A Strange Morning at the Boarding House
Arya squirmed under his blanket, pulling it all the way up from head to toe. A strange sound filled the room—a raspy singing voice, dragging the words like a ghostly whisper. His eyes snapped open. He bolted upright, cold sweat running down his temple, breath ragged as if he'd just escaped from a nightmare too real to ignore.
"Drama already in the morning, huh?" a cheerful voice rang out from the corner of the room.Rika was floating lazily in midair, chin resting on her hand, a mischievous smile on her face."Wake up, Arya! You've got morning class today, don't you?"
Arya groaned, pulling the blanket back over himself, trying to erase her existence from his mind."Forget it. Five more minutes," he mumbled hoarsely.
But Rika wasn't giving up. She floated closer, hovering right beside his bed, tilting her head. Then, out of nowhere, she opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs:"ARYAAA! WAKE UP OR YOU'LL BE LATE FOR CLASS!!!"
Arya shot out of bed like he'd been electrocuted, heart pounding so hard it might explode. He grabbed a pillow and hurled it at her—but of course, it just went straight through her ghostly body."Goddammit, Rika! Can't you not make a racket first thing in the morning?!" he barked, glaring at her.
Rika only giggled, reaching out as if to ruffle his hair—but her hand just swiped through thin air. To Arya, it looked more like a failed magic trick."C'mon, don't be lazy! You don't want to be late, right?"
A little later, Arya was trudging across campus, backpack slung over one shoulder, eyes heavy with exhaustion. In class, he slumped in the back corner, pretending to pay attention to the lecture projected on the screen. But his mind kept drifting—back to Dio and Nagini, the strange figures he'd encountered a month ago. Who were they really? And why had they appeared in this world?
His train of thought was abruptly interrupted."Arya, what's that box with the light? The one making the moving pictures?" Rika whispered excitedly, now lounging casually in the chair next to him.
"That's a projector," Arya muttered, barely glancing at her.
"Oooh! Projector!" Rika repeated like a child learning a new word. Then she pointed at the lecturer. "And what about him? He's holding some kind of magic wand!"
Arya covered his face with one hand, struggling not to laugh. "That's a laser pointer, not a magic wand. And could you please not be so loud? I'm trying to listen." Still, the small smirk tugging at his lips betrayed how much he secretly enjoyed her antics.
Rika, however, was unstoppable. Her eyes darted around the room, soaking in every detail. "And that big round thing spinning on the ceiling? Oh! That's a fan, right? See? I know that one!" she said proudly, eyes sparkling.
"Yeah. That's right," Arya replied dryly. He sighed, realizing his concentration was doomed.
After class, Arya and Rika wandered toward the cafeteria to kill time before the next lecture. Arya walked with his head slightly down, avoiding eye contact like he always did. Meanwhile, Rika floated happily beside him, brimming with curiosity at every corner of campus.
But suddenly, Rika froze. Her smile faded. She stared down the far end of the corridor, her face unreadable.
Arya noticed. "What is it?" he asked cautiously.
"N–Nothing," Rika replied too quickly. "I just… remembered something I need to do. Let's take the other way."
Arya narrowed his eyes. "Rika. What are you hiding?"
Before she could answer, a faint, sickly stench pricked Arya's nose—the unmistakable smell of rotting flesh. His stomach turned. Following Rika's gaze, he saw it: a thin black mist creeping closer, slowly coalescing into the shadow of a woman with long hair hanging over her face. The figure drifted soundlessly, as though gliding above the cold floor.
The air grew colder. Rika stiffened, her body trembling despite her attempt to look calm. Cold sweat trickled down Arya's temple. They both stood frozen, every second stretching into eternity.
The ghostly woman floated past, silent. Her eyes—or rather, the hollow dark pits where eyes should've been—flicked briefly toward them. Arya held his breath, heart hammering in his chest.
When she finally drifted further down the hall, Arya and Rika exchanged uneasy glances."You didn't see anything… right? R–Right?" Arya asked with a strained smile.
"Nope. Nothing at all," Rika answered with a nervous laugh. They both tried to keep walking, slower this time.
But then, a soft, eerie voice floated up behind them:"Where do you think you're going~?"
Arya froze. His skin prickled, every hair on his body standing on end. The air grew even colder, and faint footsteps echoed closer.
Before he could react, Rika shrieked and bolted, vanishing down the corridor like a gust of wind—leaving Arya behind. Instinct kicked in. He spun around and ran, heart racing, the ghost's chilling laughter following close behind.
That day would not be forgotten.