They ended up reaching the school's rooftop, and without wasting anytime, Yuki quickly opened the door and slammed it shut.
"Please. Just tell me you remember Kenji Igarashi."
Riko looked a little confused, as she adjusted her hair.
"I... I'm sorry, Yuki."
She froze in place, as she let go of Riko's arm and her vision blurred.
No. Not her too. She thought.
Tears started to spill out as Yuki felt alone and scared that not even her best friend remembered him.
Riko moved quickly, wrapping her arms around her.
"Hey, hey now, I remember him. I was just messing around. Now, please don't cry on me, i really hate seeing you like this."
Yuki shoved her off, not hard, but enough to make her stumble back.
"Don't joke about stuff like that. That wasn't funny."
"I know, I know. I'm sorry."
"You better be," Yuki said.
Riko flicked her hair back, exhaling.
"Come on. Let's sit."
They walked to the edge of the rooftop and sat down, their legs stretched, and for a while, neither of them spoke.
Yuki wiped her face with her sleeve, but her skin stayed wet. Riko reached into her pocket and handed her a soft pink handkerchief.
She quickly snatched it and blew her nose loudly.
"Ugh. That was brand new," Riko said.
Yuki sniffed, smiling weakly.
"That's what you get for lying."
"Fine. We're even now."
A few quiet minutes passed, as Riko turned to Yuki.
"You know, Miss Nishimura's probably looking for us right now." Riko said, stretching her arms behind her head.
Yuki kept her eyes on the rooftop floor.
"Is the class... pranking me, Riko?"
Riko paused.
"No. I don't think so, Miss Nishimura looked genuinely confused. The way no one remembered him. It looks like it's just the two of us."
Yuki's hands clenched in her lap.
Should I tell her? It's probably for the best that she knew what happened to Igarashi. Yuki thought.
She turned her gaze to Riko, as she attempted to gather some confidence, to say what was really on her mind.
"I saw Igarashi disappear yesterday, right in front of my eyes."
Riko squinted at her.
"You serious? Let me guess, you saw that online?"
Yuki stood, trembling.
"No! It's true!"
Riko flinched as Yuki's voice echoed across the roof.
"Okay, okay! Calm down."
She turned away, trying to steady herself.
"I didn't see it in the news. I saw it happen. He was just there... and then poof," Yuki said.
Yuki took a deep breath and continued.
"There's something else. When he disappeared, I grabbed his clothes and ran home. Once i got home, something unbelievable happened."
Riko tilted her head.
"What did you see?"
Yuki rubbed her arms as a chill settled in her bones.
"Something was inside the house. It was something evil, and it came out from the dolls I bought. They were merging together... twisting into one shape. And it had my parents' faces."
Riko didn't speak. She reached for the skull bracelet on her wrist and gripped it tightly.
Yuki took another breath.
"Then the door slammed open. My therapist and his receptionist showed up all of a sudden. They ended up saving me from that monster."
Riko blinked.
"You mean... like, actually save you?"
"Yeah, he did. My therapist killed the doll monster haunting me and banished it into some portal. He apparently used a scythe."
Before Riko could respond, a loud bang hit the rooftop door.
Both girls jumped.
The metal rang out like it had been struck with a hammer.
"I think it might be Miss Nishimura. She might've found us."
"No way, she found us already." Riko said.
They stared at the door till Riko nudged her arm.
"Go check."
Yuki stood, brushing her skirt. The handle felt warm, like someone had touched it seconds ago. She took a deep breath and opened the metal door. However, it seemed the hallway was empty. Then, she turned away and closed the door.
However, Yuki didn't see the figure crawling on the ceiling.
A creature with multiple soaked tentacle limbs, crawled along the beams of the ceiling. Its trench coat clung to its slim, dark frame. A drop of saliva, fell from the creature's mouth, hitting the ground with a hiss. Smoke curled upward as a black circle formed on the floor where the droplet touched.
The unknown trench-coat-wearing creature slipped into the portal and vanished without a sound.
She walked back to Riko and sat next her.
"Okay, as I was saying—"
Just then, Yuki's thoughts was interrupted as the rooftop door creaked open. Miss Nishimura stuck her head out, eyes narrowed.
"There you are, you two! Come here right now, both of you will be staying after school to clean the entire classroom."
Yuki and Riko stared at each other, their voices echoed in perfect sync.
"Noooooooo!"
"Noooooooo!"
***
The three of them walked in silence down the school corridor. Miss Nishimura led the way, heels tapping against the floor, while Yuki and Riko followed behind her.
As they approached the classroom, a wet sound echoed faintly. Some type of fluid hit the floor. It sizzled, bubbling at the edges like some kind of acid.
Miss Nishimura took a step back, as she had a confused look on her face.
"What is that? I need to call the school janitor, to get that cleaned up."
Riko looked up at the ceiling, as she saw dark markings that looked like tentacles or maybe veins but she kept quiet, as her expression shifted, turning serious. She clicked her tongue in anger and squeezed her skull bracelet once again.