Exploring the Old School Building
"Jeff! Shine! Rain!" Appleton jumped up from her seat, greeting us warmly. Seeing her eyes sparkle like a puppy waiting for its owner made my heart ache as I recalled the terrible things I'd done to her. I rushed over and grabbed both of her hands.
"I'm so sorry for everything!"
"F-for what?" Was it because my apology was so sudden? Appleton looked utterly bewildered. I gently guided her back into her seat and explained, just as Amy had told me, that I needed to apologize for forcing all that green juice down her throat.
"O-oh, that? It's really fine... I actually got used to it, and it really was good for my health."
"R-really? But Amy said a good girl always makes a proper apology when she does something wrong."
Appleton rubbed her cheek with a slightly awkward expression at my words. Still, I didn't let go of her hands. As I kept staring at her with sparkling eyes, she finally let out a soft chuckle and nodded.
"Alright. I accept your apology."
"Really?"
"Yes. It doesn't bother me at all anymore."
"Thank goodness!"
Contrary to my worries, Appleton forgave us so easily. Shine's eyes gleamed with surprise, as if she hadn't expected the apology to wrap up so anticlimactically. Releasing Appleton's hands, I lifted my stuffed backpack and placed it on her desk.
"Um, I prepared a gift as a token of my apology. I hope you like it..." As I mumbled and began rummaging through my bag, Appleton's twin tails twitched and stood on end. Her face suddenly filled with anxiety. Why was she looking at me like that? Had I ever pulled something weird out of my bag before? Ransacking my memories, I pulled a large box out of the bag. The stuffed dinosaur backpack deflated instantly.
"Tada!" It was a beautifully and sturdily wrapped box. On the cover, there was some text.
A Taste of Flying! Candy Cloud Donuts!
"W-what is this...?"
"They're Candy Cloud Donuts. I got them just for you." I slid the box across the desk toward her. Appleton, who had been trembling with anxiety, took the box and stroked its surface with her small hands. She looked up, her expression filled with disbelief.
"Is... is this really the gift?"
"Yep!" When I nodded in response, a bright smile slowly bloomed on her face.
"Hurry up and open it!"
"Okay!" Appleton unwrapped the box. As the thin paper band tore and the large box popped open, a sweet aroma wafted out, revealing the beautiful Candy Cloud Donuts inside. The scent was incredibly sweet. My tongue darted out at the intense fragrance, which felt potent enough to pickle my brain in sugar. I wasn't the only one. Shine and Rain, who had already tasted these donuts before, also stared with sparkling eyes and licked their lips.
"Whoa..." Appleton was visibly thrilled. The blissful smile on her face made it clear just how genuinely happy she was to receive this gift. After staring at the cute, pretty donuts for a long moment, she pulled her camera out of her bag and began snapping photos. One from above, one from the left, one from the right. And one more while holding it up. Afterward, she carefully set the camera down and took a big bite of the large donut. The pink donut melted in her mouth like a cloud. Stuffing her mouth until her cheeks puffed out, Appleton mumbled, drooling slightly.
"It's so good!"
I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth and nodded. I knew exactly what flavor she was experiencing right now. As Appleton lost herself in the deliciousness, chewing with a happy smile, she suddenly seemed to realize something and held the donut out toward me.
"Do you want some too?"
I had half-expected this, but I wouldn't have minded if she ate them all herself. Yet, she had willingly chosen to share her donuts with us. As I stared at her with trembling eyes, her small lips parted.
"I-I mean, eating together makes it taste much better than eating alone."
She was absolutely right. The donuts in the large box were more than enough for all of us to share. While it wasn't enough to completely fill our stomachs, it was the perfect amount for a light snack. Holding a donut in one hand, I pulled my dinosaur water bottle out of my bag. Appleton flinched in terror the moment she saw the bottle, but I shook my head to reassure her. There would be no more forcing green juice down her throat. This was prepared by Amy specifically for me, Shine, and Rain. Meaning, we were the ones who had to drink it.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I clamped my mouth around the straw of the dinosaur bottle. The thick scent of green juice was already rising through the straw. Bracing myself for the green wave about to hit, I took a deep draw. The cold liquid rushed past the straw and poured into my mouth. Before I could even be startled by the icy sensation wrapping around my tongue, a faint hint of honey washed over it, completely erasing the characteristic bitterness of the green juice. I opened my eyes in sheer shock. Shine and Rain seemed to be in the same boat, staring at their own bottles with bewildered eyes. Was this really the healthy drink Amy had prepared? Was this really the same stuff that always boasted an unbearably bitter taste?
My doubt was only natural. Although a slight bitterness still lingered, a floral aroma blended with just the right amount of honey perfectly balanced the green juice. I let go of the straw and smacked my lips. Even the aftertaste was clean. If it's like this, I can drink it as much as I want, I thought.
My gaze drifted to my other hand. The sweet, sky-blue donut boasted a gorgeous appearance. Its cute little body seemed to tempt me, begging to be eaten. I stuck out my tongue and licked the surface. The smooth, sweet sugar glaze melted and dripped into my mouth. Without wasting another second, I opened my mouth wide and took a big bite of the adorable donut. Dance in my mouth, you little thing. My tongue began to toy with the donut, rolling it around. But in reality, it was my tongue that was being toyed with. The wave of sweetness was so intense it felt like my tongue was melting. All the tension drained from my body, leaving me feeling like a puddle of mush. I slumped back in my chair, happily chewing away.
Just as I was finishing the donut in a state of pure bliss, the teacher for the next class walked in. A middle-aged man, he noticed us eating donuts, cleared his throat once, and patiently waited for us to finish. He was a remarkably considerate teacher. Though it was a bit awkward to keep looking at him, he didn't seem like a bad person.
The class was incredibly boring. It was so, so tedious that drowsiness washed over me in waves. I wondered what Shine was doing. Slumping onto my desk, I turned my head slightly to check on her. Instead of her textbook, she had pulled out another book to read: How to Conquer the Economy. It looked incredibly difficult. Where on earth did she get books like that? It didn't seem like she bought them online. In that case, was it a gift from Grandfather Ferman after all? Why did he send me tons of dolls and toys, while sending Shine—who looked exactly like me—such complicated books? I puffed out my cheeks and toyed with the phone in my pocket. Once class was over, I'd have to call Grandfather Ferman and ask him why.
I shifted my gaze once more to check on Rain, who was sitting next to Shine. As usual, she was fast asleep, slumped over her desk with her yellow chick bag serving as a pillow. When did she even fall asleep? I had never once seen her awake during a lesson. The only student around me actually paying attention to the class was Appleton. She was focusing intently on the teacher's words, her pen moving busily. Was this boring class actually interesting to her? As I stared at her, rubbing my cheek against the desk, Appleton must have felt my gaze because she turned to look at me.
"Appleton."
"Yes?" Seeing me like that, she giggled softly and reached into her bag as if to pull out her camera.
"Is class fun?"
"Not really." Appleton answered casually as she snapped a photo of me. Since it made no sound and flashed no light, using the camera during class wasn't an issue at all.
"Did it turn out well?" Shine asked the moment Appleton took the photo. She had been so focused on her book, but when had she closed it? She had set aside the book she was reading so intently, turned around, and held out her hand to Appleton as if asking to see the picture. Appleton, clearly used to Shine's behavior, handed over the camera to show her. Once confirmed, the photo was promptly transferred to Shine's phone.
During lunch after the morning classes, Appleton shared an interesting story with us.
"The Old School Building?"
"Yeah. You know, that place past the back hill with the 'No Entry' sign posted."
I shook my head at Appleton's words. I knew there was a hill in the back, but I had never gone past it, so I had no idea what was over there.
"Something like that was left standing? I thought Grandfather Ferman would have demolished it by now." I nodded at Shine's remark. Just as she said, knowing Grandfather's usual personality, that was highly likely.
"I don't know why they didn't tear it down, but rumor has it that ghosts appear there from time to time."
"G-ghosts?" Rain gasped in surprise at Appleton's words. She was so startled that she even dropped the cherry tomato she was holding in her mouth. The cherry tomato bounced with a soft thud and rolled across the floor.
"Rain, are you scared of ghosts?" I asked, just in case. She flinched in obvious embarrassment, shook her head, and replied.
"No, I'm not!"
Exactly. Ghosts—or what people commonly referred to as ghosts—were merely illusions created by tricks of the human brain. I squeezed Shine's hand under the table and nodded.
"But why bring up the Old School Building all of a sudden?"
"Well, actually, there's an upperclassman I had a disagreement with over whether ghosts exist or not." Appleton replied, fidgeting with her camera at Shine's question.
"So which side are you on, Appleton? Do you think ghosts are real?"
"I think they don't exist."
"And that senior thinks they do?"
"Yeah. So we made a bet. We're going to enter the Old School Building at different times and take photos of the surroundings. If something ghost-like shows up in the photos, it's the senior's win. If nothing shows up, it's my win."
Shine, who had been listening quietly, nodded and asked, "What do you get if you win the bet?"
"W-well, we haven't really decided on that yet..."
I let out a small chuckle at Appleton's answer. It was such a childish argument. She had probably gotten into a debate with this senior, and her pride had been wounded when their opinions clashed. Kids will be kids. I packed up my empty lunchbox and stood up from my seat. But Shine didn't let go of my hand.
"Jeff. Where are you going?"
"I-I finished eating, so I was planning to head back?" I said, showing Shine my empty lunchbox. She shook her head in response.
"Don't you know why Appleton brought this up to us?"
"I-I have no idea? Seriously. I really don't!"
"Really?"
I waved my free hand frantically. But Shine refused to let go. Wearing a mysterious smile, she spoke to Appleton. "Appleton, we'll help you take the photos. In exchange, could you take lots of pictures of Jeff inside?"
"R-really? I can take as many pictures of Jeff as you want!"
I yelled at Shine, who was driving the conversation forward on her own. "Sh-Shine! But lunch is almost over!"
"It'll be fine if we tell Shandroi. Don't tell me... is Jeff scared of ghosts?" Shine asked, looking at me with a teasing glint in her eyes. Her playful tone instantly set my pride ablaze. I wasn't scared at all. I didn't even believe in ghosts.
"No, I'm not!"
"Then you can go, right?"
I shut my mouth tight at Shine's words. Then, my eyes met Rain's. Both of us were wearing expressions of pure terror that anyone could read. Looking into each other's eyes, we could tell exactly what kind of faces we were making. For some reason, I really didn't want to lose to Rain. Putting on a brave front, I declared in a loud voice.
"Of course! Obviously I can go! Ghosts aren't even real! I'm not scared at all!"
Not wanting to be outdone, Rain jumped up from her seat and chimed in. "Exactly! I'm going too! I was actually just thinking about how much I wanted to go!"
Hearing our responses, Shine let out a soft chuckle and looked at Appleton. "See? They all said they'd help you." Appleton beamed with joy at Shine's words.