Chapter Three

Don't sing out loud in public spaces. It's embarrassing!

Only two more lamp posts before she reaches her house.

"... Praying for love and praying in naivety, ohhh-!"

She stops singing when she feels a shadow that seems to be following her. Yume turns around to see that there is no one. She is currently alone in the street.

"... a highschool student was seen dead around the vicinity of Shitennoji hospital... she was strangles by a mask man and was..."

Yume suddenly recalls the news report during the morning before she left for school. "A-Am I going to d-die?" she says softly under her breath.

"... speculated that the victim was supposedly on her way home when the killer attacked... "

"But I don't wanna die yet." Her heart suddenly beats faster, feeling the danger lurking in the street. Yume removes her headphones and inspects the vicinity. Sweat beads become visible on the side of her forehead.

"Wh-Who's there?!" she says. Something swiftly passes by behind her. By instinct, she turns to see what it was. However, it has become quite dark that she cannot see anything clearly.

Kling!

Yume turns her head towards the sound. A trashcan was knocked over and its contents spilled to the ground.

Her ears start to become even more sensitive in the silence. A distant bark of a dog is heard and even the sound of insects that fly around the knocked over garbage start to become noise to her ears. A song from her playlist is faintly heard through the headphones in her hands.

"... when I'm home alone, I just dance by myself. And you pull my head so close, volume goes with the truth... "

She stands for a few minutes, waiting for another sound or movements.

"C-Come out... or else I'll... I'll scream, dammit!"

Light from the nearest lamp post flickers and is not quite luminous. She looks at it, thinking that someone might appear from there. She gulps in fear.

"I-Is someone th-there?"

Another swift movement passes by behind her.

"GYAAAAAHHH!" Yume hurries towards the flickering light and takes shelter from it. Her eyes are near its limit as tear accumulates in them, waiting to be shed. She feels her blood rush through her veins and her adrenaline rises through the roof. Yume watches the area under the security of the lamp post. "Leave me alone! Please! Leave me alone!"

She cries under her breath, "I wanna go home to Mama right now."

"What are you doing out here?" says a voice behind her ears.

"EEK!" Yume turns around just to see a taller man with black spiky hair, wearing the same uniform as her. "Huh?"

The man wears two earrings on his right ear while there are three more on the other one. He glares at her with an uninterested expression on his face. He is holding his bag over his left shoulder.

"Y-Y-You're from Shi-Shitenhouji Chuu, right?" she says with a nervous smile on her lips.

"You mustn't stay outside for too long at night," the man bluntly dismisses her before proceeding to walk. "Recently, a lot of dead bodies are seen around."

She watches the man walk away. "W-Wait, you..."

"Oh, right. I forgot." He stops before turning to look back at her. "I heard the killer only targets women," he tauntingly says to her. "You don't happen to be a girl, do you?" Then, he goes on.

"Who... is that guy?" she mutters.

"Kazuyoshi-san!"

Yume opens her eyes at once and stands up in impulse upon hearing the teacher. "Yes, Sensei!" she shouts. Her classmates begin to giggle and snicker while she scratches the back of her head out of embarrassment.

Ms. Noriyuki raises a brow as she smiles nervously with her front teeth showing. The teacher sighs. "Kazuyoshi-san, please sit down."

"Oh, yes!" Yume sits down as her classmates briefly stop laughing.

"Will you refrain from sleeping inside the class, Kazuyoshi-san? You're quite distracting."

"Yes, Sensei. Sorry."

"Anyway, going back..." Ms. Noriyuki turns to face the board. "Kazuyoshi-san, please answer the problem on the board. What is three x multiplied by..."

The day has only started yet dark circles are to be seen under the eyes of Kazuyoshi Yuki. She has been trying to keep herself awake through the lessons until lunch break.

"Kazuyoshi-han, are you fine?" Ishida asks as he places his lunch box on top of his table. "You seem tired."

"I'm just out of sleep." She chuckles. "I was a little bit panicky last night."

"Why so?" He opens his lunch box and starts to eat.

"You know... there's a series of killings around, right?"

"Yes, I've been hearing about it. Women are advised to stay at home when the night comes."

"Well..." she scratches her head, "My head's full of those thoughts. I mean, like, I might die next."

"But from what I've heard, the victims were all women."

"You can't be sure, right?"

"That's true. Kazuyoshi-han, you said that you live alone."

She nods. "More reason to feel afraid." Yume takes out a sandwich from her bag. "Don't you think it's only coincidental that all victims were women? What if they were just... unsupervised and alone? That's why the killer attacked them."

Ishida swallows his food. "It's possible. You probably might be right, Kazuyoshi-han. We should all be careful."

"Right." Yume takes a bite from her sandwich. She remembers the man she met the night before. "Ishida-san, you know..."

"Hmm...?"

"... there's someone around the street where I live who seems to also study here in Shitenhouji."

"Is that so, Kazuyoshi-han? Then, I think you should try to persuade the person to go home with you. For safety measures."

"Really? I'll give it a try sometime, then. For now..." She takes another bite. "... Ir'll juss pruhbably guh home errly."

Ishida pauses. "What... did you just say, Kazuyoshi-han?"

Snap of a finger. "Be awed at the sight of my prowess!"

Hyoutei Academy's tennis club is having their afternoon practice matches in preparation for the National Tournament. After being defeated by Seishun Gakuen during the Kantou Tournament, Hyoutei tennis club continues to strengthen its regular members upon the vow to win the title of being champion all over Japan.

"KYAAA~!" Girls swarm the bleachers of the tennis courts, cheering on the regulars. This time again, Atobe Keigo, the tennis club captain, wins his practice match. His narcissism led him into saying his famous lines that everyone in the whole school is already fond of.

Oshitari Yuushi looks at him from a distance, sighing. "He'll never change. Such a captain we have," Yuushi says to himself.

"Yuushi!"

Yuushi turns to look at a redhead running towards him. "What is it, Gakuto?"

Mukahi Gakuto, another regular member of Hyoutei tennis club, hands Yuushi a phone. "It was ringing."

"Thanks." Yuushi opens his buzzing phone. "Kenya, huh? What's it now?" He says to Mukahi, "I'm just going to take this call." He leaves the court and heads to the vacant area near their club room.

"Hello."

"Oi, Yuushi!"

"What is it, Kenya? You just don't run out of things to brag about," he says in a bored tone.

"It's not about that!"

"Did you get an A on your World History exam? Or did you just finish the manga you're reading?"

"I told you, it's not that!"

"Then, what?"

"Yuushi, you... you've asked someone out at least once, right?"

Yuushi chuckles. "I have no need to go through the trouble of asking someone out. It's the girls who ask me out."

"Tch. Yuushi, you..."

"What is this? Kenya, you're in love, aren't you?"

"N-No! I mean... it's not like that!"

"Okay, okay. So, what's up with you? Don't you know how dates go like?"

"If only there's someone else whom I can ask help from, I wouldn't be calling you right now," the man on the other line mumbles.

"Well, I'm just glad that 'speed' is not the only thing that goes on inside your head. It's pretty impressive you still have a little space in your head to think about dating."

"Whatever. Insult me however you want. But for now, I need your wisdom. You read romance novels, right, Yuushi?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Have you read something that goes like... an average person who starts to like someone famous? As in, someone really famous. As if you can't just approach the person without being criticized by that person's followers."

"I think I might have read something with a plot line like that. Well actually, a lot of romantic novels are like that."

"Then, tell me, Yuushi. What happens with them?"

"Hmm... let's see..."

The week is about to end. For the whole week, Yume has been faithfully heading home once classes are dismissed. As much as possible, she does her convenience store shopping faster and in a shorter amount of time unlike how she usually does.

It is already dark, and the gate has been locked already.

"Uhm... is there anyone home?" A shout comes from the gate.

"Yes, who is it?!" Yume rushes to the door and removes the locks to open it. She approaches the gate and takes a peek to see who it is. A man whose hair is spiky stands in front of her house. She opens the gate and steps outside.

The man looks at her and smiles. "You're our new neighbor, right?"

"Yes. I'm Kazuyoshi Yuki." She bows. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Zaizen Araki. Nice to meet you, too, Kazuyoshi-kun." He takes a peek at her house.

"Oh! Would you like to come in? Though, I don't think I have tea to offer."

Araki shakes his head. "No need for that. Is anyone else at home?"

"Oh, no." Yume chuckles. "I actually live alone. My parents are living overseas."

"Is that so?" Araki raises a brow. "But you... look too young to be living alone."

"I-I'm fine, though." She chuckles. "I can manage just fine by myself."

"O-Okay, then. Anyway..." Araki hands her a Tupperware. "... Okaa-san cooked curry tonight. She thought this would be a welcoming gift for our new neighbor. It's kinda late for a welcome, though."

"You don't have to, though. Thanks." Yume gives him a slight bow. "Please give my thanks to your mother."

"Okaa-san also wants to invite you over for dinner tomorrow, by the way."

"Oh, really? It's an honor." She chuckles faintly. "But, I'm not sure if I would be good company."

"Don't mind that. I bet you're a great person."

"Do I really look like one?" She laughs. "Thank you very much. I'll come over tomorrow night."

"Great! Please do come by nine o'clock tomorrow."

"Sure. I will."

They bow to each other before Araki departs. Yume waves her hand until he disappears out of sight. She closes the gate and enters her house. She places the Tupperware on top of the living room table beside the television remote control and her laptop.

Yume opens it slowly and steam from inside escapes the container. Large portions of beef and some sliced carrots and potatoes swim in thick curry soup. Her lips gradually turn into a big smile. With eyes ready to shed gleeful tears, she holds the Tupperware with both hands and raises it, even standing up. "Real food at last!" Yume cries.

"Oh, wait... did I even cook rice?"

~ End Chapter ~

A/N: I was a day late for uploading this chapter. -_- Anyways, Chapter 3 is up! Reviews are welcome!