Chapter 4 “Now, let’s start the class”
Kotsu, kotsu, kotsu, kotsu.
Kotsu, kotsu, kotsu, kotsu.
The sound of heels falls on the old school building, bathed in the evening light.
Kotsu, kotsu, kotsu, kotsu.
Kotsu, kotsu, kotsu, kotsu.
A woman with a distorted face walks unsteadily down the dusty hallway.
Her clothes are splattered with blood, and her skin is twitching from the effects swirling around her face. There are no eyes or lips, just her terrifying face.
Still, the woman herself does not recognize the condition of her face. Even when she looks in the mirror, she doesn’t see her own face.
No, more importantly, is she aware that she is a ghost?
Kotsu, kotsu, kotsu, kotsu.
Kotsu, kotsu, kotsu, kotsu.
Obsessed with her lesson, she heads to her classroom again today.
She carries her mission in her empty heart: she must guide her students.
One step at a time, she aims for a classroom that should be empty.
Come to think of it, why is she teaching?
☆
“There are three important things in class.”
Yuiru carefully holds up one finger at a time and teaches Houzuki what is important for the class.
“One is ‘don’t look away during class.'”
“Don’t look away…”
Houzuki reflects on Yuiru’s words.
It is important not to look away in class. It also shows to the teacher that she is listening to the lesson properly.
But the thought of having to glare at that hideous face makes her depressed. She can’t stop shaking just thinking about it.
Yuiru sensed something in Houzuki’s grim expression,
“Don’t worry, it’s not the kind of ghost that will kill you if you make eye contact with it.”
“Maybe so, but…”
“This is the first step to stop seeing ghosts. If you’re this scared, won’t future ghosts make you leak yourself?”
“Who will!!”
Houzuki tries to argue with Yuiru, but her voice is so loud that he covers her mouth. It seems to be natural given the situation.
“Now for the second one.”
Yuiru held up another finger,
“Secret talks during class are strictly prohibited.”
“Obviously.”
“Of course, you can’t scream either. We’re just supposed to be students taking the class. We’re just going to sit still and wait for the moment when the class is over, and it’s bad to take your eyes off Misako-sensei for anything other than blinking.”
“Ugh……”
Houzuki was reluctant to agree.
She thought it was terrifying to meet her gaze with that distorted-faced female teacher, but it was harsh that she wasn’t even allowed to scream.
If she does poorly then it won’t be weird to scream every time their eyes meet. The face of Misako-sensei that she remembers is so disfigured that it could be called a nightmare.
“Listen, Houzuki. We are students.”
“I know.”
“Then, even if it’s a ghost, a teacher is still a teacher. In order to weaken Misako-sensei, we have to focus on being students.”
That’s right, Misako-sensei is an evil spirit possessing the class.
In order to weaken her even a little, she must end her meaningless lessons that she conducts. No matter how scary it is, she must let it end or Houzuki’s ghost-magnet constitution won’t be dealt with.
In order to no longer suffer from this condition, she chose to go along with Yuiru’s strategy. She doesn’t want to feel scared.
As Houzuki pulled her lips tightly together,
“…What about the third and final one?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Yuiru proudly puffed out his chest and said,
“It’s something every student has done.”
“What is that?”
“Hey, you’re passive in class, aren’t you? Just because you get a good score on a test doesn’t mean it’s okay.”
Yuiru shrugged his shoulders in shock,
“If you’re a student, you’ve probably asked some questions. Haven’t you?”
“…No, I haven’t. I always look outside when the teacher asks questions.”
“At best, you don’t get any attention. In my day, there was no mercy. Getting hit with a textbook was commonplace.”
Yuiru looks back on the past, saying things like “How nostalgic.”
Apparently, the third important thing he says is, “If you don’t understand, ask questions.” Certainly, this is something that every student experiences.
She doesn’t think she would get a decent answer if she asked that teacher a question, but Houzuki still has to play the role of a student. It is necessary to live.
If there is a problem, it might be that Misako-sensei’s handwriting on the blackboard is very dirty.
“I can’t read those letters.”
“Don’t worry, I can’t read them at all either.”
Yuiru says proudly. It’s not something to brag about.
“Are you saying I should guess what she’s writing?”
“Can you do that?”
“I, I can’t but……”
“Then don’t force the impossible. You’ll lower the chance of completing the lesson, and I won’t be able to help you if you do anything unnecessary.”
Despite being a malevolent spirit, he sure says some unexpectedly cruel things. Since he’s already dead, he should at least become a bit more considerate.
But then again, no one here is as unreliable as Yuiru.
If her best friend, Aoyagi Towako, was here, she would surely have bitten him. He might end up getting overwhelmed by her, who has always been strong-willed.
――Gara~n, goro~n.
At that moment, the distorted sound of the bell echoes, as if shaking the entire old school building.
Houzuki’s heart skipped a beat.
I feel like I’m on the execution stand. Will I have to take that scary class again?
“See you late, Houzuki. I’m going to play the role of a student in my own way, so you can play your own role as a student as well.”
As Yuiru sat down on his predetermined seat,
“Remember, we are just students. If you are a student, you should think carefully about what you would do.”
“I know.”
Houzuki also sat on the seat prepared for her.
The chair looked old, and there was graffiti on the top of the desk. She can’t recognize it because it’s already covered in dust, but she wonders if the owner of this desk had a habit of scribbling.
No, it’s not the time for this. She must prepare for class.
Houzuki opens her bag hanging next to her desk and takes out her pencil case and notebook. Finally, she puts down her modern Japanese textbook and is ready to go.
(I am a student, I am a student, I am a student)
As if telling herself, Houzuki repeated the words over and over in her mind.
She hid my trembling hands under the desk and gripped them tightly.
It mustn’t be discovered that she’s scared. She is Misako-sensei’s student, and is currently taking her class.
In order to make her enter Nirvana.
Kotsu, kotsu, kotsu.
Footsteps can be heard from the distance.
Kotsukotsu, kotsu, kotsu.
It gradually became faster and closer.
――――Kotsu.
Finally, it stopped in front of the classroom where Houzuki and Yuiru were.
Next, the classroom door swung open, and a familiar, fearsome-looking female teacher stepped into the classroom.
She is a woman wearing clothes splattered with blood, her face distorted from the center. Her eyes, nose, and mouth are hidden beneath her taut skin, making her the embodiment of a nightmare.
She’s here, she’s finally here.
Misako-sensei has come to start the class.
“………”
Misako-sensei stands in front of the teacher’s desk, her whole body shaking unnaturally as she waits for the command.
“Stand”
At Yuiru’s command, Houzuki stands up from her seat.
She calms her throbbing heart with a deep breath and changes her thought process.
This is a lesson. It’s not some weird ritual, it’s just a class.
“Bow”
“Please take care of me.”
If you are a student, greetings are essential. That’s natural.
“Sit”
After the command is given, Houzuki and Yuiru sit on the chairs.
Misako-sensei picked up an old piece of chalk and began writing meaningless words on the blackboard.
Now, the lesson begins.
