The alarm rang loudly that morning, shattering the silence of the room and waking Yoga from his sleep.
Riiiingggg...
Reluctantly, Yoga pushed aside his blanket and reached for his phone by the bedside. After turning off the alarm, he yawned widely, grabbed his towel, and headed to the bathroom.
Moments later, he stepped out and went straight to the kitchen. There, the smell of toast greeted him—along with his mother.
"Morning, Mom," Yoga greeted as he pulled out a chair.
"Morning, sweetheart. But why do you look confused?" his mother asked, placing a plate of toast on the table.
Yoga frowned and glanced toward the window. "Do you smell something fishy? When I woke up earlier, the stench was really strong."
His mom paused and sniffed the air. "Hmm, you're right. I've noticed it too, but haven't had time to find the source."
"I'll check it out," Yoga said, rising from his seat.
"I'll come with you. Now I'm curious."
The two of them followed the foul smell, which grew stronger with each step. It led them to the front yard.
"Mom, is that...?" Yoga pointed toward something beneath a tree.
There lay the carcass of a black chicken with its neck nearly severed. Its feathers were pitch dark, and flies had started to gather.
"Oh my God... a dead chicken? Could it be Mr. Udin's?" his mother said in panic.
Yoga shook his head slowly. "I don't think so. I've never seen an all-black chicken in Mr. Udin's coop."
"That's called an Cemani chicken. They're really expensive! If it's his, this could be a big loss. I'll call him right now."
His mother rushed inside to grab her phone, while Yoga stood still, staring at the disturbing sight.
*******
Meanwhile, in another corner of the school, Kala hurried down the corridor on the ground floor.
He had just received a message from her teacher—nicknamed Mr. Baldy by the students—asking him come to class upstairs.
Kala was in such a rush that when he climbed the stairs, his foot slipped, and he nearly fell backward.
Luckily, someone caught him in time.
"Careful," a boy's voice said.
"Ah—uh, yeah. Sorry, Vin. I'm in a rush. Mr. Baldy's waiting upstairs," Kala replied nervously.
Melvin nodded. "Alright, then. Just be careful next time. You almost fell."
"Thanks for saving me," Kala said.
Melvin walked off, unaware that Kala was still watching him with a serious expression.
"That mark…"
On Melvin's right wrist, Kala saw it—a shadowy black ring, shaped like a bracelet. But it wasn't a regular bracelet. It was a curse mark.
And Kala knew for certain—no ordinary human could see it.
Only an esper could.
******
Math class was mentally exhausting for many students. Kala felt the same. He struggled to concentrate and yawned out of boredom.
"This is lame. I'd rather think about the anime I watched last night," he thought to himself.
He had stayed up binge-watching anime. Now, her mind drifted, imagining herself as a character from the show—a blonde girl with glasses.
In his vision, the girl was rushing down the stairs with an umbrella. Suddenly, she slipped. The umbrella flew out of her hand, and the sharp tip pierced her neck.
Kala jolted upright. His neck felt like it was being choked, his breath short.
"Ugh... why does it feel like I can't breathe...?"
"Sir!" Hasta called out to the teacher at the front of the class.
"Yes? What is it?" the teacher paused mid-lecture.
"Sir, I think my friend's sick." Hasta glanced at Kala, who looked pale and was clutching his chest.
"Kala, are you alright?" the teacher asked.
Kala tried to answer between gasps.
"S-sorry sir… I think I need to go to the infirmary..."
"Okay. Hasta, please take Kala to the infirmary."
"Got it, sir."
Hasta helped Kala out of class. In silence, Kala kept wondering—why did the scene he imagined feel so real, as if it could truly happen to him?
Thankfully, it hadn't ended like in the anime.
"Hey, hold up," Kala said, stopping.
"Okay."
They stopped in the hallway. Kala leaned against the wall while Hasta held his hand.
"Are you dizzy, Kal?" he asked.
"N-no. I just couldn't breathe earlier. It felt like something was choking my neck."
Hasta immediately panicked.
"What?! Do you have asthma or something?"
"No. I don't know why. But I feel fine now. The tightness is gone."
"Really?" Hasta double-checked.
"Yeah, I'm better."
"You wanna go back to class or rest in the infirmary?"
"Infirmary, please. I'm not in the mood for Mr. Baldy's lessons."
Hasta gave him a blank stare but still walked him there.
As he opened the infirmary door, something fell out of his blazer pocket. Kala quickly picked it up.
"This your bracelet? It's huge," he said, noticing a pendant with the name "Miko" engraved on it.
"No idea what it is. Looks like a cat collar. I found it on the street," Hasta explained.
"O-oh... I thought it was something else," Kala replied casually, though deep inside, he recognized it—it looked just like the one Lyo's cat wore last night.
"You go rest. I'll head back to class." Hasta left.
Kala walked to one of the beds, still shaken by what happened in class. The image he imagined had felt all too real. A chill ran down hia spine.
Sfftt.
Kala nearly jumped when a curtain beside him was suddenly pulled back—revealing Yoga.
"You here too?" Kala asked.
"My gastritis flared up," Yoga answered shortly.
"Forgot your meds? Or left them?"
"Nope. I always take them and carry them with me."
"Oh... then did you skip a meal?"
Yoga shook his head.
"The thing is... I can still smell the stench of that Cemani chicken carcass from this morning. It's making me nauseous."
"What? What do you mean?"
"This morning, there was a dead Cemani chicken in front of my house. I have no idea how it got there."
"Cemani? That's a ritual chicken... used in black magic," Kala whispered.
"You think someone cursed my family? Don't freak me out, Kal," Yoga said, shuddering.
"N-no. I was just reminded, that's all. I'm not saying it's definite."
Kala started to wonder—first the mark on Melvin, and now this creepy omen from Yoga.
"A sudden appearance of a Cemani carcass... is this a bad sign?"
Kala stayed silent. Yoga grew more uneasy. He tapped her lightly on the cheek.
"Hey, don't space out! Here, eat something." He handed her a wrapped piece of toast.
"Oh… thanks," Kala said nervously, taking the food.
******
No one knew how long Kala had been asleep in the infirmary. He turned to his side and saw Yoga was still fast asleep in the bed beside him.
Ding!
A message notification lit up her phone. It was from Ganta: "Meet me on the rooftop. Now."
"What now... don't tell me he's planning to push me off? Ugh, what am I even thinking?" Kala muttered, confused, before hurrying upstairs.
When he arrived, Ganta was already waiting at the guardrail.
"Where were you? I passed by your class earlier and didn't see you."
"I was at the infirmary." Kala walked up beside him.
"Skipped class on purpose?" Ganta teased.
"I'm not as delinquent as you, okay? I suddenly felt chest pain in class. Maybe I had an instant asthma attack," Kala said.
"There's no such thing as sudden asthma," Ganta replied flatly, though his eyes showed concern.
"I don't know. I was imagining this death scene from an anime where a girl gets stabbed in the neck by an umbrella—and suddenly I felt it, like it was happening to me. Crazy, right?"
"Could be your wild imagination making it feel real," Ganta said.
"Whatever. Let's not talk about it," Kala replied quickly.
"So, why'd you ask me to meet here?"
"Last night we agreed to meet at the school gate before class, remember? You forgot?"
Kala slapped his forehead. "Ugh, right! I totally forgot. So I didn't see Lyo…"
"We're still lucky you did." Ganta pointed to a student sitting alone on a bench beneath a tree, reading a book.
Kala looked closely. The student had a pale face and sat alone. No one around seemed to notice him.
"He's a ghost. Only those he chooses can see him," Kala said quietly.
"Since we can see him, maybe he makes others believe he's just a regular student," Ganta said.
"Hmm... maybe he's just a lonely spirit who needs a friend. Maybe that diary he has wasn't for his girlfriend—but for himself. Something that helps him stay here."
"You pity him, huh?" Ganta asked, glancing at him.
"He has a tragic story. There's a reason he's still here, unable to move on," Kala murmured.
Ganta didn't press further. He just stood silently, watching Lyo from a distance.
Unbeknownst to them, Lyo was aware he was being watched.
"Good thing I stayed exactly where they could find me..." he thought, flipping to the next page of his book.