At the Graveyard
"Hey, Mom and Dad, I just came here to tell you how my day is and how school is going for me," I said.
"So, my school year started off pretty good. I'm trying to fight my way to king, starting all the way at the bottom. I also made my first enemy on my first day, which is kind of crazy. He started it because I was serious about being king of high school. It doesn't matter, though—I'm going to crush him and get him expelled," I said.
"So today, my day was quite alright. I beat some kid who challenged me on the first day of school in volleyball. Thanks to both of you, we won that game," I said.
"I swear, Mom and Dad, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even be the person I am today."
Then I felt something—eyes on me.
Somebody's watching me. I don't know from where, but I feel it. Is it one of Daiki's men? Probably. There's an 85 percent chance that it is one of Daiki's men. I don't want to cause suspicion, so I'm just going to get up and leave.
"Ok, Mom and Dad, love you. See you next week," I said, bowing down.
I walked toward the exit of the graveyard, trying to see if I could spot anyone suspicious. I couldn't—the person who was watching me had disappeared.
I got on the bus and started thinking about that person who was spying on me. What if they are on this bus with me? Dang it, I'm in a tight situation right now. You stupid Daiki… what are you planning?
⸻
The Next Day at School
I was just entering— the sun was barely even up—when I got greeted by an unpleasant guest.
"Hey, Ren Aokami," Daiki said, smiling.
"What do you want, Daiki?" I said, walking toward him.
"Nothing really, just wanted to see how you're doing," Daiki said.
I walked past him, but he grabbed my arm.
"You don't want to chat for a little?" Daiki said.
"Nah, I don't. I'm heading to class," I said, shrugging him off.
Daiki smiled.
"You better watch your back, Ren Aokami. You're going to get crushed—I promise that."
"Yeah, I hear you," I said before walking up the stairs.
Then I stopped, grabbed my phone, and called Senju. It rang for a few seconds before he answered.
"Yes, Ren boss," Senju said.
"Where are you right now?" I asked.
"I'm taking the bus to school right now," Senju said.
"Good. Today I've got a job for you, and I need you to complete it today—with your buddies," I said.
"Yeah, what is it you want us to do?" Senju asked.
"Simple. Today, you're going to skip class and spy on Daiki all day," I said.
"Are you actually serious?" Senju said.
"Yeah, I'm dead serious," I said.
"Well, let me call the guys and tell them we're going to be busy today," Senju said.
"Alright, you better get some good information," I said.
"You know it, boss," Senju said.
"Alright, bye—" I said, but before I could hang up, Senju stopped me.
"Wait!" Senju screamed. Everybody on the bus looked at him.
"Sorry, my fault," Senju said to the people.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Can you at least tell me what we're doing this for? I understand getting information, but skipping class all day—I need to know," Senju said.
"Well, I think Daiki has a plan up his sleeve, and I need to figure it out now," I said.
"Alright, bye," Senju said before hanging up.
Man, I hope those guys actually give me good information, because the truth is… I need to know that plan so I can stay a step ahead. They could be the ones who were spying on me.
⸻
Then Youske came up the stairs and saw me.
"Yo, Ren, you good?" Youske said.
"Yeah, you?" I said.
"Yep. Let's get to class," Youske said.
"Alright," I said.
We walked to class and sat down. Ms. Makemo walked in.
"Hello, students. It's time to start a new day, and a new day means a new subject to learn," Ms. Makemo said.
Nobody complained—everyone had accepted their fate.
"Ok, today's subject is History. We will be going back to what people call the Bottleneck Period," Ms. Makemo said.
"The Bottleneck Period? What's that?" Mio asked.
"Well, the Bottleneck Period occurred roughly 900,000 to 800,000 years ago during the Early Pleistocene ice age, reducing the ancestral human population to approximately 1,280–1,300 breeding individuals for about 117,000 years," Ms. Makemo explained.
"That was definitely the lowest the human population has ever been," Toku said.
"How did us humans get so low?" Yoru asked.
"Great question, Yoru. This near-extinction event was caused by extreme climate cooling, disease, and environmental changes."
"After all, they were in the Ice Age, so that makes sense," Marasu said.
"And with their materials and knowledge back then, they couldn't stand a chance against the cold," Akira said.
"You're right. There were also animals that hunted humans—it was truly one of the worst times humanity had to go through," Ms. Makemo said.
"Ok, now that you told us this information, what do you have planned for us?" Toku asked.
"Great question. I want you to create a ten-slide PowerPoint for a presentation," Ms. Makemo said.
"That should be easy, right?" Takashi said.
"Yep, but even a dumbo like you would still fail," Mio said.
"What, you stupid brat?" Takashi said.
"Alright, class, calm down. I have one more important thing to tell you: if you pass this presentation, you will receive extra credit on next week's history test," Ms. Makemo said.
"Oh yeah, now I've got to try hard and pass this one," Takashi said.
"Yeah, you're right," Youske said.
"That is all. I have to go to a staff meeting. Do what you have to do. The presentation is due Saturday by 10 a.m.," Ms. Makemo said, leaving.
⸻
Takashi and the group approached me and sat nearby.
"What happened?" I asked.
"We just wanted to know when you're going to do the presentation and what day you're free, so we can present to each other for practice," Takashi asked.
"Yeah, that would be very good for practice," Marasu said.
"Well, I plan on doing it Saturday at 9 a.m.," I said.
"Why that late, Ren? You can finish the presentation in an hour," Akira said.
"Yeah, I definitely can—maybe even forty-five minutes," I said.
"Wow, Ren, you work quick, huh?" Youske said.
"Well, yeah. The assignment is pretty easy," I said.
"So how about Saturday afternoon we meet somewhere and present to each other?" Akira said.
"That's fine with me," Marasu said.
"Me too," Takashi said.
"Me three," Youske said.
"Yep, it's cool," Yoru said.
"Yeah, it's alright," I said.
"Alright, I'm going to create a group chat. I just need everyone's numbers," Akira said.
She collected the numbers and created the chat.
"Ok, it's created—everyone type hi," she said.
Everyone typed "hi."
"So when will we know the location and time?" Youske asked.
"Don't worry about it. I'll send it by Friday, I promise," Akira said.
⸻
"Alright, just text me the info," Takashi said, walking away.
Everyone left, but Marasu stayed.
"Umm, Ren, can I ask you for a favor?" Marasu asked.
"Yeah, what is it?" I asked.
"Do you understand Algebra 2?" she asked.
"Yeah, I do," I said.
"Would you mind tutoring me?" she asked.
"Yeah, no problem," I said.
"Ok, thank you. Today after school?" she asked.
"Yeah, sure. I don't have any plans," I said.
"Alright," Marasu said, walking away.
I wonder how those guys are doing…
⸻
Building B, Floor 2 — Outside Room 12
"Ok, we need to stay back and observe Daiki until school ends," Senju said.
"So if he doesn't go to lunch, we don't?" Kenta asked.
"Yep," Senju replied.
"Dang it… so what if he doesn't do anything and we don't discover his plan?" Shohei asked.
"Then we report back to Ren," Senju said.
"Well, we're stuck with this, so let's complete the job," Hiroshi said.
"Alright, spread out," Senju said.
He pulled out earbuds.
"What are these for?" Shohei asked.
"So we can communicate—who leaves class and what happens," Senju said.
Everyone grabbed one.
"Alright… operation 'Spy on Daiki' begins now," Senju said.
To Be Continued