Chapter 36 – Almost Normal Again
Two weeks later—
life somehow continued.
Which honestly felt strange after everything that happened.
After funerals.
After blood.
After grief.
After dead best friends returning alive.
But humans were terrifyingly good at adapting.
And slowly—
everyone started breathing again.
---
HVIS returned to chaos as usual.
Students ran through hallways.
Teachers screamed about assignments nobody completed.
Cin got banned from bringing instant noodles into class again.
Rory nearly killed Endrix for stealing his fries.
Denzel and Grace were disgustingly soft together now thanks to JJ's meddling.
And Section E?
Still loud enough to give people headaches.
Which honestly meant things were healing.
A little.
---
The Bond Nobody Questioned
The biggest change however—
was Keifer and JJ.
Nobody even teased them seriously anymore.
Because whatever existed between them now—
went way beyond flirting.
It was obvious in small things.
The way Keifer automatically reached for JJ in crowded hallways.
The way JJ leaned into him without realizing.
How he carried her bag when she got tired.
How she fixed his tie absentmindedly during assemblies.
How his younger brothers now treated JJ like permanent family.
Nobody asked if they were dating anymore.
Because honestly?
Labels felt unnecessary at this point.
Even Angelo stopped threatening Keifer every six seconds.
Well—
reduced it to every twelve seconds.
Progress.
---
Yuri Hanamitchi Returns From The Dead
The real chaos happened Monday morning.
Because apparently the universe enjoyed drama.
Section E sat half asleep waiting for class to begin when the classroom door opened.
And Yuri Hanamitchi walked in casually.
Alive.
Red-haired.
Breathing.
The entire class froze.
One girl screamed.
Someone dropped their phone.
Cin stood dramatically on his chair yelling:
"HE HAS RISEN."
"Sit down," Rory muttered immediately.
"No THIS IS CINEMA."
Even the teacher looked terrified.
"…Hanamitchi?"
Yuri nodded politely.
"Good morning."
The teacher blinked repeatedly like he saw a ghost.
"…weren't you dead?"
Yuri answered calmly:
"Temporary condition."
JJ choked on her juice immediately.
Keifer buried his face into his hands tiredly.
Percy looked proud for absolutely no reason.
Within ten minutes—
the entire school already knew.
Yuri Hanamitchi was alive.
And naturally—
rumors exploded.
"He survived a mafia attack."
"No he was in a secret military camp."
"He became an assassin."
"He lost his memories."
"He joined a cult."
Cin contributed at least seven fake rumors personally.
---
Rooftop Chaos
Lunch break became absolute madness.
Section A and E occupied the rooftop together again.
Rakhi was yelling at Cin.
Grace fed Denzel fries.
Ella calmly listened to Aries complain about everyone's existence.
Kiko kept asking Yuri if he actually killed people.
Yuri calmly answered:
"Yes."
JJ sat on the rooftop ledge eating ramen peacefully while Keifer sat beside her.
"You're enjoying this too much," Keifer muttered.
JJ grinned.
"Watching everyone malfunction over Yuri is healing me spiritually."
Yuri sat nearby reading a book like he didn't destroy the school population emotionally this morning.
Percy suddenly threw an arm around him dramatically.
"MY DEAD BEST FRIEND IS BACK."
"You say that sentence too casually," Felix muttered.
JJ laughed softly.
And Keifer immediately looked at her.
Because that sound—
that genuine laugh—
had become his favorite thing recently.
He didn't even hide it anymore.
JJ noticed immediately.
"…why are you staring at me like that?"
Keifer smirked slightly.
"You're cute when you laugh."
JJ nearly dropped her ramen.
"Gago."
Keifer immediately leaned closer.
"Profanity."
JJ pointed a fork threateningly.
"Touch me and I'll stab you with noodles."
"Worth it."
Cin whispered emotionally toward Rory:
"They're disgusting."
"Agreed."
---
The Things Nobody Notices
But while everyone laughed—
JJ suddenly felt dizzy again.
Sharp.
Sudden.
The rooftop tilted slightly for half a second.
Her hand instinctively grabbed the railing tighter.
Nobody noticed.
Not even Keifer.
JJ blinked slowly until the dizziness passed.
Then smiled again immediately like nothing happened.
Because she was getting good at hiding it now.
Too good.
The headaches.
The dizziness.
The moments where her hands shook slightly.
The exhaustion.
It happened more often lately.
And every single time—
she remembered the hospital.
Ten months.
Maybe less now.
The thought made her chest tighten quietly.
But then Percy started fighting Cin over stolen chicken again.
And chaos returned instantly.
So JJ pushed the fear away.
Again.
---
Small Quiet Moments
Later after classes—
JJ sat alone under the large tree near the sports field writing letters again.
Care.
Lyra.
Her safe place before everything became complicated.
She smiled softly while writing.
"Keifer is still annoyingly handsome unfortunately…"
A shadow suddenly appeared over her notebook.
Keifer.
Of course.
"What are you writing?"
JJ immediately closed the notebook dramatically.
"State secrets."
Keifer sat beside her anyway.
"You always smile while writing those letters."
JJ softened slightly.
"They're important people."
Keifer nodded quietly.
No jealousy this time.
Because now—
he trusted her.
And maybe that mattered more.
JJ looked toward the sunset slowly.
Peaceful.
Warm.
Almost normal.
Then suddenly—
another wave of dizziness hit.
Stronger.
Her vision blurred for a second.
Keifer frowned immediately.
"You okay?"
JJ forced a grin instantly.
"Yeah."
Lie.
But Keifer accepted it because he had no reason not to.
Not yet.
So instead—
he simply pulled her closer gently.
JJ rested against him quietly.
And for a moment—
everything felt okay again.
Even if secretly—
time was already running out.