressed."
Itsuki coughed, rubbing the back of his neck as his cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. "Y-Yeah, well... you know I only failed those other times on purpose."
The lie was so thin it was transparent, but nobody called him on it. They were just glad the trio was still intact for the second year. While Nene was the academic powerhouse and Takumi was the quiet, quick study who never gave the faculty a headache, Itsuki was the chaotic element—loud, impulsive, and allergic to textbooks.
"Yo, guys," Itsuki said, his voice dropping into a not-so-subtle whisper. "Did you see the news? Something went down near Aoshima last night. Like, really bad. That train incident... way more casualties than they're saying."
The atmosphere shifted instantly. Everyone knew. It was impossible to miss.
Nene shot him a sharp, warning look. "Seriously, Itsuki? People are already terrified. We don't need to recap the tragedy in the middle of the hall." She balled her fist and punched his shoulder—hard.
"Ow! Dammit, Nene! I'm just saying!" Itsuki rubbed the sore spot, then leaned closer to Takumi. "Look, Taki... you gotta admit, last night was different. That wasn't just a derailment. Something hit that train. Hard."
He jabbed a thumb toward his chest. "And you know me—I don't freak out over nothing. But you're always walking home late from cram school. With Project Zero getting worse... just watch your back, man. Something's out there."
He pointed a finger at Takumi, trying to look like a mentor in a movie. "If you see anything weird, don't be a hero. Call me. I'll beat the hell out of whatever monster tries to get close."
Takumi stared at him, his expression so blank it clearly communicated: You wouldn't survive five seconds.
Nene snorted. "Itsuki, you can't even beat a pop quiz. Sit down."
The three of them reached their classroom. Takumi pulled his headphones off and tucked them away. "You guys are overthinking it," he said casually. "Talking or staying quiet doesn't change the fact that we're all back here like nothing happened."
"Told ya!" Itsuki crowed, slapping Takumi's back. "Best buds think alike!"
Nene's expression softened, her bravado slipping for a second. "It's not that you're wrong, Takumi. I know life goes on. It's just... it makes me sick. Thinking about those families. What if it was someone we knew?"
"Well, it wasn't," Takumi replied, dropping his bag onto his desk and sinking into his seat. He propped his chin on his palm. "With that many deaths, it's a miracle we don't have a personal connection to it. But society is going to feel this. It's the biggest disaster since the lab fire. At this point, we should probably worry about our own safety more than anything else."
Itsuki flopped into his chair, leaning back with his hands behind his head.
"Relax, Nene," Itsuki waved a hand lazily. "We can still hang out during the day. We just can't do the night-scene stuff. It ain't the end of the world. Trust me, worse things happen. Like yesterday—I ordered a chicken burger and they gave me pork!" He slammed his desk. "Total betrayal! My wallet cried, man!"
Takumi turned his head slowly, looking deadpan. "...How is that worse?"
Itsuki lunged forward, grabbing Takumi's shoulders. "Bro! I'm allergic to pork! Allergic! I could've died! Imagine my legacy being ended by a mislabeled sandwich!"
Nene pinched the bridge of her nose. "You took one bite and realized it, Itsuki. You were fine."
"Because my survival instincts are god-tier!"
As the classroom filled up, the teacher arrived, but a different presence caught Takumi's eye first. He glanced toward the door, his eyes narrowing with mild interest. Nene and Itsuki followed his gaze and groaned in perfect harmony.
Aoshiki Yuna walked in, her long pink hair swaying in a high ponytail. She was the school's "Golden Girl"—perfect grades, perfect attitude, and the undisputed favorite of every teacher.
"Ugh," Itsuki muttered, burying his face in his hand. "Of course she's in our class. Fate has a sick sense of humor."
Nene leaned back with a stiff glare. "The girl has a fan club bigger than the lunch line. It's exhausting just watching people worship her."
Itsuki nodded vigorously. "Exactly! She's too serious. No chill. She makes me feel like I'm failing at life just by existing near her."
"You are failing at life," Nene reminded him.
Takumi remained neutral. To him, Yuna was just a classmate—a high-achieving one, sure, but not someone worth the energy of a grudge.
"Why not tell her yourself, Itsuki?" Takumi poked. "She is the class president, after all."
Itsuki looked at him like he'd been stabbed. "Bro, why do you defend her? She probably spends her weekends reading encyclopedias until her hair turns gray. She's finished with exams in five minutes! Who does that?" He thudded his head against the desk.
"You're just jealous because you're stupid," Nene said bluntly. "And because you probably want her to notice you."
"I do not—! I—!"
The door slid open fully. A hush fell over the room. Yuna stood at the front, poised and professional.
"Class," the teacher announced, "Yuna has a few words to welcome everyone back."
Itsuki looked like his soul was leaving his body.
Yuna stepped forward, her voice calm and firm. "Good morning. I hope you all had a restful break. As we start the new year, please stay informed about the safety measures in Aoshima. The city is changing, and we must change with it. Follow the curfews and stay prepared. Thank you."
The room offered polite applause. Yuna bowed and took her seat.
Takumi, however, wasn't looking at the front of the room anymore. He was staring at the reinforced glass of the window. Rain streaked down the surface in jagged lines.
And for a split second, something in the reflection... distorted.
To be continued...