The atmosphere in Class 3E was off.
Ren Ashford remained in his usual spot---last row, by the window---but the way the rest of the class was staring at him made it clear that something had just happened.
He didn't seem to care.
He never did.
Still, their gazes lingered, uneasy, even when the classroom door slid open and Ms. Rinka stepped inside.
Instantly, all eyes shifted to her.
She let the silence stretch for a moment, observing the tension in the room before exhaling softly.
"If you're all going to look at me like that, I might actually start thinking you like me."
Lucas scoffed.
Sebastian smirked.
But most of the class remained focused on Ren.
That's when Marcy spoke up.
"Ren had a nightmare or something," she said, her tone uncertain. "He suddenly sat up and said---'You are wrong'---out of nowhere."
Ms. Rinka's expression didn't change.
Her gaze flicked toward Ren, who looked as unbothered as ever.
"A nightmare?" she mused, tilting her head slightly. "How dramatic. Should we bring in a dream analyst? Maybe start a support group?"
A few chuckles rippled through the room, but the tension didn't fully break.
Then, Lyra, their class representative, finally spoke.
"Sensei," she said, voice even but firm. "Why did you ask us to stay after school was over?"
Straight to the point.
Ms. Rinka's gaze flickered to Lyra before sweeping across the room.
Most of them were watching her expectantly. Others---like Harrison Greenleaf and William Winters---already had that knowing look, as if they could sense what was coming.
She sighed, walking toward her desk and setting down the file she had been carrying.
"We need to talk about the 3E syndrome" she said simply.
That was all it took.
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Even those who had been lounging lazily straightened, their expressions shifting.
And then, as if to confirm their worst suspicions, Ms. Rinka continued:
"It's time to choose our haunted location."
The weight of those words hit differently.
No one spoke.
No one needed to.
Because they all knew what that meant.
---
Ms. Rinka's gaze flickered toward Ren before she spoke.
"Ren," she said evenly, yet with an unusual softness in her tone. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't something you were expecting to hear right now, but… your Nana just passed."
Silence.
Ren's breath hitched.
His fingers curled into a fist on the desk.
Then, he shot up from his seat.
A few students flinched at his sudden movement.
Eyes were on him again.
Whispers rippled through the room.
From the middle rows, Harrison exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Well, that's what he deserves." His tone was casual, but there was a cold edge to it. "If the curse has started its work, I think it's his fault. He shouldn't have talked to her in the first place."
A few students stiffened.
Some exchanged uneasy glances.
At the front, Lyra's eyes darkened. She turned to Harrison, her usual gentle expression hardened. "Stop it, Harrison." Her voice was quiet but firm. "You know it's not his fault."
Harrison scoffed but said nothing.
Lyra exhaled. "I should take responsibility for this." She looked at Ren, guilt evident in her gaze. "He was a transfer student---he couldn't have known. If only we had told him about the curse sooner, he wouldn't have made that mistake. And acting like this when he's just lost someone important… that's just cruel."
A tense pause.
Then, William spoke up, his voice low yet sharp. "You've gone too far this time, dude." His usually composed expression was laced with disapproval as he shot Harrison a pointed look. "Calm down."
Harrison clicked his tongue but turned his head away, muttering something under his breath.
Across the room, Sebastian Vale leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. His usual playful smirk was absent. Instead, he glanced between Ms. Rinka and Ren before speaking.
"So… are you saying that it's time for us to---?"
Ms. Rinka's gaze swept over the class, her eyes momentarily landing on the blank spot on the attendance sheet she had noticed earlier.
She didn't hesitate.
"Yes," she confirmed. "It's time to find a way to get rid of the Extra. If we don't, everything will escalate."
Ren stood frozen.
His heart pounded painfully in his chest.
His Nana was gone.
Just like that.
He looked around.
The weight of every stare bore down on him.
He could see pity in some eyes, suspicion in others.
Slowly, he sat back down.
His gaze flickered toward the girl sitting beside him.
She wasn't saying anything, but he could feel her watching him.
Then, he turned to Lyra.
His voice, when he finally spoke, was eerily calm.
"Don't worry, it's okay."
Lyra blinked, startled by his tone.
Ren's lips curled into something resembling a smirk, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"I mean, it's my fault anyway, right? So you shouldn't worry about it."
His voice was light.
Almost indifferent.
"And anyway, she's dead now, isn't she? Let's not dwell on the past. Let's just… look forward to the future."
The room fell into stunned silence.
His words hung in the air---unnatural, detached.
Even those who disliked Ren suddenly felt a strange unease.
Something about his reaction didn't sit right.
Even Ms. Rinka, who had seen countless students affected by the curse, watched him for a second longer than necessary.
Lyra's hands clenched into fists beneath her desk.
"Ren…"
But Ren had already turned his gaze back to the window, his expression unreadable.
[Author here, if you have any problem please let me know so that I can try my best to fix it]
CHAPTER END.