The next day, during a free period.
The suffocating air of the classroom suddenly made my head throb.
Slipping out from my corner desk without drawing a single eye, I made my exit.
I needed silence somewhere far away from the echo of fake human laughter.
My feet carried me up the concrete steps to the school rooftop.
As I pushed open the heavy iron door with a loud, screeching creak, a sudden gust of afternoon wind hit my face.
Empty.
Just a wide expanse of gray sky and a massive water tank sitting near the perimeter fence.
I walked over behind the water tank, leaning back against the cool metal as I stared into the distance.
The balance in my bank account was more than enough for a teenager my age, built up from late-night freelance coding gigs.
I was independent.
I had money.
I had a place to live.
But…
what was I living for?
That damned question crept back into my mind every time I was alone.
I had no one left to protect.
My home was empty.
No dad to pat my shoulder, no mom to pour me warm milk, and no Rin to greet me with a genuine smile.
Day in and day out, I moved only because my heart kept beating on autopilot, not because I actually wanted to live.
I was nothing more than a ghost of the past, stuck lingering in the real world.
*CREEEEEAK…*
The harsh screech of the heavy iron door swinging open again cut right through my dark spiral.
Instinctively holding my breath, I stayed dead still in the shadow of the water tank.
Through a narrow gap, I caught sight of a girl stepping onto the roof.
Her pleated grey skirt fluttered softly in the breeze.
It was Charlotte.
She dragged her feet across the concrete, each step heavy as lead.
When she reached the perimeter railing, the high-and-mighty “School Goddess” hugged her notebook tightly against her chest, her knuckles turning white.
Her head hung low.
At first, total silence.
But then her shoulders shuddered violently.
A muffled sob escaped her lips before breaking down into a fragile, heartbreaking weep.
No cameras, no gushing fanboys, no teachers handing out praise.
On this deserted rooftop, her pristine mask cracked completely to pieces.
She let it all out, weeping over a miserable life that no one in this school knew a thing about.
My throat went dry.
That shattered look in her eyes…
it looked painfully like Rin’s.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat loudly on purpose, cutting through the quiet wind.
“KYAAAH?!”
Charlotte jumped out of her skin, practically leaping backward in shock.
Spinning around, she backed against the railing in a defensive stance.
Her hands frantically wiped away the tears on her cheeks, trying to piece her composure back together as fast as humanly possible.
The moment she saw me step out from behind the water tank, hands shoved casually into my pockets, her red, puffy eyes went wide as saucers.
“R-Ryuu?! How long have you been there?!”
“Long before you showed up to host your crying concert,” I replied, deadpan.
Charlotte’s face flushed a deep crimson a chaotic mix of embarrassment, panic, and sheer irritation at getting caught at her absolute weakest.
“I-I wasn’t crying! Don’t go making stuff up!”
“Oh, really? Then what’s all that fluid running down your cheeks? Amniotic fluid?” I asked sarcastically.
“This… this is n-not crying!” Charlotte sputtered, her brain scrambling for a logical excuse that only ended up sounding completely ridiculous.
“Just now… down in the storage room, a ghost was chopping onions! And the wind blew super hard, so the onion fumes floated all the way up here and got in my eyes! Yeah! That’s why my eyes are stinging and watering!”
I stared at her blankly for a few seconds, trying to process the magical logic coming from our school’s top-ranking student.
“A ghostly Kuntilanak chopping onions? In broad daylight? Our school ghost is surprisingly culinary.”
Charlotte bit her lower lip, her blush spreading all the way to her ears as the absurdity of her excuse sank in.
“Look, I just got a speck of dust as big as a house in my eye! End of story! You… you didn’t see anything today!” she threatened, pointing a trembling finger at my face.
I brushed past her toward the exit.
As I pulled up side by side with her, I paused, keeping my eyes fixed ahead.
“Relax,” I said quietly, my voice steady against the howling wind.
“I’m not the type to care about other people’s business. I’ve got zero reason to blab to the class.”
Charlotte went quiet, the tension easing slightly from her shoulders.
“But,” I added, catching her eye from the corner of my vision, “if you ever need a place to take off that heavy mask, this roof is usually empty. You don’t have to scramble for onion-chopping ghosts next time.”
*BRRRRRRRING!*
The loud chime of the school bell rang out from below, cutting us off.
Without another word, I pushed open the iron door and headed down the stairs, leaving Charlotte rooted to the spot, wide-eyed, watching my back vanish down the stairwell.
The following night, under the bustling city lights…
I was walking home through the bone-chilling night air after hand-delivering a digital project draft to a client’s place for quick cash.
The city streets had gone quiet, save for the neon glow of a 24-hour café at the corner.
As I passed by, my sleepy steps ground to a sudden halt in front of its large glass window.
Inside, standing behind the dimly lit counter, was Charlotte.
There was no elegant smile, no flawless aura of the school icon everyone idolized.
She wore a faded, slightly oversized blue uniform apron with a few faint stains, her gorgeous hair hastily tied back with a simple hairband.
Charlotte stood leaning heavily against the cash register, rubbing her temples in sheer exhaustion and frustration.
Her eyes were red and swollen as she stared numbly at her phone screen.
She was busting her tail working the graveyard shift, pouring out sweat while other teenagers were sound asleep in their warm beds.
She stood there, alone beneath the cold fluorescent lights, looking so impossibly small and fragile.
The next morning…
The memory of that night faded the second I stepped back into the classroom.
Charlotte was already at her desk, surrounded by a group of girls gushing over her flawless exam scores.
She laughed effortlessly a masterclass in acting that deserved a standing ovation.
I walked quietly to my seat in the back corner, retreating into my own quiet world.
Leaning back, I stared at Charlotte from a distance, my chest a storm of conflicting emotions.
For some reason, this heart of mine numb and hardened like stone for so long gave a faint, painful throb.
A deep, aching pity surged inside me, stirring up protective instincts I thought were dead and buried.
Watching Charlotte push herself to the brink brought back memories of Rin, who always forced a brave smile from her hospital bed right until her very last breath.
I turned my head, staring out the window.
Charlotte…
just how much longer are you going to keep wearing that exhausting mask all by yourself?
To be continued…