Chapter 10 Staring Down the Empty Hallway

Before Shujinko and Makiko could take more than a few steps, a loud shout echoed down the hallway.

"Hey! Wait up for me!"

They turned just in time to see their friend barreling toward them at full speed. His messy hair bounced with every stride, and his signature grin was plastered across his face. Before they could react, he lunged at them, throwing his arms around their shoulders and pulling them into an awkward, three-way hug.

"Hey, what's up, Shujinko? Hanging out with your two girlfriends? Living the dream, huh? You lucky dog." 

He winked at Makiko, who rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a small smile.

Then, leaning closer to Makiko, he teased, "Aren’t you jealous, though? Sharing Shujinko with the Professor? Maybe I should just snatch him for myself! Hahaha!" 

His laughter echoed down the hallway, loud and unrestrained.

Before anyone could respond, another voice boomed from the far end of the corridor.

"Hey! Oi! Tomoichi! Akarui Tomoichi! Get back here! I’m not done lecturing you! And no running in the hallways!"

Akarui’s eyes widened in mock horror as he glanced over his shoulder. 

"Oh shit, he’s still chasing me! Guys, we gotta bail before he catches me! Trust me, you do not want to get involved in this mess!"

"Akarui, what did you do this time?" Shujinko asked.

"Ha, I bet he was sneaking to class after being late, as always." 

"Guys, let's leave questions for later and more running, if he catches us, we will listen to his crap for another hour!"

With that, he grabbed Shujinko’s wrist and yanked him forward, urging Makiko to follow. The trio scrambled down the hallway, their footsteps echoing in unison as they rounded the corner, running away from the stern-faced man who had been pursuing Akarui.

The man, clearly out of breath, stopped in front of Professor Ichiban, who had been observing the scene. He straightened his posture and lowered his head in a bow.

As the two continued their conversation, Shujinko, Makiko, and Akarui peeked out from around the corner, watching the exchange.

"Phew, that was close," Akarui whispered, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow.

  "Thanks for the save, guys. My brother’s a real 'stick in the butt' when it comes to rules. If he’d caught me, I’d be scrubbing the gym floor for a week! He’s taking this whole gate security thing way too seriously."

Makiko crossed her arms and gave him a pointed look. 

"Then maybe you should stop climbing over walls like a big monkey and sneaking onto campus. Just a thought. Or what? You gonna start stealing bananas next, monkey boy?"

Shujinko sighed, shaking his head.

  "Makiko is right. Akarui, you need to follow the rules. You can’t keep making trouble like this. And speaking of trouble, we should be going—the lecture is about to begin."

Akarui teased, leaning back casually.

  "Jeez, it’s kinda rich coming from someone who’s dating Professor. Talking about following rules? Really?"

Shujinko’s face flushed red. 

"I’m not dating Professor Ichiban! How many times do I have to tell you? It’s not like that! I admire her intellect, her brilliant mind."

"Sure, sure, man. Keep telling that to yourself."

Before Shujinko could retort, Makiko interjected, "Enough, you two. Let’s just get to class before we’re late."

The trio hurried into the lecture hall and took their seats. Just when the bell rang Professor Ichiban walked in. She was as composed as ever, her sharp eyes scanning the room as she placed her notes on the podium. The class fell silent, eager to begin.

But just as she opened her mouth to start the lecture, her phone rang—a sharp, insistent tone that cut through the quiet. The entire class froze, staring as Professor Ichiban’s usual calm demeanor faltered. Her face paled, and she quickly reached for her phone, ignoring the fact that she was in the middle of a lecture.

"Kaiju? I’m listening. What is it?" 

A moment of silence followed, and then her expression darkened. 

"What? It reacted!?"

Another silent moment followed as she listened.

 "God damn it, Kaiju, not on the phone! I’ll be there in 20 minutes. Keep monitoring until I get there."

She hung up and turned to the class, her usual composure replaced by a tense urgency.

  "Everyone, listen up. I’ve got a situation at Helios 9. Self-study for the rest of the period. And don’t cause any trouble."

Without another word, she grabbed her bag and rushed out of the room, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. The class erupted into murmurs, everyone speculating about what could have possibly shaken the Professor.

Shujinko didn’t hesitate. He shot up from his seat and bolted after her, ignoring Akarui’s whisper, "Hey, where are you going?!" and Makiko’s sigh, "Ugh, here we go again."

By the time he stepped into the hallway, Professor Ichiban was already gone. The corridor was eerily empty, the sound of her footsteps having vanished as if she’d disappeared into thin air. Shujinko stood there, his heart pounding, a mix of confusion and concern swirling in his chest.

"What the hell is going on? Did something serious happened?" he muttered to himself, staring down the empty hallway. 

Helios 9? Reacted? The words echoed in his mind, but he had no idea what they meant. All he knew was that something big—something dangerous—was happening, and Professor Ichiban was at the center of it.

Back in the classroom, Akarui leaned back in his chair, whistling low.

  "Well, that was dramatic. What do you think’s going on, Makiko?"

She frowned, her gaze fixed on the door Shujinko had just disappeared through.

  "I don’t know, but it’s not good. Professor Ichiban doesn’t just drop everything and run like that. Something’s wrong."

Akarui’s usual playful demeanor faded for a moment, replaced by a rare seriousness. 

"You think Shujinko’s gonna be okay? He looked pretty freaked out. I hope he isn't thinking about running after her."

Makiko sighed, crossing her arms.

  "He’ll be fine. But knowing him, he’s probably going to try to figure out what’s going on—and that’s what worries me."

Meanwhile, Shujinko stood in the hallway, his mind racing. He didn’t know what to do next, but one thing was clear: he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. 

He returned to the classroom, concerned. He slumped into his seat between Akarui and Makiko, running a hand through his hair as he let out a heavy sigh.

"She’s gone. Something serious must’ve happened. We’re talking about an emergency at Helios 9. That’s not just some minor incident—it’s big."

Akarui leaned forward, his usual playful demeanor replaced by genuine curiosity.

  "Woh! You're jumping a gun here, buddy. Emergency? Helios 9? What was it again? Some kind of secret lab? A military base? Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie. Besides, we don't even know if it is really something serious."

Makiko tapped her chin thoughtfully.

  "Helios 9…  It’s a high-security research facility, isn’t it? They deal with advanced technology and experimental projects. I wonder what happened?"

Shujinko shook his head, "I don’t know, but she looked… scared. I’ve never seen her like that before. Whatever’s going on, it’s bad."

Akarui whistled low, leaning back in his chair. 

"Man, this is getting intense. First, she bolts out of here like her life depends on it, and now we’re talking about secret facilities and emergencies. What do you think happened? Some kind of experiment gone wrong. A breach? Or maybe—" He paused dramatically, lowering his voice to a whisper. 

"—aliens?"

Makiko rolled her eyes. 

"Aliens? Really, Akarui? Thats the best you got? A conspiracy theory?"

"Hey, you never know! Stranger things have happened. But seriously, what are we supposed to do now? Just sit here and pretend everything’s normal? Let go out in town, explore a bit." Akarui shot back, grinning.