10:20 a.m., the next day.
London International School.
While the classroom atmosphere was progressing normally...
"Sir."
A male student raised his hand high and called to the teacher currently giving a lecture.
When the teacher turned, he saw that it was none other than Syd Barrett.
"I need to use the bathroom."
"...Sure."
The boy stood up and exited through the back door.
.
.
.
Moments later...
"Sir."
Another voice called out again, but the teacher recognized this one well—it was Jody Johansson.
"I need to go to the restroom."
No permission was needed. No one ever questioned Jody.
She could walk out easily and head straight to the designated meeting spot.
The front of the restrooms between two school buildings.
When she arrived, she saw Syd Barrett and Seraphina Gilmour already waiting there outside the restroom.
"Really? You're using the oldest trick in the book—asking to go to the bathroom?"
"Well, I wasn't lying, was I?"
Syd pointed to the "Restroom" sign hanging on the wall behind him.
It really was the restroom.
"You're such an untrustworthy snake…"
Seraphina muttered while glaring at Syd.
Before long, guided by the two girls who knew the layout of the school like the back of their hands, Syd and the others arrived in front of the Principal's Office.
Mr. Collins' Office
"Hmm…"
Syd didn't barge in right away. He first examined the area outside the principal's office.
"If things go sideways and we need to bail, where can we escape?"
"Plenty of ways."
"The principal's office is right near the connecting hallway between the Year 1 and Year 3 buildings. Even if you smash the window inside the principal's office… you'll end up in the garden."
"...Got it. By the way, is the principal a power user?"
The two girls looked at each other as if hoping the other might know.
But apparently, neither did.
"I've never seen it."
"Same."
Seraphina added to Jody's response.
"I don't know Principal Collins personally. I've never even spoken to him. Maybe just walked past. But if we're lucky, he might be like Father Peter. We might not have to do much."
Knock. Knock.
The boy knocked on the door.
"..."
No response.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"...…"
Still no response.
"Jody, put your ear to the door. Hear anything?"
"...Nope… I don't hear anything at all…"
"...Weird… Maybe he's not—"
Before Seraphina could finish her sentence, she jumped back in shock like a cat splashed with water.
Because Syd Barrett had released his red aura and kicked the door open immediately.
Revealing the inside of Principal Collins' office…
and the door handle now lying on the floor, blown off by the force.
"You maniac…"
Seraphina muttered under her breath.
There was no one inside. And the lights weren't on either.
Only the natural light from outside illuminated the room enough to see what was inside.
The boy could only see the areas touched by sunlight, the brightness gradually fading into shadows.
He stepped inside and looked around. Realizing they needed better light, he signaled to Jody to flip the switch by the wall.
Click.
The room lights turned on.
Seraphina was the last one to enter, and she closed the door behind her.
"Jody, keep watch at the door. Use your ears. If anyone approaches, let us know."
The entire room looked far too formal—far too luxurious for just an "office."
From the perfectly aligned bookshelves, the gold-branched chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the computer desk, a separate lounge table, and the personal lockers—all of it looked high-end and refined.
"Whoa… Look at that ceiling light… It's like something out of a royal ballroom…"
From the middle of the room, a pathway led inward to a massive window at the far end, directly across from the door Syd had kicked open.
As he surveyed the room, he spotted various decorations and collectibles on the shelves—rubber balls, horse figurines, vases, flower pots, and more.
The room was fairly large. In the center, Syd found the principal's personal computer desk, cluttered with papers and things.
Seeing this, Syd waved Seraphina over to the desk.
"Seraphina, go through these papers. Look for anything that could be a lead—whatever it is. Copy it. I'll handle the computer."
"..."
She nodded and immediately got to work.
Syd sat down in the chair and started booting up the computer.
Everything went smoothly so far.
Jody noticed Syd pulling something hexagonal from his bag—a device that could be connected to the computer.
Syd hacked into the principal's system via email and other access points. He scrolled through file after file until he suddenly stopped.
"Oh my bloody Jesus."
Syd mimicked a British accent so dramatically that the real British girl rifling through papers nearby shot him a glare.
"Do Brits actually swear like that?"
"No."
"What'd you find?" Jody asked.
"Something big… I found a secret email account from your dear principal…"
Seraphina glanced over at the screen and her eyes widened.
"This is…"
"Proof of embezzlement—transferring school funds into personal accounts. And look here—huge sums sent to some mystery bank account."
It was all there.
"Bribes, too. And more importantly… this—evidence of contact with that Mr. Lake…"
When Syd clicked the email, there was no message body—just a map.
It was a full map of the United Kingdom, with various locations marked with red pins.
What did it mean?
No one knew.
"...Syd, I didn't find anything useful in these stacks of papers…"
But as Seraphina turned and saw the UK map on the screen, she blinked.
"Why are there red markers like that?"
"No clue… Maybe the principal's planning a vacation?"
Syd copied all the files onto the small hexagonal device he brought.
Jody, who had been on watch, suddenly heard a noise outside the door. She turned toward it.
"...What was that?"
At the same time, Seraphina was double-checking the paperwork.
"...Syd, I swear I didn't miss anythi—"
But as she looked up—
Syd Barrett had vanished from the chair.
"What?!"
Both girls were stunned. They'd only looked away for a second—and now he was gone. Just like that.
"Syd… Hey! Syd!!! This isn't funny! Where the hell are you?! Jody! Did you see where he went?!"
"I wasn't looking! B-Because I heard that sound outside… I had to focus there..."
Sweat dripped down both their faces. Breathing quickened. The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned heavy. Even with the lights on, it felt dark… and pressing.
"Syd! I said this isn't funny! There's a limit to jokes, dammit!"
"Wait, Seraphina..."
Jody walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Syd's not the type to joke around at a time like this… Something's wrong…"
The tension thickened. Seraphina began to feel suffocated.
"Something's off… Be on your guard, Seraphina…"
The two huddled together, glancing around nervously, inching toward the computer desk where Syd had disappeared.
They both released their respective auras—two distinct colors swirling out—as they prepared to face whatever force was manipulating the room.
The desk was empty. Syd had vanished—completely.
Crrrnnn… crunnn…
Suddenly—
Click!
In the silence, the sound of something moving at the door Jody had come through echoed sharply.
She raised a hand, finger glowing with a vortex of compressed air aimed toward the noise—but found nothing.
"..."
?!
But when she turned back—
Seraphina was gone too.
"?!!"
It was undeniable now. Something else was in this room with them.
Crrrn… crnnnn…
Jody scanned the room, tense to the core.
"Seraphina?... Seraphina?!..."
"..."
No answer.
She was gone—without a trace. No scuff marks on the floor. No stray hairs. No blood. Nothing at all.
Ffft.
Jody's ears caught a sound from behind.
She spun around—and caught a glimpse of something's arm reaching for the light switch by the door they had broken through.
It moved fast. Inhumanly fast.
Jody only saw an arm—just an arm—pressing the switch.
Then darkness.
The entire room was swallowed in black once again.
It was not human. It had no fingers—and it was far too fast.
"That thing… it's not human…"
Still, despite the darkness, Jody could make out vague outlines, thanks to the computer screen's faint glow. Her eyes needed time to adjust.
She backed slowly and cautiously until she stood beside the spot where Syd had vanished.
Then she noticed something faintly glowing on the desk.
"...What is that…?"
As her eyes adjusted, she realized it wasn't a light. It was a red aura surrounding the mousepad.
"...Wh-what?!"
Blood drops.
Thanks to the red glow and the computer screen's soft light, she could make out a few droplets of blood near the mousepad.
Blood? Syd?!
Jody reached for the mousepad—it didn't feel like velvet. It felt like metal.
Suddenly, the red aura shot out from the pad and surged into Jody's body.
It sank into her skin. She knew immediately.
"My legs! No mistake—that red aura just swapped in some new property to my legs!"
"..."
Syd… You left this behind for me—just before you disappeared!
When she squeezed the mousepad—
Crack!
Clear as day.
The velvet mousepad didn't tear. It split.
Syd had swapped Jody's leg with the mousepad's properties.
He believed she could handle this.
She had to take out that thing—fast.
"But first, I need to get the lights back on…"
Jody planned to sprint for the switch.
Ffft Ffft Ffft Ffft—
Suddenly, something charged at her from behind.
Jody spun and unleashed a barrage of air bullets.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Note: To avoid confusion, the usual "fwoosh" sound of air bullets was changed to "bang" to distinguish it from the running sound effects.
She didn't know if it hit—but she dove toward the switch and flipped it.
Click.
The lights came on.
She was running out of time. That leap had been possible only because of Syd's power. When it wore off, she'd be done for.
Then she looked down and saw—
"Wood chips?!"
Splinters—deep brown ones, clearly from something smashed by force. They hadn't been there before.
Which meant…
Her air bullets had hit something.
Thud.
A sound from the room's corner made her spin.
This time, she saw it.
A tall wooden puppet—roughly her height—was holding its wound near the room's cutout wall.
Calling it a wound was misleading. More like… missing wood.
"...Urgh…"