It's been a week since I first started going to class every day. In spite of the fact that Baal and I have been conducting nighttime sweeps of the city, we have not found any presence of demons there.
I questioned Baal regarding the likelihood that they were in a different city or, even worse, a different country.
"Quite likely..." I remember his reply at the time.
I attempted to clear my mind from the distracting ideas and concentrate on what was being taught in the class.
I hate to admit it, but the math class is boring as hell.
After watching the teacher read the book word for word without offering any explanation, my head is starting to hurt. The concept behind the discussion had been clear to me from the beginning, in part because of the preparatory reading I had done the week before, but I seriously doubt that the others have. After all, the teacher gave the impression of being completely clueless about the topic at hand. Either that, or he was just uninterested or lazy.
I could overhear a group of girls in the back of the room having a boisterous conversation, and one of the girls' friends was presumably whispering something to her, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. In addition to that, I could see a guy sleeping behind her with an open book covering his head.
I looked at the clock and noticed the time, 10:30 AM.
I let out a muffled sigh and then turned my attention to the landscape beyond the window. As I did, I saw a girl staring at me. I couldn't make out anything aside from her having dark hair. Her body was partially hidden by the nearby tree trunk. Her gaze was filled with such intensity that I felt as if my whole body was being engulfed in ice.
That was just my imagination, right?
I looked away and refocused my gaze on the teacher.
"George?" someone called. The person behind me spoke. She was my classmate, Akemi Shinohara.
I turned my head to partially face the girl behind me. She looked at me and smiled softly, "Are you joining us later?" She asked, smiling and nodding lightly.
I replied with a "No, sorry. I have some work to do."
Her demeanor changed, and what had been a smile became a frown as she said, "Okay.
I was really hoping that we could hang out later on."
I wavered, uncertain if I should join them or stay home, so I cautiously asked, "But just in case I change my mind, where are you all going tonight?"
Her expression was back to its usual cheerful demeanor, and she replied, "To Mount Fuji. Specifically, the forest of Aokigahara."
I stared into her eyes, asking, "Are you nuts?" and making sure only the two of us could hear it.
Mountain climbing and forest exploration were already dangerous in the morning. The chances of getting attacked by a wild animal or getting lost were high, especially for those without experience, and even higher when it was night.
She replied, smiling and looking excited, "It's for our paper. Plus, the forest is said to be haunted by ghosts. I always wanted to experience Aokigahara at night and maybe see a couple of ghosts here and there."
I looked at her with an incredulous and worried gaze, "The last thing you should be worried about are ghosts. It's dangerous at night. You could get lost and end up dying from starvation or dehydration. Or you could end up getting bit by a poisonous animal."
She huffed in reply, "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. Just come if you change your mind."
I nodded, and she smiled radiantly.
The teacher continued with his lecture. The students were all resting their heads on their desks, taking naps.
I wanted to ask Baal for advice, so I asked, "Baal-" but I was immediately interrupted by him.
<
The class ended for the day, and I sought out Akemi, the same classmate who had invited me. I couldn't find her anywhere in the school building.
I asked around and eventually found her by the gates, getting ready to leave with her friends. Before I could even ask, she smiled and waved me over, saying, "You changed your mind? That's great! Let's go!"