When you know the world's ending in seventy-two hours, everything feels... fake.
The sky looks too clean. The laughter in the hallways grates on your nerves. Every morning announcement feels like a sick joke. I sat at my desk, pretending to take notes while watching the classroom like I was stuck in a dream I'd seen a hundred times before.
Rei was in the front row, arguing with the teacher over something petty. Komuro was half-asleep next to the window. His face looked like it always did—bored, a little pissed, like he was waiting for the world to give him a reason to snap.
He wouldn't have to wait long.
From behind me, I heard Miyako's chair slide back. She'd been quiet all period, which was saying something. Yesterday, she'd been a wreck. Now, she walked past my desk without flinching, her head held a little higher. She didn't look at me, but her fingers brushed mine when she passed.
Small gesture. But it meant the contract was working.
[Contract Stability: 93%. Emotional Progression: Subtle Confidence Gain.]
[System Note: Host performance acceptable. You didn't completely screw it up. Impressive.]
You know, you don't have to narrate every win like a disappointed dad.
[Disappointment is your natural aura. I'm just adapting.]
God, I hated how smug the system sounded when it wasn't even trying.
Lunch came fast. Saya was ranting again in the courtyard, scolding an underclassman for misquoting a science term. That girl had a brain sharper than most people's knives, and the attitude to match. She wasn't even trying to be nice. And yet, three boys hovered around her like moths circling a flamethrower.
I sat under the tree near the athletic building, eating convenience store rice balls and watching the sports fields. It was sunny. Too sunny. The kind of day that had no business existing before a horror show began.
"You're a weird one."
I looked up. Miyako stood there, arms folded. She didn't look angry. More like... curious.
"You said the world's about to get ugly," she said. "What did you mean?"
I swallowed the bite in my mouth and considered lying. But what was the point?
"I meant exactly what I said."
She squinted at me. "You know something."
"More than I should."
Her arms dropped slightly. She took a slow breath, like she was trying to decide if I was worth the trouble.
"Then tell me."
[Emotional State: Wary, Invested. Contract Evolution: Opportunity Detected.]
Not yet. She wasn't ready for the truth. Not in full. But I could give her a taste.
"There's a storm coming. Not the kind you can see in the sky. People are going to panic. Everything's going to change. You've got two options: wait to get swept up in it... or start learning how to swim."
She didn't ask anything else. Just sat beside me and picked at her lunch in silence.
Smart girl.
After school, the gym was half-empty. The upperclassmen on the kendo team were practicing. That's when I saw her.
Saeko Busujima.
She moved like flowing water, her bokken slicing through the air with precision and grace. Every motion had weight. Every step was calculated. Calm, silent, deadly. She was the kind of person you didn't approach lightly.
Naturally, I did anyway.
She noticed me as I leaned against the wall, wiping sweat from her brow with a towel.
"You're not part of the club," she said, polite but firm.
"Just watching."
"And?"
"You move like someone who's been waiting for an excuse to use a real blade."
She tilted her head, just a bit. "That's a strange observation."
"It's going to make sense very soon."
She didn't smile, but something in her eyes shifted. Like she recognized something familiar in me.
"Come by again tomorrow," she said.
Then she turned, not bothering to ask my name.
[Contract Opportunity: Dormant. Psychological Profile: Repressed Instincts, Self-Control Conflict.]
[Warning: This one's going to be complicated. And maybe a little scary.]
Yeah. I got that feeling already.
Later that night, I sat on the roof of the apartment I now called home. A cheap place not far from the school. Still intact, for now.
The air smelled clean. Too clean.
I knew what was coming. I'd seen it. Episode one. The infected teacher staggering at the gate. The first scream. The spiral into madness.
And I was here to stop it from playing out the same way. Or die trying. Again.
[System Notice: Passive skill unlocked – Premonition Thread.]
[Minor future-sense triggered under high-stress emotional tension. Duration limited. Cooldown: 24 hours.]
Useful. Even if I didn't like the sound of "high-stress."
Tomorrow would be the last "normal" day. After that, everything burned.
And I was ready for it.