Noah and Enel remained in the locker room, an uncomfortable silence filling the air. Noah stayed quiet while Enel was lost in thought about what had happened and their meeting with Derek Miller. Curiosity gnawed at him; he wanted to ask Noah but restrained himself, not wanting to pry into things that didn't concern him. It wasn't long before the university bell rang, signaling the end of the class.
"Let's go," said Noah as he stood up, and Enel nodded in agreement and followed him outside. As they left the second floor and descended to the first, they spotted Neriah sitting alone on one of the chairs. Neriah noticed them too and waved, prompting them to head over to him.
"W-We couldn't find you no matter how hard we tried! You guys are really good at hiding," Neriah said with a nervous smile, rubbing the back of his head anxiously.
"Your acting is awful," Noah thought to himself silently. It was clearly bad acting, but even so, Enel remained oblivious to the situation around them.
"Huh? Where's Sirius?" Noah asked, noticing Sirius wasn't with them and glancing around to find him.
"Oh, he went to the restroom. He'll be back soon," Neriah said, looking somewhat worried and flustered. He was clearly hiding something, but Noah saw no benefit in pressing him for answers.
"Sirius have overused his skill. I think he's suffering from some brain damage," thought Neriah silently, stealing glances at the corridor leading to the restroom from the corner of his eye.
Noah, Enel, and Neriah eventually left the area and waited for Sirius by the entrance. Meanwhile, in the restroom, Sirius stood alone, staring at his reflection in the mirror. Luckily, the bathroom was empty. Sirius clutched his head, feeling sharp, unbearable pain.
"Damn it! This hurts as fuck.. it feels like my head's being crushed by a hammer!" Sirius thought anxiously, grimacing in pain. He regretted overusing his ability and was now facing the consequences. He wished he'd listened to Neriah's advice, but his pride had gotten in the way. Suddenly, blood started dripping from his nose, staining the sink.
"I really overdid it..." Sirius whispered to himself as he wiped the blood off and turned on the faucet to wash the sink clean.
Outside, Noah, Enel, and Neriah were waiting in silence until Sirius finally arrived.
"I'm really sorry for making you wait," Sirius said apologetically, flashing his usual ridiculous grin.
"What the hell were you doing? I'm pretty sure taking a dump doesn't take that long," Enel asked, curious and concerned as usual.
"I was... taking care of some business," Sirius said playfully, teasing Enel with a mischievous smile.
"W-Why is everyone acting so perverted today? First Noah, and now Sirius," Enel thought silently, casting suspicious glances at Noah and Sirius, mentally placing them on his list of 'potential perverts.'
The group headed back to Sector 11, taking the southern train from Sector 7. Upon reaching the residential complexes, Neriah cast a wary glance at Jarod, the ever-watchful caretaker, who sat at his desk with sleepy but sharp eyes, observing everyone seriously. They took the elevator to the seventh floor and stopped outside Sirius, Neriah, and Enel's room.
"What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Noah asked curiously when they unintentionally blocked the path to his own room.
"Hmm... Maybe we should crash in Noey-kun's room tonight?" Sirius suggested, looking at Noah with expectation.
"I-In my room? But it's just a small space, and there are only two beds," Noah said, unsure about the idea since his room was much smaller than theirs.
"No problem! Two can share a bed, and whoever refuses can sleep on the floor," Sirius said excitedly, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm as he stared into Noah's eyes, which made Noah slightly uneasy.
"F-Fine then! I'll go prepare the room while you guys change," Noah said, hurrying off while the others went into their own room to change clothes.
Noah pulled out his room key from his pocket, but when he tried to unlock the door, it opened slightly. It had already been unlocked.
"I'm sure I locked it this time," Noah thought nervously as he pushed the door open. He quickly noticed the window was wide open too and rushed to close it.
"...Did someone break into my room?" Noah thought, immediately imagining the worst-case scenario. He heightened his vigilance to the maximum, standing still and scanning the room carefully for any unusual movement, sound, or signs of intrusion. Fortunately, he found no one, and his tense body relaxed slightly.
But then, he heard a sound. Something—or someone—was inside the closet. His sense of danger flared up again. Moving on tiptoe to avoid making noise, Noah crept slowly towards the closet.
His trembling hand gripped the closet handle. In one swift motion, he flung the door open, bracing himself for the worst—only to find nothing inside.
"I was just imagining things..." Noah whispered, relieved, until he noticed an empty potato chip bag on the floor. He picked it up and found a few leftover crumbs inside.
"I was going to say the bag blew here after the window opened... but today isn't windy, and the bag is heavy enough with crumbs to not move easily in weather like this... I don't want to assume the worst, but... someone probably entered my room and ate these... but why hide in the closet?" Noah thought, frowning in annoyance as he tossed the bag into the trash. He decided not to think about it further, to avoid feeling paranoid and unsettled the entire day.
Noah changed into more comfortable home clothes: a loose white shirt and baggy pants. A few minutes later, Sirius, Enel, and Neriah arrived at his door.
"Noey-kun, we're here!" Sirius called out excitedly, jumping onto Noah's back and causing them both to topple onto the bed.
"Hahaha, you're so tall!" Sirius laughed ridiculously, clinging to Noah, while Enel and Neriah entered the room, smiling awkwardly.
"We're about the same height, you idiot. Anyway, get off me," Noah said, annoyed, as he got back on his feet after freeing himself from Sirius's grip.
Sirius sprawled across Noah's bed, pulling the blanket toward him and sniffing it.
"Smells like Noey-kun," Sirius teased, grinning.
"...Disgusting," Noah, Enel, and Neriah all thought simultaneously, staring at Sirius.
"Anyway, your room is seriously tiny. All the rooms in the complexes are the same size... except yours. That's weird," Sirius remarked, looking around in surprise. Enel and Neriah agreed silently, feeling confused as well.
"Maybe because I live alone," Noah said, thinking that might be the reason.
They brushed off the matter. After sunset, at 8:13 PM, the group sat in a circle on the floor.
"Do you guys want to tell scary stories?" Sirius asked eagerly, even though it was clear he would go ahead whether they agreed or not.
"That's all you could think of?" Neriah asked, annoyed by the lack of creativity.
"I was excited to gossip about the girls on campus, but I guess that'll have to wait," Neriah thought to himself, hiding his disappointment.
Sirius then got up, grabbed a flashlight from Noah's closet, turned off the room lights, and set the flashlight in the center of the circle, creating a campfire-like dramatic atmosphere.
"Perfect! I'll start first!" Sirius announced excitedly, while everyone else marveled at how quickly he could set the mood for such silly things.
"Before you joined the university, Noey-kun, there was a very popular rumor about one room—your room specifically. Some students were walking at night, heading towards Sector 3, when they saw a strange light coming from this room, and a giant black shadow peeking out from the window! The shadow had the terrifying face of a demon, with long horns and red eyes. It scared them so much they ran away. The next day, they reported it to the professors, who searched the room... but no one was inside.
The story died down for a bit, but rumors started again soon after. Students who lived on the 7th floor and in the neighboring rooms—those who lived here before us—began hearing strange sounds coming from this room. Like the creaking of old wood... and loud, disgusting chewing noises. Some students decided to investigate.
That was the worst mistake of their lives. Because the moment they entered, they were attacked by a demonic spirit that killed and devoured them!
And that demonic spirit... still lives in this room to this day!"