After lunch, we all went off to our fifth period classrooms.
Even though I was in the science program, my next class was Modern Japanese, a subject that automatically got on my nerves. Our school let you choose between science and humanities concentrations in your second year, but even so, we had to complete one course from the other program during our second year. An absurd requirement, if you ask me.
A friend from another class who was also forced to take Japanese walked across the covered walkway with me. Usually, there were three of us, but Niitoki-san was at a meeting for the discipline committee today.
As we walked, the PA came and said, “…Miyashita Touka, second year, class C. Please, return to the infirmary at once. Miyashita Touka, second year, class C…”
“Hunh, wonder where Touka went?” the girl next to me asked. She was in the same class.
“She was in the infirmary?”
“Yeah, she got sick at the start of fourth bell…”
“Faking it?”
“Mm… She is dating a senior…”
“Skipping out for a date?”
“Maybe. But dating is against the rules, so don’t tell Niitoki-san,” she said, putting her finger in front of her lips.
I grimaced back at her. “I would never.”
“They’re probably on the roof or something now…” she said, glancing out the window. Suddenly, she let out a piercing shriek.
Startled, I asked, “Wh-what?”
“Th-th-th-there!” She pointed out the window, her finger trembling.
“What?”
“Boogiepop! On the roof!”
“Eh?” I stuck my head out the window.
But there was nothing.
“Nothing there.”
“There was! I saw it! It moved away!”
“You sure it wasn’t somebody else? Miyashita-san?”
“I don’t think so! It had a black hat on! Like a pipe!” she said, still in a panic.
Clearly, she was seeing things, but nobody believes that when it happens to them. Reverse psychology was more effective. If I pretended to believe her, she would start listening to me.
“Okay. Let’s go see,” I said, and she spun to stare at me in horror.
“Hunh?”
“If Boogiepop is real, then I want to see him.”
“No! Don’t! It’s dangerous!”
“Don’t worry. Go ahead, I’ll meet you in class.”
I headed for the roof.
I ran up almost all of the stairs, and I was pretty out of breath by the time that I reached the door.
But the door to the roof was locked. Oh, right; they had belatedly sealed it off after someone had thrown themself off.
I peered out the window. I could see most of the roof, but there was nobody there.
When I got down the stairs, she was waiting for me, looking worried.
“Wha-what happened?”
“Nothing there.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I looked everywhere.”
“Hunh. I guess I must have imagined it…” she said, relieved.
“I guess,” I replied, surprised to find myself disappointed. As we headed to class, it occurred to me that there was a fire escape at the back of the roof, and if someone had gone down that, I wouldn’t have been able to see them. But it was too late to go check now.
Nothing like that happened again, and our peaceful, safe lives dragged on.