I gritted my teeth as I once again saw my friends gather around the empty seat behind me. It's clear to me now that they are playing me. It's ridiculous to even consider the possibility that someone invisible could exist. If someone said, "Hey, there's a new student in my class, but I can't see them," would you believe it? Of course not. I doubt my mom would believe it either.

As I watch them joke around with their imaginary objects, I feel an unbearable pressure in my chest. This sucks.

Instantly, driven by a sudden burst of anger, I pounded the table hard.

Silence.

All eyes turn to me, surprised and confused. I look back at them sharply, making sure they know I'm sick of their unfunny games. Without even acknowledging my teacher, who has just entered the room, I storm out of the classroom.

***

I washed my face with water, staring at my own disheveled reflection in the toilet mirror. I couldn't help but feel like this is the expression of someone who is stressed, or almost driven to madness.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. Maybe I had overreacted. Yeah, maybe, if you looked at their expression. But still, if this was all just a joke, they didn't need to take it this far, did they?

The toilet door suddenly swung open, causing me to jump.

I looked back reflexively, but there was no one there. Strangely, my gut was telling me that something wasn't right. Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.

When the stall next to me creaked, without thinking I took off running.

There was something off about all of this. This couldn't be just a joke, there was definitely something going on. I could feel it. The same sense of unease that I had felt on the first day of the new student appeared.

Could my suspicions be wrong? Was this invisible figure real? But that was impossible. And... if it was true, why was it only me who couldn't see it?

After running far enough, I leaned against a wall near the laboratory room, trying to catch my breath and straighten out my thoughts.

There was definitely something going on. That much I was certain of now. But the idea of someone being invisible was just so ridiculous. The new student... could he be a ghost?

I shook my head, trying to dismiss the thought. If he was a ghost and only I could see him, that would make some sense. But that wasn't the case here.

The lab window suddenly opened, despite there being no classes scheduled there today. My body shivered, and I immediately left the area, my mind racing with the thought that he could be following me.

Every time something moved, no matter how insignificant, I found myself on edge, ready to run at a moment's notice. I couldn't understand why I had become so paranoid.

This was driving me crazy. Fear of something unseen? What was wrong with me? What was the real explanation for all of this?

In the end, I decided to head back to class. Being surrounded by people might help me shake this irrational fear.

***

I sat in silence at my desk even though class had already ended.

With Salmon and the others, the new student went to the movies. Or at least, that's what Salmon said when he invited me again, which I clearly declined.

I can't see him, but if he's really there, I'm sure he's not here right now. That's what my gut tells me.

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My other friends one by one left the classroom. And now I'm alone, lost in thought like an idiot. Or that's what I thought.

Someone suddenly stood next to me.

Slightly surprised that I didn't notice her still being here, I looked at her. A small girl with glasses was staring at me. Her name is Mai, if I remember correctly. Her face was expressionless. Maybe that's what's people called a "poker face."

I've never spoken to her. As far as I can remember, she prefers to be alone. Every day she spends her time reading books in a corner of the room. Maybe that's why I didn't notice her still being here. What does she want with me?

Mai shifted her gaze forward, towards the board that was filled with doodles made by one of my friends.

"You can't see him either, can you?" Mai asked.

I was startled. The first thing that came to mind was the new student. But was it really true?

"Either?" I asked cautiously.

"I can't see him either," Mai said. "The new student."

A feeling of relief flooded my chest. But I didn't want to make any hasty conclusions.

"Really?" I said.

Mai nodded gently. "At first, I intended to keep it to myself. To pretend I didn't know, but slowly it's been bothering me. Seeing everyone talk to something invisible, I began to think something was wrong with me."

"You've been thinking that too?" Hearing that made me feel relieved. "Wait a moment, how do you know that I can't see him?"

"Since the day he appeared, I've been observing everyone. From there, I found that only you acted differently. I suspected that you were the same as me and it turns out my guess was correct."

I have to admit, I'm amazed. That was a simple but sharp analysis. I'm in the same situation but all I could think about was that I was being played.

"I hope you'll tell me if you find something," Mai said. "In return, I'll also tell you if I find something."

"That sounds good."

"Here's my phone number." Mai handed me a piece of paper with her number written on it.

"If you find something, contact me," she said, her expression remaining neutral.

I nodded in agreement.

"I think that's enough for now. See you later."

"Wait..."

Mai ignored me. She walked out of the classroom. I could only stand there, holding the piece of paper in my hand.

***

My heavy mental burden disappeared thanks to yesterday's incident with Mai. I am truly relieved. I thought if everything continued like this, I might go crazy.

However, my relief only lasted a moment. A worse nightmare is about to begin. The real problem has just started.

It all began that morning, when I saw Salmon, who is usually late, was already in the class. It made me a little curious, but I didn't think too much about it.

Besides Salmon, inside the class, Mai was engrossed in reading a book in the corner. She seemed uninterested in my presence.

In another corner, Ema and Vodka were chatting. And in the front row, Salsa was copying Rara's homework as usual.

"Yo," I approached Salmon.

"Hey!" Salmon looked at me with a strange smirk on his face.

I placed my bag on the table. "What's with the smile?"

"You really missed out not watching the movie yesterday! It was amazing, I couldn't sleep last night!" Salmon exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he raved about the film he watched. He would talk about it all day, regardless of whether anyone was listening or not.

"Really?" I replied, not particularly interested.

"Yeah, seriously!" Salmon said. "The computer effects were out of this world, it's hard to put into words how cool they were. I couldn't--"

Suddenly, Salmon stopped mid-sentence and looked towards the door, as if someone had called out to him.

"Good morning, Alex, Rhino!" he greeted towards the empty doorway.

I stared in confusion as Salmon walked with renewed energy towards the door. As usual, there was no one there, yet I was certain he had just said the name "Rhino". Had I heard incorrectly?

Salmon immediately resumed talking about the movie with the empty space near the door.

"Ahaha, you're right, Rhino. That part was so intense," he said.

My breath caught in my throat. Once again, Salmon was addressing someone named Rhino. I couldn't have heard wrong. The back of my neck grew cold as I considered the possibility.

Just then, Dread, my classmate with the mohawk hair walked in. He looked at the empty space and said, "Good morning, Alex, Rhino and..." He looked at Salmon. "Fish."

"Stop calling me that!" Salmon protested.

My chest tightened, felt like all the air in the room had been sucked out. It was true, I hadn't heard wrong.

I walked backwards with a confused feeling. Panic, cold sweat started to soak my body. I bumped into tables several times but ignored it as I reached the corner of the room.

"Ma, Mai... something is wrong. Rhino..."

"I know. I heard it too," said Mai. She continued reading, showing no intention of looking away from her book.

I stared at her half-amazed and half-baffled.

"How can you be so calm? Do you know something?"

"Not really," Mai turned a page of her book. "Panicking won't solve anything."

"I know, but..." Her calm attitude was still abnormal.

"Relax. Right now all we know is that we can't see them. That's it."

"But Rhino..."

"I'm thinking about it. There's a possibility that he's been infected by the new student. From what I know, Rhino is the closest to the new student. That closeness might be the reason why he has become invisible."

Wow, in just a few seconds Mai was able to come up with a possible explanation. Is she some kind of detective or something?

After feeling a little calmer, I looked at Salmon and Dread. They were still talking. Of course, still with something unseen.

"So, what should we do?" I asked.

"Gather as much information as possible. We can't act without knowing anything. Keep your eyes open, that's all we can do for now."

Although my feelings were still confused, I nodded. At the same time, the bell for class start rang six times.

I looked at Mai who was still immersed in her book. She was truly calm. Amazing. If she wasn't here, I might have already run home by now. It sounds pathetic, but that's the reality. This is a little too much for me to handle on my own.

"If I find something, I will contact you immediately." I said.

Mai replied with a nod.

I returned to my seat, taking a moment to glance at the empty seat behind me. As usual, it was vacant. I couldn't see anything sitting there.

Then I shifted my gaze to the other empty seat behind Salmon's seat. There is usually Rhino there.

I breathed a heavy sigh.

"Hey," Salmon whispered.

I turned to him.

"When did you and Mai become so close?" he asked with a grin.

"I wouldn't say we're close," I replied. "But we've been chatting for a bit now."

"Oh, I see," he said, still smiling. "But I thought you had feelings for Rara."

"What's that got to do with anything?" I asked, feeling a bit irked by his grin.

"I'm just saying, you're something else," he said with a chuckle.

"What is?"

"Nothing. Hehehe."

I rolled my eyes. I didn't understand what he meant but his grin was making me irritated.

***