Chapter 11: Mysterious Stone

Two days later.

Aruta was at school. He was walking back to class because the break was almost over.

"Huff... Juriko isn't here anymore," Aruta muttered as he walked to his classroom.

Two days ago, he came home covered in wounds and staggering. When I asked him, he said nothing happened. Like, how is that "nothing" when he was all beaten up? He should've told me if he got jumped by thugs or something.

And yesterday, he left for the Northern Continent because he said he got a scholarship to study there. Well, I'm not as smart as him. Actually, it's not just that I'm not as smart I'm just plain dumb. Ugh, he left me behind like this, like some idiot. Damn you, Juriko!!

"Damn it! Not only did he move, but he didn't just move to another city or country - he moved to another continent. I want it too. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Aruta grumbled while stomping his feet on the ground.

"Hey, Aruta!" someone called out. Aruta turn and see Vins with Uika approaching him.

"I heard Juriko went to the Northern Continent, huh?" Vins asked.

"Yeah, he left yesterday," Aruta replied.

"Hey, hey, Aruta, have you heard about the kid from the next class who saw a ghost?" Uika asked.

"Uh... yeah," Aruta answered.

Lately, strange things have been happening at Aruta's high school. There was a student who claimed that the incense he brought for religious activities kept disappearing. Another said they saw the desks in the classroom moving on their own without anyone touching them.

There was even one student who shared a story. That night, he was at school for student council activities. He went to the bathroom, but as he walked down the hallway, he saw a girl with her back turned to him. She was wearing a clean, neat white dress. But when he approached her, he was shocked to see that her feet were facing him. He got so scared that he ran away from the hallway. He was so terrified that he ended up wetting himself.

"Hmm, yeah, I've heard that story. What about it?" Aruta asked.

"We're going to the school tonight. Wanna join?" Uika asked.

"Why are you going to school at night anyway?" Aruta asked back.

"Just wandering around, looking for strange things. We want to see it for ourselves. Who knows, we might meet the ghost," Uika replied.

"Really? Nah, I'd rather sleep," Aruta said.

"Come on, Aruta, join us," Vins urged.

"Hey, I hate horror stuff. Don't force me," Aruta said, yawning afterward.

"Huh? You're scared of that? The way you talk makes it seem like the opposite," Vins said.

"Whatever. I just want to sleep peacefully in my bed," Aruta said.

"Huff, fine. We'll just go by ourselves tonight," Vins said.

"Yeah. If you meet the ghost, don't come crying to me," Aruta said as he walk away from Vins and Uika. "See you later. I'm heading to class."

"Alright, take care!" Vins and Uika called out before walking in the opposite direction.

Aruta continue walking to his classroom. He pass through a hallway lined with bushes. As he walk, he feel something strange, as if there was something odd in the air. At first, he ignored it. Until one moment, Aruta stopped when he clearly feel that strange sensation coming from his right side

Curious, Aruta check it out. He reach into the bushes and find a strange stone. He pull it out and examine it. The stone emitte a faint black aura. It was small but perfectly cube-shaped, unlike ordinary stones. It also had strange patterns on all six sides. It look like one of those ancient stones you'd see in a museum.

"What is this? A dice? But why does it have patterns? And it's emitting a black aura. Did someone cosplay here or something?" Aruta muttered as he inspect the object.

"I'll just take it with me." Aruta put the stone in his pocket and headed to class. He glanced at the clock in the hallway, which showed 9:55. "Crap, I'm going to be late for the next class!" Aruta panicked and started running.

As he run, he pass by another student. The student look at Aruta with a shocked expression. "Huh? This aura..." the student muttered. "Hey, wait-" Before the student could finish, Aruta had already disappeared due to his fast running. "Huh? He's gone? Well, whatever," that student muttered and continue walking.

That student walk over to the bushes where Aruta had found the stone. He search through the bushes, looking for something. "It's gone?" he muttered in panic. The student immediately took out his phone and call someone.

"What's up, Mono?" asked the person on the other end of the call.

"Sir, I can't find the item. I can't even sense its aura," Mono said seriously.

"That's impossible. The item is there," the person on the phone replied casually.

"But it's not here," Mono insisted.

"It's there."

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is."

"No!"

"Hmm maybe some ayam bakar (grilled chicken) is good for lunch."

"Hey, be serious for once!"

"Find that item, or your salary this month will be cut."

Mono, extremely annoyed, lowered his phone and muttered, "This guy is so annoying. He's the one who dropped it, but I'm the one who has to find it. All he does is order people around. When he was a baby, he probably drank coffee instead of milk."

Suddenly, a voice came from the phone, "You haven't hung up yet, Mono."

Mono's eyes widened when he heard that. "Damn it..." he muttered.

Two hours later, the break bell rang. Aruta immediately head to the cafeteria for lunch. When he arrive, he ran into Vins and Uika.

"Hey, Aruta. Going for lunch? Let's eat together," Vins invited.

"Sure." Aruta, Vins, and Uika went to buy their food first. However, when Aruta was about to pay and take out his money, he accidentally drop the stone he had found earlier. Aruta quickly bent down to pick it up. Before putting it back in his pocket, he take a moment to examine it again.

"Hmm, maybe I'll ask Vins and Uika about it later," Aruta thought as he put the stone back in his pocket.

After buying their food, Aruta and the others sat at a table in the cafeteria. While they were eating, Aruta take out that strange stone.

"Hey, Vins, Uika," Aruta called out, holding the stone.

"Yeah, what's up?" Vins and Uika asked simultaneously.

"Do you know what this is?" Aruta asked, showing them the stone.

"Huh? Looks like a dice," Uika said.

"This stone also emits a black aura," Aruta added.

"A black aura? That stone isn't emitting anything," Vins said.

"Huh? Hey, it's clearly emitting a black aura. Uika, you see it, right?" Aruta asked.

"Nope," Uika replied.

"Haha. Maybe you see it because staying up all night playing games," Vins teased.

Aruta frown because he clearly saw the stone emitting a black aura. But Vins and Uika didn't see it?

"But it seems like this stone could make a good charm. Can we borrow it?" Vins asked.

"Huh? I feel like the opposite might happen," Aruta said.

"Come on, you know how charms in horror movies always look weird," Vins said.

"Come on, you didn't join us, so at least lend us that stone," Uika said, resting her head on the table with both hands.

"Ugh, fine." Aruta hand the stone to Vins.

"This stone is pretty cool," Uika said.

"It seems like it could make a great charm," Vins added