Watching my victims run away, witless and scared, made me feel very satisfied.
When I floated back to class I expected to see Tomoya wolfing down the packed lunch I made for him.
But he wasn't there.
Most of Tomoya's classmates had returned. They were huddled into disparate groups and spoke in hushed whispers, discussing the scene I had just caused in the girl's washroom.
I left them stewing in terror, and exited the building by passing through a window.
I wasn't sure where the staff room was, but I assumed Tomoya as a class rep was dutifully carrying out his role.
I rose high into the air to get a bird's-eye view of the school, and waded about for some time until I spotted Tomoya running out of the theater building.
I descended to the ground and successfully intercepted him on the way back to class.
His face was flush and his words breathless, "I saw... a teacher... she was... something else."
"That good looking huh? I never knew you were into older women."
When he had finally caught his breath, he carefully explained, "I met a teacher that acted really weird. She was by herself in the staff room. I found her staring at a blank portrait... and the vibe I got from her was just unnatural."
He hurriedly changed his tone when he noticed the curious look I gave him, "I'm sure we'll run into her again at some point. So, there's no need to investigate."
"But what has got you so jumpy?" I asked. "Did she make a move on you?"
"No." He said flatly. "The truth is... I think she's a ghost. But I can't say for sure."
I took a moment to consider what he had just described and then shrugged, "Whatever."
"Whatever?"
"Whatever." I repeated, not willing to explain myself.
Tomoya wasn't used to getting his way. He eyed me suspiciously but then after thinking it over, he merely nodded and said, "I've been wrong before. So, let's leave it at that... by the way, I'm starving. Did you make anything?"
"Yeah. Your favorite. Sardine sandwiches."
He pursed his lips and expressed his disgust, "Yuck!"
"Whatever happened to the boy that said his favorite food was whatever I made for him?"
"He died."
"Correction. He is about to die."
Tomoya laughed and ran back to class with me chasing his heels.
Obviously, flying is faster and I'm not much of a runner.
But I like chasing people.
I guess you could say it's in my ghostly nature.
---
In spite of the drama that unfolded over the break, all of our classmates were able to quietly resettle themselves, and returned to their usual, studious, worker bee atmosphere.
I couldn't help but admire their ability to compartmentalize.
When the time for lunch arrived, the whole class shuffled around the group of daring adventurers and forced them to recount their experiences in vivid detail.
And in spite of the fact that their recent scare happened a little more than two hours ago, the tale they spun was filled with exaggeration.
In their version of events, the girl's washroom was filled with an eerie mist. The delinquent girls they encountered were mesmerized and half asleep when they barged in. Then unexpectedly, those girls awoke to madness, and savagely attacked, as if they were possessed, when Minami opened the eighth stall.
Hiromitsu had bravely fended them off, but was injured. In fact, he couldn't even stand without Eito's assistance.
Suddenly, a fierce wind slammed the stalls and nearly tore them off their hinges; the lights burst into flames and the faucets exploded with water, instantly flooding the washroom.
Finally, they escaped as fast they could, and when all that was said, they appeared thankful to have escaped with their lives.
Surprisingly, it was Noriko who worked up the courage to repeat the words I had painstakingly carved at the back of the eighth stall, even though everyone else carefully avoided that particular detail.
She was obviously rapt with guilt, and spoke between tearful outbursts.
When the crowd dispersed, the girl's washroom on the ground floor was now unofficially quarantined.
Tomoya smiled wryly as he stood among the retreating throng of students, listening intently to their dramatized retelling.
He didn't comment about what had happened.
When he returned to his seat, he rifled through his backpack and found the lovingly crafted lunch box I had prepared for him.
He chowed down the sardine sandwiches with a bitter grin and spoke intermittently between mouthfuls, "I'm sorry I didn't let you come to school with me yesterday... I just... never mind... I was wrong... so please make me a real bento tomorrow!"
---
The rest of the day was uneventful.
Tomoya was apparently completely drained when the final bell rung.
He slumped forward on his desk and promptly fell asleep.
Even when I tried nudging him awake, he wouldn't budge.
With a sigh, I set my sights elsewhere.
I found Noriko plodding her way to the school gate surrounded by a few of her friends who were in the middle of pouring out a long stream of consoling words, in an attempt to alleviate her dour mood.
I put on an angelic smile and followed her home.