It's funny how life settles into a routine, like a song on repeat. Wake up, go to school, attend student council meetings, go home, and do it all over again. Predictable. Not that I'm complaining—normal is fine. Normal is good.
My name's Hikaru Shinomura. I'm seventeen, a second-year student at Nishihama High School in Kamakura, the coastal city known for its temples and the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in. If you open the classroom windows on a clear day, you can hear the seagulls crying out over the school bell. Tourists wander the streets lined with cozy cafes and souvenir shops, snapping pictures of the scenery I've grown used to. It's peaceful, unremarkable, and honestly, I don't mind.
I'm not the smartest guy in class, or the fastest on the track team. I'm just Hikaru—another quiet student who happens to help out on the student council.
Kring! The school bell echoed across the courtyard as I stepped onto the grounds.
The hallways buzzed with their usual energy—classmates stressing over exams, talking about weekend plans, or laughing about nothing in particular. I nodded at a few familiar faces on my way to the student council room, not stopping for conversation.
The council room was tucked away on the third floor, at the end of a quieter hallway. It wasn't like I had a reason to rush there. Meetings were often uneventful—planning events, managing schedules, and taking notes. Still, I didn't mind. It was something to do, something that made me feel part of the school in my own way.
When I reached the door, I knocked lightly before stepping inside.
The room was as calm as ever. Aoi Tanaka, our president, sat at the head of the table, flipping through a binder with her usual composed expression. She gave me a polite nod without looking up.
Riku Yamashita, the vice president, was leaning back in his chair, legs casually propped up on the table. He was scribbling something on a piece of paper—probably a doodle or a half-baked idea. He always had too much energy for this room.
Mayu Kurokawa, our treasurer, sat by the window, her head bent over a stack of papers. She was as focused as ever, sorting through documents with the precision of someone who didn't know how to take a break.
I slid into the chair next to Riku, setting my bag down with a small thud.
"Late again, Hikaru-kun?" Riku teased, flashing me his usual smirk. "You're setting a terrible example for the first-years, you know."
"Two minutes," I muttered, leaning back in my chair. "And the meeting hasn't even started yet."
"Still," he said with a wink, "slippery slope."
Aoi sighed softly, clearly ignoring us. "Let's get started," she said, glancing at the agenda laid out in front of her.
I blinked, confused. "Started with what? You didn't say anything in the group chat this morning."
"What do you mean, Hikaru-kun?" Riku chimed in, spinning his pen between his fingers. "It's December, remember? It's going to snow by the end of the month! Finally, winter break!"
Mayu, still focused on her papers, didn't look up but muttered, "And, as usual, Riku-kun's thinking about everything except the actual agenda."
Riku grinned sheepishly. "Come on, Mayu-san, lighten up. Snow means plans! So, Hikaru-kun, what do you think? Going anywhere exciting?"
I shrugged, leaning back in my chair. "Nowhere special. Normal's fine."
But even as I said it, a part of me wondered if this winter would really be just another routine, or if it might bring something unexpected
Aoi sat back on the couch and nodded thoughtfully, a small smile playing on her lips. "Umu, umu. How about just a private student council gathering? We can play in the snow together!"
"It's just playing as usual, isn't it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A special gathering!" Aoi insisted, her voice carrying a rare note of excitement as she leaned forward, clasping her hands dramatically.
Riku chuckled, spinning his pen between his fingers. "Sounds like Aoi-san's already made up her mind. Do we even have a choice in this?"
Mayu sighed softly, setting her papers down in a neat stack. "As long as it doesn't interfere with actual council duties, I suppose it's fine."
Aoi's smile widened as she clapped her hands together. "Perfect! It'll be fun, Hikaru-kun, you'll see!"
"I just want to lie under my kotatsu..." I muttered, my voice barely audible as I avoided their gazes.
"Anyway... Hikaru-kun," Mayu said, her calm voice breaking the flow of the conversation.
I turned toward her, surprised she was addressing me directly. "Yeah? What is it?"
"Your family has an antique shop, right?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
"...Yeah? Why, you want to visit?"
"Actually, yes," Mayu admitted, her expression softening just a little. "I want to buy something for my grandpa before he passes away. He's almost 100 years old."
"Damn! 100 years old!?" Riku yelled bluntly, his chair screeching as he leaned forward in shock.
"Almost," Mayu corrected flatly, brushing off his reaction. "He's 99."
"Well, yeah? My shop has plenty of antique things," I said, scratching the back of my neck. "But... most of them are pretty expensive, you know?"
Mayu nodded thoughtfully. "I'll just go for something cheap but good. I'm not looking for anything extravagant."
"I'll go with you!" Aoi exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with enthusiasm.
Riku nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, same here. Sounds fun."
Great... more people again, I thought, suppressing a sigh.
"Hey, hey, Hikaru-kun," Aoi called out, leaning slightly toward me with a curious look.
"And now what?" I replied, glancing at her with mild exasperation.
"Have you ever felt something strange?" she asked, her tone dropping slightly, almost conspiratorial. "You know, with antique items? They might have their own stories, right? Are there any... horror stories?"
I paused, her question hanging in the air. The others turned their attention to me, intrigued.
"Horror stories?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You're getting ideas from those late-night ghost shows again, aren't you?"
Aoi pouted. "I'm serious! Think about it—antique items come from all sorts of places. They could have mysterious histories! Maybe one of them is haunted or cursed."
Riku leaned forward, his grin widening. "Oh, this sounds good. Do tell, Hikaru-kun. Got any creepy tales from the shop?"
Mayu, who had been silent, glanced up from her papers. "Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if some of those antiques had unsettling stories attached. You've probably seen some weird things working there, haven't you?"
I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "Well, yeah, we've had some strange items come through. But haunted? I don't know about that."
"Come on, don't hold back," Riku said, his eyes practically sparkling. "You're not fooling anyone, Hikaru-kun. Spill it."
I hesitated, my mind drifting to an old story my father once told me. "Okay, fine. There's one. But don't blame me if you can't sleep tonight."
Aoi clapped her hands together, clearly delighted. "Yes! Go on!"
I crossed my arms, trying to recall the details. "There's this old hand mirror we've had in the shop for as long as I can remember. My dad says it came from a noblewoman's estate, over a hundred years ago. It's a beautiful piece—ornate silver frame, intricate carvings, the works. But according to my dad, the noblewoman who owned it... well, she didn't exactly die peacefully."
Riku's grin faltered, just a little. "What happened to her?"
"She was obsessed with her reflection," I said, my voice lowering. "To the point where she spent hours staring into that mirror, talking to it as if it could talk back. Some say she was seeing someone—or something—inside it. And when she died, they found her slumped in front of the mirror, her face frozen in terror."
"Creepy," Aoi whispered, hugging her knees to her chest.
"That's not the weirdest part," I continued, leaning forward slightly. "The mirror has a crack running through it now, but it wasn't there before she died. And every now and then, people swear they see something move in it—something that doesn't match the reflection."
"Okay, now you're making things up," Riku said, though his voice wasn't as confident as before.
I shrugged. "Believe what you want. But the mirror's still in the shop if you're curious."
Aoi's eyes sparkled with excitement. "I have to see it! Can we?"
"Sure, if you're brave enough," I said, smirking.
Mayu sighed, already regretting her decision to get involved. "I just wanted to buy a gift, not get caught up in ghost stories..."
"Too late now," Riku said with a grin. "We're all in this together."
***
The break ended, and I found myself walking alone down the hallway, the faint hum of chatter fading as students filtered back into their classrooms. My thoughts wandered, circling back to the story I had told about the mirror. It was mostly made up, but not entirely.
To Be Continue.