Monika POV
December 21, 2017 – Thursday Afternoon (After School)

We ran to the library, where I assumed Yuri had gone—it was on the other side of the third floor of the school. When we got there, I saw the girls gathered around Yuri. She was crying so much; it looked like she would shatter at any moment.

I couldn't understand, how could such a silly argument trigger this?
Part of me thought everyone was incredibly stupid, but that part needed to shut up for now.

"Yuri! We finally found you."

Ken was by my side, his expression determined, as if he was sure of something.

"She's inconsolable here, nothing I said helped…" Natsuki exclaimed in frustration, holding the timid girl tightly.

"What should we do?" Sayori asked.

I was the one supposed to answer that question—what kind of leader would I be if I couldn't even help a friend?

Then Ken stepped closer to the three and said, with a calm voice:

"Hey, Yuri. It's okay now, I'm here to help. I just need you to focus on my voice, can you do that?"

"I-I… think so… But I don't want you to see me like this."

"That's why I'm here—to help. Please, come closer. It's okay now, I promise."

What is happening?

Ken took some sort of necklace with an amulet from his pocket and touched it gently to her forehead for a few seconds.

"Shhhh… It's all right now. This will make you feel a little better."

Suddenly, it was clear that Yuri was calmer and able to speak coherently.

"Ah, thank you. But… what happened to me?"

"I think it was a panic attack. But don't worry, it's temporary. We'll take you to the infirmary for proper care, all right?"

"…Yes, thank you."

I couldn't do anything but watch. Where did this person come from? Sure, I hadn't known Ken for long, but still… I felt like he wasn't telling Yuri everything either, probably for her own good.

We helped Yuri to the infirmary on the first floor, and everything calmed down once she was settled there.

Outside the infirmary, I said:

"Guys, you can head home. I'll stay here with her."

"But… I'm worried too… I'd like to stay."

"I understand, Natsuki, but…"

"I need to stay too. We have to show our support for our friend, right?" Sayori intervened.

"All right, thank you, everyone."

Time passed slowly; the sun began to set. We sat in silence, occasionally broken by comments from the girls. Ken sat with his arms crossed, lost in his thoughts.

He treated Yuri so well…

Yuri eventually came out of the infirmary, and it seemed everything was resolved. Her blood pressure and heart rate were normal. She had spent the entire time talking to the nurses, who recommended therapy sessions with the school psychologist.

That said, it was already 6:30 PM, and the outside world had turned completely dark.

My report would have to wait. I hope that nobody noticed us, if I need to explain all of this to the principal I can got in a lot of trouble.

Someone who can't control their emotions has an outburst, and it's my responsibility?

Wait… No. Why am I thinking like this?

As I left school, I was alone with these thoughts since Ken always walked home with Sayori, and Natsuki lived on the other side of the city.

I got home and ate something, anything. I wasn't very hungry, but I needed to eat. Back in my room, I opened the letter Ken had left me. I couldn't handle the curiosity anymore.

"Hi Monika, although I really do think you're beautiful and an amazing person, this isn't a confession, I'm sorry.

There's no right way to tell you what I'm about to say, so I'll be waiting for you at the city park around 9 PM so we can talk properly.

I've had a suspicion since the interview that there's something strange about the classroom. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but I suspect it might be something more.

I'm writing this in the morning, so if you've had a day full of strange events, arguments, etc. it's because something is truly there. After all, I intend to provoke it today and make it reveal itself.
I didn't want to tell this to protect you, but I don't think I can handle this situation alone anymore. I know you're a skeptic, but I'm sure you've noticed it too.

Let's talk more at the park. I'll be waiting for you.
Take care, Ken."

With the paper in my hands, I felt them trembling. His tone was far too serious for this to be a joke, and now, looking at everything that had happened over the past two days, it started to make some sense. There was no rational way to explain how he knew about what I felt while I was writing the report.

The things moving in the classroom, my attention constantly being drawn to that last chair.

The feeling still lingers clear as day… And Ken seemed during these days to be trying to communicate this to me, like, "Please, don't look at that corner, there's something there."

I was lucky to live alone, so I could afford to leave this late at night.

My parents had rented this house for me, so I could study at a good school.

I took a shower, changed clothes into something more casual, and left the house.
The streets were nearly empty, but it was a peaceful area. Still, at that time, I felt like something was watching me. Even when I glanced around, there was nothing.

I finally reached the park, which sat beside the central lake. It closes at midnight, and it was already quite empty.

By the lakeside, I saw Ken leaning against one of the railings, as if he were thinking, "I didn't expect you to actually come."

"Oh, Monika! I'm glad you came. I hope you're not mad at me."

"Should I be? I'm just curious on what you have to say, I didn't understand your letter at all".

Ken seemed to be searching for the right words:

"I could try to convince you in many ways, but I know one that works. Tell me, why are you thinking about that?"

"Thinking about what?"

'Someone who can't control their emotions has an outburst, and it's my responsibility?'

I took a step back without thinking.

What does that mean? How does he know I had something in mind so awful about Yuri? That was impossible!

Did I make it that obvious?

"Don't worry, Monika. That thought isn't yours—its Hana's aura affecting you."

"Who? I'll admit, this magic trick is pretty scary and…"

"Hana Ikeda. A girl between 13 and 16 years old at the time of her death. She died in room 3-A and, for some reason, is trapped in the last chair. That's pretty much all I know. It seems like she's been watching you all since the club started, but my presence has made the spirit more aggressive."

"This doesn't sound rational, why would a spirit be trapped in our classroom?".

"Although I was a skeptic until recently, my mother is a famous spiritual medium. That's why she's always away from home. Maybe that's why Hana became more interested in trying to communicate. I'll admit I was in total panic today… That argument was also caused by that spirit. A tragedy could have happened."

He completely ignored my question; I leaned against the railing by the lake and listened as Ken continued since I've got no other choice:

"She left this poem in the last chair, which means she was either trying to participate in our activity, or it was just a threat… The problem is, even though I know a thing or two, there's not much I can do. Only my mother knows how to exorcize something like that. I'm just as tied up as you all are…"

"I'm not sure if I believe all of this, but as the supposed leader of the club… if something like this is really happening, go on, what should I do?"

"Information. I couldn't find any records of Hana Ikeda at school. But there's one thing I noticed while looking through old yearbooks in the public archives on the school's website."

"And that is?"

"Class 3-A of 2004 has 19 photos. All the other classes have 20."

"The school might have hidden what really happened to her. Maybe there's something at the school—some archive or document about this girl somewhere, don't get your hopes up."

"This spirit has one very recurring trait: she wants to feel acknowledged, like a child trying to get someone's attention. And, I think I made her feel noticed. I don't know what might happen tomorrow when we step into that room again. Anyway, as someone with connections at school, could you try to bring me information about who Hana Ikeda was in life? My mother told me that anything could help."

I pondered over the flood of information Ken had just given me. It all sounded so serious, but part of me still didn't fully believe it. Was this some kind of elaborate trick? It didn't make sense, but…

"Understood, Ken. I'll do my best. Is there anything else I need to know?"

" Now you're in danger too, I'm really sorry... I shouldn't have told you everything... You give me a sense of trust, and now because of me...

Don't worry, you can't handle everything alone. See you tomorrow, Ken. Take care and...
Are you leaving already? Did I do something wrong?

No, it's just getting a bit late, isn't it?

Ah... I wish you could see this beautiful view too. Of course, I meant to warn you and all, but...
Well, so it wasn't entirely a lie? You wanted to see me, after all? If that's the case, I can stay a bit longer.

It really was a beautiful starry night. It had been so long since I had last looked at the sky. Most of my time at school had always been dedicated to some goal, some target. For the first time, I felt I could just be free.

I couldn't figure out that boy's heart, but I felt I was in the right place at the right time.

"You're so confusing, Ken."

"You can be sure of that."

Ken POV
December 22, 2017 – Friday Morning

This time, it wasn't the nightmares that stole my sleep but everything that happened at the park. Being with Monika was absolutely amazing—she's such great company.

But unfortunately, I couldn't focus on that for now.

Fridays were supposed to be the best day of the week, but my heart was racing. I had this awful feeling that something really bad was going to happen at school.

Noticing I was awake, my mom knocked on the already open door and asked:

"Good morning, son! Wow, it's been a while since I've seen you waking up. Everything okay?"

"Ahh. Good morning, Mom. Yeah, as much as it can be. I have no idea how you deal with this stuff."

"Your aura seems brighter today. I thought the spirit might've been naturally guided onward. Is there another reason for that aura shining like the sun?"

"I... I..."

"Ah, I see. Who's the lucky one?"

It was kind of funny... If there's one thing I'm sure of in life, it's that I'll never fully get used to how blunt and straightforward my mom is about everything. Maybe I inherited a bit of that from her, too.

"It's Miss Monika, the one I mentioned to you."

"Maybe this spirit is a cupid after all... Anyway, any progress on this case?"

"Well. Look at what she wrote, and I already know quite a bit about this student."

I told her everything I knew about Hana and the poem she gave me, along with how my 'date' with Monika went. She listened attentively and took notes in her trusty notebook she always used for work.

"I see... Ken, I need you to hear this..."

"Of course, Mom."

"This entire town could be destroyed if this spirit isn't guided back into the natural cycle. While I was at the hospital, I took the opportunity to map the spiritual energies in this town, and there's a dark void in the school's region. This presence has grown into a massive spiritual pressure that will soon cause visible symptoms among the students."

I wasn't even sure how to respond. I just clasped my hands together and waited for her to continue:

"While you were at the park, I passed through the neighborhood and saw Hana's spirit smiling from the classroom window you were in. And with a quick aura reading... we're dealing with a national threat."

"This is really scaring me..."

"I'm sorry; there's no other way to explain this. But I do have good news. I reported this as an emergency to my government contacts, and we'll have official permission to access the school building this Sunday."

"Ah... And what should we do in the meantime?"

"Live your normal lives."

"Mom, saying all this and then telling me to just live normally sounds pretty insane, doesn't it?"

"The problem, Ken, is that your lives are already at risk. Going to school or not doesn't change that. Time and space work differently for spirits; they communicate at the speed of thought. The best thing to do is to act like everything's fine. I promise it'll be okay—I'll be watching over the school. I already have permission for that."

"Well... That's somewhat a relief. Mom, I need to go now, is that okay?"

"Right, it's about that time. Good luck, son. Remember what I said—we'll figure this out."

With that, I got up and got ready as quickly as I could. Outside, the streets were even quieter than usual. You'd have to be pretty crazy to go to school at the end of the year, so close to Christmas, and on a Friday.

Sayori was either running late or hadn't come at all—I didn't see her in the neighborhood. But what really mattered was seeing her and the others at the club...
Hana was 100% of my concerns that week. My entire day revolved around facing her directly.

Near the end of class, I sent Monika a message:

• "Sorry to bother you, Moni, but do you mind arriving at the club a little earlier today to check if everything's okay in the room?"

After about ten minutes, she replied. I discreetly took out my phone since we were still in class.

• "I was going to ask the same thing. Not that I fully buy your idea, but..."
• "See you in twenty minutes then."

Those twenty minutes felt like hours. But since I was the only one left in class, I was able to leave early. The situation was becoming surreal, but I was grateful the school was getting emptier each day—it reduced the number of potential problems.

I left the classroom and took the elevator to the third floor. As I walked down the hallway, I saw Monika waiting. She looked nervous, tapping her left foot on the ground.

"I'm so glad you're here, Ken. I don't know if it's just in my head, but I was going crazy here."

"Let's check and find out."

I walked toward the dreaded 3-A classroom and glanced at her before opening the door. It was time to face this fear and try our best to create a good atmosphere for the club while pretending everything was normal until we could resolve this situation.

What if she killed us the moment, we opened the door? What if I was the reason Hana felt noticed?

When I stepped into the room, I felt like crying for the first time since this crazy week began.

Because...

Hana was no longer in the room.

The last desk was completely clean, and that corner was even brighter. I ran toward that desk—there had to be an explanation.
And there was.

I called Monika over to see it with me. It was a note on the same old paper Hana had used for the previous poem:

"Where am I?"

" "She's gone from here..."

"It's hard to believe in these things, but really, I've been here for weeks, and it's never been this clear. Even the heavy air that would linger sometimes has changed." Monika rationalized in vain.

The situation had completely shifted. Hana's spirit could now be anywhere in the school, wandering through other rooms, even if the place was practically empty.

"And now... what do we do?" Monika asked, touching the desk, searching for any additional clues.

"The usual. We don't have many options for action right now. The best we can do is prevent the girls from panicking, and we need to figure out yesterday's situation, remember?"

"Oh... Yuri. I almost forgot. It's fine, I can handle it."

"Anyway, about the poems, I couldn't write anything yesterday."

"Do you think I could? It's Friday. Let's let everyone take it easy today, and if they wrote anything, we'll deal with it."

"True, thank you!"

We went to opposite ends of the classroom, somewhat to hide our proximity when the other girls arrived. I picked up a book my mom had recommended. Meanwhile, Monika seemed to be working on some kind of document with the school's name on the cover probably the report she needed to finish.

While we were both distracted, the classroom door suddenly opened. We immediately looked at each other in absolute horror.
But it was just the girls.

"Helloooo! You got here early today! Wow, I haven't seen you yet, Ken. Where've you been?" Sayori said with a smile that seemed a bit forced.

Come to think of it, she really had been distant, almost as if avoiding me. Was something going on?

"Hey Sayo, I came early because my class ended quicker. I was like... the only student there, and..."

Soon after, Natsuki and Yuri appeared as well. They seemed to have made up, considering they were walking together.

"Good afternoon. Wow... Everyone's already here?" Yuri seemed frustrated by the sight.

"You make it sound like you didn't want people here." Natsuki jumped in.

"Oh... No, please, that's not what I meant... I knew I couldn't pull this off."

Alright, let's stop this before it escalates again, shall we?

Before I got up to address the girls, I checked their auras. Yuri's was still very volatile—you could feel her stress from a mile away. But I couldn't blame her; she was definitely the most susceptible of us all to being attacked by Hana.

"Hello, everyone. I hope you're all doing well. I understand Yuri would like a space to read in peace, but that's exactly what we're doing today, right, Monika?"

"Oh. Yes, I was going to mention it later, but today is a free day for everyone to do whatever they like. No scheduled activities. We'll review poems again on Tuesday since Monday is the festival."

Although I was trying to get Monika to help calm things down, mentioning the festival was a big mistake—at least at that moment. I had no idea what it entailed, but all the girls' exchanged glances, and the room fell into complete silence.

"Sorry, but what are you all talking about?"

"Ah... I forgot to mention it." Sayori said, scratching the back of her neck.

Everyone stared at me, and somehow, the attention shifted from Yuri to me.
Well, that's a relief.

"The Winter Festival is an event held by the school clubs every year during Christmas week. This will be our first event since we're a new club." Monika explained, taking the lead.
"I see. So, I guess clubs have to be at least a year old to participate, right?"

"Actually, that's for mandatory participation. We're not required to join, but I'd like to do something for the event. Letting it pass unnoticed might leave a bad impression."

More silence filled the room. What could we possibly do for a school event, given we already had a complicated theme and were such a new group?

"Makes sense."

"Do we really have to participate? I'm not exactly thrilled about a year-end event." Natsuki was never one to hold back.

"I'm not as certain anymore, but I'd rather hear from all of you. I just need to clarify that whether we participate or not, we should attend on Monday to appreciate the other clubs' attractions."

Reading the room was almost a skill of mine. Monika seemed more inclined to skip the event, as discussing it on the Friday before didn't leave much time for planning. No one else seemed to have thought about it either.

Suggesting something didn't feel like a good idea, so I stayed quiet.

Noticing our apparent reluctance, Monika sighed in relief and said:

"No need to look so gloomy. We're not required to participate this year. Just don't forget to come on Monday, and then we'll officially be on break. Oh, and Ken, the club will continue to meet during the holidays—we just need to schedule the days."

"Have you already decided the days and times, Monika?" Yuri chimed in. I could see the relief on her face from not having to present anything at the festival.

"Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Anyway, everyone, today is a free day, so feel at home. I need to keep working on my report."

The conversation ended, and everyone scattered to their corners. Since I had already read, I waited for them to settle in and decided who to talk to first.

"What are you reading, Yuri?"

"Oh... Ken. Please sit down next to me. Don't just stand there. By the way, I didn't get a chance to thank you properly. Thank you so much for helping me calm down, and I'm sorry about what happened."

"It's in the past. Don't worry about it."

"But I couldn't help but be curious—what was that about the necklace? I've never felt so calm in my entire life."

"Magic!" I tried to make a joke, which she quite enjoys it but was too shy to admit.

She chuckled softly:

"I'm serious. I think an explanation would be nice. Is it something mystical?"

"My mom is a famous medium,"

"Oh... So, I imagine you follow the family tradition?"

"You could say I'm still discovering myself, but yes, I recently decided to follow my mother's footsteps."

"I see. Well, thank you again."

At that moment, my phone started vibrating, and I waved to Yuri, signaling that I needed to take the call.

It was my mom—she never called me like this during the day. What could have happened?

• Hiromi: Hi, son. Good morning. Well, I took some time to visit your school. I was observing from a distance, and the aura of that spirit has completely vanished. What happened?

• Ken: I was going to ask you the same thing. It just disappeared. There's no sign of it here in the room. Maybe it got freed? Gave up on haunting this place?

• Hiromi: That's possible, but I'll stay here observing. We're closing the school this weekend for a thorough inspection. The government got concerned after reading my report.
• Ken: Makes sense. Let's try to keep things normal here in the meantime. Love you, Mom. Take care.

• Hiromi: Love you too, son. Call me if you need anything.

My mom was truly amazing. She worked tirelessly—she should have been asleep at that hour, yet she had been observing the school from a distance all day.
But it bothered me a little. I always left all the responsibility for my problems to her. I needed to start taking care of myself and resolving things on my own.
Something told me this had been too easy. That spirit must be hiding somewhere in a dark corner of the school.

Either way, I wanted to pass the time chatting with the other girls, but I started to feel strange. Everything began to spin, so I quickly sat on the floor and murmured for help.

"Everyone... I'm not feeling... well."

Monika reacted first, followed by all the girls. They screamed my name in unison.

"Ken! What happened? Someone calls the nurse, please!" I heard Monika saying something like that as everything slowed down.

This didn't feel like fainting.

It was a calling.

A voice became clearer as I moved my eyes, trying to wake up.

"Did you really think you got rid of me? It's time for us to have some fun..."