I awoke bright and early and didn't feel tired. I had managed to eat all of my breakfast. The inside of my bag was organised nicely. I wanted to think it was going to be a good day, but the last time I thought that I ended up meeting and losing a friend on the same day.
At school, in our beloved classroom, Riku was sat at his desk. Whilst nobody was looking, I smiled at him, and he managed a small grin back.
When the bell went, the room became quiet as we waited for Ishida-Sensei to arrive. But he didn't show up.
"The staff meeting must be running late," Clarissa announced to the rest of the class in a professional manner. "Please remain seated until he arrives."
"Ridiculous," Hirohito scoffed, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. "There's no reason for a teacher to be late. Students get told of for being late all the time, what gives the teacher the right? I mean, this is our education time we're wasting!"
"Oh my God, don't you ever shut up?!" Ran groaned at Hirohito. "You're as bad as Kojima-kun."
"Hey!" Yemon cried defensively, standing up in his chair.
"And since when have you been so dedicated to studying?" Ran continued, also rising to her feet.
"Did you know that if the teacher doesn't show up to the lesson, you're allowed to leave after waiting for twenty minutes?" Akira asked to ease the tension.
"Is that true?!" Ai asked, her eyes and mouth open.
"Of course not," Clarissa scowled.
Just then a female teacher i didn't know walked into the room. Her high heels clicked on the floor, grabbing everyone's attention.
"I am the teacher for class 3-2," she introduced herself. "And I have to inform you all that Ishida-Sensei will no longer be your teacher. We are giving you permission to go home. If you can't leave just yet, please remain here and spend a few hours in study hall. A teacher will be along shortly to watch over you."
Clarissa raised her hand. "Excuse me, Sensei, but why can't Ishida-Sensei teach us anymore?"
We were all thinking the same thing, although nobody wanted to say it...
The women hesitated. "...There's no point hiding it from you... Ishida-Sensei is dead."
The words we were all waiting for. I heard Ai whimper from the back row.
"How?!" Hirohito asked, standing in his chair again.
"Take your seat, please," the teacher said. "And I don't know if I should tell you the details, but... your teacher was found hanged in his house this morning. Police suspect that he killed himself."
I could feel everyone growing uneasy, and felt all churned up inside. Our teacher had killed himself... This was the third death this month... This curse wasn't slowing down...
Once the teacher left, Akira got to his feet. "I'm gonna head off."
"Sit down," Clarissa snapped. "You're not going anywhere."
"What's the point in staying?" Akira asked.
"It's school hours, we need to study," Clarissa said, her hands shaking. She cleared her throat. "Let's review the chapters we looked at yesterday."
"Seriously?!" Hirohito said angrily. "Our teacher has died and you want to work?!"
"I think she's just trying to help," Makomoto whispered.
Hirohito raise this arms as if he was surrendering. "Oh, forgive me!" He said sarcastically.
"Ai-chan doesn't like the way Hirohito-kun is talking! Hirohito-kun needs to respect and get along with everyone!"
Hirohito rolled his eyes.
"I know you're angry," Akira said. "I am too. But class 3-3 is in danger, and us fighting won't solve anything."
"For God's sake..." Yasuo stood up, his chair making a horrible sound as he pushed it backwards, causing us all to look at him. He looked at Hisoka's desk. "Guys... How many more deaths are there gong to be...?"
"Seriously, this is the third death this month..." A girl called Chiba Cho, Ran's best friend, shook her head. Short cropped hair with delicate strands framing her face, which was covered in makeup. Instead of wearing the correct school bow, she had a bright pink one. Both makeup and altering the uniform wasn't allowed.
Ran spoke. "And we don't even know how to stop these deaths..."
Suddenly Nakano Jiro stood up. Again, someone else I had never really spoken to. He was the shortest boy in our class, with black hair in the pompadour style, and a necklace with a white stone as the pendant.
"We need to trust in God," Jiro told us, placing his hands together. "God will find a way to guide us to safety."
"We're all in danger," Makoto suddenly spoke up, making us jump. "Sano-san. You're the sta- you're the class rep and head of countermeasures, surely you must know something, anything that can help us!"
Clarissa shook her head. "I don't know how to stop this."
Yuki looked heartbroken. "Isn't there anything we can do to stop these deaths?"
"Because ignoring a certain someone doesn't seen to be solving anything," Ran said, glaring at Riku's desk.
"Exactly," Cho agreed quietly, "if everyone had just followed the rules—"
"Stop," I said immediately, finally finding my voice. "We can't keep ignoring Fujiwara-san."
"Don't say his name!" Hirohito yelled at me.
"Fujiwara! Fujiwara!" I said loudly, purposefully trying to irritate Hirohito. "Look, I've said his name! I've acknowledged that he's real! I've spoken to him, and I haven't died doing it!"
"But what about Hisoka?" Yasuo reminded us all. "He died..."
"And my brother?" Yuki chipped in. "My brother is dead, thanks to him!"
"No! Please listen to me. Ignoring Fujiwara Riku hasn't solved anything," I was speaking to everyone, but mainly to Clarissa. "He's as scared and as worried as us. He wants to get rid of this curse just as much as we do! Please, we can't keep ignoring him."
"Sano-san, there's no way we can listen to what she says," Hirohito glared at me. "It's HER fault that all these deaths have happened!"
"Don't blame Tsuki-san!" Clarissa said to Hirohito. "She was never told about having to ignore—"
"So it was YOUR fault?!" Hirohito advanced on Clarissa.
Akira immediately grabbed Hirohito. "Hey, don't you dare speak to Clarissa-chan that way!"
Hirohito spun around. "Defending your girlfriend? What are you going to do about it?!"
Akira immediately threw his free fist at Hirohito's face. Hirohito stumbled back slightly, but regained this balance, and grabbed Akira's shoulders.
"Stop!" Ai cried, jumping back and holding her hands to her chest. "Ai-chan doesn't like people fighting!"
"Akira-kun!" Clarissa yelled.
"Hirohito!" Yemon managed to grab Hirohito's shoulders and haul him backwards before his outstretched fist could collide with Akira's stomach.
"Cut it out, for God's sake!" Jiro told the boys. "This is pathetic, we can't be fighting at a time like this."
Hirohito and Akira were glaring at each other.
"Got off me!" Hirohito shrugged himself out of Yemon's grasp, ans adjusted his jacket, his eyes not leaving Akira's. He growled. "This isn't over."
Then he stormed off out of the room, grabbing his bag. Ran and Cho looked bewildered, Ai looked like she was about to cry, Jiro had his hands in form of prayer, and Makoto and Yemon shared a confused glance.
"Are you okay?" Clarissa rushed up to Akira and grabbed his arms.
"Yeah..." Akira looked quite stunned, but he managed a smile. "I'm fine."
"I think I'll head home," Yemon said, stretching his arms up. "There's a tray of cookies at home, and my name is on every single one of them!"
"How can you eat at a time like this?!" Ran asked him, disgusted.
Yemon grinned. "Its a talent. I'll see you all tomorrow."
Cho rolled her eyes with Ran. "Honestly, some boys."
"Yeah," Ran agreed, "I'm glad you're trans and not one of those anymore."
"Well, technically I've never been..." Cho began, before sighing. "Yeah, sure."
Ai grabbed Yuki's hand. "Shall we go too?"
Yuki nodded. "I don't want to spend the whole day in study hall."
Makoto scratched the back of his neck. "What's gonna happen tomorrow?"
"We'll probably get a new teacher," Jiro said, walking up to his desk and grabbing his bag. "We need to have faith that everything will work out."
"As long as nobody moves away," Yasuo made some sort of joke.
My heart missed a beat. "What do you mean?"
"It's happened so many times," Yasuo explained. "Sometimes people have been lucky, but most people aren't. But when somebody from class 3-3 tries to move away, or even LEAVE the town, they usually end up dying."
Just then the door opened, and we all turned our heads. There, Chibiki-Sensei entered the room, wearing a suit and carrying a folder. He looked like he hadn't gotten enough sleep.
He reached the front desk and turned to face us all. He placed the folder down.
"Good morning, my name is Chibiki Tatsuji, and starting today, I am going to be your new teacher."
I caught my breath, and Clarissa turned to look at me, but I turned and made eye contact with Riku. He looked bewildered.
"Even though I am only your teacher until a new one is brought in, I hope we all get along," Chibiki-Sensei nodded to us. "I am here to answer any questions you have and help get you up-to-date in your studies." Chibiki-Sensei opened his folder. "I will now take attendance. Please bare with me, as I am not familiar with all your names yet. Aoki Yasuo?"
"Present."
"Present...?"
"Present, Sensei."
"Thank you. Chiba Cho?"
"Present, Sensei."
"Endo—" Chibiki-Sensei began, before pausing. He cleared his throat. "My apologies. Fujiwara Riku?"
My heat shot upwards, my eyes wide. Had he really just said Riku's name?
Riku looked just as surprised as I did, but also thrilled. "Present, Sensei."
"Hayashi— I mean, Kojima Yemon? No? Matsuda Ai?"
"Present, Sensei."
"Nakano Jiro?"
"Present, Sensei."
"Sakamoto Hirohito? No? Sakurai Yuki?"
"Present, Sensei."
"Sano Clarissa?"
"Present, Sensei."
"Sugimoto Makoto?"
"Present, Sensei."
"Sorry, that was a little quiet. Is Sugimoto-san here?"
"I'm here, Sensei."
"Ah, my apologies. I didn't hear you. Takeda Tsuki."
"Present, Sensei," I spoke up, praying that my voice didn't crack. Thankfully, it didn't.
"Tanaka Akira?"
"Present, Sensei."
"And finally, Taniguchi Ran?"
"Present, Sensei."
Chibiki-Sensei studied his register before he turned the page of his folder. "You're all to have study hall all day. I'll be sat at the front if you need anything. And I understand you've all be told you can go home if you so wish. I shall not stop you either way."
It was a lot to process. Our teacher had died, Chibiki-Sensei was now our teacher, and we were almost in June. We had already lost two classmates, our teacher, and a classmates brother...
Who was going to die next...?
*****
"I'm growing more concerned with this new school," my father said as he entered the living room looking rather sweaty and on edge. "First that boy through the window, then that girl on the field, and now your teacher?"
"Don't be concerned, please," I said, stirring my cup of tea. "I'm know it sounds crazy and a little scary, but I AM enjoying myself here. I have new friends, and there's nobody here but us two."
"I don't know," my father said wistfully. "I wanted to get us as far away as possible... But things in this town seem a little...off. Didn't you say that one of your classmate's brother died too?"
"Yuki's brother," I nodded. "But I don't think there's anything to be worried about."
"I think we have EVERYTHING to worry about," my father said. He was trying to stay calm, but I could tell that he was growing more anxious by the second. His hands were rubbing together, like they used to when he was trying not to have a drink of alcohol. "I don't feel like this town is a very safe place. I'm going to try find somewhere new for us to live."
"Father, no!" I stood up, almost spilling my tea. "Please, I can't! Please... I don't think I can stand moving house again, especially since it's so soon."
"I know, sweetheart," my father said. "I understand. I feel the same way. But this town is just too...peculiar. I couldn't live with myself if anything ever happened to you."
"But I've made new friends here!" I tried one last time.
"Tsuki, relax," my father said. "Now you have a mobile phone, you'll be able to contact them whenever you want."
I realised that I couldn't change my father's mind.
"When... When will we go?" I asked, my heart sinking and my stomach twisting.
"Well, I'll have to look for a place first," my father said. "I'm going to find one as soon as possible, but it may be weeks, maybe even months before I find us a new home. But we are moving, Tsuki. We're leaving Yomiyama."