Shadows Point to Emma
The revelation of Shadow Plastic Surgery had frozen me and the students in place. Rone had vanished, yet Melissa was perfectly fine. How could that be?
"Uh... you're Mr. Allen, right?"
As I stood there silently, Melissa tilted her head, looking worried. Her gaze snapped me back to my senses. Far from solving the riddle, the mystery had only deepened. My mind was a whirlwind of confusion, but I clung to reason and forced a smile.
"Hello, you're Miss Melissa, aren't you?"
She seemed briefly startled by my sudden shift in demeanor but nodded earnestly soon enough.
"Yes, that's me. But what...?"
"Actually, we're the Paranormal Investigation Club. I'm the advisor for the club."
I pressed on. "It's not a very famous club, but we wander around Everlight Academy collecting ghost stories circulating among the students and analyzing them."
I'd thought I'd gotten all the info I needed from Melissa, but apparently not. There was clearly some secret to the Shadow Plastic Surgery ghost story that I didn't know.
She nodded at my introduction, as if she'd heard of us before. "Oh... yeah, I think I've heard of you. Rone was in that club, right? Isn't she with you?"
Her words wiped the smile from my face in an instant, darkening my expression. But it was just a flash. I quickly composed myself and brushed it off with a grin.
"Ah, Rone's tied up with something else right now. She's away from us for a bit."
"Oh, I see. That's too bad."
Melissa murmured disappointingly. "So, what brings you to me...?"
Her eyes fixed on me. How could I draw out more questions about Shadow Plastic Surgery from her? I took a breath and went straight for it.
"Truth is, we're investigating the Shadow Plastic Surgery ghost story that's been making the rounds in the academy lately. We heard through the grapevine that you know a lot about it, so we came hoping you could help us out."
At my words, Melissa averted her gaze slightly, as if something was nagging at her. "Ah, that ghost story..."
She'd probably planned to sneak into the academy at dead of night for a Shadow Plastic Surgery session tonight, and now a teacher was suddenly asking about it—naturally, she was flustered. But her unease didn't last. She hadn't actually tried it yet, so there wasn't much to feel guilty about.
"Sure. I'll answer anything I can. Go ahead and ask."
We didn't hold back, taking turns bombarding Melissa with questions about Shadow Plastic Surgery. But the info we got was no different from what we'd learned before the regression. If anything, since she hadn't attempted it yet, the details were even shallower.
Amid the group's disappointment, I sank into thought. She didn't seem to be hiding anything. That meant she really didn't know more.
Damn. Did I have to hunt down another source? But that would take who knows how long...
Then Melissa spoke up hesitantly. "Um... sorry, but it's getting really late. I have the next lecture, so could I go...?"
Glancing at the time, I saw a good chunk had passed during our interrogation. Yet she'd endured it without a hint of annoyance, answering diligently despite no gain for her.
I halted my pondering and put on an apologetic face. "Whoops, we've taken up way too much of your time. Sorry about that. Feel free to head out."
"Okay. Got it."
She nodded, gathered a few books, and stood. As she headed for the door, she paused, turned back, and confessed honestly.
"Actually... I was planning to sneak into the academy late tonight and try Shadow Plastic Surgery myself."
We listened calmly. We'd witnessed it ourselves last night, so it was no surprise.
"Uh... you're not shocked?"
Melissa asked, puzzled.
"N-no! We are! I just... didn't know what to say..."
I fumbled into a awkward shocked expression, and the students hurriedly mimicked surprise. She shrugged it off and continued.
"But talking with you, Teacher, it's starting to feel off about Shadow Plastic Surgery. Yeah, I think I'll skip it. That's probably what the Paranormal Investigation Club does—remind kids not to get swept up in baseless ghost stories and do dangerous stuff, make 'em lose interest."
She beamed brightly. But while she looked refreshed, her words put me in a bind. No attempt meant no immediate harm, but we'd lose a key channel for crucial ghost story intel.
Still, as a teacher, I couldn't encourage her to do it.
"Y-you're just giving up that easily?"
I stammered. She laughed relievedly.
"Yeah. I'd be lying if I said I had no complaints about my face... but loving what you've got is best, right?"
Then, casually, she dropped what might be the most vital line so far.
"Actually, Emma suggested I give Shadow Plastic Surgery a shot. Oh, Emma's my roommate... Ah! Come to think of it, she's the one who told me all about it. If you're still curious, why not ask her? She knows way more about Shadow Plastic Surgery than I do!"
"...Miss Emma?"
She nodded firmly. "Yep! Everything I know about it, I pretty much just repeated from her. She probably knows stuff even I don't! Oh, but please don't scold her for suggesting it. She meant well, thinking of me."
With that, she gave us a quick wave and hurried off to her next class.
We left the classroom in silence. Walking the sunlit hallway, we mulled over what Melissa had said. The quiet didn't last.
We soon replayed the conversation, sharing thoughts.
"...What do you think?"
I asked.
"Looking back, we only questioned Miss Melissa before the regression. Made sense since she was the victim... but maybe there's info we couldn't get from her."
Elaine stroked her chin thoughtfully, serious.
"This Shadow Plastic Surgery ghost story still hides secrets we don't know. And Miss Emma might have what Melissa doesn't. Quite the coincidence, don't you think?"
Aurora smirked cynically in agreement. Her eyes, hidden by glasses, seemed sharper than usual.
"Hmm, not sure, but we got nowhere else to go, right? Let's hit up Miss Emma then!"
Rozalia nodded innocently last.
"Yeah, we should've gotten info from Emma too. Thought Melissa had it all, so we slacked—that was the mistake. Alright, to Emma."
And so we headed to Emma, who might hold the key to the riddle.
...
The break bell rang long and clear. The lecture hall, quiet under the teacher's voice, erupted into chatter and energy as students paired off and headed out.
Emma, finishing her class and stepping into the hall, spotted us waiting in the corner. She flinched in surprise but quickly feigned nonchalance, trying to brush past.
Then my voice stopped her.
"Miss Emma. Mind if we talk a moment?"
My tone wore the friendly mask I always used with students, but she seemed to sense an irresistible weight in it. She turned cautiously, fighting for composure—though her trembling eyes betrayed her.
"Yes? What's up? Something to say to me?"
She asked us as casually as she could. It was uncanny. Even Melissa, planning her Shadow Plastic Surgery tonight, had only twitched slightly at the topic. She hadn't batted an eye when we introduced ourselves as the Paranormal Investigation Club before bringing it up.
Yet Emma was visibly uneasy before I even spoke. Even though the regression had erased her visit to us.
Wasn't this basically advertising she was hiding something?
I smiled—like a predator eyeing prey—sharp gaze fixed on her.
"No need for intros, judging by your reaction. Miss Emma, care to chat about the academy's latest ghost story, Shadow Plastic Surgery?"