📖 Chapter 1: The First Bell

The school gate creaked open like it always did, but today… it felt different.

The same dusty morning breeze brushed across the courtyard. The same faded posters fluttered on the notice board. But for Hayato, it felt like stepping into a memory rather than the start of another school year.

Final year. One last ride.

"Oi, Hayato!" a loud voice called from behind.

He didn’t have to turn. Only Sanemi yelled like that this early in the morning.

Hayato grinned and turned, catching Sanemi mid-jump as he attempted to throw his bag across his shoulder with too much force. As usual, it slipped and nearly smacked a first-year student.

“Still can’t handle that bag of bricks?” Hayato smirked.

Sanemi rolled his eyes. “It’s not the bag. It’s gravity betraying me every damn time.”

Hina appeared next, running toward them while waving her arms dramatically. “You two! You didn’t wait for me again!”

She pouted, her cheeks puffed in mock anger. Her pink notebook was clutched tightly in her hand — no one ever saw her without it. She called it "The Memory Catcher.” Everything she wanted to remember went into that notebook. A quote, a laugh, even a tear.

Moments later, Yuri arrived quietly, walking a few steps behind. She smiled softly and nodded. “I brought snacks,” she whispered, holding out a small paper bag.

“Bless you,” Sanemi said like he was receiving treasure.

They walked toward the building together — four friends, so different from one another, yet perfectly synced. Like puzzle pieces that didn’t look like they’d fit, but somehow did.

---

In Classroom 4-E

Their classroom hadn’t changed. The same crack on the back wall. The same chalkboard that squeaked when used. The same wooden desks — now carved with years of boredom and teenage rebellion.

Hayato sat by the window, just like every year. That was his spot. Hina took the seat in front of him. Yuri sat next to her, and Sanemi… well, he just wandered until a teacher yelled at him to sit down.

The class buzzed with excitement. Everyone was talking about college entrance exams, final-year events, and how this would be “the year of memories.”

But something felt… off.

The door slid open.

“Good morning,” said a stern voice. It was Mr. Kagawa, their homeroom teacher — and he was not alone.

A tall boy walked in behind him, with messy hair, headphones around his neck, and the kind of dead-eyed stare that warned people to stay away.

"This is Ren Takahashi. He transferred here from Tokyo. Treat him well."

Nobody clapped. Not even the usual polite murmurs. There was just a weird silence.

Sanemi leaned toward Hayato. "Why do I feel like we just got a main character in our story?"

Hina turned around. “He looks… lonely.”

Hayato watched Ren take the empty seat at the very back, next to him.

And for the first time that morning, he felt that strange chill again. The kind that tells you something is going to change — and maybe not for the better.

---

Lunch Break – The Rooftop

The four of them gathered at their usual rooftop spot.

"Ren’s weird, isn’t he?" Sanemi said with a mouthful of rice.

“He’s just quiet,” Hina said. “Maybe he’s been through stuff.”

Yuri quietly opened her lunch box, but she didn’t speak. Her eyes were staring at the sky — or maybe through it.

Hayato leaned back, eyes half-closed. “He sat beside me. Didn’t even look my way. Like I didn’t exist.”

Hina scribbled something in her notebook.

“What are you writing?” Sanemi asked, leaning over.

“‘The boy who doesn’t see anyone.’ I think it’ll make a good short story.”

Yuri finally spoke. “Sometimes, people disappear inside themselves.”

The group went quiet. They all knew Yuri was talking about herself.

They didn’t press.

---

After School – A Glimpse of Secrets

Hayato forgot his notebook in the classroom. When he returned, he saw something strange.

Ren was still there.

Standing at the window, staring outside, whispering something under his breath.

Hayato stayed quiet.

Then Ren turned.

“You’ve got good friends,” he said flatly.

Hayato raised an eyebrow. “Thanks?”

“But I wonder how long they’ll stay.”

Hayato stepped inside. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ren gave a half-smile — but it wasn’t friendly. It was the kind of smile that carried pain and warning.

"Friendships break. It just takes one thing. One truth.”

Before Hayato could ask more, Ren picked up his bag and walked out.

Hayato stood there… feeling like a fuse had just been lit.

---

📚 End of Chapter 1

The final bell rang.

But this time, it didn’t feel like an ending.

It felt like the start of something dangerous..

The next morning at Sakura High was oddly quiet.

Hayato walked into class, his eyes darting around as if something had shifted overnight. Maybe it was the silence. Maybe it was Ren's words echoing in his head from yesterday:

> “Don’t trust anyone after 3:17 p.m.”

He had brushed it off then. But now, even Hina’s cheerful “Good morning!” felt slightly… off. Her smile was the same, but her eyes? Tired. Or hiding something.

Yuri, always the first to notice tension, nudged Sanemi.

“Did something happen between them?” she whispered.

Sanemi, who had slept through most of the previous day’s drama, blinked lazily.

“Maybe Hayato finally found out Hina eats snacks during math.”

Yuri rolled her eyes. “This feels bigger than snacks, dummy.”

At lunch, the group sat together like always — same bench, same order. But Ren didn’t show up.

“Maybe he’s sick,” Hina said, poking at her rice box without eating it.

“No,” Hayato muttered. “He was fine yesterday… until he warned me.”

Sanemi leaned forward. “Wait. What warning?”

Hayato glanced at the school clock. 2:58 p.m.

> “Don’t trust anyone after 3:17…”

“Nothing. Just… forget it.”

Later, during cleaning duty, Yuri found a small folded note tucked under the chalkboard:

> “It's happening again. We’re repeating it.

If you're reading this, remember: the window in 3-C is where it started.

— R”

She looked around. No one else saw her take it. No one noticed how her hands trembled.

Meanwhile, in classroom 3-C, the glass window cracked on its own.

Not shattered — just a faint, hairline crack. The kind that wasn’t there yesterday.

Hina, on her way to grab her forgotten notebook, stopped cold.

A cold wind brushed past her, though the window was closed.

She stepped back.

A faint reflection shimmered across the glass —

Four students standing together… but one of them wasn’t real.

Back with the group, the school bell rang for dismissal.

3:17 p.m.

Sanemi yawned. “Wanna go for takoyaki?”

But Hayato, Hina, and Yuri were already staring at their phones.

All three of them had just received the same message.

> From: Unknown

“You shouldn’t be together after this bell. One of you knows the truth. One of you will vanish tonight.”

To be continued...:)

The second week of the new term had just begun at Sakura High, but something about today felt unusually heavy.

Hayato arrived at school a few minutes earlier than usual. The courtyard was quiet, with just the soft rustle of cherry blossoms drifting in the breeze. He looked up at the sky. It was cloudy — a gentle gray that made everything seem dreamlike… or maybe unreal.

His mind wandered back to Ren’s words the day before.

> “Don’t trust anyone after 3:17 p.m.”

What kind of warning was that? A prank? A threat? Hayato had laughed it off then. But now, he wasn’t so sure.

---

The Change in the Air

When Hayato stepped into class, Hina was already at her desk, doodling in the corner of her notebook. Her usual radiant energy seemed dimmed — she didn't even glance up at him.

“Morning,” he said, slipping into his seat beside her.

She responded with a quiet “Morning,” without looking away from her sketch. It was unusual for her — Hina was always the one who started conversations with a smile or a joke.

“Are you okay?” Hayato asked.

She nodded, but it wasn’t convincing.

“Just tired. Had weird dreams last night.”

Yuri walked in next, dropping her bag with a dramatic sigh.

“Ugh, I hate Mondays. They always feel cursed.”

Sanemi followed right after, munching on a piece of toast.

“You say that every week, Yuri.”

She shot him a glare. “Because it’s true.”

The group chuckled softly — the kind of moment that used to feel comforting. But today… something was off.

---

Missing Ren

By lunch, the four had gathered on their usual rooftop spot — but Ren hadn’t shown up all morning.

“He didn’t even text,” Yuri said, tapping at her phone. “That’s not like him.”

Hina bit her lip. “Do you think something happened?”

“Maybe he’s sick,” Sanemi offered, unwrapping a rice ball. “Or just skipping class.”

Hayato didn’t say anything. The memory of Ren's eyes — serious, almost scared — played in his head. That single sentence he’d whispered…

> “It starts again at 3:17. Be careful.”

Hayato reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a small paper he had found in his locker earlier. It wasn’t addressed to anyone. Just a few chilling words written in black ink:

> “The cracks have returned. Don’t look at the glass too long.”

---

Signs Begin to Appear

After lunch, the group had cleaning duty in Class 3-C. It was an old classroom that hadn’t been used in years — one the school mostly kept locked.

“How is this still even in rotation?” Sanemi asked, pushing a broom lazily.

Hina was near the window, trying to clean the frame when she noticed something.

“Guys,” she called. “Look at this.”

A thin crack had formed across the glass — like a vein running through it. It hadn’t been there yesterday. Or this morning.

Hayato stepped closer, peering at the reflection. For a brief moment, he thought he saw someone — a fifth person — standing behind them in the glass.

He spun around.

No one was there.

“What is it?” Yuri asked.

Hayato shook his head. “Nothing. Just my eyes playing tricks.”

But he wasn’t convinced.

---

After School

By the end of the day, the group walked together down the hallway as the school emptied. Laughter from other students echoed around them, but their group stayed unusually quiet.

Sanemi finally broke the silence.

“So… are we just going to pretend today wasn’t weird as hell?”

Yuri stopped walking. “You felt it too?”

“Of course,” Sanemi said. “Ren’s missing, the cracked window, weird vibes all day… and Hayato’s been quiet since morning.”

Hayato looked at the school clock on the wall.

3:16 p.m.

His phone buzzed.

He pulled it out slowly, his stomach twisting. A message from an unknown number blinked on the screen.

> From: Unknown

“Don’t trust the reflection. One of you isn’t who you think they are.”

Yuri’s phone buzzed. So did Sanemi’s. Then Hina’s.

All of them stared at each other, each realizing they’d received the same message.

“Okay, this is officially creepy,” Yuri said, voice trembling.

“Who would send this?” Hina whispered.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Sanemi asked, trying to laugh but failing.

Hayato swallowed hard.

“Ren warned me yesterday… He said it would start again at 3:17.”

The hallway went dead silent.

The clock ticked. 3:17.

A gust of wind blew through the corridor even though all the windows were shut. The overhead lights flickered once. Then twice.

Then the loudspeaker crackled to life — though no one had touched it.

> “Us four… will never leave this place whole.”

The group froze.

“Who the hell said that?” Yuri shouted.

No answer.

Sanemi tried to open the door behind them — it wouldn’t budge.

“We’re locked in?” he asked.

“No,” Hina whispered, looking at the window down the hall. “We’re being watched.”

And then, they all saw it.

A shadow passed through the glass — tall, unfamiliar… and smiling.

---

To Be Continued...:)