"She's a junior student?… And what school trip?"
It was Shiharu who asked.
The room fell into sudden silence. The masked boy smiled slyly behind his mask, fingers clasped together as he rested his hands on the table. He was enjoying this far too much. The moment Shiharu had stepped through the door earlier, his breath had caught.
Shiharu.
That name.
Haha… Who would have thought?
He already knew life from this point forward would become very interesting. Just as he had heard when he was still a new student, he decided to play his cards. Yes — playing with human beings for his own amusement and gain. A twisted expression flickered across his hidden face.
"You see… this school used to hold an annual camping trip for the new junior students every year," the masked boy explained. "However, that tradition stopped two years ago when sixteen students died on their way back."
"Is it too early to leave this school?" Shiharu asked quietly, trying to process what he had just heard.
The masked boy chuckled, then burst into open laughter. The rest of the council members looked stunned. To think he could laugh so freely in a moment like this.
"Actually… the school bus carrying them fell over a steep hill they were crossing at the time. It was an extremely high drop, so it's no surprise none of them survived. However… one person went missing."
"A student went missing?"
"Hmm… a male student went missing."
"Are you suggesting she came back for revenge or something?" Aimi cut in, causing the masked boy to narrow his eyes at her with a deep frown. "It's been over two years, and besides… their deaths were forgotten a year after it happened."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Shiharu… she's right," Yurina said calmly. "Most of us were already in this school when it happened. After that huge incident, it cost the school dearly. Parents protested against the annual camping trip every year. Many took their children out and transferred them to other schools, while others blamed the higher authorities. It was eventually settled after several months. You see… their deaths were largely forgotten after a year had passed."
"The missing boy was said to have dark green hair and dark green eyes. That's the only information we have about him," Suzumi added, passing two files to Shiharu.
Shiharu flipped through the pages, seeing photographs of the boy, images of the accident, the deceased students, and every small detail recorded. It was too much to grasp all at once. He sighed and rested a hand on his forehead. He should have just chosen another school and avoided all this trouble. That was when he remembered Reika.
"This only happened in this school, right?" he asked with deep worry. "I mean… is Seiran Girls' Academy safe?"
The masked boy stared at him for what felt like an eternity, silently wondering who he was so concerned about.
"You have a sister there?" Hiroshi asked.
Shiharu nodded.
"She's safe. Rest assured," Hiroshi replied. "The two schools may share the same name, but they are completely separate."
"How reassuring," Shiharu muttered under his breath, placing the files Suzumi had given him on top of his own.
"Haa… This damned school," Jae-hyun cursed. "She's not a vengeful spirit. If she were, this girl—" he pointed at Yurina "—would have known. She can see vengeful spirits and ghosts, can't she? Anything related to the dead."
Yurina nodded quietly.
"Besides, I would have sensed her presence or felt uneasy that something dangerous was about to happen. But everything felt normal that day, so I skipped my ballet training class and went home early."
"So what was her real reason for putting on that show yesterday?" Itsuki asked. "Well… thanks to the vice president, when he was called back to school that evening after all the drama. He was able to manipulate the memories of everyone present that day into believing nothing of the sort ever happened."
"I promise you being called out of blue like that really sure is annoying," the masked boy muttered tapping his fingers gently on the table . "The real question is… whether something like this will happen again. We really ought to be extra careful"
His black eyes were fixed directly on Shiharu, who remained unaware, his full attention still on the discussion at hand.
"Shouldn't the higher authorities be handling this?" Shiharu asked.
"They do," Aimi answered. "We submit today's meeting reports or any conclusions we reach to them. They then organize a meeting and decide on the final solution."
"Listen…" He said.
"The easiest way to solve this is for the student council members to stay behind after school and personally inspect the classes, labs, libraries, staff rooms, lockers, janitor rooms — everywhere that needs checking. Don't leave it in the hands of teachers or ordinary students who have no powers or are careless with their duties. That would only give whatever is lurking around more chances to strike. You are all different from them. Ask the principal for permission to check classrooms and halls even during afternoon and night classes. There should be at least two or three of us present in the school at all times. Any student who suddenly falls sick or leaves the school should be checked on immediately. There may be cameras everywhere, but supernatural things don't show up on them. Dead people don't appear on camera either. So don't treat this lightly or as a normal case. Dots. Strings. Connections. Every little thing that happens could be the answer you've been looking for all these years. I don't believe a dead student has been appearing in recent school photos for two years and we're only realizing it yesterday. Listen, guys. This is as easy as ABC. Pay attention to every small detail — a student being bullied, a crying student, a sick student throwing up, a student suddenly leaving school, an isolated student. All of it matters. The cleaners, the cafeteria, the principal, the teachers, and the higher authorities are no exception. Do this… and leave me out of it. I sincerely don't wish to be involved."
He kept talking, minutes ticking by. Most of the council members nodded attentively, listening carefully. Some jotted down notes, gathering ideas and solutions. Meanwhile, one person sat deeply displeased but played along anyway.
"You're amazing," Suzumi said, clapping lightly with a small smile that quickly faded.
"I agree with everything you said…" Aimi followed, also clapping.
"I see… so this is why the principal chose you. I'm glad you proved yourself more than fit to be among us," Min-hyun added. He finally spoke up. This seemed like the only practical solution they could implement now instead of leaving things as they were. Why hadn't anyone thought of this sooner? If intelligence and sharpness were a person, he could be standing right in front of them. The rest of the council clapped, their eyes filled with respect.
"However…" Shiharu continued, "if you're staying on guard or doing any inspections, you need to be extremely careful. You could easily be outnumbered, or whatever comes next could be far stronger than you and kill you in an instant. These are not ordinary threats. We're talking about monsters and beasts born from resentment and curses — supernatural beings with powers far beyond human understanding. Some can possess bodies, others can twist minds or create illusions so real you won't know what's true until it's too late. There are vengeful spirits that feed on fear and pain, and higher entities that can corrupt an entire area. Never underestimate them."
"It's what I have to say," Shiharu finished. "Your friend can become your enemy on the battlefield. You should realize you weren't given these powers just to keep them as decoration. Sooner or later, you will need to use them. So please take this seriously. I don't want to die… at least not yet. I ask all of you who wield powers — I put myself in your care. Save me should anything like this befall me. I really shouldn't have come to this school… had I known any of this would happen."
"Ha..haha!!"
The masked boy stood up from his seat and moved behind Shiharu's chair. He placed both hands on the table, effectively trapping Shiharu between his arms. He was clearly amused, enjoying every little reaction. Shiharu leaned back and looked up. His hair fell aside, revealing the three small beauty marks under his eye. Now the masked boy was certain.
He reached out to touch Shiharu's hair, but Shiharu stopped him immediately, his expression deepening into a frown.
"Woah… woah… woah… I'm not going to hurt you. You're too precious for that," the masked boy said in a worshipful tone, leaving everyone else absolutely speechless. "I just wanted to tell you that leaving yourself in our care was a good decision. Please give me permission to personally protect you."
"I already have someone who personally protects me," Shiharu replied with disinterest obvious on his face.
" So save yourself the stress, you don't need to."
The masked boy went completely still, as if this was the first time in his life he had been rejected. That day, he felt extremely glad he was wearing a mask that hid his fouled expression.
Who was this "someone" Shiharu spoke of with such devotion?
Who was this person he trusted so much that he had the nerve to refuse him?
Well… I guess I'll just have to find out myself.
"My apologies… I didn't know that would make you uncomfortable," He said smoothly, taking control as the vice president. "We've already used one hour and forty-five minutes for this meeting. I'll dismiss everyone now. Keep everything that was said here in mind and take it seriously. Another meeting will be arranged if any new problems arise. You're all dismissed."