It's Just You and Me

They ended up reaching the school's rooftop, and without wasting any time, Yuki quickly opened the door and slammed it shut behind them as they burst into the open air.

"Please. Just tell me you remember Kenji Igaguri."

Riko looked a little confused as she adjusted her hair.

"I… I'm sorry, Yuki."

Yuki froze.

She let go of Riko's arm as her vision blurred.

No. Not her too.

Tears started to spill out as Yuki felt alone and scared. Not even her best friend remembered him.

Riko moved quickly, wrapping her arms around her.

"Hey. I remember him. I was just messing around. I hate seeing you like this."

Yuki shoved her off, not hard, but enough to make her stumble back.

"Don't joke about stuff like that. That wasn't funny."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry."

"You better be."

Riko flicked her hair back, exhaling.

"Come on. Let's sit."

They walked to the edge of the rooftop and sat down, their legs stretched. For a while, neither of them spoke.

Yuki wiped her face with her sleeve, but her skin stayed wet. Her chest still ached.

Riko reached into her pocket and handed her a soft pink handkerchief.

Yuki took it and blew her nose loudly.

"Ugh. That was brand new."

Yuki sniffed, smiling weakly.

"That's what you get for lying."

"Fine. We're even."

A few quiet minutes passed.

"You know," Riko said, stretching her arms behind her head, "Miss Nishimura's probably looking for us right now."

Yuki kept her eyes on the rooftop floor.

"Is the class... pranking me, Riko?"

Riko paused.

"No. I don't think so. Miss Nishimura looked genuinely confused. The way no one remembered him—it's like it's just the two of us."

Yuki's hands clenched in her lap.Should I tell her? It's probably for the best that she knew what happened to Igaguri.

She looked at Riko as she attempted to gather some confidence to say what was on her mind.

"I saw Igaguri disappear yesterday. Right in front of my eyes."

Riko squinted at her.

"You serious? Let me guess—you saw that online? This has to be some prank."

Yuki stood, trembling.

"No! It's true!"

Riko flinched as Yuki's voice echoed across the roof.

"Okay, okay!"

Yuki turned away, trying to steady herself.

"I didn't see it in the news. I saw it happen. He was just there... and then gone."

Yuki took a deep breath and continued.

"There's something else. When he disappeared, I grabbed his clothes and ran home. I couldn't believe what I saw."

Riko tilted her head.

"What did you see?"

"Something was inside the house. It was something evil, and it came out from the dolls I bought."

Yuki rubbed her arms as a chill settled in her bones.

"They were merging together... twisting into one shape. And it had my parents' faces."

Riko didn't speak. She reached for the skull bracelet on her wrist and gripped it tightly.

Yuki took another breath.

"Then the door slammed open. My therapist and his receptionist showed up. They saved me."

Riko blinked.

"You mean... like, actually saved you?"

"Yeah. My therapist killed the doll spirit haunting me and banished it into some portal. He apparently used a scythe."

Before Riko could respond, a loud bang hit the rooftop door.

Both girls jumped.

The metal rang out like it had been struck with a hammer.

Wind halted. Silence dropped.

"I think it might be Miss Nishimura. She might've found us."

"No way she found us already."

They stared at the door.

Riko nudged Yuki's arm.

"Go check."

Yuki stood, brushing her skirt. The handle felt warm, like someone had touched it seconds ago.

She took a deep breath and opened the metal door.

However, it seemed the hallway was empty.

"It's fine. No one's here. We must've heard wrong."

Riko scratched her head.

"Wow. I really thought I heard a knock."

Yuki nodded and closed the door.

But Yuki didn't see the figure crawling on the ceiling.

A creature with multiple soaked tentacle limbs crawled along the beams of the ceiling. Its trench coat clung to its slim, dark frame.

A drop of saliva fell from the creature's mouth, hitting the ground with a hiss.

Smoke curled upward as a black circle formed on the floor where the droplet touched.

The unknown trench-coat-wearing creature slipped into the portal and vanished without a sound.

Yuki walked back over and sat beside Riko again.

"Okay, as I was saying—there's more. Last night... Kenji contacted me. He actually wrote something on the wall using blood."

Riko started.

"With what?"

"He wrote to me, 'Help me, Yuki Ayano. Please help me.'"

Riko scratched her head, overwhelmed.

"This is... a lot, Yuki."

"If you don't believe me, let's go see my therapist. Let's say tomorrow morning. I'm sure he'll convince you. Trust me."

Riko hesitated.

"You said your therapist had a scythe, right?"

Yuki grabbed her by the shoulder, all serious-looking.

"Yes. He is definitely not human."

Riko suddenly grabbed her skull bracelet once again when she heard those words, as she started to sweat from her forehead.

Yuki looked concerned.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Riko clutched her stomach, wincing.

"Actually... can we go the day after tomorrow? I-I need some time."

Yuki raised an eyebrow but didn't push.

"Yeah, sure. I still need to get the money to pay him anyway."

Yuki instantly put both of her hands on her face, trying to hide her embarrassment.As if I can even pay this freak. I have zero dollars under my name. Not even my parents have any money left in the bank. I'm so screwed.

Just then, Yuki's thoughts were interrupted as the rooftop door creaked open.

Miss Nishimura stuck her head out, eyes narrowed.

"There you are! Come here right now! You two will be staying after school to clean the entire classroom."

Yuki and Riko stared at each other.

"Noooooooo!"

Their voices echoed in perfect sync.

The three of them walked in silence down the school corridor. Miss Nishimura led the way, heels tapping against the floor. Yuki and Riko followed behind her.

As they approached the classroom, a wet sound echoed faintly.

Some type of fluid hit the floor.

All three of them stopped.

The floor sizzled, bubbling at the edges as if it had been splashed with acid.

Miss Nishimura took a step back.

"What was that? I need to call the school janitor so he can clean this up."

Riko looked up at the ceiling as she saw dark markings that looked like tentacles—or maybe veins.

Riko kept quiet, but her expression shifted, turning serious.

She clicked her tongue and squeezed the skull bracelet again.

Miss Nishimura grabbed them both by the arm.

"Let's go, girls."

They walked into the classroom together.

The smoke on the floor had already faded.

However, the marks on the ceiling were mysteriously still there.