There are times in life when something that should logically happen doesn't. There were many examples he could think up, but Shujinkou didn't care to go through them. He could only think about what affected him now.

The mystery of Sayori's current whereabouts kept him up all night. It was time to depart for school, but he didn't feel tired at all.

There have been times where he would at least show some drowsiness but persevere as if he wasn't, but he didn't have that moment. Despite how tiring the events of yesterday should have been and his lack of sleep, he was fine.

"Alright…"

Shujinkou grabbed his backpack and steadily climbed down the stairs.

"I'm off, Mom," he announced as he walked towards the front door.

Hiro stepped out the kitchen, a confused look floating on her face.

"But you didn't have breakfast yet," she said.

"Gotta skip today. See ya later!"

Shujinkou rushed out of the house, surprising his mother. He hated to just run off like that, but he had no time to waste.

The first thing Shujinkou did was return to Sayori's house. As he expected, she was nowhere to be seen. His disappointment and worry fueled him, giving him the energy and stamina to run to school without pause.

Upon arrival, Shujinkou took a moment to catch his breath.

I can't believe I actually ran the entire way to school.

Once he was ready, Shujinkou entered the school. Instead of heading to his classroom as usual, Shujinkou instead traversed the first-year hallway. He was desperate for information and despite not wanting to come off as only visiting when he needed to too, this wasn't a time to dwell on that.

Based on her history of having vital information, he needed to talk to Mali.

He stuck his head inside her classroom. Discovering Mali wasn't there was like a slap in the face.

This is crazy! I'm having trouble finding anyone lately!

It was possible that she just hasn't arrived yet, but Shujinkou didn't have the patience to wait today. He walked into the classroom and noticed two female students talking near Mali's desk.

"Um… Excuse me."

The two girls looked his way. He had expected them to give him strange looks, but was surprised that they seemed weary of him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You… you're the guy Mali's always hanging around," one of the girls said.

"Yeah. I'm her senpai, Shujinkou."

"I'm surprised you could say that so casually," the other one said.

"Why wouldn't I?"

The two shot Shujinkou blank stares. They knew he knew the answer to that question.

Now that I think about it, everyone seemed to stay away Mali when I first came here…

"It's really surprising you're still putting up with her," the first one of said.

"I know Mali can be… I know she likes teasing people a lot, but she really has her good points you know…," Shujinkou defended. "She's helped me out a lot even though she had nothing to gain from it."

Looks of disbelief fell on their faces. Shujinkou couldn't blame them for not believing him. Befriending Mali or at least getting to whatever their relationship is now took time and patience.

Despite everything, he still had to acknowledge that it was highly likely that she's going easy on him because he was a source of interest. Anyone else could and may still be free game.

"Um… So, have you two seen Mali around?" he asked.

The two shook their heads.

"Oh, well thanks anyway."

Shujinkou walked out of the classroom and leaned against a nearby wall. He waited for Mali to eventually arrive, but as time went on his hopes of that happened slowly diminished.

Even when the bell for homeroom rang, Mali was nowhere in sight.

I really can't find anyone lately!

He wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. At least, until he realized that he had to get to class.

"Oh crap!" he cried.

Shujinkou once again broke into a mad sprint. Using every bit of energy he had left in reserve, Shujinkou just barely made it to class in time. Panting heavily, Shujinkou slumped down in his seat as school officially started.

It seemed like forever had passed by until the first break between classes. He planned on going back to Mali's class then, but was stopped by a singular question.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Shujinkou sighed as he slowly turned around.

"So, what was with you yesterday?" Kiyoko asked. "You were acting like something was really wrong."

"That's an understatement…" he muttered.

"Gotta be pretty big for you to skip class."

"Yep."

Shujinkou slumped further down his seat. He didn't know whether or not he should tell Kiyoko about everything that happened lately.

Part of him didn't want to drag her into the convoluted mess he found himself in, but would doing so show a lack of trust?

If she thought he couldn't open up to her, it could set their relationship back considerably.

"I'm just… worried. I was looking for Sayori yesterday, but I couldn't find her," he admitted.

"An. That explains it."

Shujinkou glanced back at Kiyoko. He knew it was a dumb question, but he still had to ask, "You haven't seen her, have you?"

Kiyoko shook her head. "Sorry."

"Oh."

If he could, Shujinkou would slink even further down his seat. But at that point, he'd fall off it.

"I'd try and tell you to cheer up, but I think we both know that wouldn't do much for you under the circumstances. That said…"

Kiyoko stood up the leaned against Shujinkou's desk.

"Can't say you didn't do everything in your power to look for her, consequences meaning absolutely nothing."

Shujinkou just whistled a short tune in response.

"Of course… that's not the only thing that's been bothering you lately, is it?"

"Yeah… I'd give you a play by play of how I'm really feeling but I already unloaded that drama on Rei. Rather not do it again."

"Well, I won't force it out of you. I'm sure you have your reasons for not wanting to talk about it."

"Thanks, Kiyoko."

Shujinkou appreciated her sentiment but also felt guilt that he hardly ever opened up to Kiyoko despite trying to be better friends with her.

"The other things… It's not my place to say."

"I figured. That's why you don't have to feel like you have to tell me anything."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. Despite her words, he still felt guilty. He thought he was over that for the most part, but he still felt that way anyway. He couldn't help but feel a lack of trust too.

Trust…

That word suddenly weighed heavy on his heart, but couldn't tell why.

As usual…

"Shujinkou."

The dejected young man looked to his right. Standing next to him was Fuyu.

"Fuyu?"

Shujinkou stared at her, perplexed by the face she was making. It was like she was halfway into President Mode.

"I need to see you in my office," she said.

"O-Okay."

He felt uneasy following Fuyu to her office and the first thing she said to him once there justified that feeling.

"Sayori's missing, is that right?" she questioned.

"H-Ho-?"

"Two sources… One of them told me that you nixed calling the police after searching for Sayori all day."

"Oh…"

Shujinkou simply scratched his right cheek. He had mixed feelings about Monika telling Fuyu.

"Also heard that you had an idea which was the reason for said nixing," Fuyu continued.

"Yeah…"

"So what is it?"

"Um…"

He thought it was a good plan when he thought of it, but now that he was being asked about it…

"I was… planning on asking Mali if she had any info." Shujinkou timidly answered.

"Mali? What does she have to with any of this?" Fuyu asked.

"I don't know. I just wanted to see if she knew anything since she always seems to have the inside scoop."

Fuyu simply stared at Shujinkou. She quickly turned away for a moment, pondering his response. She snuck a look at him before returning to her pondering.

"I'd like to say the idea of doing both may have escaped you but you clearly rejected the suggestion so…"

Fuyu's face displayed nothing but concern and confusion.

Shujinkou hesitated to say anything. Just looking at her made it clear she wanted to say something, but didn't. Perhaps she didn't know how or didn't want to.

"Anyway, I'm sure you had your own reasons but… I'm sorry, I'm gonna have to overrule your decision," Fuyu plainly stated. "It's true we don't know exactly what happened to Sayori, but that's exactly why we can't waste any time, especially considering…"

"Considering what…?"

"A worrying happenstance."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek, perplexed by what she just said.

"Okay… So, it just so happens that the day Sayori was absent, two others were absent as well," she continued.

"Who?"

"Natsuki and Mali."

Shujinkou's eyes widened with horror. All he could say to such a revelation was a petrified, "What?"

"I didn't really give it much thought until Monika told me you spent the entire day looking for Sayori. I tried reaching out to… well, one relative of Natsuki's but couldn't get a response."

Shujinkou didn't hear a word Fuyu said. His mind was still stuck on finding out two more people he knew were suddenly missing.

"Natsuki and Mali are missing too…?" he mumbled under his breath.

"I heard you were the last one to speak with them. Did either of them say anything that was distinctively off?" she asked.

Fuyu didn't receive an answer. Looking around, she discovered that Shujinkou was gone.

"Fair reaction." She conceded.

…

Self-loathing; it was something that Shujinkou was familiar with. He spent years looking down on himself and downplaying any of his good points.

But right now, he wasn't just looking down on himself; he was absolutely furious with himself as he paced back and forth in the abandoned school building. Self

"What is wrong with me? I was so focused on Sayori that I didn't realize that my other friends were gone as well. Ask Mali for info? What an idiot! What was I thinking!? Fuyu was right; I don't know what happened to any of them and they could be in trouble and I'm lagging around! I… I… I'm just…"

Shujinkou imagined ripping his hair out in frustration as he slumped to the ground.

Funny enough, it's the healthiest self-harm that I can imagine…

"Don't you think you're being a little too hard on yourself?"

Monika soon entered his field of vision. Though she had a smile on her face, Shujinkou could tell it was just for show.

"Wow…" he said.

"What?"

"I keep getting snuck up on by everyone."

Monika was taken aback by the annoyed expression resting on her friend's face.

"You have been in your head a lot lately," another voice pointed out.

Shujinkou nearly jumped out of his shoes in surprise. Clutching his chest, Shujinkou was stunned to find Yuri now beside him.

"Oh come on!" Shujinkou cried. "Why am I getting jumpscared by everything lately!?"

The surprised and concerned looks on his friend's faces contrasted heavily with his annoyed one.

"And why is everyone looking at me like that?" he questioned.

"You have been acting a little… different ever since you fell on your head," Monika pointed out.

"But it's only been almost 48 hours and I haven't really talked to everyone that much since, how could I be acting noticeably different?" Shujinkou pointed out

"To be frank, just the feeling of being around you is noticeably different." Yuri chimed in.

Shujinkou's heart skipped a beat as he's suddenly reminded of his recent actions towards the two standing in front of him.

"You're not referring to me acting like a pervert in the Nurse's Office, are you?" he anxiously queried. "Sorry about that by the way."

"No, but maybe that should have been considered a sign…" Yuri's cheeks briefly turned red as she recalled the aforementioned incident. "Ah… I guess it would be better to say that instead of being around you invoking a peaceful atmosphere, right now there's something that can't help but make a person worry."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he considered what Yuri just told him.

First scaring Sayori, then Rei saying something was strange about me and now Yuri's saying pretty much the same thing…

That thought was soon supplanted by a sudden realization.

"Wait, this isn't time to be worrying about me," Shujinkou insisted. "We're at a police-level threat regarding the others," he

"We understand that Shujinkou but…"

Monika found it hard to maintaining eye contact with Shujinkou. While she agreed with the sentiment that someone acting notably different in such a short amount of time was highly unlikely, the fact it was hard to converse with him added credence to it.

That, along with everything that's happened recently made what she was about to say even harder than it already would have been.

"Maybe you shouldn't worry as much?" Monika advised.

"How can I not worry?" Shujinkou asked.

Monika anxiously scratched her right cheek as she answered.

"I'm not saying to not worry at all but everything lately seems to be affecting you in negative ways and I'm afraid it could get worse if left unchecked."

Shujinkou had two things on mind after hearing that. One was mixed feelings over Monika copying his cheek scratching tic. The other was her advice.

She's making sense but…

Something inside him wholly disagreed with her point.

"So, I'm just supposed to act like nothing's happening? Sit around and just wait for something good to happen?"

Shujinkou sighed as he walked past his friends.

"The last time I did that cost me my sister."

With those final words, Shujinkou walked out of the room and the building. He glanced to the school nearby. It was still relatively early in the school day; surely he wouldn't have missed much. But despite every voice in his head telling him to go back, he decided to leave.

There was particular reason for him to skip classes this time, he just didn't care.

He wandered around, accompanied by a growing list of mixed feelings.

Eventually, Shujinkou found himself skipping stones across a lake. It was something he was fairly good at, but today, he would be lucky to get even one skip.

"Can't I do anything right, lately?" he groaned.

Shujinkou grabbed another stone and raised his right hand. A stone skipped the water multiple times before finally sinking.

Shujinkou glanced at the stone still in his right hand.

"Still got it." A familiar voice said.

From the corner of his eyes, Shujinkou could see Kiyoko stepping beside him.

"Kiyoko, what are you doing here?" he questioned.

"Pretty much doing the same thing you were doing yesterday: looking for someone without caring for the consequences," she replied, skipping another stone.

"But you're skipping school."

Kiyoko shrugged.

"I know. But I can't really focus when all I'm thinking about is how Shujinkou is suddenly skipping class more than once," she stated in a matter-of-fact manner.

While Shujinkou was touched by the sentiment, he was also felt guilty that his actions caused her to do that.

"Why is everyone so concerned about me all of a sudden?" he asked aloud. "Everyone's acting like I've been acting strange for a while now."

"I can't really speak for the others but I assume they're just trying to take preemptive measures like I am," Kiyoko explained.

"Preemptive-?" Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. "Now I just feel like everyone thinks I have a major problem that needs fixing. I'm fine; the only thing wrong with me is that I may be too concerned."

"You trying to convince me of that or yourself?"

Shujinkou's entire body tensed up.

I keep forgetting that I'm really easy to read.

Kiyoko tossed another stone across the body of water before giving Shujinkou her full attention. Unlike the others, there were no signs of concern, just genuine curiosity.

"I don't want to force you to open up or anything but I gotta ask… Did you hold anything back when opening up to Rei?"

"No… But…"

"But?"

"I can't have the others worrying over. There's no reason to. I mean, me being such a worrywart is nothing compared to everything else going on," Shujinkou somberly admitted.

"Maybe, but you gotta look at it from everyone else's perspective. Stuff has been happening to others and now another friend clearly has something going on with them. Even if objectively your thing pales in comparison, wouldn't a good friend be equally as worried?" Kiyoko remarked.

"I-I guess…"

Shujinkou looked away. Once again, his agreement for his actions has been easily dismantled.

Looking back, he softly admitted, "You make a good point."

Kiyoko smiled. "I try."

She then turned and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Shujinkou asked.

"Home before I get preachy. Just don't forget that you're not the only one who worries about your worries."

With a wave and a smile, Kiyoko took off.

Now alone, Shujinkou could contemplate her words. Her words comforted him but they also left him utterly saddened by the fact that he was repeating old mistakes.

Did everything I went through with mean nothing? You think it would considering it gave me the courage to track down Monika across various dimensions…

Shujinkou soon found himself imagining a giant exclamation point and question mark over his head. He was baffled by what he just thought.

"Where did that come from? And why did thinking it feel so… familiar. Almost as familiar as Mali saying she'll hide secrets for me to make it seem like I'm not going crazy. Maybe I am going crazy. That would explain a lot… Why did saying that feel familiar too…?

Shujinkou crossed his arms as he approached the large body of water in front of him.

"Either way, I need to apologize to Monika. It wasn't cool to throw what happened to Hiroko in her face like that."

Shujinkou sat down and stared at his reflection.

"Why'd I do that anyway? She was just worried and I used my sister's passing to try and get her off my back? And why'd did I feel betrayed when I found out she told Fuyu about my so-called-plan? She could've just mentioned it in passing and I never said don't tell anyone else.

My all over the place emotions, my actions… I know I'm not completely acting like myself and what scares me along with everything else is that I don't know what I'll do next. It's not just that I don't want them to worry, I don't want them to look at me like I'm a psychopath."

Shujinkou extended his right hand forward and dropped the stone he had been holding onto into the water. Watching his reflection distort was an accurate visualization of how he felt.

"Aw, Senpai's so down."

"Wha-?!"

Shujinkou immediately turned to his right. He was shocked and relieved to find Mali sitting beside him. "Mali, you're okay!"

"Of course I'm okay, Senpai. What made you think I wasn't?" Mali asked.

The young man wasn't quite sure how to explain recent events to Mali.

Then again, I think Mali would be the easiest person to talk about stuff like this with. Or at least, the least likely to freak out about it.

He took another look at Mali's curious face. As usual, her innocent exterior seemed like a façade and yet that somehow convinced him to get straight to the point.

"Well, Sayori and Natsuki are currently missing and you were MIA both today and yesterday," he finally answered.

Contrary to anyone else reaction upon hearing such an explanation, Mali smiled. It was her usual innocent smile.

"That's because I was off doing what I told you I'd be doing: speed things up," she brightly explained. "It's a good thing too; Senpai looks to be in the same position I left him in. Actually, with two potentials missing, he's in a worse position."

"Seriously?" Shujinkou moaned in disbelief.

"That response was so un-Senpai like," Mali giggled. "Plus, I've heard you've skipped school twice in a row. I assume the first was to look for Ms. Club VP, but what's your excuse this time?"

"I… just needed some space."

"Even so, that's so unlike you Senpai. Stuff like this will ruin your natural innocence."

"Don't really care about that right now to be honest."

"I know. All you care about is your friends. Even after everything so far and the way you've been feeling, that's still your first priority," Mali's eyes lit up with interest as she slid closer to Shujinkou. "You may be more innocent than I thought, Shujinkou."

"Um…"

Shujinkou felt a strong urge to back away from Mali. He has felt uneasy around her before, but now was much different. Just being around her was almost suffocating.

"Still, will you remain that way after seeing this?"

Mali reached behind her back and produced a briefcase.

"What's in there?" Shujinkou queried.

"Documents of course," she beamed. "I've been collecting documents that may speed you along to a resolution. Good thing too since you've been on a bit of a countdown."

"Countdown?"

"Towards Halloween of course. It feels like it's taking forever to get here right?"

"I guess."

It was odd. It felt like it wasn't that long of a wait, but now that Mali mentioned it, it also felt like it has been taking a long time for it to arrive. Too long.

"Though, maybe there's another night you should worry about; the one before Halloween," Mali suggested.

"Before? Isn't that-?"

"The malevolent night before still celebrated by parts of the world today," she interjected. "Instead of being about candy and tricks, it's about vandalism and chaos. Mischief Night is the most common name, but it also goes by Devil's Night."

"Devil's Night…"

Just repeating that name filled Shujinkou with dread.

"Perfect for those in these documents to try something," Mali continued. "Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Take a look for yourself Senpai."

Mali opened the briefcase and presented it to Shujinkou.

"Better read quickly Shujinkou, the countdown waits for no one and you're among many that have no idea what it's really counting towards."

Shujinkou winced at the vagueness of Mali's words. "Mali, you're kinda scaring me."

"Just preparing you Senpai," she explained. "I just finished reading these and I had no one to prepare me so I had to take the full brunt of it. I don't want you to go through the same thing."

Mali giggled as Shujinkou slowly took the briefcase from her.

"Hope you're truly prepared, Shujinkou."

Shujinkou looked down at the briefcase. He had been haunted by a bad feeling for the past few days and now it seemed to pointing towards these documents. Something about them felt even more significant than Mali's implication.

Just holding them in hands felt like the option to turn back was gone forever. There was only one thing he could do now.

Here goes.