CHAPTER XI
~When the Ink Runs Black~
Kaito’s shoes echoed softly as he made his way down the silent corridor of the 3rd Floor, East Wing. It was already 8:30 PM—far later than he’d ever stayed at school before. He’d checked every club room on every floor, but there was one left: the Calligraphy Research Club.
The hallway outside the club was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that pressed in on your ears. Students often joked that even footsteps disappeared here, swallowed by the thick, expectant hush. On either side of the door, glass display cases held yellowed calligraphy scrolls—some with bold, sweeping strokes, others delicate and intricate. Many were signed only with faded seals, their creators’ names lost to time.
Kaito paused, glancing through the windows. Beyond the glass, the forest bordering the school was a shadowy tangle, moonlight filtering through the leaves in dappled patterns. The air felt cooler here, tinged with the faint scent of old paper and ink.
He took a steadying breath and pushed open the door.
Inside, the room was dim, lit only by the silvery spill of moonlight from the windows. Low tables with inkstones and brushes sat neatly in rows, and the faint scent of sumi ink lingered in the air. Scrolls and practice sheets were stacked on shelves, and more prize-winning pieces hung on the walls, their black characters glowing softly in the pale light.
Kaito stepped inside, his heart pounding. “Hello? Is anyone here?” he called, his voice sounding unnaturally loud in the stillness.
The only answer was the whisper of the wind through the trees outside—and the faint, almost imperceptible sound of paper rustling somewhere deeper in the room.
As Kaito stood in the dim, quiet room of the Calligraphy Research Club, the silence pressed heavily around him. Suddenly, his phone rang sharply, breaking the stillness. He jolted, a flash of fear running through him in the eerie atmosphere.
Fumbling, he pulled out his phone and saw Yuzuki’s name flashing on the screen. Relief mixed with urgency flooded him as he answered the call.
Kaito’s hand trembled slightly as he answered the call, the tension of the evening still fresh in his nerves.
Yuzuki (urgent, breathless):Kaito-kun. Where are you? I need to talk to you in person. IMMEDIATELY.
Kaito (confused, cautious):About what?
Yuzuki:About the three girls who went missing.
Kaito (voice dropping to a whisper):You know about them? I mean, you know what happened to them?
Yuzuki:Yes! I’ve just reached the school. Where are you?
Kaito:I’m in the Calligraphy Research Club room—third floor, East Wing. It’s the last club room at the end of the hall.
Yuzuki:Okay, I’m coming. Wait there for me!
The call ended with a soft beep, and Kaito stared at his phone, heart pounding. The silence of the calligraphy room seemed even deeper now, as he waited for Yuzuki to arrive—hoping she truly had answers.
Suddenly, the door behind Kaito creaked open. He spun around, startled—it couldn’t be Yuzuki; she’d just ended the call moments ago. To his surprise, it was the Vice President of the Calligraphy Club.
“Fujita Mei?” Kaito called out, straightening up. “Mei-sama! Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Mei gave a polite nod, setting down the cardboard box she carried. “Oh. Hello, Kaito-kouhai. Long time no see,” she replied, her tone casual as she began unpacking a stack of paint brushes.
Kaito hesitated, then asked, “Might I ask why you’re here?”
He began, “Ah! I’m... looking for four girls—” but before he could finish, Mei cut him off.
“Kisaragi Ayaka, Hazuki Riko, Yura Nanami, and Shirosawa Ayane. Yes, I know them all,” she said, her voice calm and assured.
Kaito’s eyes widened. “Oh! That’s a relief. Do you by any chance have any idea where they are?”
Mei glanced at him, her lips curving into a sly smile as she placed the brushes on a shelf. She stepped closer, her eyes glinting with mischief. “And if I did, what’ll I get in return?”
Before Kaito could respond, a voice rang out from the doorway. “Nothing until the case is closed,” Reina declared, stepping into the room with Yuzuki right behind her, flashlight beam slicing through the dimness.
The tension in the room shifted as Yuzuki and Reina entered, their presence bringing a new sense of urgency and resolve to the search.
“Mei-sama. If you know where they are, then quit playing and tell us already. We don’t have all night,” Yuzuki urged, shining her phone’s flashlight directly at Mei.
Mei just smiled, tilting her head with a smug, bird-like brightness. “Hmm! Is that so? Then I don’t know!” she replied, her tone playful and unbothered.
As expected, Yuzuki thought, her patience thinning.
Reina threw her hands up in exasperation. “WHAT? Then we were wasting time for no reason!” she declared, spinning on her heel and leaving the room.
“I suppose so!!!” Mei sang out, her voice echoing after Reina.
Kaito let out a long sigh, clearly frustrated. He brushed past Mei, following Reina and Yuzuki out of the calligraphy room, the search no closer to an answer than before.
As Kaito, Yuzuki, and Reina stepped out of the dim calligraphy room, the tense atmosphere still lingering, a sudden voice pierced the quiet corridor.
“Ayaka-chan has been found!” Himari’s voice rang out, urgent and breathless as she hurried toward them.
Kaito’s face instantly brightened, a wave of relief washing over him. His shoulders relaxed, and a genuine smile broke through the exhaustion. “Really? That’s… that’s amazing news!” he exclaimed, his eyes shining with hope.
Yuzuki and Reina exchanged glances, their own expressions softening as the weight of uncertainty lifted, if only for a moment.
Himari nodded quickly, catching her breath. “Yes! She’s safe and being taken care of now. We need to find the others—fast.”
Kaito’s determination reignited. “Then let’s move. We’re not stopping until all of them are back.” Together, the group quickened their pace, energized by the breakthrough and united in their resolve to bring everyone home safely.
Yuzuki lingered at the threshold of the Calligraphy Club room, her hand still on the door as her friends’ hurried footsteps faded down the hallway. She was just about to close it when Mei’s calm, knowing voice drifted from inside.
“Yuzuki-san. What you did today was truly remarkable. I never thought such junkbags would listen to humans. But I’m surprised they did. I hope to see more of that in the future. Good night,” Mei said, her lips curled in a mysterious smile, eyes closed as she delicately held a pot of ink.
Yuzuki’s breath caught. She closed the door slowly, the click echoing in the silent corridor. Her heart pounded, and her mind raced.
What…is that supposed to mean? Does she know?Yuzuki wondered, unease prickling at her skin.She probably does, she thought, gritting her teeth as she broke into a run to catch up with her group, Mei’s cryptic words lingering in her mind like ink stains on paper.
Inside the now-quiet calligraphy room, Mei turned away from the door, her mysterious smile lingering. She approached a low table where a neat stack of papers lay—papers that looked ordinary at first glance, but held a hidden significance.
With a deliberate hand, Mei uncapped her ink bottle and let a few drops spill onto the topmost sheets, the black liquid spreading in slow, blooming patterns.
What papers, you ask? These were no ordinary practice sheets. They were the very papers the three missing girls—Kisaragi Ayaka, Hazuki Riko, and Yura Nanami—had written their names on when they first entered the Left Wing, eager to join in on a so-called “trend” that had swept through the school. Their names, once crisp and clear, now blurred and bled into the paper, obscured by the spreading ink.
Inside the headmaster’s office, the atmosphere was thick with emotion. As soon as Ayaka entered, her parents rushed to her side, tears streaming down their faces. They pulled her into a tight embrace, sobbing openly as relief and gratitude overwhelmed them.
Ayaka, shaken but safe, clung to her parents, her own tears finally spilling over. The reunion was raw and heartfelt—her mother stroked her hair, whispering, “Thank goodness, thank goodness,” while her father held both of them, his shoulders trembling.
The headmaster and staff gave them space, quietly stepping back as the family wept together. The office, usually a place of stern meetings and school business, was now filled with the sound of a family reunited, their cries echoing with both pain and profound relief.
In the dimly lit corridor, the group gathered—President Haruki, Vice President Ren, Himari, Kaito, Yakumo-sensei, Reina, and Yuzuki—forming a tense semicircle. The urgency in the air was palpable as they huddled together, maps and lists in hand, voices low but determined.
“We still have three girls missing,” Haruki stated, scanning the group. “We need to organize the next search areas. Suggestions?”
Ren pointed at the floor plan. “We haven’t checked the old science labs or the back storage rooms on the fourth floor.”
Yakumo-sensei nodded. “And the rooftop access. It’s locked, but someone could have found a way up.”
Reina, arms crossed, glanced at Himari. “Wait—how exactly was Ayaka-chan found? Did someone leave her somewhere?”
Himari shook her head, still catching her breath from earlier. “No, she… she came running to me. Out of nowhere. She hugged me and just begged to be brought to her family. She didn’t explain anything, just kept crying and asking for her parents.”
As the group processed this, Vice President Ren’s gaze shifted sharply to Reina and Yuzuki. “Wait, why are you two even here? This is an official search—students not involved should leave.”
Haruki’s frustration flared. “Exactly! This isn’t some game. You’re not supposed to be wandering around at this hour. Go home, both of you. We don’t need more trouble.”
Reina bristled, opening her mouth to retort, but Yuzuki stepped forward, her voice steady. “We’re here because we care about our classmates. And we might notice something you miss.”
Haruki’s jaw tightened, but Yakumo-sensei raised a calming hand. “Let’s not fight. We’re all exhausted, and everyone here just wants to help. If Reina and Yuzuki can assist, let them—so long as they stay with the group.”
Kaito nodded in agreement, his tone gentler. “We need all the help we can get. Let’s focus on finding the others.”
Haruki nodded, rallying everyone. “Let’s split up and check every possible place, especially the ones we haven’t searched yet. We’re not stopping until we find them.”
With renewed purpose, the group broke apart, each member heading off into the shadows of the school, determined to bring the remaining girls home.
Yuzuki quickly suggested, “Kaito-kun, Himari-san, Reina-chan—let’s check the rooftop. If Ayaka-san could get out on her own, maybe the others found a way up there.”
The three exchanged determined glances and nodded in agreement.
Without wasting another second, the four of them rushed up the stairwell, their footsteps echoing urgently through the empty halls as they made their way toward the rooftop access, hope and anxiety pushing them onward.
As the group stepped onto the rooftop, a cool evening breeze greeted them, rustling their hair and clothes. The city lights stretched out below, twinkling against the darkening sky.
Reina spun around with a carefree laugh, her arms outstretched like she was embracing the world. “HAAA! So refreshing!” she exclaimed, her voice light and full of relief.
Himari smiled, taking a deep breath of the crisp air. “It’s nice up here… peaceful, in a way.”
Kaito glanced around, scanning the edges of the rooftop, eyes sharp despite the momentary calm. Himari nodded, already focused on the task ahead.
Yuzuki didn’t hesitate—she broke away from the group, sprinting across the rooftop toward the shadowed far end. The wind whipped at her hair as she reached the edge, heart pounding.
There, silhouetted against the city’s faint glow, stood three figures. Their outlines were unmistakable, huddled close together, backs to the wall and faces turned toward the open sky.
Yuzuki’s breath caught. “There! I see them!” she shouted, waving frantically to the others.
Reina, Kaito, and Himari rushed to her side, eyes widening as they recognized the missing girls—Hazuki Riko, Yura Nanami, and Shirosawa Ayane—standing together, safe but visibly shaken.
Relief flooded through the group as they hurried forward, ready to bring their friends back from the edge of a long, harrowing night.
Yuzuki, racing ahead of the others, reached the three silhouetted figures first. Her heart hammered in her chest as she grabbed the arm of the nearest one and gently turned it to face her.
Her breath caught in her throat.
The face that met her gaze was not that of a frightened classmate, but a porcelain mask—expressionless, cold, and utterly still. It was a doll. In the dim rooftop light, she could now see: all three figures were nothing more than life-sized dolls, dressed in school uniforms eerily similar to those of the missing girls.
Yuzuki staggered back in shock, her mind reeling. The others arrived just in time to see her step away, eyes wide with disbelief.
“It’s…they’re just dolls,” she whispered, the chilling realization sending a shiver through the group as the wind swept across the rooftop, carrying with it a sense of unease and unanswered questions.
“WHAT?” Kaito exclaimed, stepping forward quickly. Without hesitation, he grabbed the arm of the second figure and turned it toward him.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the same cold, lifeless porcelain face staring back.
“They’re dolls,” he repeated, voice tinged with shock and frustration. “Who would do something like this? And why leave these here?”
Reina stepped closer, her brow furrowed. “It’s like a cruel prank… or a message.”
Himari shivered, glancing nervously at the third figure. “We need to find the real girls—fast. This isn’t helping.”
Yuzuki clenched her fists, determination flashing in her eyes. “This just means whoever’s behind this is trying to mislead us. We can’t fall for it.”
The group exchanged grim looks, the rooftop’s cool breeze suddenly feeling colder, as the weight of the mystery deepened around them.
Just then, an eerie sight unfolded before their eyes—the porcelain faces of the dolls began to glisten, dark streaks slowly oozing from their eyes and mouths. The liquid trickled down their cheeks, thick and unmistakable.
“Ink?” Himari gasped, stepping back in alarm as the black liquid spread, staining the dolls’ faces and dripping onto the rooftop.
Yuzuki and Kaito, still holding onto the dolls, felt the cold, viscous ink seeping onto their hands. They recoiled instinctively, but the ink clung stubbornly to their skin, leaving dark, inky stains on their fingers and palms.
Reina’s eyes widened in horror. “What is this…?”
To be Continued...
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