“Everyone, please listen,” Rai said in a gentle, but powerful tone. Silence gradually washed over the place.

Akira threw a fixed glance at the battered wood sign beside him, its pole buried inside the sodden ground as if trampled on. The words ‘NORTH ENTRANCE’ were carved on it with bold, capital letters. Not far behind it, a narrow pathway led into an area hemmed in by beech trees, standing firm and ominous in the dark.

Akira shivered and dug his hands inside the pockets of his zip-up hoodie, but the screeching wind slashed at him, seeping through his clothes. The sun had already dipped down the horizon, leaving the dismal sky pitch black – not even a single star could be spotted.

“Since we’re sixteen students in total, you’ll be divided into four men per team. From this jar” – Class Rep gestured at the jar she was clutching to her chest, stuffed with folded pieces of paper – “you must pick a paper. There is a number written on it. Those who draw the same number, are on the same team.”

She had barely finished explaining before people eagerly began to queue up to pick a number as if it was candy.

What a pain. Why couldn’t they just pick their team members themselves?

Just a few minutes later, Akira found himself fervently squeezing his hand through the jar, fumbling with the rustling pieces of paper inside.

The number four, written authentically and with precise lines, appeared on his paper when he eventually grabbed hold of one and unwrapped it. But the number didn’t matter. The only thing he cared about, was that he didn’t somehow end up on the same team as Kazuya.

He glanced around the open lawn area, waiting for someone to flagrantly announce that the person in question had drawn number four. But his classmates solely resembled shadows in the dark, gradually gathering around in sparse groups.

The sound of treads sneaked into his ears, becoming heavier and heavier with each step.

“What number did you get, Akira?” Class Rep stood opposite to him. Her arms were pinned behind her back, her sky-blue eyes sparkling through the lenses of her glasses.

“Four.”

She slid a hand through her side-swept bangs. “I guess we’re not on the same team, then.” Her eyes didn’t display any happiness, although she smiled.

Yasuhiro stood still beside Class Rep with a dull expression on his face, like a mannequin. As Akira met his gaze, an intense unease raced up his spine. It was as if Yasuhiro stared into his soul, unraveling his secrets.

“So… are you on the same team as Yasuhiro?” Akira asked Rai out of pure curiosity, and well, also to avoid Yasuhiro's gaze at him.

“Yep! You haven't found anyone from your team, yet?”

Akira shook his head in response.

Silence lingered between the two of them, or three of them counting Yasuhiro. A light breeze blew between them, as she stood there unmoving, unwavering. Akira began counting the seconds again, but even as he reached thirty seconds, no one had uttered a word.

He had barely turned his back when a freezing hand grasped his wrist.

“Oh wait, I just remembered!” Class Rep said, a light understanding flicking on in her eyes. “Kazuya drew the same number as you! I talked to him just a minute ago.”

A crease appeared between Akira’s eyebrows. The same number? he asked himself. Could it, by any chance, mean that…

“I’m on the same team as Kazuya?!”

No way. How was he supposed to scare Kazuya, if they were on the same team?! Thoughts and schemes ran through his head, despairingly trying to form a plan. He should nevertheless have a few options. But what?

“Can I ask you something, Akira?” Class Rep interrupted his thoughts.

He nodded once, barely paying attention to her at this point.

“Why did you suggest a test of courage? I’m curious since you appeared so dedicated.”

Akira met her gaze, not sure of what to tell her for a second. He peered behind his shoulder and spotted Kazuya standing with his hands in the pockets of his shorts, his knees slightly bent, not having a care in the world. Then, Akira swung his head back.

“You see, Kazuya isn’t afraid of anything. In the past, I constantly tried to frighten him, just to see his reaction, but all my attempts were futile. That’s why…” He leaned forward, placing his lips near her ear, her hair softly tickling his nose. “I wanted to use this as a chance to scare the living daylights out of him.”

And it was true, at least partly. Akira and Kazuya had been friends for a long time, and for as long as he remembered, he had constantly wondered how Kazuya was capable of never revealing any genuine emotions, let alone fright. At times, he had even criticized Akira's concern for other people. That said a lot, considering that Akira wasn’t a sentimental person.

Class Rep lifted her eyebrows in astonishment. Yet, it wasn’t her reaction, but the response he received from her which left him dumbfounded.

“If that’s the case… I want to help!” she said with a firm look in her eyes. “The reason I allowed the class to take the test of courage in the first place, was because I want the class to get along better. So, if frightening Kazuya would improve your friendship, I’ll gladly lend a hand.”

Akira was taken aback, just for an instant, struggling to select the correct words to proceed. “R-really?”

She nodded. “I’ll convince my team to help us. Considering you’re in the same team as Kazuya, it would be challenging for you to prank him. On the contrary, it would likely be simple for me and my team to find a way.”

There it was. His opportunity. He didn't even consider contemplating her suggestion.

“Thanks, Class Rep!” A grin spread across his face. He hadn't imagined that she would be so helpful, though he had always acknowledged she was truly an amiable person.

“In any case,” he went on to say, “if you make sure the pranks are really scary, I’m positive that Kazuya would quake in his boots!”

“Deal!”

Akira's eyes glittered brightly with hope before they parted ways. He couldn’t restrain himself from grinning from ear to ear, just by the thought of Kazuya's terrified facial expression. That was if their plan succeeded. He didn’t want to get his hopes up too high.

As he wandered in the spacious area, still in the midst of trying to find his team, a petite figure approached him, her hair fluttering in her long pigtails.

“Akira!” Rini’s silvery voice called out to him. “We’re looking for our last teammate. Did you, by any chance, draw number four?”

She had formed a soft smile on her lips. Not too far behind her stood both Kazuya and Aina, casting a glare in his direction, as if they were waiting for an answer.

Akira nodded.

Rini’s smile turned into a wide grin, and her freckled cheeks gleamed pink. “Welcome to our team!”

Their team? Meaning that he was on the same team as Rini and Aina as well.

Kazuya glowered at Akira for a second and shrugged. “Finally, we can get this over with, so everyone can fall asleep tonight, knowing that I was right all along.”

Such arrogance, Akira thought to himself, not daring to say it out loud.

“We don’t know that for sure, yet,” Aina countered. “That’s the reason why we’re taking the test of courage in the first place, remember?”

Kazuya grunted imperiously in response.

Somehow, Akira had a hunch that their teamwork would set ablaze, the more time they spend together. Not that it was of any importance.

He threw a fleeting glance at Class Rep, as she emerged in front of them, carrying two identical flashlights, one in each hand.

“You’ll need these.”

Aina stretched out her hands and grabbed hold of them, offering one of them to Akira, standing beside her. He clamped the flashlight in his hand, pressing the on and off button, just to make sure it worked. A beam of light lit up the night like a firefly, exposing the trampled, squashed grass beneath his feet.

Akira nodded satisfied to himself. Two flashlights for two people on the same team were more than enough.

It wasn’t long before a voice rang through the air like a sweet melody. “Is everyone ready?” Rai’s voice tapered in the keen wind.

“Yeah!” their antsy classmates shouted in unison.

“The teams will enter the forest from different directions, to make sure that all the teams are scattered,” Class Rep said. “Team one will enter from the North entrance, team two from South, team three from East and team four from West.”

“We won’t have to go far then,” Aina said.

Akira nodded. Since they were facing the North entrance now, the West should be on the left side. The rest was simple for the class to figure out.

A tense atmosphere washed over the place, as their classmates split up, each group strolling towards a different entrance. He caught sight of Rai, who winked innocently at him and turned her thumbs up.

“What was that for?” Aina asked, with a hint of confusion in her voice.

Kazuya shrugged in response. “Who knows?”

Akira kept his head lowered, his eyes fixed on his feet, as they trudged to the other side of the entrance through the murk. An odd sensation clawed on his chest, as they approached. The place seemed too empty with just the four of them.

He instantly cast the feeling away.

He took a step, the soles of his shoes meeting the squishy, moist mud of the forest. He glimpsed back at the abandoned cottage one last time.