"Unclocky"

Then his hand lowered again, the trembling returned.

"L-Let's go." He muttered, without looking back and then walked off on his own.

With each step, his feet fumbled more number of times, even buckling a few times.

The walls around Keta appeared stripped of colour.

"Hm, let's go." Starting on a slow pace, Keta soon caught up with Orahashi.

The laboratory door slid open smoothly. Orahashi entered first.

"Stop." Someone froze him, aiming the stylus at his face. Then up, at the clock.

"What time is it?" The person leaned against the wooden desk, the floor creaking with the weight of his feet.

"Um, Ozamu?"

Someone from the right side called. It was a soft murmur but Keta heard it loud and clear, even with the fans rattling.

Orahashi's head nearly touched his knees.

"It won't happen twice." He bowed to the man. The girl at the back looked at him..

"Ozamu?"

"I hope it doesn't." The man spoke and gestured his fingers inside his palm.

Orahashi understood the gesture, walking in.

"That wasn't for you."

The man pointed his stylus at Keta's face. He nodded in negative. "Who're you anyway?"

Keta put his hands in front, stepping back.

"First year student, Keta." He bowed lightly.

From the corner Orahashi gazed at him, sitting upright on his white chair. His fingers brushed against the blue-white wall, making circles around it.

"There's this proverb you see.." The man sighed, biting his lips as he turned his gaze from Keta the silent, blank faces.

"Late-comers are late-growers. Anybody know what this means?" He curled his tongue inside, fidgeting with the pen in hand.

The class remained unfazed at this.

"Huh, so nobody knows." The man sighed. "Well, that's your homework for today." He gave a pseudogrin, again turning towards Keta.

"Come, come. There's no use of you standing."

Once given the permit, Keta walked in, hands clasped against his thighs. The class started naturally then. While he adjusted his way towards a empty desk in between two desks, the teacher turned to the board writing the heading as 'Linear Equations. '

Unlike others Keta had a lot to write and he'd even missed a lot, naturally he'd have to write in triple speed than others.

If only they didn't check and grade note-taking. He thought.

A few moments passed, class was nearly half-way to its end. Keta put his head down for a while.

"Feeling down, Keta?"

"Yes sir.."

"Aaand, is it because of the loitering?"

Once again, Keta was out of words. Unlike Orahashi who'd apologized, there was nothing Keta could do the same for. He couldn't make up a lie and just shove it too him. Afterall he was one who'd agreed to go along Orahashi without considering any of the consequences.

"I was helping Orahashi find the office." Still he just couldn't keep quiet like a criminal being found out, pointing towards the last corner, he made Orahashi stand up.

"He did." Orahashi nodded, and the teacher looked convinced enough.

"Sure I get it." He turned around, returning to his board. As his stylus touched the smooth surface, his lips grew apart.

"Uh, so, I said Linear means power of the equation's one right? Well that only applies to..."

However Keta didn't listen further. Old stuff. He shrugged, putting his head down. It felt heavy and oddly enough.. he felt himself getting colder in his forehead.

—

"... 3 and 6."

"What sir?"

"4 and 5."

"Wasn't it—"

"Ugh, just do it. Whichever you want!"

A loud bang of a hard object followed the yell. Unexpectedly, Keta happened to wake up while a student was getting scolded. His eyes were groggy and his head was a sack of wheat.

He already finished the chapter? Keta rubbed his eyes, the board attracted it. The last page of the chapter had been marked completed and some pretty hard word problems were marked for the students.

It's the first day only and he's skimming through the entire syllabus.

"Let's see.." his voice came out as a hoarse murmur, he put his chin on his palm, reading the problem from a considerable distance.

The answer's gotta be 78/67 and...

His eyes immediately moved upwards, another marked problem.

..this one's 12.67 Yen. They're different in types but the process's same.

"That was a good warm up." He stretched his legs below. The teacher didn't seem to notice a head starting to move.

"—Hm?"

Keta looked at him, he was still busy, ranting on the poor student for one hearing mistake.

I... His mouth widened into a yawn, while he looked around. Out of nowhere, a faint ringing started to echo in his ear.

They all seem fine, and Yet—

Yet no one seemed to bother, not even react to it at the slightest.

TICK... TICK... TICK...

It became louder than before. But wait, did it tick or ring? Keta looked confused. His head continued to search for its source until..

40:9?

He looked at the clock. It was reversed. The ticks were louder, the hour hand moved faster than the minute hand.

Is that even a clock? Keta sat frozen, his eyes at that moment were glued on the ticking box nailed above the board.

"What's even more weird is.." Keta couldn't say it aloud. Something inside him sensed danger. His sixth sense rushed his brain to turning his neck back.

Almost all the heads were moving, nodding and bobbing. Except one, that stood still, at the last. It was a red-head. It smiled, once Keta turned back.

Asuka... Miori. Keta closed his lips. Miori's gaze remained unchanged, only aimed at him.

What did I do?

Keta wanted to turn back. His breathing slowed and his skin throbbed with warning.

Miori's smile widened even more. She looked up at him. No one paid her any attention, as if she was never there.

Am I going to get cursed?

The thought trembled his torso, but it was quiet. Even the person sitting at a finger's length wouldn't be able to notice.

She was harmless. She was... Friendly. She looked like—

"Miori?"

Keta broke off in cold sweat. His breath hitched a moment before catching up with the previous rhythm again.

"Orahashi-san, I have a favor to ask."

Miori leaned down with a twist of her expression.

Keta looked over his right. Orahashi stood, between his and another boy's desk.

"I don't entertain favours."

Miori frowned at this. "But we're classmates, what's wrong with one fav—"

"Maybe you didn't hear me." Orahashi took a sharp step, worrying some of the boys sitting around.

"Dude, it's just one favour."

One of them stood up, fear stroke his face.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed, Orahashi, you know that right?"

Orahashi stilled. His eyes faltered and his resolve weakened.

"What's it now, you people having a fight?"

The teacher suddenly realised that the attention has shifted from him and to someone else.

A one-sided one. Keta stood up, the earlier nervousness completely fading out of his face.

"Miori-chan, say it. Orahashi doesn't mind."

The boy turned towards the redhead, his eyes shimmering. More heads turned towards them.

Orahashi tried looking back, but the teacher was already gone. The bell rang minutes ago.

Hopeless, he looked back again. "Ask.."

His face was pointed to the ground, hating to meet her eyes.

"I'll be forever grateful for this.." Miori spoke dryly, with a soft grin on her face that spoke more than she did.

The class went quiet, as a weird smell filled the room. Keta took a deep back from his seat, walked towards the window and observed the situation from there.

I wonder if it's really a favour that she's asking for.

Keta suspected more than just a simple 'request'. What seemed more weird were the students, all of them sounded almost the same. Their tone and their expressions.

They're in sync, to say the least.

Keta noted.

Something about that smile tugged at him.

She was smiling, but not at Orahashi. Neither at anyone around him.

She's smiling at me.