As Alxe watched the old man leave, we all exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of what to say. The class monitor stood awkwardly in place for a moment before saying, "Donato, don't worry, I know other Taoist priests who might help."
But everyone just nodded silently, too uneasy to speak much.
Donato's face turned pale with fear. "What on earth is happening? Why did that old man look like he'd seen a ghost?"
"I think he actually did," I replied grimly, my own face darkening, and fell silent.
Time passed slowly in the classroom, filled with restless emotions. Anxiety gripped each of us. People whispered anxiously, their faces reflecting fear of impending disaster.
I sat at my desk lost in thought. That old man must have stumbled upon something significant to flee like that. But what could it be? None of us had a clue, except him.
Could he have seen Taigi's ghost in the classroom? It seemed plausible; I recalled the monitor mentioning Taigi's suicide in this very room. Perhaps her spirit still haunted these walls.
The thought sent a chill down my spine, unsettling me deeply.
Meanwhile, the class erupted in discussions. Some suggested calling a powerful Taoist to resolve the situation, while others argued for involving the police.
The classroom was in chaos, even the monitor was unable to restore order. Fear was etched on every face.
Suddenly, a melodious voice cut through the commotion. "Alxe, do you think Taigi was behind this?"
"Well, it seems likely," I replied, looking at Mathilda.
Mathilda met my gaze, her eyes furrowed. "Why would such a thing happen? It's beyond belief."
"Yeah, all we can do now is take it one step at a time," I sighed.
Later, after class, I approached the monitor to inquire about Taigi's death. To my surprise, he had no answers. Confusion gripped me, and I pressed for more details.
He finally confessed that Taigi's death remained a mystery. He knew only her name; the circumstances eluded him.
His revelation left me puzzled, but determined to investigate further. The fate of our entire class seemed at stake. If I could uncover the truth, I might become the hero we needed.
With a mix of emotions, I returned to the classroom. The atmosphere was tense; nobody felt like studying until we resolved the mystery of the underworld gatekeeper.
But whom could we trust with such an unbelievable tale? Sitting back at my desk, I scanned the room. Couples comforted each other, which I envied, but this matter didn't concern me directly. Despite our class being predominantly female, like Catori, I was also single.
"Now that this has happened, the girls are terrified," Mathilda said, joining us. "We need a plan. How do we find the underworld gatekeeper?"
"He must be among us. If not a ghost, then a classmate," I remarked, scanning the room. "But how did they manage to kill Iago and the others?"
"I have no idea; it's baffling," I shook my head, troubled.
"Yeah, the power of the underworld gatekeeper is terrifying. They can silently take each one of us out. It's hard to fathom," Mathilda added.
Her words triggered a thought, and my expression grew serious. Sensing my change, Mathilda asked what was wrong.
I waved her off. "What's the underworld gatekeeper's goal? If they wanted to kill us all, they could just issue a mass suicide order."
"But they haven't done that," Mathilda pointed out.
"In my opinion, there are only two possibilities," I narrowed my eyes. "One, the underworld gatekeeper can't kill us all at once. They have to take us out one by one."
"And the second?" Mathilda prodded.
"I'd rather not say," I replied gravely, shutting down the discussion.
Just then, Mathilda asked, "Alxe, what was that second possibility you mentioned earlier?"
I turned to see her staring at me intently. "I haven't quite figured it out yet," I evaded.
"Oh," Mathilda nodded, then asked, "Alxe, why are you so calm amidst all this chaos?"
"Am I? Maybe I've just been through a lot," I scratched my head, feeling awkward. "The next task is about to begin. What do you think it'll be?"
"Who knows," I shrugged, maintaining a composed facade.
As school ended, I headed home alone. My father wasn't there, leaving me to cook alone. As I prepared dinner, my eyes wandered to a distant family portrait.
It depicted the three of us, but oddly, my mother's face was blank. It was an unsettling reminder of her absence.
My mother had passed away when I was five, and all her photos had disappeared after her death. This was the only one left, and even her face had blurred over time. According to my father, she had been very beautiful when she was young.
After preparing dinner, I enjoyed my meal while browsing my phone, a habit I had developed.
It was then that I saw the underworld gatekeeper in the group chat, quietly lurking. When I focused on its profile picture, something strange happened. I zoomed in on the picture and was shocked.
The underworld gatekeeper's profile picture was a class photo, including all the students. But I couldn't recall us ever taking such a photo.
With a puzzled mind, I continued looking through its profile, but found no valuable clues.
The next morning, when I arrived in class, it was already crowded. Everyone was anxiously staring at their phones. It was clear to everyone that the underworld gatekeeper was about to appear again.
Sure enough, after the first class ended, the underworld gatekeeper reappeared and issued a new task.
"Hagop must rape any female student from Class 7 within four hours, otherwise he will face extreme punishment."
When I saw this message, I was stunned, as were the others. Hagop, isn't he the class monitor? I never expected this task to involve him. And this task was beyond outrageous, asking Hagop to do such a thing.
The class monitor stared at his phone in disbelief. It took him a while to regain his composure and he said grimly, "How could this happen?"