Killer's Game (1)

Tic. Tok. Tic. Tok.

A Tenkei-Teki Ichiryū Academy. The sun had its rays touch the roof. Above, a single cloud passed over her.

"He hasn't noticed, just how long I've waited." a low, whispery voice. "The present is fleeting, once you realize that moment had already passed. . . . Would you like to know my name?"

The girl with black hair turned to look at you with a smile, she was wearing the school's uniform, wind passing by.

"What if I told you," the girl said. "the connection between the Black Book and my nightmares?"

The roof was empty.

Akira tightened his jaw at the sight of nothing over his shoulder. He cocked his head back in front of him and quickly grabbed out earphones to plug into his phone.

Raising the volume against his ears, Akira heard the soft, dispirited lulling of a woman harmonizing with woeful piano keys, the small twinkling of hope underhanded from the sound of tragedy. As Akira folded his arms to lay under his head, it was a song called Alter ego, by Karamel Kolumn that made him unsure whether to smile or weep. Akira was alone in this small world of his. Did he really need anyone to share it with? Not long after, the melancholic playing of Silence began, humming together with violins that disappeared as fast as they came. Beginning with that longing for hope to escape this self-existence, pausing to defend itself before realizing the ultimate truth. That there is comfort in this lonely silence.

"That's right," Akira thought with wet but grinning eyes. "I'm by myself, and that isn't too bad for me."

He buried his face and closed his eyes from another lullaby that sang through his mind. Taking away the idea of Time and letting him float in a world with his paused existence.

The bell chimed.

Akira rose up awake and saw 10 of his classmates looking at him.

A high-pitched voice, "Good morni—"

"Pardon me." he slightly bowed down while looking away.

Some nodded and gave a thumbs up.

With brown hair, "Good mor—"

"It's okay Mr. Park." the girl with black hair smiled softly.

Some gazed away.

"G-Good-morning, Aki—!" the girl got covered by taller students chatting.

"Your piano music was really loud." the guy beside Akira, hunched, with dark circles under his eyes yawned. He planted his dropping head on a palm and said, "Could you finally write me the artist names so I could listen to them, too?"

Akira received a ripped folded notebook page that said "plisu~^°^" at the top.

Akira plugged off an earphone that didn't face the seatmate and unfolded the page.

"You decided to remember my name, right =∆='?" Akira saw at the bottom.

"Did Kusanagi rave to you about yesterday?" Akira began writing then noticed his seatmate dozing off. "Mr. Yokohama Nobuhiko?"

Yokohama face planted his cheek on the desk to sleepily watch Akira. "Plisuuuuu. I barely sleep these nights, Mr. Park. I love your music," he weakly clasped Akira's desk before Akira picked it off. "Plisu."

"I'm already finished." Akira groaned and softly passed the paper to Yokohama. "Class is almost starting, compose yourself, Mr. Yokohama Nobuhiko."

"Thanks. But you're too formal, Akira." Yokohama chuckled while raising his lanky back to stretch. Then his face contorted to a fake cry. "It's like we're not even friends~"

"We're just club members and classmates in middle school, that's all." Akira said looking out the window while sliding his earphones and muted phone into his bag, taking out two books. Hanging the baggage to the side of his desk with an open textbook at page 24 ready, the Black Book beneath the wood of his desk was placed with lunch. "We've only known each other for a few weeks, Yokohama Nobuhiko."

"So you still don't even consider me a friend from last month?!" Yokohama whisper-shouted, pouting to himself with a long frown. "After I rescued you from those punks~? I even joined you and Kusanagi's friend group~! Also, I thought I said you can could me Nobuhiko. Don't you remember? You even told me to call you "Akira"—! This is so sad."

Yokohama pretended to cry.

Akira tightened his lips. Thinking, "I only did that to balance your offer. I've never even addressed my elder brother with his first name."

"Then just call me "Park" again and we're even." Akira said.

Yokohama leaned back with a sigh and still looking at Akira. "But you do consider Kusanagi a friend, right?"

Akira stayed silent, hearing, "She said you two used to go the same elementary school together. And she was even the only one who—"

"Alright, class is beginning." a prim man, tall and clad with a suit and tie, shiny dark hair neatly combed to the side put on his glasses with a jet colored book in hand and elegantly said, "Please get back to your seats and shut up."

The man's I.D. showed "A Tenkei-Teki Ichiryū Academy", "Teacher", "Gotoge Gege". He looked at the back of the classroom to see Akira looking down. His textbook was already there. Looking closer, Mr. Gotoge saw the page number and "hmped".

A girl sat in front of Akira's desk.

Other students silenced themselves on their seats.

Mr. Gotoge looked forward to the wall. "Take out your textbooks and proceed to pages 24 . . ."

Tic.

Tok.

Tic.

Tok.

When Akira saw him turn to the board with a chalk, he silently pulled out the Black Book and quietly turned to the latest blank page.

Tic.

Tok.

Tic.

Tok.

"5/15/21" appeared a text on the blank page.

Akira thought to himself, "So no Time again, huh . . ."

"I've been waiting in your world for some time." the blank page said. But a girl's voice echoed inside Akira's head.

A low, whispery one.

Akira's jaw tightened.

"I was on the roof of this school,"

Tic.

Tok.

Tic.

Tok.

"Then I visited behind you."

Akira's palms were sweating. "How . . . is this possible . . . "

Tic.

":>"

He shrank at the feeling of a hand near his shoulder.

Tok.

"If you want the "Time" so much,"

Tic.

"Check if it's 8:40 AM." the blank page said.

Akira's left fingers curled into a fist. The wrist watch hands ticking.

"You want me to "prove myself", don't you?"

Tok. Tic. Tok.

His nails pierced his skin.

Tic. Tok. Tic.

Slowly, his eyes crawled towards the Time.

8:39 AM.

Akira swallowed, "This doesn't feel right."

As he waited, Mr. Gotoge wasn't talking anymore. Akira looked up. All of his classmates were looking at him.

Except for the one in front of his desk. She turned half of her face side to him and smiled.

"Would you like to know my name?" a low, whispery voice.

8:40 AM.