The next day felt almost peaceful.
The sky was clear, the air warm — the kind of morning that made the world look normal again.
But peace, Akira had learned, never lasted.
---
He arrived at school earlier than usual, hoping to erase yesterday's memory.
The hallway lights flickered slightly as he walked — one bulb buzzing faintly above his head.
When he reached his locker, he noticed something strange.
A small red streak near the keyhole.
He froze.
His fingers hesitated on the lock.
Then, slowly, he opened it.
For a second, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him.
Inside, hanging from the hook where he kept his bag, was a small plastic bag… dripping red.
It burst open the moment he touched it.
Something soft hit the floor — a lump of raw meat, still fresh, still bleeding.
And inside it… was a folded paper.
Akira's breath caught.
He unfolded it carefully, the paper wet with crimson stains.
> "You can't wash away blood, Akira. It follows you."
"It always will."
---
The bell rang, echoing through the hall.
A few students nearby noticed the mess, and once again, whispers began to spread like wildfire.
He saw their expressions twist from disgust to horror.
"Again?"
"Why does it always happen around him?"
"Maybe he really likes blood."
He clenched his jaw, walked away silently, and didn't look back.
---
At lunch, the entire school buzzed with rumors.
But Akira wasn't listening to any of it.
He was staring at his phone — at the text that had arrived an hour ago.
> "Did you like the surprise?"
He typed back instantly:
> "What do you want from me?"
No reply.
Only the sound of rain starting to fall outside, tapping softly against the windows.
---
Meanwhile, in another classroom on the upper floor, a girl was standing by the window — the same prodigy girl from before.
Her hand trembled as she read something on her phone.
A message.
> "You told him not to reveal you. But what if I do?"
Her pupils shrank. She typed furiously.
> "Who are you?!"
No response.
Her fingers tightened around the phone. For the first time, her calm, perfect mask cracked — fear flashed in her eyes.
---
After school, Akira stayed behind again. The halls were empty, the rain heavier now.
He walked past the classrooms, his footsteps echoing, when he heard it —
a faint, rhythmic tapping from somewhere nearby.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He followed the sound to the old storage room behind the gym — a place students rarely entered.
The door was slightly open.
Akira hesitated… then pushed it.
Inside, it was dark. Dust floated in the air.
He took a slow step forward — and that's when he saw it.
A single candle burned on a desk in the center of the room.
And around it…
Photos.
Dozens of photos of him.
Walking. Eating. Sitting in class. Looking out the window.
Every angle, every moment, secretly taken.
And in the middle — a large photo of his face, slashed across with red ink.
Below it, a message scrawled in shaky letters:
> "YOU TOOK A LIFE. NOW WATCH YOURS DISAPPEAR."
---
The candle flickered suddenly, as if something moved behind him.
He spun around.
But the doorway was empty.
Only silence.
Only his pounding heartbeat.
---
By the time the teachers arrived — alerted by the smell of burning — the room was empty.
The candle was out.
The photos were gone.
Only one thing remained on the desk:
a single torn piece of paper with a new message.
> "You can't save her this time."
---
Akira stared at it, his hands cold.
He didn't know who "her" meant.
But deep down, something in his chest told him the truth —
and the thought made his blood run cold.
---
End of Chapter 4