Act 6

"Alright, kids. See you in the next meeting," said Ms. Irene as she closed her book and walked out of the classroom, marking the end of her lesson.

That day, Ms. Irene's class ended earlier than scheduled. She mentioned having urgent matters to attend to and asked permission to shorten her teaching time.

"So boring… what are you even doing?" muttered Kala, turning toward Hasta, who was lounging at the back near the window. He rolled a piece of paper and tossed it at him.

Bullseye.

"What's your problem?" Hasta asked lazily, turning his head on reflex.

"Bored. Aren't you, As?" Kala pouted, trying to act cute.

Hasta shuddered immediately, cringing at her expression. "Ew, gross. Doesn't suit you at all."

"Whatever. I'm still cute. Like a doll," Kala said confidently.

"Yeah… a voodoo doll," Hasta replied without missing a beat.

Kala glanced up at the clock above the blackboard. It was nearly break time.

"As, let's go to the canteen," he said, eyes still fixed on the clock.

"Later, when the teacher tells us to," Hasta replied casually, not looking up from his book.

Kala sighed in frustration. "Ugh, you're such a model student. Be a rebel for once."

"Like Agan? Nah, I'm too lazy for that," Hasta said, eyes still glued to the page.

To kill time, Kala pulled out her phone and scrolled through Jihan's social media—his friend who studied at a different school.

"Ah, so her school's on break today. No wonder she can throw a party in the middle of the day," he muttered.

One of the photos showed Jihan smiling brightly while holding a birthday cake with lit candles. Beside her were close friends from her group called 'Weekly'

Drrriiiiinnnnngggg!

The bell rang for break. Kala immediately grabbed Hasta and dragged him to the canteen.

Once there, they joined the other members of the Kaze gang at a table.

"Feels unusually peaceful today, doesn't it?" said Dion between bites.

"So what? You want the school filled with chaos and terror?" Yoan shot back.

"Not that. I just feel like solving a case, you know?" Dion replied.

"No leads at the moment. And the teachers are on high alert since that rooftop incident," Hasta added.

"We need a break. Like a group trip or something," suggested Yoga.

"Let's go this Saturday. But where to? Somewhere fun," Dion asked, excited.

"Let's rent a villa. We can have a movie night or swim if there's a pool," Melvin suggested.

"Too basic. Let's go to an abandoned building and play hide and seek," Yoga chimed in.

"Are you nuts? That sounds like a horror story in the making," said Yoan, shaking his head.

"But it'd be fun. Like a test of courage," Dion supported the idea.

"Bro, we're a detective gang, not ghost hunters," Melvin reminded.

"Maybe we're bored of being detectives and wanna switch to being horror YouTubers," Yoga joked.

"Haha… hard pass," Yoan deadpanned.

Meanwhile, Agantha and Sakala just listened silently, uninterested in joining the wild conversation. Luckily, the food they ordered arrived soon, distracting everyone.

******

The clock read 2:30 PM when Kala arrived at the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Kyungmin. Their plan was to grab food and then head to Jihan's house.

"Did I keep you waiting?" Kala asked upon seeing Kyungmin focused on his phone.

"Not at all. I just got here too. I already ordered the food—it's being prepared now," Kyungmin replied without looking up.

"Cool." Kala moved to sit across from him, but before he could sit down, his foot hit something. He bent down and picked it up.

A notebook.

"Whose book is this?" he wondered aloud, flipping it open. Inside the cover was a name: Rahesa Adinarta.

Kyungmin glanced briefly. "There were dirty plates here when I came. Probably left by whoever sat before us."

Kala nodded in understanding and stood up, intending to give the book to a staff member. But then his eyes caught sight of two young men walking into the restaurant—one of them scanning the floor like he was looking for something.

"Hold on, Ar. I think I found that."

Kala approached the two, holding up the book. "Is this yours?"

The young man looked up, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of the notebook.

"Y-yeah, that's mine. Thank you!"

"No problem," Kala replied simply, before returning to his seat.

*******

The amber hue of dusk bathed the road as Kala and Kyungmin made their way to Jihan's house. Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting long shadows on the path.

Jihan greeted them at the door with a bright smile. "You made it! Come in!"

"Sorry we're late. Your friends already left?" Kyungmin asked as he took off his shoes.

Jihan chuckled. "Nope. They're all girls—you two would've felt awkward anyway."

Kala crossed his arms and smirked. "Am I not cute enough to count?" he teased with exaggerated aegyo.

Kyungmin clutched his chest dramatically. "I wanna say something nice, but I physically can't," he muttered.

Jihan burst out laughing. "Alright, alright. Come in. There's still plenty of cake left!"

"Perfect timing! We brought food too," Kyungmin said, pulling out takeout bags.

"Thank you so much for coming and even bringing food!" Jihan said warmly.

"We didn't forget gifts either," Kala added, handing over a box.

"Try the shoes. Hope they fit," Kyungmin said excitedly.

Jihan opened the box and gasped. "They're so cute!" she said, slipping them on.

As she walked around the living room, Kyungmin looked satisfied. "Glad you like them."

"Try mine too!" Kala offered, handing her a smaller box. Inside was a sparkling pearl necklace.

"It's so pretty… like me," Jihan joked before putting it on. But as she clasped the chain—

Snap!

The necklace broke. Pearls scattered across the floor in all directions. For a moment, silence.

"It's okay! I can replace the chain. I'll fix it," Jihan said quickly.

Kala shook his head. "No, I'll just get you a new one."

Jihan smiled. "Let's eat first, yeah?"

They headed to the dining table, trying to lift the mood with food and laughter, as if nothing had happened.

*******

Kala walked home alone that night. The cold wind bit at his skin, and he pulled his school blazer tighter around him. The sky was pitch black, and his footsteps echoed through the empty streets.

In the stillness, a faint sound broke through—crying.

He stopped, listening closely.

"Huh? Is that a ghost crying?" he muttered, curious.

He followed the sound until he found Lyo—an entity that shouldn't be visible in the human world—sitting on a park bench, shoulders shaking, head bowed in grief.

Kala approached without hesitation. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

Lyo looked up, his face streaked with tears. "Help me, Kala..." he said, voice trembling. He stood and led her behind a bush in the park.

There, Kala froze.

A small cat lay lifeless, its body torn and mangled.

"Miko..." Lyo sobbed, collapsing to his knees. Kala's stomach turned at the sight.

"Who the hell would do something this sick?" he muttered, voice heavy with anger.

"I want to bury Miko… but I can't," Lyo cried.

Kala sighed, understanding. "Of course not. Ghosts can't touch physical things."

Lyo's expression darkened. Kala looked around and spotted a shovel leaning against a tree.

"I'll do it. Just wait on the bench," he said firmly.

"I want to watch..." Lyo whispered.

Kala looked at him for a long moment before sighing. "You cry too much, you know. It's distracting." His tone was joking, but his heart ached for him.

Lyo forced a smile through his tears. "Sorry for the trouble." He returned to the bench, silent.

Kala got to work, digging a grave with care. Each shovel of earth felt like a piece of Lyo's memory being laid to rest. Once the hole was deep enough, he gently buried Miko.

Cleaning his hands, he walked back to Lyo. "Be strong, okay?"

Lyo looked up with tearful eyes. "Thanks, Kal..."

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something. "Oh right… I saw one of your friends often playing with Miko. Maybe let them know, so they don't go looking."

Kala furrowed his brow. "Which friend?"

Lyo bit his lip, thinking hard. "I forgot the name… but I remember the nametag. It looked like yours."

"Like my name?" Kala asked, confused. No one had a similar name at school.

Lyo paused, then his eyes lit up. "Asta! Do you know anyone by that name?"

Kala's eyes widened slightly. "Hasta… yeah, I do."

But unease crept into his voice, and in his heart, a question began to form.

"Was that really Miko's necklace I saw?"