Chapter 24A: Apparition

Kagami's teacher for the second period was absent because of a cold after inquiring in the faculty office a few minutes after her first period teacher left. The empty slot was used in getting to know more about the new student. As a class representative, it was her responsibility to prepare the new student for high school life in Japan, which varies greatly than that of America. In fact, it wasn't just her. Everyone in the class had a specific role in showing the new transferee how they do things here. Her classmates who haven't gone to the most powerful country in the world are quite jealous of her but no grudges are held whatsoever. They desired to know what America looked like to the transferee's point of view.

Her reply: "Big buildings, millions of people, supersized meals, bullies in schools, hi-tech stuff…once you see these things everyday; it can get very boring there."

"Do they have those supersized burgers and drinks they show on TV?" Almost every classmate of hers asked questions every time she had an answer.

"It's your breakfast, lunch, and dinner all in one, unless you haven't eaten anything for an entire day."

"Have you gone to Disneyland?"

"I live in Anaheim so I'm pretty close there. I see it everyday when I go to school. Think of it as your fantasy in the real world."

"Any cute guys I can hang out with?"

"Uh…next question…"

Kagami excused herself from the group talk because nature was calling. Just as soon as she was a step away from the exit, she saw a blonde-haired first year looking at her by the door. Of course, as a senior, the freshmen were going to need all the help they could get.

"Yes?" She asked her. But a blink of the eyes later, she disappeared as if Kagami was talking to nobody. The corridors were a little packed with people but she couldn't distinguish a blonde-haired freshman among them since the corridor on her current floor was the seniors' turf. She began to think if her recent lack of sleep was the main reason for her hallucination.

It was lunchtime: almost everybody's favorite time of school hours. While students hurry to the cafeteria to save the time wasted on waiting along a long queue, others bring out their box lunches. While they grouped themselves particularly in four, Yakumo was the only one without a group. Kagami insisted on joining her group, consisted of her, Ayano, and Misao; in which she gladly joined. In just a short time, the class representative became good friends with the transfer student; talking about random stuff such as life in the country.

For a new student, she was very brilliant. Normally, new students who came too late would have more catching up to do. But she didn't need to catch up since she answered a couple of questions that couldn't be answered by the topnotch students of the class. Kagami sensed no competition because education didn't exist solely to know who was more superior.

"You toppled those hard questions like dominoes. You're amazing." She praised the new student.

"Well, I do a lot of studying. But as a class representative, you must also be brilliant." The new student replied.

"I feel like I have to be ahead of my younger sister (this feels like de ja vu). Do you have any siblings?"

"I'm the only child…although I prefer to have a younger sibling to look after."

"I know! I have some friends over at the other class. Maybe I can introduce them to you tomorrow since they've gone home already and I'm stuck at this student council meeting."

"That sounds great. I'll be looking forward to it tomorrow then."

---0---0---0---0---0---

Inside the board room, she and other class representatives of various levels and sections listened to the student council president discussing something with them. During the meeting, she saw an eerie sight: the blonde-haired girl appeared to her again looking from the door. She was the only one who saw the little girl looking at her. But after a blink, she disappeared again. She stared at the empty hallway before being called by the council president.

"Hiiragi-san…?"

"Huh? What?"

"Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing; I'm sorry to bother you."

"Okay then, let's get back to business."

She took one more glance at the empty hallway, particularly where the girl was a while ago, before turning her attention on the meeting.

Kagami took a whip of fresh air as she left the school grounds alone. The rain had stopped for now. The clouds responsible for the downpour still remained above the town. The only thing that she kept on thinking was the girl who kept appearing to her since morning. Also, the fact that nobody else saw the little girl bothered her extremely. Could it be that she was seeing an entity not from this world? Or was it plain coincidence that nobody saw her?

The answer occurred to her when she saw the blonde-haired girl standing above the most inconspicuous place and not to mention the most dangerous place for a first year to be: the top of a roof. There were no objections when the roof was flat. But the girl stood between two sloping sides of the roof.

"Hey!" Kagami yelled a few yards away. "Get off the roof! You're going to hurt yourself!"

The girl made no such reply. She stared at the cloudy horizon as if she was waiting for the rain to come down again.

"Hey, are you even listening?!"

Still came no reply. She continued to stare at the cloudy horizon, standing on top of the roof apex. A few minutes later, the first drops of rain fell on the wet pavement. Kagami opened her umbrella and held it above her head. Then, the girl disappeared again without a trace. The disappearing act left her a bit shaken and disoriented.

"W-Who is that girl?"

There was a break in the bad weather the next day. For a change of pace, the sun shone and warmth enveloped the morning breeze. The rain clouds broke ranks and allowed the sun to shine on every wet plant, house, road, window, and object below it. The twins woke up early than the usual and got ready for school. Although she slept early this time, Tsukasa still felt sleepy; her eyes being pressed down by gravity. She was practically not an early bird in several occasions such as this one.

"Try eating an apple." Inori advised her.

"Apple…?"

"I've heard that it could wake you up better than regular coffee."

"Really…? It's worth a shot."

On their way to school, they met up with Konata in front of the Kasukabe West Station. From there, it was a bus ride away to school.

"You should've gone to Miyuki's house yesterday, Kagami. We had a blast!" Konata said.

"What did you do?" Kagami asked.

"We tortured your boyfriend."

"Say what?!"

---0---0---0---0---0---

"I'll let you know one simple detail, mister." Konata spoke with a grievous tone, walking in circles around Hajime tied down to a chair on a concealed room and nothing but a lamp on top of him. "The Sunday Crisis did much damage not only to my friend's reputation but also ours. If history repeats itself, then it's going to make us look extremely bad."

"There was no stopping the inevitable. How should I know that was going to happen? I'm no fortune teller." He replied fatuously.

"Don't give me that tone! I have ways of persuading Kagami. So I'll let you in a little proposition. Make sure nothing, I mean NOTHING, gets in the way of your relationship with her."

"And exactly how am I going to do that?"

"Simple: make her as happy as you can. Avoid any unnecessary dawdling. If you harm her again like what you did last time, the consequences would be fatal."

"Like you got the entire place wired with C4 charges or something."

"Bombs…? No, I got something much more sinister up my sleeve; ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…"

---0---0---0---0---0---

"Just joking, Kagamin…" Konata replied. This time it was the truth.

"You're completely crazy, Konata." Kagami said. "What did you say to him?"

"I told him to avoid the inevitable or else…"

"Or else…?"

"I'll roast him alive and eat his innards for dinner!"

"Konata!"

"Just joking, Kagamin…"

"Seriously, what did you say to him?"

"I told him to avoid the inevitable, that's it."

"You're too broad. Be more specific."

"Think of it as a countermeasure so you won't get kidnapped again."

"You're taking this way too seriously. That's all in the past."

"Even the past can be reincarnated for the future, Kagamin. Dead people are one such example."

"You mean that the dead can come back to life?"

"Silly, no; I'm talking about ghosts."

The word "ghosts" spooked her for a second. More importantly, she was startled by the word and reminded her of the little girl who kept appearing and disappearing yesterday. In the long run, Kagami was frozen solid…in the sense that she didn't flinch an inch. A black cat crossed the street but at a bad time. The bus was going so fast, it was going to run the cat over. The driver stepped hard on the breaks which created panic among the passengers because the bus wobbled like a loose support beam. Everyone held on tight on the handle bars in front of them. When the bus came to a full stop and the black cat safely crossed the busy highway, everybody calmed down.

"Whew, that was a close call." Konata said, turning to Kagami again. "Are you okay, Ka—"

She saw no Kagami behind her. It took her a little bit of looking around before she saw her twin-pigtailed friend lying unconscious on the bus floor with a red forehead.

"O-Onee-san…!" Tsukasa yelled.

"Damn whiplash…" Konata whispered to herself.

TO BE CONTINUED