The night felt longer than usual, the darkness creeping into every corner of Kai's room. He tossed and turned in his bed, unable to shake the strange feeling that had settled in his chest. His mind replayed everything—Mei Yamada's disappearance, the rumors, the note he found, and the chilling words from Mr. Natsume. It was all too much. But no matter how many times he closed his eyes, he couldn't escape it.
Eventually, the frustration got the better of him, and he sat up in bed. His hands found the crumpled note from the day before, still tucked in his jacket pocket. The words were seared into his mind: "Don't trust them."
But who was "them"? His classmates? The teachers? Someone else entirely?
Kai stood up and crossed the room to his desk, flicking on the lamp. He pulled out his notebook and began to write, trying to make sense of everything.
The old library. Mei Yamada. Mr. Natsume's warning. The whispers in the hallways. There was a connection between them, he was sure of it. But what was it?
His thoughts swirled until the first rays of dawn broke through the window. He hadn't slept at all. And as he glanced at the clock, he realized that school would start in just a few hours.
The next day, Kai felt like he was walking through a fog. Everything around him seemed muffled, distant. Even the students who passed him in the hallway seemed to be part of some dream he couldn't wake up from.
But then, just as he was about to turn the corner, he spotted something—or rather, someone—that made his heart stop. It was a girl, standing at the end of the hallway, staring at him.
At first, he thought it was one of his classmates, but there was something about her that felt wrong. She was standing perfectly still, her posture rigid, her eyes fixed directly on him. She didn't blink, didn't move a muscle. It was as if she wasn't even breathing.
Kai's breath caught in his throat. The girl's face seemed familiar, but he couldn't place her. His mind raced—Who is she? But before he could take another step, she disappeared. One moment she was there, and the next, the hallway was empty.
He blinked, confused, and checked the empty space around him. No one else had seen her, no one else seemed to notice. His heart pounded in his chest, and for the first time, he felt a genuine sense of fear.
That afternoon, the strange encounter still lingered in Kai's mind, the image of the girl's unblinking stare burned into his memory. He couldn't shake it. Was it real? Or had his mind just been playing tricks on him?
He tried to ignore it, pushing the thought aside as he went through his classes. But as the final bell rang, signaling the end of the day, something compelled him to walk to the old library.
The air outside was cold, and the late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the school grounds. There was a stillness in the air, almost like everything was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
The library building loomed ahead, its old, crumbling facade a stark contrast to the modern, bustling classrooms. Kai hesitated for a moment, the weight of the rumors heavy on his shoulders. No one goes in there, he thought. But his curiosity got the better of him.
He pushed open the heavy door, the creak of the hinges echoing in the silence. The smell of dust and mildew immediately hit him as he stepped inside. The library was dark, the only light coming from the dim, flickering overhead bulbs. Rows of ancient books lined the shelves, but the place felt abandoned, forgotten by time.
He walked deeper into the library, his footsteps echoing off the wooden floors. The stillness was almost suffocating, broken only by the sound of his breath and the creaking of the old building.
Something felt off. Kai couldn't place it, but there was an unmistakable sense that he wasn't alone. It wasn't just the silence—it was the air itself, thick with a presence that seemed to hover just out of reach.
Suddenly, he froze. In the farthest corner of the library, hidden behind a shelf, he thought he saw a shadow move. His pulse quickened. Who could it be? No one else came in here. But before he could react, the shadow disappeared.
Kai's feet carried him forward almost against his will. His mind screamed at him to leave, but something—something deep inside—urged him to keep going.
As he neared the back of the library, he spotted something on the floor. A small, crumpled piece of paper, half-hidden under a stack of old books. Kai's heart raced. Was it another note? Another message for him?
He bent down to pick it up, his fingers trembling as he unfolded it. The handwriting was different this time—messier, more frantic. It read:
"They're watching you. Don't go deeper. It's too late now. Don't trust anyone."
Before he could fully process the meaning, a cold gust of wind swept through the room, extinguishing the flickering lights. The library was plunged into darkness.
Kai's breath caught in his throat. He wasn't alone. He could feel it—someone, or something, was there with him, watching from the shadows.
His heart pounded in his chest as he fumbled for his phone. The screen lit up for a split second, casting a dim light around the room. But in that brief moment, Kai saw something he would never forget.
A pair of eyes, glowing faintly in the darkness, watching him from the far corner of the room.
Without thinking, Kai bolted for the door. His breath came in ragged gasps as he pushed open the door and ran out into the fading light. The cold air bit at his skin, but he didn't stop. He couldn't. Something—something in that library—had seen him. It knew he was there.
Kai didn't stop running until he was far from the school, his breath still coming in heavy, panicked bursts. His mind was racing, trying to piece together what had just happened. The library. The notes. The girl. The eyes in the dark.
His hands shook as he pulled out his phone to call Haruto, but then he stopped. What could he even say? How could he explain what he had just experienced? The fear, the overwhelming sense of danger that had gripped him—it was too much.
As he stood there, trying to calm his breathing, the realization hit him: whatever was happening at the school, whatever was tied to the missing students and the rumors, was deeper than he had imagined. It wasn't just some school mystery or local legend. It was real. And it was coming for him.
The only question now was—how far was he willing to go to uncover the truth?