ok so… i was already late.
i didn't sleep till like 3am. phone kept buzzing with random edits i forgot to mute. ended up scrolling till my eyes gave up. woke up with zero energy. didn't even eat. just grabbed my bag, didn't brush properly (don't judge), and somehow made it to class before the second bell.
but the moment i walked in — i swear something felt off.
like, not the usual monday-is-hell type of off. but like… the air felt weird? idk.
and then i saw her.
sitting in *that* seat. the one next to mine.
that seat's been empty since the start of the year. no one ever sat there. even when new kids came, they chose other spots. teachers never assigned it. some kids joked it was cursed. haunted. or maybe someone died there and we just never got told. i kinda started to like the silence. felt safe.
but now… she was there.
just… sitting. like she belonged.
long hair. like, really long. straight black, no clips, no tie, nothing. skin kinda pale. like she hadn't been outside in weeks. uniform was right, but there was something off about how she wore it. like she didn't care how neat it was, but still looked kinda perfect anyway?
her face was tilted a bit toward the window. like she was watching the clouds or waiting for something.
i stood there frozen like an idiot. bag still hanging off my shoulder.
i looked at the name tag on her desk but there was nothing. blank. like she hadn't even been properly registered yet.
"…uh, hey."
no response.
i blinked, awkward. "you new?"
still nothing. not even a glance.
i sat down, slow, trying not to look obvious that i was totally staring. but my mind was already jumping all over the place.
why today?
who is she?
why that seat?
"i'm renji, by the way," i mumbled. "been sitting here for a while. just saying."
she didn't say anything. didn't look. didn't move.
i don't think she even blinked.
ok. cool. solid start.
the teacher barged in like ten minutes later. she always looked tired, like life was draining her slowly.
"alright everyone, we have a transfer student. be nice. no weird jokes."
i already knew who it was before she said it.
"please introduce yourself."
the girl beside me stood up.
i heard the chair squeak, and for some reason that sound gave me goosebumps.
i swear the whole room went quiet.
"My name is Arisa Kurai." her voice was soft. like snow falling. or maybe silk being torn.
then she added, "Don't talk to me. I won't be here long."
and she sat down again.
just like that.
not even a bow.
some kid coughed in the front.
someone else whispered "what the hell."
me? i just stared. again.
i don't know why but my heart started beating faster. not in a crush way — just… nerves. like something in me knew this wasn't normal.
lunchtime rolled around and things got weirder.
first, someone dropped their entire curry plate for no reason. slipped on flat ground. sauce everywhere. shoes, uniform, even the wall got hit.
then, the lights started flickering. not once or twice. like strobe lights at a haunted house.
then a crow — yeah, an actual crow — flew straight into the window by the stairwell and cracked it. we all heard it. loud af.
i looked at arisa after that. she was still staring out the window.
not reacting. not eating. not blinking.
was she human?
no offense, but at that point i wasn't sure.
after school, i took longer than usual to pack. just watching her out of the corner of my eye. she didn't move. like a statue.
everyone else had left. even the teacher.
then finally… she spoke.
"you shouldn't sit near me."
my hand froze on my pencil case.
"…why?"
she turned her head slightly. just slightly. finally, her eyes met mine.
red.
not like contact lens red.
not like anime red.
real. glowing. red.
i felt my chest tighten a bit.
"I can't control it forever."
and before I could even ask what that meant, she stood and walked past me.
as she passed by, her hand brushed against mine — just barely.
and in that second, my head exploded.
not literally, but it felt like someone shoved an entire horror movie into my brain.
i saw fire. buildings burning. black wings stretching across a broken sky. people screaming. and arisa — standing in the middle of it all — with her eyes glowing like a demon. her face emotionless. her hands covered in blood.
i gasped.
i fell backwards onto my desk, breathing heavy.
she was already gone.
what the hell was that?
i sat there alone, shaking.
i didn't understand anything.
but one thing was clear:
that girl wasn't normal.
and whatever secret she's hiding… it's dangerous.
and now i'm part of it.
still that evening i couldn't stop thinking about her.
walked home with my head buzzing. cars passed by, some loud, some quiet. didn't even notice the usual dog barking near the convenience store. even the usual fried chicken smell from the shop on the corner didn't hit right.
i was just… lost.
like… what did she mean by "i can't control it"?
did she mean her powers?
wait. am i seriously thinking she has powers?
this isn't anime. this is real life. but then again… what i saw. that wasn't a dream. or a daydream. it was like she stabbed her memory straight into my brain.
am i cursed now? am i being followed by demons or something? bro. i didn't sign up for this.
i reached home. dumped my bag. went straight to my bed. didn't even change clothes.
just stared at the ceiling.
was she even going to show up tomorrow?
or was she gonna disappear just like she said?
"i won't be here long."
then why even transfer?
who does that?
and why me?
out of all the empty seats. why mine?
next morning.
i came in early this time.
on purpose? maybe.
walked into class. looked straight at that seat.
and yup. she was there.
same posture. same hair. same dead-silent stare.
and the moment i stepped in… she looked at me.
first time she did it on her own.
we just locked eyes for like 3 seconds.
then she looked away.
but those 3 seconds? felt like an hour.
and i swear. i swear on my life.
she smiled.
just a little.
barely.
but she did.
and that scared me more than anything.