"What a boring trip..." Raven thought to himself.
But what bothered him more than the bumpy bus ride or his friends' chatter was that dream again.
His gaze was blank as he stared out the window, watching the evening light slowly sink behind the horizon. The sky was ablaze with orange, beautiful, but in his head there was only a vague image of a strange man with a blank stare, as if bearing a deep loneliness. Every time he woke up, that strange feeling always lingered, leaving him with an uneasiness he couldn't explain.
Since childhood, Raven had often felt alienated from the world around him. It was as if a part of him was missing, something he could never find no matter how hard he tried to remember.
His reverie was interrupted when the bus slowed down and finally stopped. The conductor's voice echoed again through the loudspeaker.
"Everyone, please pay attention! Since we will arrive at our destination tomorrow, our bus will stop briefly to refuel at a rest area. Those who want to get off to buy food or drinks, please do so."
Several students immediately stood up, laughing and joking as they got off. Raven also got up, but suddenly felt a heaviness on her shoulders. Kyle slumped over, his head leaning against the seat, saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"Damn..." Raven muttered, then moved to stand up. Her movement caused Kyle's head to slip and fall to the floor of the bus.
"Huh? What happened? Are we there already?" Kyle muttered with a confused look on his face, his eyes still half-closed. Seeing his expression, the other students burst out laughing. Even Hana and Karin laughed softly.
"Hahaha! Serves you right!" Lisa teased smugly.
"This kid... he was so excited earlier, why is he acting like the laziest person now?" Karin said, pretending to pat her chest while shaking her head.
Hana just smiled slightly. "That's just how Kyle is."
Raven chose to leave, ignoring them. He just yawned softly, breathing in the fresher afternoon air. In the parking lot, another bus had just arrived. Carl got off, breathing heavily.
"Hey! Raven! Oi!" he shouted, his face pale.
Raven sighed. "Oh my god, here comes another weirdo."
"Are you okay, Carl?" she asked flatly, though a little worried.
"Phew... I'm fine. But listen to this, bro... last night the latest chapter finally came out!"Carl suddenly became excited, his voice bursting with enthusiasm.
Carl was one of Raven's closest friends, just like Kyle.
His face was slightly round, his dark brown hair was messy and covered his ears, the ends slightly long. He was slim, his thin glasses reflected the light from the rest area, covering his brown eyes that held unstoppable enthusiasm.
His style was like a true Japanese otaku, wearing a hoodie with anime illustrations on the back and a small bag full of character keychains.
"Hey, Wibu! Don't provoke my friend with your Japanese card talk!" Kyle followed him out, yawning.
"What did you say, you clown!" Carl replied explosively, his face immediately turning red.
And as usual, Carl and Kyle immediately started arguing.
They teased and attacked each other, but somehow their friendship remained intact.
"Oh my god, these two are at it again," Lisa teased from behind.
"Here we go again..." Karin tapped her forehead, pretending to be dizzy.
Hana just chuckled at their antics.
At that moment, a calm but clear voice was heard from the other side.
"Come on, you're embarrassing yourselves. You're a big group, after all," the calm voice said. Kevin walked casually over, a slight smile on his face.
Several female students immediately whispered, holding back small screams.
Kyle snorted. "Hah, the campus prince is here."
"At least I'm not the campus clown," Kevin replied calmly, his gaze piercing but his voice remaining flat.
The comment successfully made several people hold back their laughter.
Kyle immediately got angry. "What did you say?!"
But before he could move forward, Raven patted his shoulder, holding him back. "Come on, Kyle..."
Kevin turned his gaze to Hana. "Are you okay, Hana? It's a bit noisy here. If you're uncomfortable, how about you come with me for a bit? I'll treat you to a drink or something."
Hana was taken aback for a moment, then quickly shook her head. "Eh? I... I'm fine."
"I see..." Kevin smiled slightly. "If anything happens, don't hesitate to let me know."
Without waiting for an answer, Kevin casually walked towards the store. His leather shoes shone under the rest area lights, leaving an arrogant yet charming impression.
"Pffft... look at him, acting all cool, even though he just got rejected," whispered Carl, holding back a laugh.
"That kid is so narcissistic..." Karin replied softly, her eyes glancing at Kevin who was getting further away. "I don't understand, he was rejected by Hana but he's still hanging around."
"Um... I'm still curious, Hana," Carl said, moving a little closer. "If Kevin is that popular, why did you reject him?"
Hana smiled faintly, as if hiding something.
"Well... I know he's nice, but I have my own reasons."
Lisa and Karin exchanged glances. They knew the real reason, but chose to remain silent. Hana's faint smile was enough for them to understand.
Raven had been watching the conversation from the side. She didn't respond, just sighed softly and turned away.
"Come on, let's go inside. Aren't you guys shopping?" she asked briefly as she walked towards the minimarket.
Kyle and Carl immediately followed with half-running steps. Hana, Lisa, and Karin followed behind, whispering quietly.
"Sometimes I'm confused, is Raven just insensitive or really stubborn..." Lisa muttered, making Karin hold back her laughter and Hana feel a little embarrassed. Without further ado, they followed Raven's steps and entered the minimarket together.
Inside the minimarket, Raven stood in front of the beverage refrigerator. Her gaze was vacant, the image from her dream resurfacing. A vague face on the canvas, a voice calling...
"Raven... Raven... venn..." A soft voice broke her reverie.
He turned quickly. Hana was standing behind him, her face so close that he could feel her breath. Hana's face immediately turned bright red, and she quickly turned away.
"I-I'm sorry... I just wanted to say, our friends seem to be waiting," she said nervously, her fingers clenching.
"Oh... yes. Sorry, I got carried away," Raven replied awkwardly.
"Well then... let's go back," Hana said softly, still not daring to look directly at him.
They walked together towards the cashier. The atmosphere between them felt awkward, as if there was a thin wall separating them. In fact, they used to be close childhood friends who were always together. However, one problem in the past had caused a rift in their relationship, and they hadn't communicated for a whole year. It was only at university that they tried to fix everything.
"Raven, you've been daydreaming a lot lately. What's wrong?" Hana finally asked, breaking the silence.
"Ah, nothing... just thinking about next semester," Raven replied quickly, clearly making up an excuse.
Hana smiled slightly. "That's so like you. Always thinking about the future, always busy with your plans... you know, I've always liked that side of you," she said softly, almost like a whisper that slipped out unconsciously from her mind.
As soon as she realized what she had said, Hana's face turned red. "Ah! I mean... I didn't mean it that way... I..." she said nervously, her voice growing even softer.
Raven looked at her for a moment, then chuckled softly. There was a warmth in his eyes that was hard to hide. "I like this side of you too," he said gently. "You haven't changed much, Hana."
His slight smile made Hana even more awkward, but she couldn't help the warmth in her chest.
Soon, they arrived at the cashier line. Their friends were already waiting.
Lisa immediately grabbed them. "Hey, you two took forever. We thought you got lost."
"Yeah, it's unusual for you to take so long," Carl added in surprise.
Karin looked at the two of them with a mischievous smile, her chin resting on her hand. "Hmm... looks like something happened, huh?" she said teasingly.
Hana immediately looked down, her cheeks red up to her ears. "N-nothing happened!" she said quickly, panicking.
"Ah... sorry, sorry..." Raven said quickly, scratching his head, which clearly wasn't itchy.
"Hey, you guys! Hurry up and pay, or we'll miss the bus," Kyle said, half-jokingly, but his tone showed a hint of panic.
Their coach, William, added casually, "Relax, the bus won't leave without us. If anyone gets left behind, it'll be Kyle."
"Ha! I agree," Lisa said quickly.
Laughter immediately broke out among them. Even Kyle, who had been annoyed, ended up laughing too, snorting softly.
And in the midst of the laughter, Raven glanced briefly at Hana. The girl laughed softly, but behind that smile, for some reason, Raven felt something in her eyes... something that looked at him more deeply than just nostalgia.
After shopping was over, the counselors gathered the students who were around the rest area. One by one, they were checked, their attendance carefully verified. William stood in the middle, his eyes scanning each face, making sure no one was left behind.
"Tomorrow at seven in the morning, we will arrive at our destination," he said firmly.
There was no doubt in his voice even though it was getting late, his responsibility still felt.
"So I hope everyone can be quiet tonight... and no one makes any noise."
William's gaze stopped right on Kyle.
Kyle was called out and could only bow his head and chuckle stiffly. "Yes, sir..."
"Yes, sir!" All the students replied in unison, making the atmosphere lively again with small laughs and jokes.
The night grew late. The journey continued. The bus was filled with laughter and jokes. Some played cards, and the losers had their faces covered in powder. Kyle and Lisa were the worst victims, causing laughter to echo throughout the journey.
However, behind the laughter, no one realized... this trip would be their last in the world they knew. Because something was waiting for them a catastrophe that would change everything.