Furuno

She leads the way, shoulders squared. I'm not exactly comfortable with having her around, but there's really nothing I can do about it.

We walk down the hall and out into the now-dark yard.

"This isn't the way to the Dungeons." I mention.

She glances at me over her shoulder.

"We aren't going to the Dungeons, remember?"

I just nod, feigning understanding when I actually have no clue where we're going.

The entire hall is deserted. I've noticed that once it's dark, every single student disappears to the comfort of their rooms.

And funnily enough, there's no form of curfew given by the school management - which is weird.

"Is it always this quiet - I mean the school?" I can't resist asking.

She shrugs.

"I can't care less if ghosts patrol the school at night. To make matters worse, almost all the students here are weirdos."

She turns into a private hallway with a 'No Students Allowed' banner at the beginning..

Angela walks past the sign, completely ignoring it.

We walk to one of the doors.She pulls the key out of her hoodie's pocket and twists it in the lock.

The key scrapes gently in the lock, clicking gently as the door slides open.

We exchange glances.

She goes in first, switching on all the lighting.

"Light? You want us to get caught?"

She shakes her head.

"No. It's just that the trap door needs light - it's hard to find it in the dark." She responds.

Rows of shelves stuffed with neatly arranged files and folders fill the room.

When we arrive at a particular shelf, she gestures for me to stop.

"This is it. Help me push this shelf from here". When I hesitate, she adds, "The trapdoor is beneath this shelf."

I pause.

"How do you know so much about the catacombs? I thought you hadn't been here before?" I ask her, my voice dripping with suspicion.

She gulps, her skin slightly paling.

When she doesn't answer, I continue, "You make it hard for me to trust you. What are you not telling me?"

She meets my gaze briefly before staring back at the floor.

"I have been searching for clues pertaining to the death of my brother, hence everything. I took the job as the Dean's spy in order to discover as much as I could".

She gulps again.

"I over - heard his conversation with one of the staff. He mentioned something about a rusticated student's file but said it couldn't be found in the regular school archives."

I decide not to push her story any farther - it sounds legit enough.

For now.

"Stand back". I warn her as I brace myself to shift the shelf.

Pushing with all my might, the shelf finally starts moving. A loud scraping sound fills the air .

Some files slide off the shelf during the movement.

She leans down to start packing it up immediately.

With a soft grunt, I push the shelf further.

A wooden trapdoor comes into view.

I remove the latch and open it.

All I can see below is just darkness.

"Ladies first." I say, gesturing for her to jump in first.

When I reach the end of the ladder, I jump down.

"Do you have your phone on you?" She asks.

I fish into the pocket of my jacket and hand it to her.

She points down at the puddle beneath our feet.

"This is going to ruin our shoes." She murmurs.

"You can always go back, just saying."

She turns to me.

"Nice try, but you aren't getting rid of me so easily."

She starts walking, stepping at the side to avoid the deep part of the puddle.

"How much further?" I ask when I notice that water starts seeping in through the soles of my shoes.

"We have to reach that gate, then turn left." Then she stops walking, rubbing her brow. "I think. I'm not so sure anymore. We can just do a trial and error kind of thing till we find it."

I roll my eyes - more swimming.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?" She suddenly asks.

She should know she's trespassing.

"That's none of your business." I say, my tone cold and discouraging.

"I know it isn't. But, from my observation, I don't think you have. Safari doesn't agree with me - because of your prowess with girls like Dahlia and the likes." She rolls her eyes.

"I don't care what you or anybody thinks, Angela. Telling me is no use - you won't get anything out of me."

"You're so insufferable, Furuno. I'm just trying to make conversation."

I toss her a sideward glance in between measured wades.

"The silence suits me just fine."

She clenches her fist. I ruffled the vixen, I muse.

"Well… I don't like the silence - it makes me jittery. I'd rather babble, so you can either close your ears or listen to what I have to say."

My only response is a shrug.

"You make even listening sound like a chore. And for the record, I'm still mad at you."

Deciding to humor her, I ask, "What did I do this time?"

She glances at me, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"You said you don't believe the story about my brother! How could you even say such a thing! You can ask around for him, only freshmen may not know."

I avert my gaze, raking a nervous hand through my hair.

"I only said that because I wanted to get you out of my hair." I mutter sheepishly.

She looks at me, her eyes bright.

"You should know," she says, a smile in her voice, "that even if you call me a whore or the meanest word that exists, you still won't be able to get rid of me."

I find myself smiling at her desperation.

"I'm terrible company." I warn, still smiling.

She grins.

"That's fair. But I've never complained, have I?"

Then, a loud sound erupts above us. We both freeze, staring at the ceiling above us.

"What's that?" Angela asks, gripping the wall.

Karim and Ace's Dungeon session should have ended a long time ago - seven in the evening or so - it wouldn't be them.

"I don't know." I mutter under my breath.

Another strike, not as loud as the first one, but more deliberate.

"I think someone's up there, Furuno."

I keep looking up, as if the ceiling would suddenly become translucent and I'd be able to see the person above us.

"What if it's a staff? I mean, we never know." She whispers, scared.

"Let's just keep moving." I say.

"Do you hear voices? I'm hearing voices."

I listen carefully, leaning against the wall.

People are definitely up there.

"Is there any way up? Maybe a secret staircase or something?"

She fixes me with wide eyes.

"I don't even know if we're heading the right way to the school archives! How the hell am I supposed to know about a secret staircase!" She whispers furiously.

I gesture for her to calm down.

"Let's just get what we came for and get the hell out of here. Sound good?" I ask.

She bobs her head several times.

I lift my feet from the drenched puddle, water dripping from it in globs. My socks are completely soaked now, irritating me with its wetness.

She glances down at my shoes, her eyes filled with pity.

"I really loved your shoes. Do you have another pair?"

I sigh.

"I wasn't given the privilege of packing a suitcase at the time of my admission - no one informed me that I'll be put out and dragged to an unknown island."

She sighs, heavy.

"I know exactly how you feel. We could fix it if you'd be up to it".

I smile again, grateful for her kindness.

"Thanks. But you're distracting again. Archives, remember?"

She nods, wading past me.

The water ripples, splashing over the ends of my pressed pants.

This is a very terrible day for my clothes.

We reach the iron gate.

I press on the bars forcefully - they don't budge.

"Is there by chance any key there that I can use?"

She pulls out the keys. They jiggle in her palm as she sorts through them.

"This looks like it should fit". She says, putting it in the keyhole.

The key scrapes in the lock, but it doesn't turn.

She tries another.

Then finally, she finds the right one.

Once the gate is open, we start walking down the path. The puddle here is not as deep as the previous one.

At one point, the door looms ahead of us. She unlocks it.

"You finally got the key right". I comment.

She grins.

"Yeah, I did. So you noticed". She replies.

We step into the room. Rows of bookshelves line up in front of us.

"Where do we even start from?" She asks.

"You start on that end, and I'll start on this end."

She makes to move but turns back.

"We don't have enough light."

I hadn't thought of that.

Then, another light flashes in our direction.

Angela hides behind me.

"Who's there!" The voice calls.

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