Chapter 3 : The Aftermath of the murder case

The atmosphere in Okaida High was suffocating. Even though a whole week had passed since Yamato Saito's murder, the school still felt like a crime scene. Whispers filled the hallways, hushed voices carrying rumors like wildfire. Some students were too afraid to speak too loudly, as if the killer was among them, listening. Others couldn't stop talking, throwing theories around like detectives in a crime drama. But no matter what anyone said, one fact remained—the police still had no idea who did it.

As I walked through the main corridor, the air was thick with something I couldn't quite name. Fear? Anxiety? Guilt? Everyone was on edge. Even the teachers had lost their usual strictness, their voices softer, their movements more restrained. Mr. Tsukino, my math teacher, looked as if he hadn't slept in days.

A new notice was pinned on the announcement board at the entrance.

"Due to the ongoing investigation, all club activities will be suspended until further notice. Curfew for students will be strictly enforced. Please cooperate with the authorities. If you have any information, report to the school office immediately."

My fingers curled slightly. Seven days, and they still couldn't find the killer.

"Man, this is insane," Renji muttered beside me, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You'd think they'd have caught the guy by now. It's not like this is a movie where the killer is some genius mastermind."

"Maybe he is," Haruto said, adjusting his glasses. His usual sarcastic tone was absent, replaced by something more serious.

Yuna let out a small sigh, flipping through her phone as she walked. "Social media is still flooded with news about it." She held up the screen for us to see.

A post from one of the news accounts read:

"Seven days since the shocking murder of Tenka High's star athlete, Yamato Saito. With no suspects confirmed and no leads disclosed, students and parents are demanding answers. The question remains—who killed him?"

The comments were all over the place.

— "How is the police so useless? It's been a week!"

— "I heard it was a revenge killing. Something about a fight?"

— "His ex-girlfriend must've snapped. Classic crime of passion."

— "Maybe the Judo club itself has something to hide…"

Yuna scrolled down. Another post popped up, this time with a blurry picture of Yamato in his judo uniform, captioned:

"Rest in peace, Captain. You didn't deserve this."

Even though I had never spoken to Yamato, something about seeing his face again made my stomach twist. He was just a normal high schooler. A bit of a hothead, sure, but he had a future. He wasn't supposed to die in some cold, dark corner of the gym at midnight.

Yuna sighed. "His parents have been all over the news too. They held a press conference yesterday, begging anyone with information to come forward."

Renji frowned. "I saw that. His dad looked so…" He paused, struggling for the right word.

"Broken," Haruto finished for him.

Yeah. That was the only way to describe it. Yamato's father was a proud man, the kind who always stood tall, but when he spoke in front of those reporters, his voice shook. His wife clutched his arm the entire time, her eyes hollow.

"Yamato was our only son. He had dreams, he had a future, and someone took that away from him."

"If anyone knows anything, please… don't stay silent."

There was something especially unsettling about seeing a grown man on the verge of tears on live TV. Yuna hesitated before adding, "They said his mother fainted after the funeral."

No one responded to that.

For a moment, the only sounds were the murmurs of other students as they walked past us. The school felt like it was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

"Alright, so…" Renji cleared his throat, changing the subject. "Who do you think did it?"

Yuna shot him a sharp look. "We're not detectives."

"Yeah, but c'mon, everyone's thinking about it." He gestured around. "Half the school has already picked their own prime suspect."

Haruto gave him a sideways glance. "And what's your theory, then?"

Renji grinned slightly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Well, the obvious suspect is Hiroshi Tanaka. He literally got into a huge fight with Yamato last week. Maybe it escalated?"

"It's too obvious," Yuna said, shaking her head. "If it was just a fight, wouldn't the police have arrested him by now?"

"Maybe they just don't have enough evidence," Renji shot back.

Haruto hummed in thought. "The ex-girlfriend, Misaki Aoyama, is an interesting one."

I turned to him. "You think she'd kill him over a breakup?"

Haruto shrugged. "I don't know. But two months is a long time. Maybe something happened after that. People say their relationship ended badly."

Yuna frowned. "That's just gossip."

"Yeah, but sometimes gossip holds a bit of truth," Haruto said, adjusting his bag strap. "And then there's the school counselor, Mr. Yoshida"

Renji snorted. "What, you think a teacher just snapped and murdered a student? That's kind of extreme."

Haruto raised an eyebrow. "Is it? Teachers have their own struggles. Maybe Yamato found out something he wasn't supposed to. Maybe Mr. Yoshida was desperate."

Yuna exhaled. "This is pointless. The police are investigating it, and we're just students. There's no way we'd be able to solve it.

I stayed quiet, listening to them argue.

The thing was, I agreed with Yuna. We were just students. This wasn't some detective novel where a high schooler could just outsmart the police. But at the same time…

The thought itched at the back of my mind.

Someone in this school was a murderer and whether I liked it or not, I needed to know who.

Despite that, the mystery went on for several weeks before it finally died down. The case was closed, leaving Yamato's parents devastated. Some students even transferred schools, unable to shake the unease, but for us… life moved on. Many parents demanded a reinvestigation, but with no new leads, the authorities had nothing more to uncover. Weeks turned into months, and before we knew it, half the school year had already passed.

Now, things were back to normal.

Or, as normal as it could be with Renji still being Renji.

Monday – Back to Class

"Alright, settle down!" Our homeroom teacher, Mr. Takeda, clapped his hands. "With the festival over, it's time to focus on our midterm exams."

Groans filled the room.

Renji dramatically slumped over his desk. "Nooooo… my free spirit can't be caged by exams!"

Yuna whacked him with a notebook. "Maybe if you studied, you wouldn't have to suffer."

Haruto flipped open his notes. "She's right. We only have two weeks to prepare."

I sighed. "Two weeks is plenty of time if you actually study."

Renji grabbed my shoulders. "Kyoya, my dear friend, my only hope in this cruel world—will you tutor me?"

I pushed his face away. "No."

"TRAITOR!"

I rolled my eyes. "You're better off asking Haruto."

Renji groaned and leaned back. "Fine, fine. But let me have one last moment of freedom before we get buried in textbooks."

I didn't like where this was going. "What do you mean?"

Renji grinned. "I propose… a game."

Yuna narrowed her eyes. "What kind of game?"

Renji's grin widened. "A test of courage."

The Haunted Classroom Bet

Apparently, the school had an old classroom on the third floor that had been locked for years.

Rumors said that a student had died there. Some said you could still hear whispers at night. Others swore they saw figures moving inside when they passed by.

Of course, Renji—being Renji—thought this was the perfect way to "cleanse his soul before midterms."

"Here's the bet!" Renji declared. "We go into the classroom at night. Whoever stays the longest wins."

Haruto frowned. "That's stupid. What do we even win?"

Renji smirked. "The losers have to buy the winner food for a week."

Silence.

Yuna cracked her knuckles. "Say no more. I'm in."

Haruto sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but fine."

I crossed my arms. "You guys realize we could get in trouble, right?"

Renji patted my shoulder. "Kyoya, my friend, live a little."

I shook my head but couldn't help smirking. "Fine. But don't start crying when a janitor kicks us out."

That Night – The "Haunted" Classroom

We met behind the school at 9 PM.

Renji came prepared—with a flashlight, salt, and what looked like a fake exorcism scroll.

Haruto raised an eyebrow. "Where did you even get that?"

Renji winked. "The internet is a wonderful place."

Yuna facepalmed. "You're such an idiot."

Ignoring her, Renji led the way inside. The school halls were eerily quiet at night. Our footsteps echoed off the walls as we made our way up to the third floor.

And there it was.

The locked classroom.

Renji jiggled the handle. "Huh. It's actually locked."

Haruto sighed in relief. "Oh well, I guess we can't—"

Yuna kicked the door.

It swung open.

Renji's jaw dropped. "Yo, did you just break school property?"

Yuna smirked. "It was already broken."

Haruto groaned. "We're so getting expelled."

I glanced inside. The classroom was dusty and abandoned. Desks were still in place, and a few old notebooks were scattered around. It looked like someone had left in a hurry… and never came back.

"Alright," Renji said. "Who's staying the longest?"

We all stared at him.

"Fine," he huffed. "I'll go first."

He marched inside, sat on a rickety chair, and folded his arms. "See? No ghosts."

A loud creak came from the ceiling.

Renji jumped. "Okay, maybe a little ghosts."

Yuna rolled her eyes and walked in. "There's nothing here."

Haruto and I followed. The air was thick with dust, and there was a faint scent of mold.

I looked around. Something felt… off.

"Hey," Renji said suddenly. "Why is there still a notebook on the desk?"

I frowned. He was right. Among the old, torn pages, there was one fresh notebook.

Haruto picked it up and flipped through it. His eyes widened.

"It's… a diary."

We huddled around. The pages were filled with neat handwriting.

"October 12th. I heard someone whisper my name today. But when I turned around, the classroom was empty."

"October 14th. I think I saw something in the mirror. But when I looked again, it was just me."

"October 16th. I think it's getting closer."

The last page was ripped out.

Silence.

Then—

BAM.

Something fell from the ceiling.

Renji screamed.

Yuna grabbed the flashlight and shined it upward.

A textbook had fallen from the ceiling tiles.

Haruto sighed. "It's just a book, you baby."

Renji clutched his chest. "My life flashed before my eyes."

Yuna smirked. "Was it as dumb as you?"

Haruto tossed the diary back onto the desk. "There. No ghosts. Can we go now?"

Renji huffed. "Fine. But I'm still making you guys buy me food."

I chuckled, shaking my head.

As we left, I cast one last glance at the classroom.

The diary was gone.

I blinked.

No. Maybe I was just seeing things.

Shrugging it off, I followed my friends outside.