"What even happened earlier, man? No way we just shifted dimensions, right? And that figure you said looked like Asta—who was that? Did you really see him?"
"We can talk about that later. Just head to the infirmary for now and get your neck treated. It looks kinda scary," Yoan said.
"Yeah, yeah…"
The two of them walked together to the infirmary. When they arrived, the school nurse immediately panicked at the sight of them—more precisely, at the sight of Yoga's bloodstained uniform.
"What happened to you two? Don't tell me you just got into a fight," the nurse said as she began to treat Yoga's wound.
"If it was a fight, he wouldn't be the only one injured," Yoan replied.
"Then what caused this? This wound must've been from something sharp," the nurse said.
"Y-yes ma'am… I fell and hit the sharp edge of one of the benches," Yoga answered.
"Goodness, please be more careful next time. I'll write you an early dismissal note so you can go home and get checked at a hospital," the nurse said.
"O-okay, ma'am," Yoga replied.
"Oh, and on the bed over there, there are two students who are still unconscious. If I remember correctly, they're often seen with you," the nurse added.
"Who are they, ma'am?" Yoan asked.
"Dion Byantara and Melvin Anggara."
"Why are they unconscious?" Yoga asked.
"There were no witnesses at the scene. They were found by some students who needed the dance practice room. But based on the injuries on their heads, it's likely they were attacked."
~~~~~~
Hasta walked down the hallway after leaving the teachers' room, continuing until he passed a corridor where one of his friends was usually seen.
"Why am I suddenly thinking of Kala…"
He approached a vending machine and bought a drink before heading back to class.
The classroom was full and noisy with students occupying most of the seats, but for some reason, Hasta felt strangely empty. He glanced at one of the seats in the back.
The seats belonging to Yoga and Yoan—usually, Yoga would be there eating his lunch, and Yoan would be reading some heavy philosophical book with his usual serious expression.
"Where are they? There's no way they're skipping; their bags are still here…" Confused, he left the classroom to look for his friends.
~~~~~~
A gust of wind blew hard enough to startle Kala a little. He lifted his gaze to look around. The corridor was busy with students chatting and relaxing while waiting for the bell.
"Agan… th-this isn't our place. Their uniforms—and the school building…" Kala said.
"I already told you earlier, but you spaced out and didn't listen," Gantha muttered.
"Y-yeah, sorry…"
"Since when did we get lost in an isekai?" Gantha scoffed.
"It's not that. Lyo trapped us here. We need a portal to get out of this dimension," Kala said.
"It's definitely not gonna be that easy. That demon won't let us go for free," Gantha replied.
Kala nodded. "Like a game—you need to clear something before you get the reward."
They continued walking past the students.
The students stared at them weirdly—like zombies eyeing prey. The stares made Kala uneasy, though Gantha remained indifferent with his usual blank expression.
"Creepy… just because we're from another world," Kala muttered.
"Didn't know a voodoo doll like you could be scared," Gantha teased.
"Shut up," Kala grumbled.
Their steps eventually brought them to a different corridor—quiet and empty. Still the same floor, the one below the rooftop, the fourth floor. But here, there was no sign of life at all.
"Is Lyo here too?" Gantha asked.
"He should be. He's probably watching us," Kala replied.
As if hearing him, not far from where they stood, Kala spotted Lyo staring at him.
"Lyo!"
Kala ran toward the demon, but just as he got close, Lyo vanished.
"Damn it…"
Breathing hard, Kala looked around.
"Kal, how about we split up?" Gantha suggested.
"No. We stay together. We follow each other closely," Kala insisted.
A clapping sound echoed nearby. Lyo stood in front of a window overlooking the outer part of the school—specifically, the other building, since the school had two connected structures.
Without waiting, Kala ran toward him, but just like before, Lyo vanished again.
This time, however, Kala didn't run around searching. His eyes were fixed on the rooftop of the opposite building.
Through the window, he saw Hasta and Melvin standing there. Then, out of nowhere, Hasta shoved Melvin off—and then jumped after him.
"Agan… t-they…"
"Kala!"
Kala rushed toward the stairs to check on them, but Gantha grabbed his arm.
"Get a grip. That's not them."
"You saw it too, right?"
"Yeah, I saw Asta and Melvin. But this isn't our world. There's no way that was really them."
The words snapped Kala out of his panic. He'd forgotten logic entirely.
"You really let yourself get manipulated again?" Gantha scolded.
"What if they were trapped too and that really was them?" Kala argued.
Gantha snorted. "Fine. Let's check the rooftop then."
They went to the rooftop. As expected—nothing. Not a single body.
"There's nothing… how?" Kala muttered.
"It was an illusion," Gantha said calmly, already turning to leave.
"Gan! Wait up!" Kala hurried after him.
They walked together down the silent corridor.
"How'd you even figure it out?" Kala asked.
"It's easy. You panicked too much to notice," Gantha said.
"What do you mean?"
"Their uniforms were the same as the students we saw earlier. And their expressions were off. Especially Asta—he's always smiling, but earlier he looked angry. And Melvin looked way too calm for someone facing death."
"S-sorry… I didn't notice any of that."
"You really believe Lyo's sob story about his death?" Gantha asked.
"Why are you bringing that up? It's unrelated…"
"Just answer."
"…Yeah, I believe him."
Gantha chuckled. "You even feel bad for a demon. No wonder you get fooled so easily."
"Bastard…"
Their steps halted when they heard a noise from one of the classrooms. They instinctively entered and searched for the source.
Kala checked the bags one by one until he found one glowing from the inside. He opened it and pulled out a compass-like pocket watch.
The strange sound came from the watch moving on its own.
"Isn't that yours?" Gantha asked.
Kala nodded. "Yeah. Asta gave it to me as a birthday gift."
He closed his eyes to concentrate. The air grew cold, and slowly a portal formed before them—moving forward and swallowing them whole.
After a moment, Kala opened his eyes. Gantha was already a few steps ahead, staring into a mirror that reflected only himself.
"This… this is really our school's bathroom?" Kala asked.
"Yeah. Come on," Gantha said.
They left the bathroom, walking through the hallway filled with normal, chatting students. The atmosphere, the building, and the familiar faces brought relief to both of them.
"We're really back?" Kala said.
"Don't pretend to be clueless," Gantha replied.
Kala laughed, teasing him. "We're back, but a disaster got here before us."
"What disaster?" Gantha asked.
"Let's go to the infirmary. I'll explain there."
"I was planning to go back to the rooftop," Gantha muttered.
"You're awfully chill for someone who just got isekai'd," Kala said.
"What's the point of having a voodoo doll if you don't use him," Gantha smirked.
"Jerk," Kala muttered, narrowing his eyes.
They headed toward the infirmary when suddenly someone called out to them.
"Sakala, Agantha!"
Hasta approached quickly. "Where were you guys? Your seats were empty too. Weird."
"What do you mean? Weren't you in class earlier?" Gantha asked.
"No. When I got here, I was told to go to the photocopy guy because the school printer's broken."
"Not in school… no wonder he didn't get affected," Kala mumbled.
"What'd you say? Why're you whispering?" Hasta asked suspiciously.
"N-nothing," Kala replied.
"Probably practicing a spell or something," Gantha added casually.
Kala panicked and shot him a look demanding an explanation.
"He's my assistant during practice. Don't think too hard about it. Let's just go to the infirmary," Gantha said.
"The infirmary?" Hasta repeated.
"There's a patient there," Gantha replied calmly, walking ahead as Kala and Hasta followed behind.