The sun was setting, but something darker had already settled in my chest.
Satoshi cracked a joke, his laughter echoing faintly through the empty building.
Misaki rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "You're impossible."
I smiled, pretending everything was fine. Pretending I hadn't heard a girl cry out for help.
We stepped out of the building. The air had turned cooler now, a quiet breeze brushing against our arms. Shadows stretched long across the street like silent reminders of what we'd just experienced.
"I think I'll hang back for a bit," I said casually, glancing over my shoulder toward the darkened hallway behind us. "Just wanna look around a little more."
Misaki shot me a sharp look. "Nope. It's getting dark. You're going home too."
Satoshi nodded, arms crossed like some kind of authority figure. "Yeah, no way we're leaving you alone in a creepy place like this, leader."
"Seriously, why are you so obsessed with abandoned buildings?" Misaki narrowed her eyes, scanning my face for an answer I couldn't give.
I couldn't exactly tell her I was chasing whispers only I could hear.
"Alright, alright," I sighed, raising both hands in surrender. "I'm leaving. Happy?"
"Very," she said with a firm nod.
Satoshi was already strolling ahead, kicking a small rock down the pavement. "Let's go."
We made our way down the street. The silence between us gradually melted into casual conversation. Above us, the sky shifted from deep orange to soft violet, each color bleeding gently into the next. Streetlights blinked to life one by one.
"Well," Misaki said, her voice lighter now, "that wasn't a bad experience. Kinda fun, actually. But next time, let's hang out somewhere normal—like actual people."
Next time?
What is she planning? Is she going to start tagging along all the time?
My quiet life was clearly under attack.
"Yeah, I had fun too," Satoshi grinned, brushing back his hair. "Hanging out with our leader after so long—it felt like old times."
We kept chatting until we reached a fork in the road.
"Alright, I'm heading this way," Satoshi said, waving lazily. "See you both tomorrow!"
"Oh, your house is that way?" I asked, pointing.
"Yeah, just a few meters down," he replied.
"Mine's the other direction. Kinda far too."
"Cool. Later!" he called, jogging off into the dimming light.
I turned to go—only to notice Misaki still walking beside me, matching my pace like it was the most natural thing in the world.
She leaned a little closer, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "I never knew your house was this way," she said.
"…Why?"
"Just curious."
"It's getting dark. You should head back. Don't be weird."
"It's not a prank," she replied, completely unfazed. "I'm serious."
And she really did follow me. No hesitation.
One step behind. Like some smug little stalker.
When we finally reached my house, I stopped and turned to her with exaggerated flair, sweeping an arm dramatically.
"Well, here it is," I said. "Behold, the majestic residence of Haruki Kaneko. Now that your curiosity's satisfied, go home."
But instead of leaving, she pointed past me with a confused expression.
"You've lived here for a year, and we never ran into each other?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
She pointed again—at the house right next to mine.
"That's my house."
"…Are you sure that's your house, Misaki?"
She raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. "I'm not a kid. I know where I live."
"So we've been neighbors this whole time?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "You're always holed up at home. And you leave for school before the birds wake up. I'm usually… a bit late."
"A bit?" I scoffed. "You barely make it on time."
"Details," she huffed, brushing her hair aside. "Anyway… it's late. I'm going in."
"Yeah, yeah. Go home, neighbor."
She gave a casual wave over her shoulder. "Bye-bye~"
"Yeah… bye."
Inside, the lights were warm. Mom peeked out from the kitchen doorway, drying her hands with a towel.
"You're pretty late today, Haruki."
"Yeah, I was hanging out with some friends," I said, slipping off my shoes.
She blinked, clearly surprised. "Friends? You? That's… rare."
"Thanks for the support," I muttered, heading toward my room.
After dinner and a long bath that steamed up the windows, I finally sat down at my desk to study—but my mind kept drifting back to that voice.
Who had asked for help?
A person? A ghost? Something else entirely?
The blue-eyed cat… the whispers… were they connected?
My phone buzzed.
A message from Misaki.
Right, she had taken my Line ID a few days ago.
She'd sent a bunch of photos—shots of the burned building we'd explored. Must've taken them when I wasn't looking.
And, of course, she ended them with a smug little emoji.
What's she scheming now?
Satoshi looked surprisingly serious in the photos. Still a kid at heart, despite the cool-guy vibe he was trying to maintain.
Then I spotted myself in one shot… and behind me—there it was again.
That blue-eyed cat.
I zoomed in. There was something shiny beside it, barely visible in the frame. A glint of metal? A charm?
But… I had homework to finish.
No way I was standing outside the classroom tomorrow with a "forgot my homework" sign around my neck like an idiot.
Once I wrapped up, I finally crashed into bed. But sleep didn't come easily.
The whispers lingered—crawling at the edge of my thoughts, unanswered.
Eventually, exhaustion took over.
---
I woke up late.
Very late.
Mom scolded me as I dashed out the door with toast in my mouth—yes, toast. Full anime cliché mode.
"These things only happen in anime," I muttered.
Which is probably why, two seconds later, someone slammed into me.
Misaki.
"You're stalking me again?" I groaned, still chewing.
She brushed herself off with a huff. "No, dummy. I'm always a little late."
"And today I woke up late," I said. "So we're even."
We started running toward school together, our footsteps echoing down the quiet sidewalk. And guess who we ran into?
Yep. Satoshi.
Also running, also with toast, bedhead, and eyes half-open like a zombie.
"Morning, leader!" he shouted between bites. "Guess you're late too!"
"Yeah, but what about you?"
He panted, trying to keep up. "Somehow… I overslept too."
Misaki smirked. "Wow. All three of us, running late, toast in our mouths. We're in a romcom now."
"Where's the school rooftop confession scene?" Satoshi asked, grinning.
"Don't test fate," I muttered.
"And you probably get confessions all the time anyway," I added.
Satoshi sighed dramatically. "Those girls only like me because I'm popular. I want to experience true love, man."
"Our Satoshi has matured," I said with mock sincerity, hand over my chest.
"Stop talking about romance and run!" Misaki snapped. "We're gonna be late!"
And sure enough, we were.
Late.
Our homeroom teacher gave us a death glare, his arms folded like he'd been waiting for this moment.
He ordered us to write apology letters after school.
It's one chaotic morning, later we each settled to our seats , after successfully disrupting the class.