The two hurried up the side stairwell that led to the locked rooftop door.
In anime, students often seemed free to go up to the rooftop whenever they pleased, but in reality, those doors were always shut tight, and the keys to unlock them were in the hands of security or maintenance staff only.
Fortunately, Eri had been clever enough to steal a key from the maintenance crew and make a copy at a local locksmith. Why? Because their group needed a place to gather. They'd grown tired of loitering in stairwells, blocking the way, and constantly being scolded.
"So, what's going on, Eri?"
For her to pull him out of class halfway through, it had to be something serious. Whatever the hell it was that drove Eri to act like this, it was worrying, but Nobita couldn't help finding it a little amusing too.
"It's a bit complicated... Maybe I worry about nothing... But, let's just see it first, yeah?"
"Um... Sure, we are already here, so why not?"
Eri turned the key, and the lock clicked open. She pushed open the heavy door, and a burst of morning light spilled through. A strong gust swept past them as pigeons scattered from the roof tiles. Squinting against the glare, they raised their hands to shield their eyes from the sun, until a familiar voice rang out.
"Aha, finally! Now we're all here."
Camera in hand, the prodigy Eiichi stood near the railing, waiting with the others.
Nobita adjusted Fuuko in his arms and glanced around the rooftop. Everyone else was already there, gathered with the same restless anticipation for an explanation. A few waved at him, others gave a quiet nod.
Their group was an odd bunch, each from different classes, bound by one thing: the supernatural. Every one of them had a story, a connection to something outside the ordinary world. And all those strange things had connected the group together.
"Let's get this meeting started."
Eiichi's unusually serious tone, paired with the dramatic gathering in a rooftop setting, made Nobita almost laugh. It felt straight out of a thriller drama, or a high school rom-com. Nobita shook his head and reached out to scratch Fuuko under the chin, distracting himself before he burst out laughing.
The others from classes B, C, D: Miki, Ream, Suneo, Kenichi were all present as well. It was rare for the whole group to come together like this outside of study sessions for exams or their usual Discord chats, which could only mean something urgent was at hand.
Nobita walked with Eri toward Miki. The strange, round, brown-furred creature in her arms, Mojacko, leapt free, waving at Fuuko. With Nobita's nod, Fuuko darted off happily to play with it.
"So, Eiichi, what's the story this time? Another girl caught your eye?"
The dry, teasing remark came from Ream, who was leaning against a stack of wooden crates with her arms crossed. Her jab drew a few chuckles from the others, though Eiichi himself didn't react.
Passionate about inventing, Eiichi took on all sorts of odd jobs to fund his hobby. One of those jobs landed him the role of cameraman for a girl trying to start her modeling career. Unfortunately, Eiichi's personality didn't mesh with hers at all. The result? Let's just say... It was a comical disaster. The group always bring it up every now and then to tease him.
Normally, Eiichi took the jokes in stride. But today, his easygoing demeanor was gone. He exhaled heavily, rubbed his shoulder, then dropped onto one of the plastic chairs Miki had smuggled up from the sports equipment room.
"You should be asking Suneo that question." Eiichi muttered. Then his tone shifted. "Anyway… a few days ago, I was working at a restaurant, shooting some photos for their menu. And while I was there, I overheard some customers talking about the recent cases of wild animal attacks across Japan."
The group formed a loose circle, quietly listening. The news has been reporting such attacks frequently this week. And yeah, it was unsettling. After all, Japan rarely had wild animals assaulting humans. In fact, before this recent wave, the last major case of a wild animal attacking people was several years ago, when a lion escaped and caused chaos in Nerima before the authorities managed to subdue it.
Of course, that was only what the newspapers had reported. Everyone in the group knew the truth, that Nobita and Doraemon had used a gadget to return the lion to Africa. The incident was one Suneo often retold, not to praise Nobita, but to tease him, especially about his "failed Tarzan cosplay" afterward.
"Yeah, I've heard those reports too. Creepy stuff." Kenichi said. Eiichi nodded sharply.
"Right? Sure, wild animals sometimes attack people, but not this often. And usually, it's because the victim provoked them first, not like these random cases… That said, I didn't pay much attention at first. But hearing those customers go on about it piqued my curiosity. So, when I got home, I started digging around online and asked my photographer friends if they knew anything... Then one guy in my Line group sent me this."
The group pulled their chairs closer and leaned in as Eiichi set his phone down. Their eyes widened in shock at the grisly images on the screen.
A body sprawled on the ground, skin drawn tight over bone, as if all life had been drained away. Judging by the gear, the victim had been a hiker, fully equipped for the outdoors.
"A... a corpse? Why would you friend send something like this?!"
Kenichi's voice trembled, but Ream ignored his fear, calmly swiping through more photos. Each one revealed more bodies, severely decayed, skin mottled with deep bruises, peeling in patches.
The resolution was poor, blurred by distance, but Nobita could tell: these people hadn't simply attacked. They'd been savaged too. Slashes, deep cuts, and worst of all, wounds straight across the carotid. With streaks of dried blood staining the victim's neck, it was clear that whatever attacked them had gone straight for a fatal blow.
"You sure these aren't doctored? The corpses look way too decomposed, while the news reports about these attacks only started surfacing recently."
Ream's calm tone grounded them. It was true, it could very well just be someone spreading doctored images to attract attention. Social media was, after all, rife with misinformation and hoaxes.
"It could be..." Eiichi admitted. "But this guy... I have known him for years, so I think he can be trusted. Besides, he's provided some other evidence too... The guy said he was out in Hachiōji shooting landscapes when he stumbled upon a military convoy. They'd fenced off an area with barbed wire and steel barriers. Curiosity got the better of him, so he snuck in, that's how he got these shots. Look, you can even see soldiers and staff in hazmat suits in the background of this picture."
The images showed trained soldiers in gas masks, while government specialists in white hazmat suits surveyed the area. The insignia on their uniforms clearly identified them as members of the Japan Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The involvement of both the military and disease-control specialists in what were supposedly animal attacks… was unusual. Still, given how frequently these incidents had been occurring, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
"All right, what else? Did he say anything more?"
"A sec."
Ream leaned forward as Eiichi scrolled through the chat. One message included a link to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's missing persons reports.
"He also pointed out a recent string of missing hikers and campers near Mount Takao. The first report was filed over a month ago. Then I checked back with the photos... See? They're clearly wearing hiking boots, outdoor gear. Some even had trekking poles."
The camping equipment lay scattered beside the bodies confirmed it. Many of the items were stained with dried blood, and some of the metal trekking poles bore deep scratches, as if they'd been used in a desperate struggle for survival.
As the group examined the images, Suneo caught on to a detail.
"Wait... did you say a month ago?"
"Yeah… and he's found more missing persons cases besides these too. The photos are only from the most recent ones. Which means these attacks have been happening far longer than we thought."
Ream frowned. If this is not fake, then indeed something about this didn't add up. Animal attacks and people missing on this scale should've been front-page news. Yet the media have only started focusing on them recently. Why was the public just now learning about them, when these incidents had been happening for months?
If all the cases were limited to the area around Mount Takao, then perhaps we can blame it on environmental disruption, or human encroachment making wildlife aggressive. But now, with scattered cases cropping up across Japan like in the news… it suggested something else entirely.
"So, what does your friend think? He also believes these are just a series of wild animal attacks?" Nobita crossed his arms and asked.
"Kinda, it's suspicious, sure, but he doesn't think much of it." Eiichi shrugged.
"I mean… logically, it's the simplest explanation. But c'mon, soldiers and hazmat teams? That's pushing it man. My gut is telling me something's about to happen..."
"Take it easy Eri! Maybe you just overthink it..." Nobita patted her on the shoulder.
"It's not overthinking you know..."
Eri mumbled and puffed her cheeks. Still, she didn't argue, just stretched a little before glancing up at the sky. Heavy gray clouds were drifting toward central Tokyo. The rainy season was about to begin, and downpours were certain to strike in the coming days.
"I'm more surprised the guy actually made it out alive." Kenichi joked.
But his humor did little to ease the tension. Miki let out a sigh, shifting her posture as the wind began to pick up. By now, Mojacko had returned, curling up in her arms and soaking in the warmth against the growing chill in the air. Fuuko fluttered back to Nobita, who pulled her close to his chest.
The gusts grew sharper. A storm was on its way.