Ritsu awoke with a start. With great effort, she struggled to sit up and make sense of the darkness, but a sharp pain in her side kept her down.
"Agh... Where am I? Feels like I've been hit by a truck..."
A soft click echoed from somewhere within the shadowy room; the lamp flickered on the night stand. Something rustled above her and landed with a soft thump beside the bed. As her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, the fuzzy outline of a girl with short hair began to move towards her.
"So, how are you feeling?" The short-haired girl stifled a yawn and straightened a pair of red-rimmed eyeglasses on her face. Ritsu could see the girl's bloodshot eyes, a clear sign of recent sleep deprivation.
'How am I feeling? Let's see, I'm lying half-naked in someone else's bed...in a room that clearly isn't mine...Then all of a sudden this girl I've never seen before in my entire life comes up to me asking how I feel...'
Ritsu balked at the implications. This wasn't the first time that something like this has happened to her, but that didn't make it any easier.
"Listen, whatever happened last night-" She cringed, expecting the girl to make a fuss. Instead, the girl seemed relieved.
"You remember? Not bad. I thought you were some hopeless amnesiac case that they dumped on me."
"I don't under-agh! My damn chest hurts like hell..."
"Two of your ribs are fractured; I'd keep still if I were you."
Still wincing, Ritsu found herself silenced by the pain. Questions raced around her mind, but she was far too confused and distracted to put them into words. The girl took out a thin brown envelope from her pocket and dropped it on the nightstand, intentionally placing it just out of Ritsu's reach.
"I'm going to ask you two very important questions. Ready?"
"...Okay."
"Who are you?" Light reflected off the brunette's spectacles, hiding her eyes behind a glare of light. Ritsu felt her throat dry.
"...Ritsu. Tainaka Ritsu."
"Tainaka...Do you remember how you got these wounds?"
"No - but I'm pretty sure I was in the washroom moments ago. Was that...real?"
'I sound like a retard.' Sensing Ritsu's hesitation, the girl nodded at her to continue.
"In a washroom, with mirrors breaking everywhere... something closed around me, squeezing the hell out of my chest. I... think I saw a girl too..."
She reached for the envelope and took out a rectangular piece of paper, handing it to the injured girl.
"Does she look anything like this?" The color drained out of Ritsu's face when she saw the photo. She forced herself to laugh; it came out wrong, like a hoarse cough.
"If this is some kind of prank- I have to admit, I'm pretty freaked out right now." At that, the girl softened her voice and gave her a grim smile.
"Maybe it is. To them, at least."
A shrill buzz echoed from outside the room, prompting the bespectacled girl to run to the door.
"I have to go. You can make yourself comfortable, but whatever you do, don't leave the room. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Wait! You never told me your name."
"Manabe...Nodoka."
Nodoka ran out of the room, leaving Ritsu alone and more confused than ever.
"You're late." The teacher seemed to be in a foul mood; Nodoka flinched and looked at the floor.
"I'll let this go since you're usually early, but make sure it doesn't happen again. Tardiness is unacceptable behavior for the class president." The woman glared at Nodoka then turned to address the the other students in the room.
"Put your books aside. Today, routine medical checks will be performed on some of you. Follow instructions and don't make a fuss. Clear?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Good. One of the staff doctors will be here shortly."
Nobody spoke even after she left the room. It was a heavy silence, intensified by heavy eye contact and nervous breathing. Some clasped their hands tightly, but they all kept a distance from one another as if there were some invisible border that prevented physical contact. Within minutes, the door opened.
The sharp scent of disinfectant flooded the room as a man entirely clad in white stepped into view. Only his eyes were exposed, two dark holes floating above a surgical mask.
"When you hear your name, step forward." There was a menacing authority in his voice; everyone knew that he was not someone to be trifled with.
"Shimizu Kyouko. Satou Akane. Sasaki Youko."
The crowd of students parted to allow the three girls to walk towards the doctor. He cleared his throat impatiently and motioned for the girls to walk faster.
"This way."
When they left, the tension in the room gradually dissipated. The students were relieved, but it was an empty relief - a weary apprehension born of the knowledge that anyone could be next.
Nodoka walked to the front of the room and began writing on the chalkboard. Behind her, everyone else returned to their seats, ready to forget what just happened.
"Resume self-study until professor returns."
Seeing that everyone was all settled down, Nodoka headed back to her own desk. Just as she was about to reach her seat, a voice abruptly shattered the silence from the other end of the room. It repeated itself, louder this time.
"Are they...coming back?"
The voice came from a small girl, about a year younger than most of them. Her eyes shone with impatience, as if she could will Nodoka to turn around through sheer determination. The president sighed and gritted her teeth.
'Nakano Azusa, the girl with a death wish.'
Nodoka could feel everyone staring at them. It was an unspoken question, and now that someone had put it into words, everybody wanted to hear the answer - even if it was a lie. She calmly faced the girl and replied without hesitation.
"Of course."
Before she could say any more, the teacher returned to the room.
Due to the medical exam, class ended fairly quickly. Everybody left the room in an orderly line as the buzzer announced that it was time for lunch. The students made no attempt to hide their enthusiasm in leaving. Nodoka stood at the end of the line, taking note of attendance.
But before she could leave, a hand descended on her shoulder. She turned to see the teacher standing behind her.
"Nodoka, I would like to talk to you for a moment."
"Yes, ma'am."
The line of students disappeared faster than usual, in no small part to the teacher's notorious glare. Satisfied that there was no one around, she took out a pair of glasses and set them on her face. Somehow her eyes seemed softer behind the glasses.
"Hey, I have a name, remember? Don't worry, surveilance should be off by now."
Nodoka smiled in spite of herself.
"Of course, Ms. Sawako." Satisfied, the teacher gave Nodoka a thumbs-up.
"Better. So, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine."
"You always say that."
It was a ritual between them: Sawako would ask her how she was and Nodoka would give her that answer regardless of how she really feels. A useless exercise, they both knew, but it kept them calm, as if the slightest change would topple the delicate balance of the world they lived in.
"Listen, Nodoka... Please, take care of yourself. I'll do what I can but-"
"I know. You can't look out for everybody all the time."
Being late was a great way to become a candidate for the medical exam. Nodoka inwardly chastised herself. She couldn't afford to let that happen to her. Not yet, at least.
"Make sure those girls stay calm. You're the class president, after all."
"You know, I'm smart enough to stay out of trouble."
"The three of them should be back by tomorrow, so don't get too worried... Anyway...I hear you have a new roommate?"
"How did you...?"
"Never mind. Just answer the question."
Nodoka understood that the less they spoke of their little operation, the better. Yet the thought of getting caught made her nervous. To her, how Sawako managed to keep her cool was the biggest mystery of all.
"She told me her name was Tainaka Ritsu."
"Tainaka, huh... I've read her file - she's an odd one. Anyway, I think that's enough for today. Let's get some lunch."
"It's just baked beans today, nothing special."
"Exactly. Nothing special." Sawako frowned as she took off her glasses. It was time to leave.
Nodoka willed herself to walk out of the room as slowly as possible, but Sawako's words filled her with fear.