[64] The Unseen (4)
But even the seniors from Class Two were mere supporting players compared to the man who had just stepped into the line.
A handsome fellow in an off-the-rack suit, his hair neatly swept back, idly tilted his head and looked up at the sky.
Ardino Fermi of Class One.
The room fell hushed at the appearance of a Class One student—the apex of the magic school. Seriel, sensing the seriousness of the moment, whispered,
"Even if it wasn't because of Shirone, isn't it weird that they came all the way here, even Fermi?"
"They didn't come for Shirone. Do you see what the grads who just showed up have in common?"
"Hm… they're all hard to get close to?"
"Exactly. They're probably research circles that work in the shadows. Like black magicians—only on a whole other level."
"Oh, right. I heard the club Shirone joined had a nasty reputation. But Fermi's really surprising. He's popular, isn't he? Even friendly."
"That's why it's creepier. He always looks like he's plotting something. Anyway, let's ignore them. Graduating students aren't our seniors here."
The thirty students in the graduating class were all rivals. Every year ten students left the school, and class assignments were decided by graduation-exam rankings. That meant the current Class One students were those who hadn't made the top ten in last year's exam.
They couldn't be brushed off as mere losers, because they occupied the top of the pyramid. In any competition, the higher you go, the narrower the gap in ability. In Class One, there was almost no clear superiority—one's condition that day, strategy, focus, and choices decided graduation or failure.
No one among the students dared dismiss Fermi. If anything, they were surprised that someone at the forefront of the magic school would attend a Class Five presentation.
Word of Fermi's arrival spread quickly, and by the time the show was about to start there was a line winding long enough to fill the hall several times over.
When the doors finally opened, students poured in. The front rows were for teachers; students filled seats in the order they arrived. Amy, who had come early, sat close to the stage beside Seriel.
"What on earth are they planning to show to cause this fuss?"
The turnout made no sense. It was extremely rare for Class One to attend a Class Five presentation. This wasn't a simple showcase. Tension hummed in the air as Amy waited for Shirone to appear. The hall went dark.
* * *
A single beam of light cut through the gloom. The spotlight swept across the stage and settled on a boy standing in the center.
"Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming to the presentation of the Paranormal Psychical Science Society. I'm Nade, the club president. Tonight we will present our research on the human soul. We'll begin the presentation now."
Applause echoed. The spotlight faded; after a three-second blackout the stage brightened like dawn, revealing a grim mountain landscape painted on the backdrop.
"They really prepared this well," Alpheas said with a satisfied look. Presentations were usually evaluated only by the faculty, but this time Alpheas had come specifically to observe Shirone's achievements.
Shiina, however, felt little excitement. Replacing physical set pieces with an electric curtain was an inventive idea, but stylish tech couldn't compensate if the content was flimsy—then it was a failing grade as a research presentation.
Nade moved to the edge of the stage and began to narrate.
"Five hundred and twenty years ago, before Alpheas School of Magic was founded, this place was a small slash-and-burn farming hamlet. It was a time when people who had lost their countries to conquest wandered about. Tonight we will tell you the story of a woman who fled war and entered that village."
After a blackout, a soldier-costumed Iruki hobbled onto the stage.
"Guh—guh— I'm hungry… I'm hungry…"
Laughter popped up here and there in the audience.
"Ha! What's that?"
"Guh, Rani. Is this some kind of play?"
Whenever Iruki had no line, Nade filled the gaps with narration.
The gist was this:
Soldiers had fled the war too.
But they were not alive.
They were bodies taken over by evil spirits—ghouls—wandering the world, drawn by the scent of living flesh. They entered the slash-and-burn village hungry.
Iruki flaunted the ghastliness of the ghoul and slipped offstage. Nade, now in the role of the male lead, appeared.
"Ah, my beloved Olia! How can one of such noble blood endure such hardship in these mountains? If I could, I would sell my soul to restore our lost glory, but I cannot—oh, how painful."
His voice and acting were quite good. But the students who'd come expecting a research announcement were baffled as the piece unfolded as a straight play. Things became ridiculous when Shirone, cross-dressed, streaked onto the stage from the opposite side.
"Noah! Noah!"
Wahahahahaha!
The students erupted into laughter. Shirone's long blonde hair reached his waist and waved convincingly; he cinched his waist to emphasize the silhouette and had padded the costume to give the appearance of a bust.
"Amy," Seriel said, bewildered, glancing at her. Amy watched the play with a crooked smile, just as Seriel had expected.
Because Nade, the narrator, also acted, the two conveyed the plot through their interplay.
It was a simple story.
Noah and Olia were heirs of noble houses promised to each other, but the war shattered their families and they ended up in the slash-and-burn village, trying to keep their love alive.
"I missed you, Olia. My love. My everything. I love you."
"I love you too, Noah."
Shirone and Nade embraced at the waist. What came next was predictable.
The lovers' kiss—the highlight of the play.
Of all the audience, none was more excited than Seriel.
"A-are they actually going to do it? Really? Oh, what should I do?"
Amy swallowed hard, a tension she'd never felt before knotting her throat. They probably wouldn't actually kiss for real, but in a play you could never be sure.
As the audience's anticipation peaked and Shirone closed his eyes, Nade slowly leaned in.
"Kyaaaah!"
Suddenly Iruki sprang from behind Nade and bit into his neck. A scream blared through the sound system; the startled audience shrieked.
No one had expected Iruki's sudden appearance—such an effect couldn't be achieved by props alone. Shirone had written the script with that in mind, counting on the invisibility cloak to startle the crowd. As tension rose, the audience sank deeper into the scene.
Iruki, having felled Nade, pretended to gnaw on flesh. The speakers played sounds of bones crunching, flesh tearing, screams and wails overlapped.
"No! Noah! Noah!"
When the flesh-eating soldier vanished, Olia cradled the dead Noah and wailed. The story barreled toward tragedy: a half-mad Olia cursed and finally slit her own throat with a dagger. The sight of the dead lovers silenced the students into solemnity.
After another blackout, Nade reappeared center stage as narrator. Everyone waited for his explanation, when suddenly Olia rose and let out a deranged laugh.
"Ha ha ha! I will not forgive you. I will kill you all."
Before the audience could calm themselves, Olia began slaughtering anyone in reach. With a tearing scream she vanished offstage, and the episode ended.
Nade stepped forward and continued.
"We uncovered this tale six months ago, thanks to an old diary we found while tracing the academy's history."
He produced a notebook—earth-stained and worn, as if buried 520 years ago. In truth, it had been hastily forged just days earlier.
"Our members, versed in psychical science, began an immediate investigation. And we discovered a shocking secret no one knew: the restless spirits from that time still haunt this school."
Dong. Dong. Dong.
Bells began to toll from the back of the stage. The students pricked up their ears at the familiar sound—the bell that marks midnight.
"Every night at midnight, hungry ghouls wander. This is unmistakable evidence for the existence of souls."
The students frowned. Even after years at the school, none of them had seen ghosts or anything remotely suspicious.
"You've never seen a ghost, I suppose. Neither had we. According to paranormal psychical science, spirits are only visible to eyes whose beliefs match their frequency—the mental frequency has to align. That is why we decided to hold this presentation. Now that you know the history of these restless spirits, your frequency is tuned. From tonight onward, when the midnight bell tolls, you may witness ghosts wandering the world."
Nade gave a final wink.
"If you're lucky, that is. That concludes our presentation."
After Nade bowed and slipped offstage, silence settled over the hall. There was no applause; the atmosphere felt chilly.
The students felt betrayed and empty. To call that a research presentation and serve up a theatrical prank was insulting.
"What the hell? That was just a gag? I thought we were going to see something amazing."
"We were idiots to expect anything. How could they possibly prove ghosts? Completely duped. Ugh, shouldn't have come."
"It's just Class Five level stuff. All that hype about Shirone and Iruki, but no substance. Let's go. We wasted our time."
Complaints floated through the room. These students had saved even their playtime to study; they were furious at the childish presentation that had eaten their time.
As people filed out, Mark and Maria threaded their way back up the aisle and greeted Amy and Seriel.
"Seniors—hello. How have you been?"
"Yeah, long time."
"What did you seniors think of the presentation?"
Mark looked equally baffled. Knowing Shirone's talent made it even harder for him to accept what they'd just seen.
Amy had no answer. There were no excuses, no spin to cover it. What showed up on stage was all there was; the presentation was over.
Seriel, however, still defended Shirone.
"They must've had something planned but hit a snag. Maybe time ran out. That's probably it. Right, Amy?"
"But it still failed. I should've guessed when I heard he was hanging out with weird people. Let's just go."
Amy rose to leave. Seriel pouted.
"How can you be so indifferent to your lover?"
"Ha! That's part of Senior Amy's charm. Maybe she's actually the most upset."
Hearing Mark's joke eased Seriel's sulk a little.
Even after the students had left, the teachers remained, too stunned to move. To be honest, they didn't know what to write on the evaluation forms.
'What on earth were they thinking? They might as well have done nothing.'
Shiina, above all, was shaken. To stage such a prankish presentation in front of the headmaster—how could she smooth this over? Her head throbbed at the thought.