Kala slowly opened his eyes, instinctively raising his hand to shield him vision from the glare of sunlight. The light was blinding, yet the air around his felt cold. A moment later, he realized something odd—he could see the sun directly, even though it should've been blocked by his bedroom window. It shouldn't have been that bright.
"Eh, I'm outside? Not in my room?"
Kala got up and looked around. He was standing in a vast field of snow, which explained why the air was cold despite the shining sun.
He walked slowly across the snow, stepping carefully while glancing around, hoping to find something—anything. Until he accidentally tripped. When he got back up, he saw someone standing a few meters in front of him.
The figure stood still, unmoving. Kala approached, shaking the person's body, and then he realized—
"Asta? What are you doing here?" Kala was shocked and confused to see his friend there. But Hasta didn't respond, only staring blankly ahead.
The reaction made Kala even more confused—and worried. "Why are you here? As, you can hear me, right?"
Kala shook Asta again, hoping for a response, and this time he got one. Asta turned to look at him with those empty eyes, then suddenly pushed him, causing Kala to fall into the snow.
"Ugh—" Kala was about to protest, but when he looked up, Hasta was already gone.
"Asta?" he stood up and spun around, searching for his friend. But no matter where he looked, there was only himself in that snowy field.
Kala fell silent for a moment. A strange ache formed in his chest, even though he knew this was only a dream. A simple dream—one he should've been able to forget easily. But this time, it felt different.
He stared ahead, eyes downcast, then began walking without direction.
Tok tok tok.
Kala slowly opened his eyes as the sound of knocking filled the room, followed by someone calling his name.
"Kyungmin? He's in front of my room?"
Still confused, he went to the door. Sure enough, Kyungmin stood there, worry written all over his face.
"What's wrong, Kal?" he asked.
"What's wrong with me? The real question is—why are you in my house?" Kala replied.
"I saw someone dressed all in black just standing there, staring at your house. When I approached him, he ran off. I got worried, so I checked your door and it wasn't locked," Kyungmin explained.
"What?! For real?" Kala rushed to the front door in panic. The lock had been broken—pried open with something like a crowbar.
"What happened, Kal?" Kyungmin asked as he followed him, and soon he was panicking too.
"S-someone… someone probably tried to break into my house," Kala said.
"B-but you're okay, right? Should we check your stuff? Or the rest of the house?" Kyungmin asked.
Kala nodded.
They checked the house together. Everything looked fine—tidy, untouched.
Kala stood in the living room. The TV, the table, and several other valuables were still in place. Nothing was missing. Maybe, he thought, the intruder failed before they could take anything—even if they managed to break the door.
Ting!
Kala checked his phone—a message in the group chat. Dion had sent a photo of the seven of them taken yesterday in front of the abandoned villa, just before they went inside.
It was a simple photo, all of them lined up with the villa in the background. But Kala didn't see it as simple.
"Why is there a shadow of someone behind Asta? Am I the only one seeing this?" He read the chat. No one mentioned anything strange.
Kala was lost in thought when Kyungmin tapped his shoulder.
"Kal, what now?" he asked.
"N-nothing. Everything's fine," he replied.
"I checked your stuff. Everything's good," he said.
"Yeah… I saw that too," Kala answered.
Suddenly, Kyungmin placed the back of his hand on Kala's forehead, surprising him.
"What are you doing?" Kala brushed his hand down.
"You were muttering earlier. I thought you were sick," Kyungmin said.
"Huh? Muttering what?" Kala asked.
"You kept saying Asta's name. I don't know why, but it sounded like you were about to cry," he said.
"O-oh, that. Just a dream. I'm fine," Kala replied.
"Oh, I thought you were sick," Kyungmin said.
"Anyway, wait for me to get ready. We'll go together," Kala said.
"Okay," Kyungmin nodded.
Kala went to his room. As he entered, his eyes fell on the floor. There was the compass watch she and Gantha had talked about yesterday.
"Asta's compass watch… How did it fall? Maybe a rat bumped into it."
He put it back on the table where it belonged.
"I'll take a shower first."
He grabbed his towel and uniform, then went to the bathroom. He heard a strange sound, but ignored it.
Meanwhile, the compass watch on his desk began moving on its own.
~~~~~~~
Knock Knock Knock.
"Agantha, wake up, sweetheart."
The boy under the blanket rubbed his eyes before slowly sitting up. His mother's knock and voice stirred him.
"What time is it?" He glanced at the wall clock—6 a.m. He threw off his blanket and got out of bed.
As he walked to get his towel, he glanced out the window—and frowned.
"Melvin? He's in front of my house?"
The figure outside walked away moments later, without looking back or saying anything.
"He was just passing by… Guess he wasn't coming here."
Gantha shrugged it off and went to the bathroom.
~~~~~~
During break time, Dion called the Kaze members to gather at the basecamp as usual. He also said he had messaged Lyo to come too.
Kala was standing near the vending machine when she received the message. After finishing his soda, he threw the can away and walked off—until someone called him from behind.
"Kala," Lyo said as he approached. "Dion told me to come to your camp."
Kala nodded. "Yeah. We actually found your diary yesterday. Dion is keeping it safe."
Lyo's worried face instantly brightened.
"Really? You found it?" he asked.
"Yes. Come on, let's go. You want it back, right?" Kala said.
Lyo nodded eagerly, and they walked together. But when they arrived, Kala felt something off. Gantha was staring at his sharply.
"You guys made it," Dion said, motioning Lyo to come closer. Kala went to stand beside Gantha.
"This is the diary you were looking for, right?" Dion handed it over, and Lyo accepted it with heartfelt relief.
"Thank you—so much," Lyo said.
"It's okay, Lyo. What matters is that you got it back," Yoga said.
"We're glad you're happy," Melvin added.
"Thanks for helping me… I don't even know what to say," Lyo said.
"Nothing in this world is free, Lyo," Gantha said, instantly shifting the mood. Everyone turned to him.
"Don't say weird things, Gan," Dion scolded.
"Lyo, just ignore him," Hasta said.
"Yeah, pretend he's not here," Yoga added.
"What's wrong with what I said? It's the truth of this world," Gantha replied.
"No one said it's wrong—just that your timing sucks. Read the room," Yoan said sharply.
Gantha smirked. "The case is simple. None of you are even suspicious of him." He chuckled. "Oh, right—you're not even alive, are you?"
Lyo's expression darkened. He lowered his head.
"Agantha, you're going too far," Dion warned. Gantha just laughed.
"Lyo, don't listen to that demon," Yoga said.
"Yeah. Just ignore him. Don't take it to heart," Melvin added.
Lyo let out a broken laugh. "He's right. I really am dead."
"I'm sorry for troubling you all."
Dion sighed. "Why didn't you tell us from the start?"
"Aren't you guys scared of me? And with how suspicious I've been acting… If none of you insisted on taking my case, I'm sure you would've forgotten about me," Lyo said.
"So now we solved your case and you lied to us. You planning to pay us back?" Gantha said coldly.
Lyo nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for lying. But thank you—for finding my diary. Now I can leave peacefully. I won't ever show up in front of you again."
Gantha laughed. "There's no guarantee for that, Lyo. You already influenced Kala with your sad little stories, right? Just to get him to help you."
"I didn't lie about that. I really died after a trip to the villa with my girlfriend. Only I died—she moved on and married someone else. This diary is the only thing that reminds me of her," Lyo said.
"So I'm supposed to believe a ghost?" Gantha scoffed.
"I-I'm not asking you to. I'm just telling the truth. I'm sorry if it bothers you. But I'm not lying," Lyo said, crying as he apologized again and again. Moments later, he left them all behind.