She caught her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes lingered on the bruise on her side—the one from that stupid fall the other day during a play fight with Reiji. He’d apologized a dozen times, and she’d shrugged it off. He hadn’t meant it.

Kenji, the oldest of the group, was still annoyed, though. Being the only girl in a group of six guys came with its own weird rules. They all tiptoed around her, trying not to mess up, and Kenji had pointed out once that they were forgetting she wasn’t a boy.

Tomorrow marked the start of a new semester, their final year of high school. None of them knew what classes they’d get or who their teachers would be. Risa didn’t want to spend the night overthinking it. She booted up Discord and joined the group call instead.

“Hey, I’m home,” she said. “What’s everyone up to?”

“It’s 6 already. We left school at three. You went somewhere?” Kenji asked, the usual blunt Kenji.

“Park. Thought I’d swing by. No one’s home, so I won’t get yelled at for being late,” she said, laughing.

“Not funny, Risa,” Haruto said. “Anyway, my project picked up a signal earlier. That’s what we’ve been talking about.” Haruto was the tech nerd, always tinkering with gadgets. Lately, he’d been building this hybrid radio-phone thing with wires and buttons that made her head spin just looking at it.

“What did it say?” she asked.

“Nothing. Just two beeps,” Haruto answered.

“Nerd,” Risa teased, earning a chorus of laughs over the call. “I may not beat you at experiments, but I’ve got one thing: Roblox. First to finish the obby wins.”

And just like that, Haruto’s mysterious signal was forgotten, replaced by laughter and the thrill of a game.

》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》

“Have you heard the news? Our physics teacher got replaced. Something like… Suki Amin? I don’t really know. Just heard it from the other section,” Kenji said as he passed Risa a carton of milk.

“What happened to Professor Seita?” Risa asked. Kenji just shrugged, like it was no big deal.

A woman stepped into the room. Blonde hair, maybe in her early fifties, glasses perched on her nose. The class scrambled back to their seats. She took off her glasses, set her things on the desk, and looked around.

“Good morning. My name is Itsuki Amano,” she said, voice soft but clear. “I’ll be your new physics teacher this semester. Mr. Seita has moved to another school.” She paused, scanning the room. “I already have your names, but I want to see the faces. Can we do introductions?”

Everyone nodded, one by one giving their names.

“Kenji Takamine. I’m 18, class representative.”

“Karu Fujimoto. From Tokyo. I’m friends with the class rep,” he added, and a few classmates laughed. Ms. Amano smiled lightly.

“Santo Kirishima, 17.”

“Reiji Murotani. 16 years old.”

“Riku Tsujimoto. From Shibuya. We moved here four years ago.”

“Haruto Minakami,” came next.

When it was Risa’s turn, she noticed Ms. Amano’s smile fade slightly. Her expression was unreadable, almost like she was studying Risa more than just listening.

“Good morning, Miss Amano. I’m Risa Yamanaka, 16 years old, and I’m the class—”

“I know who you are,” Ms. Amano cut in, voice firm. The class exchanged curious glances. “You’re Risa. Class president. The faculty told me about you.”

Risa nodded, heart skipping a beat. She had expected polite interest, not… that.

After introductions, Ms. Amano shared a little about herself. She was from Tokyo originally, a researcher there, but she craved a change of pace so she decided to move to their town. The physics instructor job came up, and she decided to try it. Professor Seita, meanwhile, was teaching in the city.

Then the lesson began. She spoke quickly, almost rushing, but somehow everyone kept up. Some students even whispered to each other that she seemed better than Mr. Seita.

Risa hadn’t planned to eat during break. She liked Ms. Amano’s class, sure, but having her as the new teacher made the period feel… tense. Kenji nudged her while she stared out the window, sliding a custard bread across the table.

“You okay? Break’s almost over. You said you’d come with us to the cafeteria,” he said, plopping down beside her.

“I don’t feel like it. No appetite,” Risa said, forcing a small smile.

“Fair enough,” Kenji said, picking up the bread. “I’m taking this then.”

“Hey! That’s mine,” Risa protested, opening her palm. “You bought it for me.”

“I knew you’d say that,” he replied with a grin.

Outside, she saw the others heading back to the building. She tore off a piece of the bread as Kenji got up.

“About Miss Amano, huh?” he said, a little teasing in his tone.

“Kind of… she’s weird. Don’t tell anyone I said that,” Risa said, letting out a small laugh. Kenji raised an eyebrow.

“She’s weird to me too. Smiling at everyone, then your turn comes, and suddenly her face goes blank, and her voice turns cold,” Kenji said, crumpling the bread wrapper in his hand. “But maybe she’s just testing the class president, like Mr. Seita used to. I’m sure she’ll warm up. Teachers always do.”

The rest of the group showed up just then. They pointed at the wrapper in Kenji’s hand. Santo’s bread, apparently. Santo was grumbling, refusing to touch his lunch unless someone handed over the bread—or he’d be late. Kenji argued he hadn’t taken it, that he already told Santo. Santo probably didn’t hear him.

“By the way, how was it if you didn’t have to pay for it?” Santo asked, a grin tugging at his face.

“I ate it,” Risa said, laughing. The group burst out laughing with her.

And just like that, another day slipped past in the quiet town of Tsuyukusa.

》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》

Risa kept having the same dream. Always the same. She was five again, staring at herself in the mirror. Then fire would appear, hot and orange, and she’d wake up drenched in sweat, her heart hammering.

She was adopted. They said they’d found her on a bench by the river in winter, just a little girl in a thin dress. Her adoptive parents worked for child protection services. On their way home from a visit, they spotted her, small and almost lifeless, shivering in the cold. They took her in. They’d been married for nearly ten years with no luck having children of their own.

Risa didn’t remember anything about who she had been. The only clues they found were her name on a wristband and a small mark behind her left ear: 2003-001. No one reported her missing.

She was a bright, cheerful kid. Friendly to everyone she met. Smarter than most, even some older children. Her adoptive parents gave her their family name and set her birthday as January 1, 2003—figuring that’s what the numbers behind her ear meant. They suspected she’d been a victim of child trafficking.

Then everything changed four years ago. Their own child was born—a son named Haji. Slowly, Risa’s special days slipped from attention. Birthdays went forgotten, school awards went unattended. Punishments began.

That night at dinner, she asked her father about a school trip. She already had half the fee saved and only needed a little more. Her mother said the budget was tight. This would be the only trip she’d miss. They’d make up for it next year. Risa nodded, sad but silent.

Her father noticed the look on her face. “You’re asking too much for an orphan,” he said. She didn’t finish dinner. Thoughts swirled—she wanted to run away, find her real parents. But how? She remembered nothing. Only a faint, blurred memory of a woman brushing her hair, saying her daughter was too beautiful. She couldn’t even see her mother’s face.

She stared at the ceiling. Maybe the dreams meant something. Maybe her real parents had died in a fire, and she survived. She’d heard of selective amnesia—how some people only remembered life before a trauma. But she remembered life after. Things she hadn’t told anyone. Not her adoptive parents, not her friends.

She was so lost in thought that the alarm startled her. “Shit… don’t even know if I slept enough,” she muttered. Still, she got up. Less sleep, school ahead—better than staying at home, trapped with her own thoughts.

》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》

They were in Haruto’s basement. Kenji was messing with a table he’d bought online, swearing under his breath. Haruto, Karu, and Reiji were glued to a game, yelling at the screen. Santo was out cold on the couch. Riku and Risa were scrolling Instagram, showing each other dumb videos and laughing so hard they almost woke Santo.

Then Haruto’s mom shouted down the stairs. “Lunch!”

“Wait… doesn’t it feel wrong that every time we come here, your mom cooks for six extra people?” Kenji said, nudging Santo awake.

“I should tell my mom to start charging you guys,” Haruto said, straight face.

“Yeah, like we’re always here anyway. Kenji’s dad’s busy, so his basement isn’t free,” Risa said, rolling her eyes.

“Relax. I’m joking,” Haruto shrugged. “Mom had relatives coming over. That’s why there's extra food.”

“I’ll bet fifty bucks next time we hang at my place we’re cleaning the basement ‘cause my dad left—“

Beep.

Freeze. Everyone. Like the world just hiccuped.

“Smoke detector?” Kenji waved. “I smoked too much at home… triggers alarms sometimes.”

“Haru,” Risa said, pointing at a red light blinking in the corner. “Your radio’s on. Plugged in. Your mom’s gonna notice on the bill.”

“It’s not plugged in,” Haruto said, blank.

He walked over, yanked the cord behind the table. Unplugged, definitely. The light stayed and there were two short beeps. Then, silence.

“Uh… probably just acting up. Lunch first, I’ll deal with it later,” Haruto muttered, dropping the cord.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Beeeep. Beeeep. Beeeep.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Beeeep. Beeeep. Beeeep.

Kenji shoved Risa behind him, eyes squinting. “Still think it’s acting up? Throw it out. Who knows if it blows the house up.”

“Uh… your radio… it’s saying SOS,” Riku said.

Dead silence. Everyone stared. Confused. Weird chill crawling up their spines.

“My mom forced me into scouts, remember? Summer camp… I was stuck in the watch towers. SOS signals all the time. Mostly nothing—just campers fighting over dumb stuff,” Riku said, sighing. “Hated that signal. Had to call the other tower, run down, run back up, report. Total pain. Ugh.”

“Except—there’s no campsite near here. It's in the next town. The police station’s far. My radio wouldn’t pick it up… unless something bad’s actually happening nearby,” Haruto said, frowning.

“You’re overthinking. This is just one of Haru’s gadgets. He’s not like… a pro inventor or anything. Probably just glitchy,” Risa said, pulling on her shoe.

“Harsh,” Haruto muttered, tapping the top of the radio.

“I mean… maybe wiring’s loose? Screws missing? Parts not matching? Doesn’t mean you suck. You’re good, like way better than me. I barely handle batteries, sometimes I put the wrong size in…” Risa laughed, shaking her head.

From above the stairs, Haruto’s mom shouted. “Lunch! Now!”

Santo was half-asleep, still hunting for the other shoe. Risa dabbed at her oily face with a handkerchief.

They started moving when Haruto—first at the door—stopped. “Whoa… my head feels like… like a magnet’s crushing it,” he groaned.

Kenji dropped his cigarettes and ran for it. And then—the radio flared. Red light glowing, signal alive.

“Tsuyukusa Town… in danger… SOS…”

No beep. Just… a voice. Real. Clear.

“Please tell me it’s plugged in,” Kenji muttered, eyes wide.

They bolted. They emptied the basement like ghosts were chasing them.