“Psst! Psst!”

Kinnosuke looked around to find where the whisper came from.

“Psst! Kinnosuke! Psst!”

Inagaki peeped from the slightly ajar door. He smirked at Kinnosuke.

“What are you doing here? Do you want to be punished, too?” Kinnosuke lowered his voice since he was worried that those CCTVs also could detect his voice.

Inagaki checked his watch, counting on something, and then calmly walked into the room. Kinnosuke stood up to stop Inagaki from moving further, but it was too late. The latter was already inside the room.

“What the hell! You can’t be here! What if Mr. Matsuoka sees you through the CCTVs?

“Relax. I already asked Mori to hack the CCTVs and shut them down for ten minutes.”

“Seriously?”

Mori Ryuhei, their classmate, is an IT genius, especially in hacking matters. When he was fifteen, police officers had asked him for help to catch a kidnapper and because of his help, no one died.

“I brought you some juice. I know you’re thirsty.”

Kinnosuke seemed so happy receiving a can of juice from Inagaki, “Thanks so much! You’re such a great friend!”

“Last time I checked, you called me a jerk.”

“Jerk is your nickname, isn’t it?” Kinnosuke stuck his tongue out before he finished all his drink.

“Damn you.” Inagaki took the empty can from the latter and brought it with him. If Kinnosuke threw out the empty can in Mr. Matsuoka’s rubbish bin, the older man would definitely suspect Kinnosuke.

“Thanks, Inagaki. By the way, what happened to the video of me and Mr. Matsuoka?” Suddenly he remembered that morning’s event.

His best friend laughed hysterically, “That video is already all over the internet! Other schools have seen it, too. I never thought that it’s gonna get great responses. Mr. Matsuoka is famous in other schools, you know. Even better, someone made the remix version of it.” Inagaki showed his Twitter timeline to Kinnosuke, “They also made a hashtag for both of you #MatsuKinno. Be proud. You have an OTP name already.”

“Shut up, Inagaki!” How come people shipped him and Mr. Matsuoka? They both weren’t even One True Pair.

Inagaki thanked Kinnosuke for giving him the best entertainment ever, before bidding him goodbye and going out of the room. Having Inagaki as his best friend was an actual blessing in disguise. He would help Kinnosuke whenever he needed help, but also would mock him endlessly, especially if Kinnosuke did something dumb.

***

Eleven past thirteen minutes, after a long and tiring wait under surveillance, finally Mr. Matsuoka’s antique goods have come. Two people in uniform asked Kinnosuke for permission to put those goods in the room.

Aside from being famous for his cold personality, Mr. Matsuoka is known for his hobby of collecting antiques. Not only in his office, but he also collected antique goods at his house. He would regularly renew his collection every several months. This time, he ordered a full body-length mirror, an antique vase, and a lamp.

When Kinnosuke was asked where the goods could be put, he panicked. He was afraid to make mistakes by putting them in the wrong place, but in the end, he had to do it.

“Please put the vase on that small table, the lamp on this desk,” He pointed out two different tables that were usually used by Mr. Matsuoka to put his documents.

“And the mirror?”

Kinnosuke’s attention was on the mirror with a handcrafted wooden frame surrounding it. It showed his clear reflection as if he saw the twin of himself. It hypnotized him and made him lose his focus for a split second until he heard his name called. He snapped back to reality.

“Yeah?” he said, “Uh, sorry I didn’t hear you.”

“Where should we put the mirror?” The man asked him once more.

“There.” Kinnosuke gestured to them to move the mirror beside the window, “I’ll move it later just in case Mr. Matsuoka doesn’t approve of it.”

That was the second time Kinnosuke lost his focus because of the mirror. The man tapped his shoulder and handed him the receipt that he had to sign. Kinnosuke apologized for not paying attention.

Instead of going back to the class, Kinnosuke stayed there for a while. He stared blankly into the mirror for it seemed like an eternity. His fingers touched the mirror. The reflection was so real. No word could describe how real it was.

He tilted his head, worried that his reflection didn’t move the way he did. Apparently not. It was just an ordinary mirror with a beautiful wooden carved frame. Nothing special about it.

“What is happening with me? Why am I still here?” He scratched his head and then walked to the door.

He stopped before his hand reached the doorknob. He hesitated. The urge to stay in the room was too strong. He just didn’t want to go out—as if the mirror magically wanted him to stay.

And he stayed.

Face to face with his reflection, he didn’t even blink. Deep down, he hoped something would happen to him.

Nothing changed. It was just him and his reflection in that quiet room.

The bell rang and Kinnosuke ran out of the room as fast as he could.

***

“You look pale,” Inagaki said when they were in the toilet.

Kinnosuke shook his head, then washed his face. Being in Mr. Matsuoka’s room made him exhausted and a bit frustrated. He was forced to sit calmly, and couldn't even move an inch under the surveillance.

Suddenly, Kinnosuke screamed when he saw his reflection in the mirror. Everyone in the toilet was shocked, including Inagaki.

“What’s wrong with you, Kinnosuke?”

He couldn’t say a word. Only his index finger pointed to the mirror. He was badly shaken, “That... that...,”

“That’s your own reflection. So?”

“No, it’s not!” He screamed. Everyone gathered around him to find out what was wrong with him.

Inagaki grabbed his shoulders, forcing Kinnosuke to look him in the eyes, “Hey, are you okay? Let’s go to the infirmary. You’ve been acting strange since you left the headmaster’s office.”

“It’s not me! It’s not me!” He put his hands on the mirror’s surface, “This is not my face!”

Inagaki exchanged looks with other friends, and felt confused, “That’s your face, you dumb. Who do you think you are? A famous actor?”

“No, no, no, Inagaki. Didn’t you see it? It’s not my face.”

Inagaki asked for other friends’ opinions, “What do you see, guys?”

“Kinnosuke’s face.”

“See? I told you, it’s your face! Come on, Kin-chan. Let’s go to the infirmary. I don’t want anyone to think that you’ve gone mad. It’s enough you got one hashtag, #MatsuKin. You don’t need another one, like #CrazyKin, honestly.”

He grabbed Inagaki’s arms, “No, I told you, it’s not my face!” Then he ran out of the toilet.

"Kinnosuke!" Inagaki tried to walk beside him, "Let's skip class. No need to go to the infirmary, okay?"

"Okay, but please lend me a mirror."

***