When I came to, it was already morning. I looked at the clock and realized I was way too late.
I bolted downstairs, saying, "I'm so late! Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!"
I slammed the door behind me and ran to school as fast as I could. But when I arrived at the school gate, something felt wrong. There were police cars everywhere.
I spotted Sato and ran to him, panting. "Why are there police here?" I asked.
He shook his head grimly. "Someone apparently tried to touch a girl from another school without permission. And it seems it was someone from our school. There was a piece of uniform left at the scene."
I froze. "I never expected someone from our school would ever do that."
The rest of the day passed in an eerie silence. Nothing else happened, and I went home like usual, though a weight sat heavy on my chest.
The next morning, everything changed.
My parents cornered me the moment I stepped downstairs.. Their faces were red with anger. "How could you do this, Yuki?!" they shouted.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I stammered.
They shoved a newspaper into my face. My heart sank as I read the headline:
A schoolboy from Hoshuko academy inappropriately touched a girl.
Yuki Aoba, 16 years old, groped a girl from Higaisha academy.
School girl Rinko Kogeki 15 was sexually assaulted by Yuki Aoba at the train station, for now we don't have information about the case but when we know mo—
I dropped the paper. My hands were trembling. I couldn't read any further. I didn't know the girl, I hadn't done anything.
"I didn't do this! I don't know anything about it!" I shouted. But their yelling only intensified.
I left the house in disbelief, doubt creeping in. They must be wrong. I haven't done anything, I don't even know that girl.
Suddenly, the wail of a police siren sounded behind me. Before I could react, officers had shoved me to the ground.
I was thrown into the back of a police vehicle. My mind raced. I had no idea what to do. At the station, they had camera evidence that supposedly proved my guilt. I felt trapped.
Two officers led me to an interrogation room. One was fat, the other skinny and muscular. Both wore crisp white shirts with blue vests.
"Where were you on Monday evening, November 25th?" they demanded, voices sharp.
"I don't remember. After school, I went home and laid down. My parents can tell you," I whispered.
"We already spoke to them," the skinny officer barked. "They said you left to meet a friend."
"That's impossible! I didn't meet anyone!"
"There's camera footage. You were at the train station, and the description matches you. Just admit it."
"We'll put you in a holding cell. Then you'll face trial."
I was left alone in the cell, my mind spinning. I knew I hadn't done anything. Night came, and the walls seemed to close in, crushing my lungs. Panic clawed at me. Every sound. Metal clanging, radios buzzing felt amplified.
Finally, exhaustion won, and I fell into a fitful sleep. Morning came, but I still had two more days before the trial. I tried to prepare my defense.
Maybe I'll say I fainted. No, they won't believe me. Maybe I'll…
"Someone wants to talk to you!" the skinny officer shouted.
I was led to the bureau. To my surprise, it was my girlfriend, Yui, and my friends from school.
Yui looked beautiful but somber in a bleak dress. Sato's hair was slicked back, his uniform neat. Karin wore a flowery dress but her expression mirrored Sato's.
"I really didn't." I began.
Sato cut me off. "You know, Yuki, I never expected this. You have a wonderful girlfriend, but still. You touched another girl?"
"I didn't! This is a mistake!" I protested.
"Save the excuses," Karin shouted. "I always knew something was off about you!"
"But I didn't do anything," I muttered, my voice trembling.
Yui's voice shook with sorrow. "I trusted you, Yuki. I loved you. But apparently, you didn't love me. You chose to become a criminal. "I hate you."
My legs gave out. Tears streamed down my face as I fell to the floor. "I'm innocent! I haven't done anything!"
They left in disgust, and I was dragged back to the cell. Doubt gnawed at me.
Did I leave the house? Did I? Why don't I remember anything?
Sleep didn't come easily. The mattress was hard, the room humid, the springs digging into me. I felt my sanity slipping.
Then I heard a soft, childlike voice:
"Little one, little one,
Why do you cry?
Threads of red follow you,
No matter how you try"
I turned, searching the cell.
"Footsteps in the hallway,
Shadows on the wall
When the truth is whispered,
Will you even hear the call?"
My pulse spiked. The voice seemed to come from everywhere.
"Close your eyes, darling,
Sleep in the dark.
When the clock stops ticking,
I'll take your heart."
A childlike version of Yui sat in the corner, legs tucked in, humming as she stared at me.
"La-la, la-la. Let the world fade.
La-la, la-la. You were the one betrayed."
Her voice deepened, unnatural. No human could make that sound.
When the song ended, her body cracked like dry clay and crumbled into dust.
I froze, unable to process what I had seen.
Was it a hallucination?