Several hours had passed since Yuki's therapy session. The sun had climbed high over Kyoto High School, and the noon bell rang through the hallways as students flooded out, rushing to the cafeteria to see the lunch lady. Igarashi Kenji wasn't one of them. He stood in front of his locker, gripping a small black box.
He was short and scrawny third-year student with circular glasses. His shoulders made the school blazer hang a little loose on him, and his brown hair was cut short in a bowl shape.
The small black box he was gripping wasn't anything special...well, actually, it kinda was. He bought a pack of dark chocolates from a pretty expensive store last night. It cost him just under six thousand yen for the girl he cared about most.
It was none other than Yuki Ayano.
To him, she was the prettiest and most intelligent girl he's ever seen.
Igarashi leaned around the corner and peeked down the hall. His chest tightened the moment he saw her. Yuki was walking alone toward the cafeteria, head low.
"Alright. It's time to shine. Just walk up, say something clever and hand over the chocolates. You've got this!" He hyped himself up.
He stepped forward—
But then Riko appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Yuki, yanking her toward the stairwell.
Igarashi blinked in disbelief.
You've got to be kidding me. Seriously!!
Igarashi Kenji was never the friendliest toward Riko, but due to them having a mutual friend in Yuki, they tolerated each other's existence.
The fact was Riko also seemed a little too emo and odd to him. She had messy short black hair that stopped at her neck and she always seemed to have dark circles under her eyes.
One other thing that really captured her emo phase, was the skull-charm bracelet that hanging from her wrist.
Igarashi followed them, just far enough back to stay unseen. By the time he reached the top of the stairwell, they were gone. The heavy metal door thudded shut behind them.
Igarashi hesitated, waiting for the hallway to be clear. Then he eased the metal door open. Sunlight poured in over the rooftop.
At the edge, Yuki Ayano sat with Riko Fuyumi. Even from here he could see the dark circles under Riko's eyes and that stupid emo skull bracelet that dangled from her wrist.
***
Riko had packed multiple egg omelets, so many in fact that there was no way she could finish all of them.
Seeing her friend struggling to eat, Yuki casually reached over with a smile and took a few omelets for herself.
Riko then, looked up and noticed Igarashi Kenji standing near the metal door.
"Hey, Igarashi ? What are you doing here?"
Igarashi gritted his teeth.
"I just wanted to see Ayano."
Yuki didn't react, she was way too focused on the food in front of her.
Riko nudged her.
"Hey, he wants to talk to you."
Yuki blinked.
"Oh! Come over Igarashi."
He stepped closer and pulled the black chocolate box from behind his back.
"I wanted to give you this."
Yuki eyes widen.
"Wait, you got me dark chocolates? not only that but my favorites? Thank you Igarashi , seriously!"
Igarashi nodded with a huge smile on his face.
"I remembered back in our first year of high school you said you liked dark chocolate, So i got you some."
Riko chuckled.
"Creepy stalker behavior, noted."
"I think it's sweet. Shut up Riko and thank you," Yuki said, smiling.
Igarashi scratched the back of his neck.
"Just thought you could use a reason to smile."
"Really? Well, why don't you come eat with us," Yuki said.
"Oh! Okay?, thanks," Igarashi said.
Yuki thought back to her first year coming to Kyoto High, and how she felt very lonely. The only friend she really had was Riko Fuyumi, who she had known since middle school. But soon after she meet Igarashi Kenji and she remembered when she first met him, he was the only person who looked at her like a real person, not some freak who was perfect.
A few minutes had passed since they all started eating together. Igarashi kept glancing in Yuki's direction, like he had more to say but couldn't.
"Have you been following the disappearances? People are apparently vanishing left and right. To the point, even my cousin saw someone disappear right in front of him," he said.
Yuki didn't react.
Riko waved her hand in front of Yuki's face.
"You've been out of it today. You okay?"
"Sorry. I haven't been sleeping well. But yeah, I heard you, Igarashi. It's the first I've heard of any of that, honestly."
Riko leaned back.
"I think it's fake. Some weird internet thing. I don't believe in the supernatural."
Igarashi stood up.
"I think it's real. It's been on the news."
"Since when does the news tell the truth?" Riko pointed.
"You always say stuff like that," Igarashi frowned.
"And you always fall for it," Riko snapped.
Then, they kept arguing for some time, as they threw playful insults at each other.
Yuki however, had enough of it and stood up, as she had too much in her mind.
"I need some time alone. Sorry you too."
Both of them stopped and looked at her as she walked way.
Riko frowned and pointed at Igarashi.
"Look at what you did"
Igarashi blinked.
"What!? Me?"
***
It was mid afternoon, and every student from Kyoto High had packed up their stuff. It was the end of the school day after all. The sky had turned a deep orange as Yuki's shadow stretched across the street.
Up ahead, she saw Igarashi Kenji . he ran swiftly down the street, and when Yuki noticed, she quickened her own pace as well.
While trying to catch up to him, she looked down at her bag and saw the chocolate box he gifted her was still in her bag.
She ran forward and yelled.
"Igarashi Wait up, i just want to thank you for the chocolates!" she called, hurrying.
But it seemed he didn't hear her at all. Yuki soon realized she couldn't keep up with him at all. Then, with a stroke of luck he turned into a narrow alleyway. This was her chance to get his attention. However, as soon as she stepped into the alleyway, her breath caught.
"Igarashi...?!"
She couldn't believe her eyes. Kenji had vanished into thin air, leaving only his clothes on the ground. The sight of his clothes tore through her mind. She remembered her last conversation with Kenji, and how he had mentioned the disappearances that had been plaguing the city. She gritted her teeth as her body collapsed onto the concrete floor, and in that moment, her world turned upside down.
"No… no, no… Igarashi!!!"