"Oh boy, she smashed his phone. This is exactly why I decided to stay in the car," Miko muttered as she stared at her screen. The little battery icon blinked red. Ten percent.
She sighed. "I forgot my charger in the locker. Guess I'll just wait for them to find the blue mushrooms and take pictures."
She leaned back in the driver's seat and rested her head against the headrest. The inside of the car smelled faintly of chips and strawberry air freshener. For a moment, she closed her eyes, letting the faint hum of crickets fill the silence.
Her thoughts wandered. "Rieko's mom took her phone, and she just broke Taki's. How are they even going to take pictures if they find the mushrooms?" she said to herself, shaking her head slowly.
Miko opened her eyes and turned on her phone's flashlight. The beam lit up the trees outside, the light bouncing off the car mirror. "Guess I have to go meet them," she murmured.
She stepped out, feeling the cool night breeze brush against her face. The air smelled like damp earth and pine. Miko tilted her head up, staring at the pale moon hanging quietly in the sky. "Moonlight, please watch my car for me while I go meet angry Rieko," she whispered with a faint smile.
The woods were darker than she expected. Every step made the ground crunch under her shoes. Her flashlight cut through the shadows, revealing nothing but twisted roots and tall grass. She was about to call out when she heard it footsteps. Fast ones.
Her body froze. Her heart jumped to her throat.
Then she saw them. Two familiar Faces running toward her.
"Miko! Run!" Taki shouted, his voice rough and panicked.
Before she could react, he reached her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her along. The three of them ran through the trees until they burst out of the woods, breathless.
They stumbled into the clearing where Miko's car was parked. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would jump out of her chest.
"What happened? Why are we running?" she asked, gasping for air.
"Miko, no questions," Taki said, bending slightly as he tried to catch his breath. "Just start the engine and let's get out of here." He pushed his glasses up and looked around nervously, eyes darting between the shadows.
"Are you crazy? Why did you drag me like that!" Rieko snapped, her voice sharp from the back seat.
"Drag you? You expected me to leave you there alone?" Taki's tone rose. "Something bad was about to happen. My grandma always says if you feel something dangerous, don't wait. Just run and never look back."
"Well, nothing happened," Rieko muttered. "We didn't even get to pluck a single mushroom or take pictures as proof."
Taki turned to her, eyes wide. "Are you serious right now? A tree appeared right in front of us out of nowhere, and the mushrooms disappeared. That's not normal. We're lucky we even got away." Sweat trickled down his temple.
Rieko crossed her arms and looked out the window. "I don't care what it was. All I care about is not scrubbing the toilet again. I need those mushrooms."
Miko blinked at her. "Wait, are you guys talking about the ghost-alien thing? Are the rumors true?"
"Girl, start the car now and let's get out of here," Taki said quickly.
"So, you actually believe in ghosts?" Miko asked, raising a brow.
"I don't believe in ghosts," Taki replied. "But I believe in my grandma."
"Really?" Rieko said, leaning forward slightly. "I thought you said you hated your grandma because she hits you with brooms and calls you the devil."
She reached into her uniform pocket, then froze. Her expression shifted from irritation to panic. "My beatbox. It's gone."
She looked up, her voice suddenly trembling. "It's gone," she whispered again.
Taki immediately sat up. He already knew what she was about to do. "No, no. Don't get out of this car, Rieko!" he said, his voice rising. "Miko, start the car and lock the doors."
But before Miko could press the button, Rieko had already opened the door and stepped out.
"I have to find it," she said. "That's the only thing left of Dad. I can't lose it."
"Girl, there's tomorrow," Taki said desperately, reaching out a hand toward her. "After school, before work, I'll help you look for it. But please, get back in the car."
"Rieko, listen to him," Miko said softly. "I'm curious about what you saw too, but if Taki's scared, maybe we really should leave—"
Rieko didn't wait. She turned and walked back into the woods, her flashlight beam flickering against the trees.
"Rieko!" Taki shouted. He hits his head against the dashboard. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!! She never listens to anyone but her dad. One day, this girl's going to be the end of us."
Miko leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "So, what now? Should we go after her?"
"You know what we should do, Miko?" Taki said flatly, his voice tired. "We need a new Rieko. One who doesn't freak out, listens to us, and still gets good grades."
Miko glanced at him, unimpressed. "Well, there's Koko and Haru. They're smart, but I don't think they play video games much. And Koko barely talks."
Taki gave a small laugh that sounded half real. "We can teach them. You can interview them tomorrow and see who's a good candidate for our new Rieko."
Miko turned to him, frowning. "Are you serious right now?"
Taki let out a long sigh and dropped his head against the dashboard. "Of course not. Rieko's the only one who understands us. Everyone at school laughs at my name, but she never cared that I'm named after a snack. She's great at games, doesn't mind that I sweat a lot, and her dad's the nicest person ever. Even when she's crazy, that craziness is what got us through junior years."
His voice softened. "You can't replace that."
"Yeah," Miko said quietly. "When I first transferred, I thought I'd never fit in. Everyone treated me like some internet freak. But Rieko laughed at my jokes and said, As long as you've got good grades, you're welcome. Because of her, I studied harder. Because of her, no one dared to bully me. She's hot-headed, but she's kind too."
Taki smiled faintly. "When my mom and I moved here, I was five. Rieko was the first person to talk to me. She's the one who started calling me Taki instead of Taiyaki. When my mom worked late, her family invited me for dinner and treated me like their own. No one ever welcomed me like that."
"Wow," Miko whispered. "Looks like Rieko's really the only friend we've got."
They both sat quietly for a while. The only sounds were the chirping of insects and the soft tick of Miko's dying phone screen.
Then, a sound broke the silence.
A sharp crack echoed from deep inside the forest, followed by a faint cry.
Both of them froze.
"Rieko," Taki breathed.
Another sound came, this time closer. Something heavy moved between the trees, slow and dragging.
"Rieko!" Taki shouted again. Without thinking, he opened the door and jumped out. His sneakers hit the dirt as he sprinted toward the woods.
"Taki, wait!" Miko yelled, fumbling with her flashlight before chasing after him.
The night swallowed their voices as they disappeared among the trees, the forest echoing faintly with the sound of rustling leaves.