Chapter 91: I Go To School Alone
It felt like the first semester had just started, yet the calendar had already flipped to July.
Most schools schedule their final exams for early or mid-July.
This was the case at Ichijo Academy, where I studied. The atmosphere in Class 2-B, which had been buzzing with excitement about the school trip just two weeks ago, had once again shifted to a more subdued tone.
The air felt tense, quite literally.
This tension seemed amplified by the fact that failing the final exams would mean attending supplementary lessons during the summer vacation.
Ugh~ Only three days left until the final exams!
This exclamation came from Rika, who had been poring over her math book for more than an hour.
Fortunately, since Rikas antics were nothing new, the other students in the class didnt pay much attention and simply moved on.
But your math grades have improved a lot recently. If you keep it up, passing should be a breeze.
Exactly~ No matter how hard I try, these math formulas just wont stick in my head~
I tried to console Rika, who was whining like a child, and encouraged her to tackle just one more page.
Then, with a look of reluctance, Rika nodded and returned her focus to her math book.
Phew, this ordeal will be over in three days.
I had taken on the task of personally tutoring Rika due to a promise made with the members of Group D after the school trip ended.
Lets all go to the beach during the summer vacation.
This plan was initiated by a single statement from Satoru, the groups mood maker.
Naturally, everyone was on board, and we all started looking forward to the summer vacation.
However, an unexpected complication arose with this promise, and that was Rika.
Fundamentally, Rikas scores in subjects she wasnt interested in were disastrous.
Last time, she managed without issues because I pinpointed the likely exam questions when we studied together at Karens house, but this final exam was shaping up to be a different beast.
Given that the midterm was relatively easy, it was clear the final would be tougher to differentiate the scores.
Naturally, given Rikas usual grades, passing all subjects was a close call, and as the top student in Group D, I naturally took on the responsibility of tutoring Rika.
Her hard work seemed to be paying off, as she could now solve quite difficult problems with ease.
At this rate, if she sticks to the easier problems, she could easily score above 40.
I was feeling quite pleased with myself at that moment.
Yu-seong, can I borrow your Korean language book for a moment? I forgot to write something down during the last class.
Huh? Just wait a second.
Caught off guard by Satorus sudden request, I rummaged through my desk drawer and pulled out the Korean language book.
In fact, I paid more attention to Korean and history than to other subjects.
So, I took more detailed notes during classes.
Partly because I was Korean and also because Japanese grammar becomes quite challenging when you delve into it deeply.
Actually, grammar becomes challenging in any language, so this issue wasnt unique to Japanese.
Dont English literature students often find Shakespeare the most daunting?
Compared to that, my situation was relatively better.
After all, it was only high school-level grammar.
Thanks. Ill write it down quickly and give it back.
Okay. If Im not at my seat when you return it, just put it in my desk drawer.
Got it.
In retrospect, I shouldnt have said that.
I should have told him to put it in my bag instead of just leaving it in the desk drawer.
What was I thinking?
Anyway, it was only after I returned home late in the evening from the gym that I realized I had forgotten the Korean book I lent to Satoru at school. Remembering that the exams would start on Monday and tomorrow is Saturday, I immediately took the subway to the closed school.
Just grab the book and leave quickly.
Up to this point, I didnt know.
What happens when you go to school late at night in a shonen manga world.
Originally, schools were places with a rather bright image.
A place where countless kids dash around the playground, with boys and girls laughing, crying, and experiencing their youth.
But the school at night was the complete opposite of that familiar scene.
The schoolyard and classrooms, usually bustling with students, were devoid of life, filled only with bleak darkness and silence.
Even though I generally considered myself fearless, the eerie atmosphere of the school at night felt overwhelmingly intense.
Standing in front of the firmly closed school gate, I swallowed nervously due to an inexplicable tension and quickly scaled the 2-meter fence, hoping to go unnoticed.
Thud!
After landing softly, I surveyed the schoolyard, which looked no different from during the morning commute.
To the right was the middle school building, and straight ahead was the high school building.
Since my purpose here was to retrieve the Korean book from my desk drawer, I made my way directly toward the high school building.
Swoosh.
A sudden gust of wind rustled the leaves.
Feeling a shiver, I turned around.
I was certain there was no one else around, yet it felt as if someones gaze was upon me.
Is it just my imagination?
Muttering to myself, I continued toward the darkened high school building.
Clank!
Fortunately, unlike the firmly shut main gate, the entrance door of the high school building was unlocked.
Entering the school cautiously, I illuminated the path ahead with a flashlight I had brought from home.
My current location was the entrance of the east wing on the first floor.
And my destination, Class 2-B, was on the second floor of the west wing.
Thus, I had to ascend to the second floor, traverse the long, dark hallway, and cross the bridge leading to the west wing.
Normally, I could cover this distance in a 5-minute run, but perhaps because it was nighttime at school, I found myself moving cautiously, unsure why.
Have I watched too many movies?
Humans were indeed creatures of imagination.
The combination of nighttime and darkness, which obscured even a step ahead, naturally conjured fears of the unknown.
To prevent myself from succumbing to such thoughts, I pondered what to do and ended up thinking of Satoru, the instigator of this situation.
Maybe talking to that guy would be less scary.
Before I seriously started moving, I called Satoru on my smartphone.
After a few rings, there was a thud sound from the other end of the line as the call was answered.
[Yu-seong? Why are you calling at this hour?]
Holding the smartphone in one hand and the flashlight in the other, I replied.
Im at school because of the Korean book you put on my desk earlier.
[What? At this late hour?]
Hearing Satorus surprised voice, I quickly checked the time.
[21:07]
It was definitely quite late.
Normally, one wouldnt come to school at this hour just because they forgot a textbook.
I need it for studying Korean over the weekend. As you know, tomorrow is Saturday.
[Uh Yeah, good luck.]
Wait, wait, dont hang up. I called for an important reason.
[Reason? What reason?]
Can you talk with me for about 30 minutes? Honestly, Im feeling a bit uneasy right now.
[What? Is the great Kim Yu-seong scared of ghosts?]
Its not so much about ghosts, but more about the eerie atmosphere when youre alone in a deserted place.
[Thats pretty much the same thing.]
Knowing that this guy would keep pressing until I admitted it, I sighed softly and responded.
Okay, fine. Im scared.
Then, Satoru chuckled on the other end of the phone and said,
[You should have said so earlier. So, where are you at the school now?]
Im near the entrance of the east wing. Im planning to go up to the second floor and then cross the bridge to the west wing.
[Really? That shouldnt take long.]
Yeah, if I walk as usual, it should take about 10 minutes.
[Just grab the book quickly and get out before you get caught by the security guard.]
Do security guards usually patrol at this time?
[Im not sure. But usually, because of school security, either the guards or teachers on duty patrol. Especially since exams are only three days away, theyll be more vigilant.]
Thanks for the advice. I dont want to be misunderstood, so Ill just quickly grab the Korean book like you said and leave.
Feeling much more relaxed after talking to Satoru, I decided to start moving.
I slowly ascended to the second floor, illuminating the stairs with my flashlight.
Being careful not to trip, I soon found myself at the landing.
Satoru, on the other end of the line, seemed to hear me climbing the stairs and spoke with interest.
[Yu-seong, do you know about the seven mysteries of Ichijo Academy?]
Feeling suddenly anxious, I quickly interrupted him.
Hey, dont start with that.
But Satoru, on the other end of the speaker, seemed to have no intention of listening to me.
[This is a story I happened to hear from a senior in the board game club]
I vowed to myself that when I met Satoru next Monday, I would definitely get my revenge.
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