'Pinky Promise'

"Get in, Keta. Sensei could be here anytime soon."

Orahashi opened the door looking out, and found Keta strolling.

"I was about to do that." Keta pushed Orahashi's finger away from the knob, entering and closing the door at once.

"Where were you anyway?"

Both walked, through the heavy crowd. Keta's skin started to feel warm and sweaty.

"At the staffroom. I'd something to ask."

Saying that Keta pulled the chair away, lowering himself to sit down.

"Logging In. Please wait."

He pressed the startup button beside the power button and scanned his thumb on the green scanner, a bit above it.

"A password's more secure than that."

Orahashi peeked from above his shoulder.

His eyes hovered over the screen, watching him do the routine check-up.

"Is it really worth it? Isn't once in a week enough?"

Keta's fingers continued to tap across several settings in practiced precision while he tilted his face.

"Not enough for me."

Orahashi looked away after that, "I see."

Minutes later the students silently rushed to their seats and the noise died immediately when the door clicked.

"Good afternoon, sir."

All of them said in a chorus. The teacher seemed to ignore it and just waved them to sit.

"What was the topic yesterday?"

He said while arranging the books on the table.

"... Cell."

Somebody said from the back. The teacher suddenly looked up.

"That's from three days ago." He accused, startling the student. "I know, you didn't remember what was done yesterday and told whatever came to your mind, isn't it?"

".. no. "

The girl whimpered."I-I.. "

"Composition of cell."

The teacher corrected, his finger gripping the chalk as he turned to walk towards the black board, "Next time, I write a note and you get it signed. Okay?"

As if proposing a plan, the teacher flicked his thumb up.

"O-Okay.. "

The girl blindly nodded and breathed a sigh when his gaze turned away from her.

"We got Tadano 2.0, guys."

Someone jokingly whispered. Thankfully, only the students got the ear of it.

"So last day, we learned that a cell consists of three primary components namely.. "

The sound of pens clicking against the screen faintly echoed. Only the rattling of the fans and the sound of chalk, seemed to fill in the hollow atmosphere.

—

2:05 PM.

CLICK.

Keta pressed the volume button of his desk, then turned the screen off.

"No signal." The screen went black except a single blue text.

"Hibernation Mode."

Then the sound of CPU fans faded from his ears, eventually stopping.

"Notes taken, dear?"

Keta suddenly paused, turning his head. Lips shut tight.

"Yes sir."

The teacher nodded and then focused back on the daily record.

"... Keta-kun."

"What..?"

Keta let a whisper come out, despite the danger standing in front.

"Next day—at the cafeteria— me, you, eat there."

Strictly cutting to the point, Orhashi used single words that'd sound useless unless interpreted with prior knowledge of his intent.

"Done. "

Keta reluctantly agreed, showing a thumbs below.

RIIING—

"Pack up!"

The teacher's head rose up for a brief moment before leaning down again.

"One by one, starting from the first row. Get out." He sighed, putting the biology book down.

Something's troubling him. Keta noted before walking along his classmates outside the door.

The class emptied gradually, leaving only a single man, who sighed endlessly.

The last one to get out, slid all the curtains, letting fresh air and warm light fill in the empty space.

—

Outside, only a mere four to five students remained, strolling in the corridor. They laughed, made expressions and even joked.

So much fun. The thought revealed no emotion out of Keta. Some uneven subtle taps against the floor aside, only his firm steps echoed.

He crossed them and started stepping down the stairs.

An odd feeling tugged at the back of his mind.

"Feels empty, all of a sudden." He remarked calmly.

A moment later the second set of stairs almost finished, the ground floor exit came into view.

No.

Keta abruptly stopped mid-stair, eyes scanning around the walls and the lockers in front.

It's weird.

The silence that'd been ringing in his ear for a while just doubled in volume, even the slightest sound of movement was absent.

STEP.

He stepped down. "It smells too.." Keta instinctively turned to his right, where light from the glass exit couldn't reach.

"It's coming from there."

Keta turned beside a locker, leaving the light behind. His shadow was barely visible now, as if covered by another shadow.

"Old and useless lockers— all stacked behind the useful ones."

He murmured, looking for the source of this smell.

STEP.

Keta stopped, his eyes adjusting to a new ray of light.

"A washroom.."

He looked at W.C. sign, "No it's a bathroom."

It's stronger. And, now that I really think about it..

Pausing against the rusted ajar door, Keta pushed it inside.

... It smells like rot.

Below his feet was source of it. The toilet pot lay a bit further than it, covered in yellow ochre, the original white texture seemed to erode.

The floor smelled like saliva and blood mixed. With a pungent, drain-like smell emitting from inside the bathroom, Keta was forced to step back. Until..

"This is.."

Beside the lower hinge of the door, was a small pale twig-like thing stuck. Since the hinge of the door matched the texture on the floor, Keta couldn't discern it apart.

Smells blood.. and, looks.. fresh.

Just for the sake of his curiosity, he lowered his head. It was a twig, that looked a finger.

Pale, colourless at the top, the nail was missing too.

It's a finger, no doubt.

No sooner Keta realised that, his nose tightened. His own Pinky finger stopped responding.

Keta looked up. Blood dripped on his nose.

It trickled down, to his lips.

Without hesitation, Keta's lips parted open. Letting the drop in.

Why did I do that?

Instantly he spit it, outside the small window above the toilet tank.

"It's salty. Fresh too."

The taste alerted him. If it was fresh, that meant it could be recent.

"Keta-kun."

Keta's breath hitched and heart almost stopped.

He turned around.

"No one.."

Did they hide or something? Like the moment I turned.. Keta's thought trailed off.

And just when he turned back..

"The window.. is closed?"

The saliva dried from his lips. The window wasn't closed before. How did the spit get out, if it was?

"Did I— no, I couldn't have done it."

The handle of the window was broken. He was sure that air wasn't the culprit here and if anything...

Was that a distraction? To close this window?

He remembered the voice calling out his name. Almost sounded like Orahashi except it was stripped of his tone.

Keta didn't speak anymore, walking steadily back to where he came from, he changed his shoes there and pushed the gate to walk out.

Not my business.

The thought was convincing. For him, atleast.