The alarm rang loudly that morning, reminding Yoga to wake up and get ready for school.
Kringgggg.
Yoga pushed the blanket aside and turned off the alarm. Yawning, he grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom.
After finishing up, he walked out of his room and went straight to the kitchen, where his mother was already preparing breakfast. Sure enough, she greeted him with a plate of toast.
"Morning, Mom," Yoga greeted.
"Morning too, sweetheart. Why do you look so confused?" his mother asked.
"Mom, do you smell something fishy? When I woke up earlier, the smell was really strong," Yoga said.
"Hmm, yeah, I do smell it. But I haven't figured out where it's coming from yet," his mother replied.
"I'll try to find it," Yoga said.
"I'll come too. I'm curious," his mom added.
Yoga and his mother began searching for the source of the smell, slowly making their way to the front yard.
"That one, maybe?" Yoga pointed at an object—a dead chicken lying there, its neck almost severed.
"Oh my goodness, there's a dead chicken on our porch. Don't tell me it's one of Mr. Udin's chickens," his mother said.
"I've never seen an all-black chicken like that at Mr. Udin's farm," Yoga replied.
"That's a Cemani chicken. It's very expensive—Mr. Udin must be at a loss. I'll call him and let him know," his mother said.
She hurried back inside to grab her phone, while Yoga stayed where he was, staring at the carcass.
~~~~~~~~
A message from his teacher made Kala rush through the corridor that morning. He was supposed to meet his teacher in a classroom upstairs. Moving too fast, he didn't notice the step beneath his foot and nearly stumbled backward—but someone caught him in time.
"Watch where you're going."
"O-oh, yeah, Vin. I'm in a hurry—I need to find the bald teacher. He's upstairs," Kala said.
"Alright, go on. But be careful next time. You almost fell," Melvin replied.
"Yeah, thanks for catching me," Kala said.
Melvin walked away, unaware that Kala was still staring at him with an unusual expression.
"That mark…"
Kala saw a black shadow circling Melvin's right wrist. It looked exactly like a black bracelet—but Kala knew for sure it was an omen of disaster.
~~~~~~~~
Math class was exhausting for many students—not physically, but mentally.
Kala was no exception. He couldn't focus at all and kept yawning in boredom. This is so boring. I'd rather think about the anime I watched last night.
He had stayed up late binge-watching anime, and now his imagination drifted to one of the characters—a blonde girl wearing glasses.
In his mind, the character hurried down a staircase while holding an umbrella, slipped, and fell. The umbrella flew out of her hand, and its sharp tip stabbed straight into her neck.
Kala jolted violently, clutching his own neck as his breathing became difficult.
"Damn it… why can't I breathe all of a sudden?"
"Sir."
The teacher stopped explaining and turned toward Hasta. "Yes, what is it?"
"S-sir, I think my friend is sick," Hasta said, glancing at Kala, whose face had gone pale while clutching his chest.
"Kala, are you okay?" the teacher asked.
Kala tried to respond, his voice shaky. "S-sorry, sir… I think I n-need to go to the infirmary."
"Alright. Hasta, take Kala to the infirmary so he can rest," the teacher said.
"Yes, sir."
Hasta slowly guided Kala out of the classroom. As they walked in silence, Kala wondered why what he imagined felt like it could actually happen to him—except he hadn't died like the anime character.
"As, wait," Kala said.
"Okay."
They stopped. Kala leaned against the corridor wall while Hasta still held his right hand.
"Are you dizzy, Kal?" Hasta asked.
"N-no. I just suddenly couldn't breathe, like something was choking my neck," Kala replied.
Hasta panicked immediately. "What? Do you have asthma or any breathing-related illness?"
"No. I don't know what that was, but it's gone now," Kala said.
"Are you sure?" Hasta pressed.
"Yeah, I'm fine now."
"So, do you want to go back to class or to the infirmary?" Hasta asked.
"To the infirmary. I don't feel like listening to the bald teacher," Kala replied.
Hasta gave him a flat look but still escorted him to the infirmary.
As Hasta slid the door open, Kala noticed something slightly sticking out and picked it up.
"Is this your bracelet, As? It looks really big," Kala said, looking at the charm engraved with the name 'Miko'.
"I don't know what that is. Looks like a cat's necklace. I found it on the road earlier," Hasta explained.
"O-oh… I see," Kala said casually, though his mind flashed back to the cat he'd seen with Lyo the night before—the necklace was identical.
"Go on inside. I'm heading back to class," Hasta said before leaving.
Kala walked toward one of the beds, replaying the strange incident from class in his mind. The thought alone made his skin crawl.
Srrtt.
Kala's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when the curtain beside him was suddenly pulled open—it was Yoga.
"You're here too?" Kala said.
"My gastritis flared up," Yoga replied.
"Forgot to take your medicine?" Kala asked.
"No. I take it regularly and never leave it behind," Yoga said.
"Then you were late to eat?" Kala guessed.
Yoga shook his head. "I still feel nauseous from the stench of that Cemani chicken carcass on my porch. The smell was unbearable."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Kala asked.
"There was a dead Cemani chicken in front of my house this morning. I don't know how it got there," Yoga explained.
"A Cemani chicken is often used in black magic rituals," Kala said.
"So you're saying my family's cursed now? Don't scare me like that, man," Yoga shuddered.
"N-no, I just remembered it randomly," Kala said, trying to reassure him—though he wasn't fully convinced himself.
"A Cemani chicken appearing out of nowhere… could this be some kind of sign?"
Kala's silence only made Yoga more anxious. He clapped his hands right in front of Kala's face.
"Hey! Don't zone out. Here, just eat this," Yoga said, offering a pack of bread.
"O-oh, yeah. Thanks," Kala replied nervously, taking it.
~~~~~~~
Kala wasn't sure how long he had slept in the infirmary. He turned his head and saw Yoga still asleep beside him.
Tenggg.
He checked his phone—a message from Gantha, asking him to meet on the rooftop.
"What's this about? Don't tell me I'm about to get pushed off—why am I overthinking?" Kala muttered before heading there.
When he arrived, Gantha was already waiting by the railing.
"Where have you been? I passed by your class earlier—you weren't there," Gantha said.
"I was at the infirmary," Kala replied, standing beside him.
"Skipping class on purpose?" Gantha asked.
"I'm not that delinquent. I suddenly couldn't breathe in class—maybe sudden asthma," Kala said.
"There's no such thing as sudden asthma," Gantha said flatly, though concern flickered in his eyes.
"I don't know either. I was imagining a death scene from an anime I watched, and somehow it felt like I was the one getting hurt," Kala said.
"Could be your imagination getting too vivid," Gantha replied.
"Yeah, whatever. Let's not talk about it," Kala said.
"So why did you ask to meet here?" he continued.
"We agreed last night to meet at the gate before class. You forgot?" Gantha said.
Kala slapped his forehead. "Oh my God, right. We were supposed to keep an eye on Lyo."
"Tch. Good thing you noticed," Gantha said, pointing at a student sitting alone on a park bench, reading a book.
"Oh, that's Lyo," Kala observed. The pale-faced student sat alone beneath a tree, completely ignored by everyone around him.
"He's a ghost. No one can see him unless he allows it. And he's not even wearing a name tag—did Dion and Melvin really believe he's a student?" Kala said.
"Since they can see him, they probably assumed he's human," Gantha replied.
"Hm, interesting. He really does seem like a lonely spirit looking for companionship. Maybe that diary isn't important to his girlfriend—but to him," Kala said.
"Sounds like you pity him," Gantha remarked.
"He has a tragic story. A reason he can't move on," Kala said. "You overheard it last night."
"Hm." Gantha didn't bother responding, choosing instead to quietly observe Lyo.
Unbeknownst to them, Lyo was aware he was being watched.
Good thing I stayed somewhere they could find me.