Chapter 91: Alone at School
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91: Alone at School
It felt like the first semester had just started yesterday, but the calendar had already turned to July.
And most schools hold their final exams in early or mid-July.
Ichijo Academy, where I go, was no exception. The atmosphere in Class 2-B, which had been buzzing with excitement for the summer camp just two weeks ago, was once again subdued.
How should I put it? It felt like everyone was on edge.
I guess it was because if we bombed these finals, we'd have to come in for summer school.
"Ughhh! I can't believe the finals are only three days away!"
This was the roar of Rika, who had been staring at her math book for over an hour.
Fortunately, Rika's outbursts were nothing new, so the rest of the class paid her no mind.
"But your math scores have improved a lot. If you just keep this up, you'll easily pass."
"But still~! No matter how many problems I solve, the formulas just won't stick in my heaaad~"
I coaxed and soothed Rika, who was whining like a child, and encouraged her to solve just one more page.
Rika reluctantly nodded and started focusing on her math book again.
'Phew, this ordeal will be over in three days.'
The reason I was personally tutoring Rika one-on-one was because of a promise I'd made with the others in Group D after the summer camp.
'Let's all go to the beach together during summer vacation.'
The plan was set in motion by a single comment from Satoru, our group's mood-maker.
Of course, everyone was on board, and we all began to look forward to summer vacation.
However, this promise had an unexpected obstacle waiting for us: Rika.
Basically, Rika's grades in any subject she wasn't interested in were disastrous.
For the last exam, I'd managed to pinpoint the likely questions for her when we all studied at Karen's house, so it wasn't a problem. But this time, the finals weren't going to be so easy.
Since the midterms had been relatively easy, it was obvious they would make the finals harder to better differentiate the scores.
Naturally, with Rika's usual grades, it would be a close call for her to pass all her subjects. As the best student in Group D, I was naturally put in charge of tutoring her.
Still, it seemed my hard work was paying off. She could now solve even some of the more difficult problems with ease.
At this rate, she could easily score over 40 just by picking and solving the easy questions.
I was feeling pretty proud of myself when it happened.
"Yoo-Sung, can I borrow your literature textbook for a sec? I forgot to write something down last class."
"Huh? Yeah, hold on."
At Satoru's sudden request, I rummaged through my desk drawer and pulled out the literature book.
To be honest, compared to other subjects, I pay a lot of attention to literature and history.
That's why I take meticulous notes during class.
Part of it is because I'm originally Korean, and also because Japanese grammar can get quite difficult if you delve deep into it.
Actually, any language gets difficult when you get to the grammar, so it's probably not a problem limited to Japanese.
Don't they say the Englishman that English literature students hate the most is Shakespeare?
Compared to that, my situation was much better.
No matter how hard it got, it was still just high school-level grammar.
"Thanks. I'll give it back as soon as I'm done."
"Sure. If I'm not at my desk when you bring it back, just stick it in my drawer."
"Got it."
…Looking back, I shouldn't have said that.
I should have told him to put it in my bag. Why did I tell him to just leave it in my desk drawer if I wasn't there?
What was I thinking?
Anyway, it wasn't until I got home late that evening after hitting the gym that I realized I'd forgotten the literature book I'd lent to Satoru at school. The moment I remembered that the exams started Monday and tomorrow was Saturday, I immediately hopped on the subway and headed to the darkened school.
"...I'll just grab the book and get right out."
At that moment, I had no idea.
I had no idea what happens when you go to school late at night in the world of a shonen manga.
*
Normally, a school is a place with a bright image.
A place where countless kids run around the schoolyard, where boys and girls laugh, cry, and strive to better themselves.
But the school at night had a completely opposite atmosphere.
The school grounds and classrooms, which should have been bustling with students, were completely devoid of any human presence. There was only a stark darkness and silence.
I usually pride myself on not being easily scared, but even for me, the school at night was just too eerie.
Standing in front of the firmly shut school gate, I swallowed nervously and, making sure no one was watching, quickly vaulted over the two-meter wall.
Thud!
After landing lightly, I looked around. The school grounds, no different from how they looked on my way to school in the morning, came into view.
To the right was the middle school building, and straight ahead was the high school building.
And since the reason I was here was to retrieve the literature book from my desk drawer, I headed straight for the high school building.
Swoooosh—
A sudden gust of wind rustled the leaves.
“……”
Feeling an unexplainable chill, I looked back.
I was sure there was no one else here, but I felt like I was being watched.
"Is it just my imagination?"
Muttering to myself, I headed toward the dark high school building.
*
Clank!
Fortunately, unlike the locked school gate, the entrance to the high school building was open.
I stepped cautiously inside the school and lit the way with the flashlight I'd brought from home.
My current location was the first-floor entrance of the East Wing.
My destination, Class 2-B, was on the second floor of the West Wing.
That meant I had to go up to the second floor, walk down a long, dark hallway, and cross the sky bridge connecting to the West Wing.
Normally, it was a distance I could cover in under five minutes at a run, but maybe because it was the school at night, I found myself moving cautiously without even thinking about it.
"Have I been watching too many movies...?"
Humans are creatures of imagination.
And the nighttime, combined with the pitch-black darkness, naturally evoked a fear of the unknown.
Wondering how to stop my mind from wandering to such thoughts, I pictured the face of Satoru, the cause of this whole mess.
"...Maybe it'd be less scary if I called him."
Before I started moving in earnest, I called Satoru on my smartphone.
The phone rang for a moment, and then I heard a click as he picked up.
[Yoo-Sung? What's up? Why are you calling so late?]
Holding my phone in one hand and the flashlight in the other, I answered.
"I'm at school because of that literature book you put in my desk."
[What? This late at night?]
Hearing Satoru's surprised voice, I glanced at the time.
[21:07]
It was definitely pretty late.
Most people wouldn't come back to school at this hour just because they forgot a textbook.
"I have no choice if I want to study literature this weekend. You know tomorrow's Saturday."
[Uh... yeah, good luck.]
"Wait, wait, don't hang up. I called because I need something important."
[Something important? What is it?]
"Just stay on the phone with me for about 30 minutes. To be honest, I'm a little... you know."
[What? Don't tell me the great Kim Yoo-Sung is scared of ghosts?]
"...It's not that I'm scared of ghosts, it's just... you know that specific atmosphere. That creepy feeling when you're walking around an empty place by yourself."
[That's the same thing.]
It was obvious he would keep pestering me until I admitted it, so I let out a small sigh and answered.
"Yeah, fine. I'm scared."
Satoru chuckled on the other end of the line before speaking.
[You should've just said so from the start. So, where are you in the school right now?]
"...The entrance of the East Wing. I'm about to go up to the second floor and use the sky bridge to get to the West Wing."
[Oh? Shouldn't take you long then.]
"Right. At my usual pace, maybe ten minutes?"
[Just grab the book and get out of there before the security guard catches you and gives you an earful.]
"Does the security guard usually do patrols at this time?"
[I wouldn't know. But I've heard that for security, a guard or a teacher on night duty usually patrols pretty often. They're probably being extra careful since exams are only three days away.]
"Right, thanks for the advice. I don't want to get into any unnecessary trouble, so like you said, I'll just grab the book and get out."
Talking with Satoru had eased my tension considerably, so I decided it was time to move.
I shone the flashlight on the stairs and slowly made my way up to the second floor.
Walking carefully so as not to trip, I soon reached the landing.
Satoru must have heard me climbing the stairs, because he spoke up, his voice filled with interest.
[Oh, Yoo-Sung. Have you heard about it? The Seven Wonders of Ichijo Academy.]
A sudden sense of dread washed over me, and I quickly tried to cut him off.
"Dude, don't."
But Satoru, on the other end of the line, seemed to have no intention of listening to me.
[This is a story I happened to hear from a senior in the board game club…]
I swore to myself that when I saw Satoru next Monday, I would exact my bloody revenge.