Chapter 5 - Kiken: Danger
1
With Anna’s help, Mika pulled on the front door to the school with all her might. They were both monstrously strong, and yet not even their combined efforts made it budge.
It had only been a few minutes since a bluish white light had enveloped the school. The instant it faded, all the doors and windows to the building were covered with metal plates. Bang and pound on them as they might, all the girls had to show for it were red and bruised fists. There didn’t seem to be any way to pull them off, either.
“What do we do? Hiroshi was totally right.”
If they couldn’t get in, then would the boys be able to get out? Takuro and the others were still inside, and worry swirled in Mika’s heart for them. It seemed the small, blocky creature in her arms detected its owner’s distress, as it began whining and licking her cheek with its long tongue. It was like it was trying to comfort her.
Thanks, Fwuffy...
Patting its soft, memory foam-like head, Mika turned back to Anna.
“What do you think?”
“Let’s call the police like Hiroshi said,” Anna replied without hesitation.
Mika should have expected nothing less from the class president. Anna was undoubtedly worried sick about Shun, but she was staying calm and collected... unlike Mika, who was just about ready to freak out.
I have to get it together... It’s about a kilometer to the nearest police station, but with these legs, I’m sure I could make it there in a few minutes.
“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Mika handed Fwuffy to Anna and bent over to tighten her shoelaces, when...
“What are you two doing?” a male voice suddenly asked.
Mika stopped and looked up to see two of their classmates approaching. The narrow-eyed boy was Kazuya, a member of the biology club; the girl with the glasses was Mari, the quietest kid in their class.
“Good morning. What are you two doing here so early?” Anna asked, hiding Fwuffy behind her back and smiling broadly.
“I was worried that Panzee forgot to change the water in the tank in the science lab after club yesterday.”
“You woke up early just for that?”
“Of course I did! Without our help, the amoebas would all die! How could I just abandon them?” Kazuya answered near fervently.
Mika couldn’t help thinking he was almost as bad as Hiroshi.
“I-I’m on classroom duty today...” Mari muttered from behind Kazuya.
Classroom duty involved watering the flowers, cleaning the blackboard, and various other chores that needed to be taken care of before class. The students took turns doing them on a rotating schedule, but only a punctual, serious girl like Mari would show up this early for something like that.
“But you guys came to school together, did you? What’s that all about, hmm? What’s going on here?”
There was a gleam in Anna’s eyes. Normally, she was the type to stay as far away from gossip as possible. It sounded to Mika like she was just doing everything she could to draw out the conversation while she thought of a way to handle this.
“There’s nothing going on. We just happened to arrive at the same time,” Kazuya said slightly heatedly, his face turning red.
“No way, no how. I mean, I...” Mari caught herself there and fell into embarrassed silence.
“What? Is there someone else you like?”
“Who cares about us? She’s the real issue here,” Kazuya suddenly declared, pointing his finger at Mika.
She couldn’t ever remember speaking to him before, so she had no idea why he’d be so blatantly rude. She even reflexively turned to look over her shoulder and make sure he wasn’t actually pointing to someone behind her.
“You’re okay, right? You’re not hurt? Where have you been? What about Takuro? Where is he? Is he okay?” he asked.
Mika was a bit staggered by the barrage of questions, but it made sense once she stopped to think about it. It had been a week since she’d been attacked at the Jailhouse. Obviously, it was a big deal that she’d reappeared.
“Takuro’s fine...”
Unsure where to start, she answered Kazuya’s last question. Of course, she knew it wasn’t really the truth, but it was the only thing she could bring herself to say.
“That’s a relief. Everyone was worried. Some of the kids were even saying you guys got attacked by the Jailhouse monster and it cast this weird spell over the whole class... So, really, it’s a relief to know you’re okay. I’m glad everything turned out all right.”
Kazuya smiled so broadly that his narrow eyes narrowed even further. Normally people would be a little more curious about the details after someone up and disappeared for a week, but it seemed Kazuya wasn’t the type to sweat the small stuff. He was just glad Mika was well, and Mika was grateful that. She wasn’t sure how she was going to respond if he did pester her. Moreover, they didn’t have the time for that.
“Actually, it’s a relief to see you’re over your cold as well, Anna. Hiroshi’s been out too, so people have been starting to think that the Jailhouse monster had claimed more victims. Things have been pretty dark,” Kazuya said as he casually strode toward the entrance to the school.
He placed a hand on the door, but it would never open.
“What’s going on here?”
It was only then that he seemed to realize something was strange. He touched the metal plates sealing the door shut and cocked his head to the side.
“Are they remodeling or something?”
He seemed unfazed, despite the total strangeness of the situation.
“Hey... isn’t this kind of weird?” Mari asked, her knitted brow a clear indication of worry. “It looks like all the windows from the first to the third floor are covered.”
“Yeah. It’s got to be some kind of construction, right?”
“Wouldn’t the teachers have mentioned something like that? Did you hear anything about it, Kazuya?”
“No, nothing.”
“Even the front door is locked... Something’s definitely weird here.”
“Maybe we just got here too early?”
“You may not know this, but Mr. Inoue always comes to school early to clean the teacher’s lounge and the toilets. He gets here every day right after six, just like clockwork. And yet...”
“Maybe he overslept.”
“I hope so...”
A tense look on her face, Mari fell silent again.
Wait, every morning right after six?
A dark sense of foreboding tickled at Mika’s heart. It was around 6:20 AM when they awoke on the school lawn. And if Mr. Inoue had gotten there before them...
Anna turned to her, a fraught look on her face. Their anxious eyes stayed locked on each other for a tense moment, both of them wondering the same thing... Was Panzee inside the building?
“Hey, do you guys know something?”
As if sensing something from their silent exchange, Mari stepped toward Anna, who was at a loss for words. She looked like a fish out of water, her mouth gaping for a reply.
“If you do, tell me. What’s going on?”
Mari continued to press Anna, but didn’t so much as look at Mika. It made her realize they’d never actually spoken before.
She’s probably scared of me.
Mika’s chest tightened painfully at the thought. She rarely approached the other girls in class. It had never bothered her before, but now it felt like she’d missed out on something. That realization was hard to bear.
“All right... I need you to stay calm and listen to me,” Anna said, sounding like she’d finally resolved herself to tell the truth.
But just then...
“Aaaaah!”
A deep scream came from inside the building.
2
They all recognized that low, husky voice.
“Was that... Panzee?” Kazuya said under his breath.
The scream was shortly accompanied by the sound of breaking glass.
“Panzee!”
The color drained from Kazuya’s face. He immediately tried to force the door open, but there was no way a mere human like him would succeed where Mika and Anna had failed.
“Damn it!”
He kicked the door in frustration, then turned away from the girls and began running along the side of the building.
“Kazuya, where are you going?” Anna shouted after him.
“To save Panzee!” he shouted back as he rounded the corner, headed for the back of the school.
“Don’t, Kazuya! It’s dangerous!” Mari shrieked in a shrill voice.
She took a step with her right foot in an attempt to chase after him, but fear had frozen her knees. Her legs would no longer support her, and she went tumbling toward the ground.
“Mari!”
Anna reflexively threw her arms out to try and catch her, essentially dumping Fwuffy—who she’d been holding behind her back—onto the ground in front of her.
“...!”
Mari took one look at the strange creature and gasped before fainting.
“Mari, stay with me! Oh, no... Mika, you go after Kazuya!”
“Got it,” Mika agreed with a nod.
She left Mari in Anna’s care, then took off.
It’ll be fine. The windows are all sealed. He can’t possibly get inside...
Rounding the corner, Mika slowed to a stop.
“It can’t be...”
The boys’ bathroom window was open. For some reason, it was the only spot uncovered by the metal plates.
Mika grabbed the ledge and jumped up to take a look inside. She couldn’t see much, but she could hear the sound of footsteps darting off.
Crap.
Kazuya was already inside.
Mika wormed her way up over the ledge and squeezed through the window. She dropped down to the cold tile below, not at all concerned that she was in the boys’ bathroom right now.
I know I have to go after him... But should I really leave this window open? I bet plenty of the boys know about this. If they all band together and sneak in through here...
Mika was lost in thought, but a shrill noise suddenly snapped her out of it.
“Skree!”
It was Fwuffy, who was standing in the window and looking down at her with its cute, round eyes.
“No, Fwuffy. Stay.” Mika shook her head. “You wait here. Don’t move, even if someone sees you. If you keep your eyes and mouth shut, no one will think you’re alive—”
No sooner than those words left her mouth, Mika had a brilliant idea.
“That’s it, Fwuffy! Just stay there in the window and pretend to be part of the wall. Don’t let anyone in, okay? Got that?”
Fwuffy’s steely coloration was quite similar to the metal plates. If it stayed put, it would certainly be enough to fool anyone who walked by. And it seemed to understand Mika’s request, for it gave a small nod before wedging itself in place and blocking off the window. It really did look just like one of the metal plates.
“Thanks, Fwuffy. I know it’s boring, but just hang there for a bit. If something happens, come to me—no, protect Takuro.”
Mika raised her right hand and waved to her tiny partner before turning on her heels and dashing from the bathroom. The hall was quiet. All the windows were sealed there, too. If not for the ceiling lights, it would have been pitch black inside.
Now, where did Kazuya go...?
Mika looked around, turning her head just in time to see a dark shadow burst from one of the doors.
3
The sound of Mr. Inoue’s scream reached Hiroshi’s ears just as he finished helping carry Takuro to the nurse’s office. He and Takeshi locked eyes with one another, but the screaming died down as suddenly as it had started. Takeshi’s lips wrinkled in frustration. After everything he’d been through, the dark feeling brewing in his gut told him that there was no saving Mr. Inoue. Hiroshi seemed to know it too.
“What... What do we do now?” Takeshi asked, looking at him with imploring eyes. “I’m starting to lose confidence. Can we really change his mind?”
Hiroshi had no immediate answer, and couldn’t even nod in reply.
The hatred Naoki had radiated when he saw Mr. Inoue was so dark and overwhelming that it had given Hiroshi goosebumps. A simple appeal to reason was unlikely to move his heart. And now that he was a monster too, it would be difficult to even restrain him. He’d sent Takuro flying with no trouble earlier.
Hiroshi searched the room for anything they might be able to use as a weapon, but came up empty-handed. It was only a middle school nurse’s office, after all. Anything dangerous would be kept well out of reach of the children. Hiroshi opened every drawer in the room in hopes of turning up a scalpel or a syringe, but the best he could find was a pair of scissors.
“Hey, Hiroshi,” Takeshi called softly. “Do you hear footsteps in the hall?”
“Huh?”
Hiroshi concentrated, but he couldn’t hear anything other than the sleeping Takuro’s sound breathing. With Takeshi’s enhanced hearing, however, Hiroshi knew good and well that Takeshi might have heard something he simply couldn’t.
Hiroshi tentatively approached the door, careful not to make a sound, and opened it a crack. Peering out into the hall, he saw Mika standing there.
“Mika!”
“Hey, Mika, what do you think you’re doing?”
He and Takeshi both jumped into the hall.
“Eek!”
She gave a short yelp and leaped back into a corner of the hall, but soon her expression relaxed.
“Jeez... Don’t scare me like that.”
A hand to her chest, she sighed deeply.
“Mika, why are you here?” Hiroshi asked.
“You heard Panzee scream just now, right?” She quickly explained, “Kazuya was sure something bad happened to him, so he snuck in through the bathroom window. I went after him, but...”
“Kazuya? You mean our classmate who uses a pencil case with a pattern like that of an Argynnis hyperbius?”
“Argyle what now? I mean Shiraishi Kazuya. The guy with the squinty eyes that completely disappear when he smiles!”
“I sincerely doubt his eyes ever disappear.”
“Whatever! If we don’t hurry, he’s going to die!”
“So those footsteps earlier were Kazuya, huh? He shot up the west-side staircase like a bullet,” Takeshi said, pointing down the hall.
“Not good. We have to go after him, and fast!”
Suddenly, Mika seemed to realize that Takuro wasn’t with the other boys.
“Wait, where’s Takuro?” she asked, her expression clouding over as she approached Hiroshi.
“Takuro’s—”
She seemed to read the rest of his answer in his face before he could even say it. She pushed past Hiroshi and Takeshi, practically bursting through the door to the nurse’s office. Seeing Takura laid out on a bed, she stood there aghast.
“What happened?” she asked in a near whisper, her eyes unmoving from her beloved.
“Naoki knocked him out...” Takeshi muttered.
“His pulse is stable, and he’s breathing,” explained Hiroshi more precisely. “I didn’t see any wounds either, so it’s most likely just a mild concussion.”
Seemingly relieved to hear all this, Mika sank into the folding chair sitting next to the bed with a heavy sigh.
“So he’s okay?”
“Yes. However, I’m concerned about leaving him alone. Would you mind watching over him, Mika? We’ll go after Kazuya.”
“Sure. Just leave him to me.”
Mika sat there for a long, silent moment as she sweetly held Takuro’s hand.
“Hey, Hiroshi...” she then called out softly, her lips barely moving. “Please. When you find Naoki...”
He couldn’t hear the rest.
“When we find him, what?” he asked.
But Mika shook her head.
“No, it’s nothing. Just be careful,” she said with a smile.
“Very well. We’ll be off, then.”
Bidding Mika goodbye, he closed the door to the nurse’s office behind him and Takeshi when they left.
“Let’s go.”
Takeshi nodded, and the two boys took off down the hallway.
Hiroshi hadn’t heard her clearly, but he could imagine what she’d said.
Please. When you find Naoki...
Her vengeful eyes said it all.
When you find Naoki, kill him.