The papers were passed back, and Makoto sighed in relief. One hundred percent. His scholarship was safe. His head hit the desk.

Behind him, Junpei wailed in despair. "C'mon! I even studied for this!"

Muffled laughter trailed around the classroom, and it was thanks to the contrast of smiling faces against Fuuka's distressed expression that he noticed it in the first place. She sat ahead of him to the left, her test score clearly visible—triple digits. So, what had caused this change in mood?

He decided to let it be, class dragging ever onward, the traditional clock on the wall ticking quietly.

He only realized he'd fallen asleep when the bell rang, dismissing the students for lunch. Fuuka took off like a rocket, the door slamming open as she exited. Given her typically quiet disposition, whatever was nagging at her had to be serious. Junpei's reaction seemed to indicate as much, at least.

"Fuuka?!" He called, bolting upright in his seat. Makoto made to get out of his chair, but was pushed back down by Junpei's hand on his shoulder. "Uh, lemme handle this. I'll be right back, okay?"

He nodded at his friend's retreating figure, though only after a moment or so realized he would have to get up anyways—he had something he needed to investigate.

Luckily, Takami was in the faculty office when he opened the door. She was on her feet and smiling in seconds. "Yuki-kun! What can I do for you?"

"I have a strange request," he began. "Do you have a copy of last year's yearbook? I'd like to borrow it."

She raised an eyebrow. "We don't have those in here, but I can give you a slip to give to the librarian. Just a second." She walked over to her workspace and started scribbling on a post-it. "May I ask what this is about?"

"Curiosity. I think I know someone who attended last year."

"Really?" Takami exclaimed. "Well, I wish you good luck! It's always nice to reconnect with old friends. I wouldn't be of much help, but you can try and ask some of the other teachers if they know whoever you're looking for."

There was a grunt from across the table. "Nosy kids. Why do you need a yearbook for something like that? Can't you just go online?" Grumbled an older teacher.

Takami rolled her eyes. "I thought you of all people would be pleased that a student is taking advantage of the library, Ekoda-sensei."

"Alright, who is it you're looking for, boy?"

Makoto didn't really want to ask him, but decided he could take all the information he could get. "Do you know a student named Arisato? She would've been a junior last year."

Ekoda's expression soured. "That troublemaker! If you were friends with her, that says a lot about your personality." His scathing gaze swept over him. "Wearing your uniform wrong and letting your hair hang in your eyes—and we don't allow electronics in the classroom! Tch. Typical vagrant."

Wow. What an asshole. "So you know her, then?"

"Unfortunately. She was seen out late and associated with scum. No respect for authority. She was going nowhere in life." He smiled. "I guess it's better for everyone she fell ill."

Makoto liked to think he was an even-tempered person. He wasn't particularly passionate about anything, and was typically mellow. It was a rare thing for him to get angry.

His blood boiled at the teacher's implications. It was probably visible on his face, since Takami decided to intervene. "Ekoda-sensei, that's no way to talk about a student, especially to her friend. Yuki-kun, come with me." She steered him towards the door with a hand on his shoulder, and he let her. He didn't know what he might say if he stayed.

Outside of the faculty office, Takami groaned. "Just my luck. He's almost as bad as Hanya… I'm sorry about that, Yuki-kun. I'm sure he's exaggerating."

Makoto nodded, taking a deep breath to settle his nerves. "Right. Thanks."

She smiled. "Still not very talkative, huh? Well," she placed the post-it in his hand, "I hope you find what you're looking for. And make sure to eat something before lunch ends!" She waved as he headed down the hallway.

The library was…oddly empty. He would've thought that, in such a prestigious academy, people would be in here all the time.

Oh well. It made his task easier, since there wasn't a line. The aide peeked up at him from over the rim of her book. "Can I help you?"

He handed her the post-it. She nodded. "Alright, one sec."

He was promptly seated and thumbing through the pages to the junior section.

Aigis was the easiest to find—her hair really stood out. Interestingly, there wasn't a surname listed. Where was she from? Why did she look so familiar? He had a feeling he'd seen her face before, but he couldn't place the memory.

She wasn't listed to be in any clubs—really, there was very little information on her. He sighed. Of course this would be difficult.

On the same page, just a row down, was Arisato Minako. His breath caught in his throat.

She looked exactly like she had in the dream, red eyes and all. Were they contacts? Why would she bother with something like that?

Kenji hadn't lied—she was in a lot of clubs. Student Council, the volleyball team, the naginata club, cooking club, fashion club…the list went on and on. She certainly kept herself busy. He had his hands full enough with kendo and the technology club, which Fuuka had ended up dragging him into.

…He couldn't find Mochizuki. He looked through the juniors again, and then a third time. He wasn't there.

It was true that he'd only attended for a short time, according to Kenji—but shouldn't there have been something? This was just odd. Maybe he should ask Junpei about this.

Makoto's stomach growled. Perhaps this had been enough sleuthing for one day.

En route to the cafeteria, Makoto ran into Kenji again, who looked oddly winded, and maybe a little panicked. "Yuki-kun! Hey, dude, ya gotta hear this." He panted, doubled over with his hands on his knees. Makoto raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"There's a rumor going around that Aigis is missing."

Oh no. "Really?" That explained Fuuka's earlier behavior, at least. As well as the audience they'd accumulated. His classmates were examining Makoto as if he were a bomb about to go off.

"I dunno how or why, the gossip varies. I mean, it could be anything right? Maybe it's just a mistake and she moved back to wherever she came from, or she's still out sick. Or maybe…"

"The curse?" Makoto finished. Kenji nodded grimly.

"But dude, what if it's real? What if there's a ghost out to get transfer students? This means that it'll be coming after you next. Aren't you worried at all?"

Makoto thought about it, long and hard. "Not really." Sure, he was weirded out, but it seemed like the students of Gekkoukan were forgetting that ghosts didn't actually exist.

Kenji made a face. "Dude, you're way too laid-back…" He turned on his heel, shoulders rolling dramatically. "If I were you, I'd be freaking out. See ya later, if you don't go missing or some shit."

Well, he'd changed his tune pretty quickly. Aigis' disappearance was likely what had put him over the edge. Makoto probably wouldn't be able to talk to him for information anymore.

He made his way back to the classroom—in the end, he hadn't been able to get any lunch. He stomach roared its dissent.

He slept through the rest of the day, the bell startling him awake. He turned his head, expecting Junpei's fist digging into his skull, only to find he wasn't at his desk. Makoto turned—Fuuka's bag sat on her chair, but the owner was absent. He frowned. Had they been gone since lunch?

He shuffled out of the classroom. It figured that his only lead on the curse was missing. And that his only way to contact said lead was gone. Just his luck.

In a foul mood, Makoto returned to the boys' dorm.

Despite the fact that the school day had been relatively shitty, Makoto had managed to make the most of his free time. He'd started his hunt for a lock that the Velvet Key could fit into—he hadn't had very much success, but he wasn't expecting much.

He used his spare notebook to record his findings so far. Having it all written down made him feel kind of like a detective; putting clues together, trying to solve a mystery.

That being said, he didn't know very much at all.

Supposedly, Arisato was hospitalized—but was she at Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, or somewhere else? Was she truly ill, or dead? How had she come to be here?

Who was this mysterious Mochizuki? Where had Aigis gone? And if it wasn't a curse that was affecting them, what was really happening?

And how did Junpei connect to all of this?

Makoto sighed. He'd never gotten the boy's number. If he had, he could just call him up and ask about all of this shit. His curiosity would have to wait until tomorrow.

…If Junpei even showed up to class.

If he didn't, maybe Fuuka would know something. It seemed as if she was the only other person to come into contact with the so-called 'ghost,' so perhaps she knew what was going on. Wait, would Fuuka come to class?

Makoto began considering worst-case scenarios, in which all three of his newfound friends went missing and he was stuck at a dead end.

He was unable to study when he was so distracted, so he opted for a nap instead.

When Makoto woke up, it was dark outside.

He'd left the window open again, and the cold had invaded every corner of the room. Shivering, he shut it, and pulled the sheets around him.

It was mid-Spring, why did it feel like it was below zero? He reached for his phone to check the time, but the screen refused to light up. Was it dead?

Frustrated, he crawled out of bed and walked over to the desk, hitting the switch on the lamp.

It didn't turn on.

A tendril of dread curled in his stomach. He turned towards the traditional clock on the wall.

Midnight.

The hands weren't moving.

A/N: Aaaaaand the plot is moving! Yayy! :D Thanks so much for the reviews, and I'll have the next chapter up in a week!