Chapter 3

Mallory forced herself to keep going to school.

She stood by the school bridge, staring at the empty spot where Rein used to watch the sky. Now, no one stood there anymore.

Break time felt suffocating. She found herself instinctively walking toward Rein’s classroom, only to remember there was no one waiting for her anymore. They used to eat lunch together. Now, it felt wrong to eat at all.

By the next class, the weight in her chest was unbearable.

“Sorry, ma’am,” Mallory raised her hand. “May I go home? I don’t feel well.”

The teacher frowned. “What’s wrong, Mallory?”

“I just… feel sick.”

“I see. Go to the infirmary first.” She turned to another student who was the closest to Mallory.

“Remon?”

“Yes?”

“Can you escort her?”

Remon hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Sure.”

The walk to the infirmary was quiet. Neither of them spoke, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable, just heavy.

When they arrived, the room was empty. Mallory scanned the space, feeling a dull ache in her chest. Rein used to end up here all the time.

She spotted a logbook on the desk and wrote her name under the list of students absent due to illness.

“...Is this okay?” she murmured, uncertain as she felt unpolite to leave without anyone knowing.

Remon glanced at the empty desk. “There’s no one here anyway. It’s fine.”

“So, I can just… go home now?”

“I guess so.”

Mallory lingered for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the infirmary. More memories surfaced, ones she wished she could forget. The room felt colder now.

Snapping herself out of it, she took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Alright. Thanks, Remon! See you!”

She turned to leave, but before she could take another step, Remon was already walking beside her.

“I’ll escort you home.”

“Ah… no need,” Mallory said quickly.

Remon didn’t respond. She just kept walking.

Mallory glanced at her, debating whether to insist. But in the end, she didn’t complain.

She just let her stay.

Remon knew Mallory and Rein had been dating. She also knew Mallory was going home because of it. But comforting people wasn’t her strong suit. Still, she tried.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Mallory turned to her, silent. Remon didn’t push for a response. They walked the rest of the way quietly until they finally reached Mallory’s house.

“Take care,” Remon said, about to leave.

“Wait!”

She stopped, turning around.

“…Uh, thank you. And…” Mallory hesitated.

Remon waited patiently.

“Can I… talk to you in chat?”

Remon’s eyes widened slightly, caught off guard. But then, she nodded.

“Thank you.”

They exchanged a brief look before finally parting ways.

-In Chat-

Mallory: Remon? This is Mallory

Remon: yes, what is it?

Mallory: Can I vent?

Remon: sure

Mallory: Tysm.. Idk if it’s just me but, I feel something off with his death.

Remon: how so?

Mallory: well, yesterday I went to his house and I asked his parents what happened

Mallory: They only said, "He was found in the middle of the street, and there were no witnesses, and there were many CCTV cameras, but they are all broken" :(

Remon: that’s odd.

Mallory: Right?? I feel like there’s more to this.

Remon: do u want to investigate?

Mallory: I wish.. but I don’t know how..

Remon didn’t reply right away. She actually did know how to start. She could hack into the CCTV system and find out what really happened. She learned a few hacking techniques. Not a professional but she can be a reliable option. The only problem? She wasn’t sure if she should.

After thinking it over, she brought it up to Leo.

“I want to help her, but… what do you think?”

Leo put his hand on his chin, deep in thought. “Hmm… yeah, it’s definitely suspicious. Honestly? I think you should do it. She needs answers more than anything right now.”

Remon sighed in relief. “Alright, I’ll contact her later.”

“Just, don’t mention anything about us meeting Rein here.”

“Why?”

“Nope! Forbidden. It'll just cause a mess.”

“Like what?”

Leo sighed. “Think about it. If you tell her she can meet Rein again, what do you think she’s gonna do?”

“Try to come here?”

“Exactly. And you know what’s worse?”

“Hm, what?”

“She could get lost. And never make it back to her world.”

Remon’s stomach dropped. “Oh.”

“Yeah. So, pleeease don’t tell her. Okay?”

“Alright.”

-Back to The Chat-

Remon: I know how

Mallory: You do??? How?

Mallory: omg PLEASE

Mallory: 😭😭😭😭

Remon: I can try hacking the ‘broken’ CCTVs. No promises, though. But I’ll see what I can do.

Mallory: U CAN DO THAT?? OMG??

Mallory: Remon… ueueuehuehueh 😭😭

Mallory: please.. thank u sm..

Remon: np

And just like that, Remon and Mallory set out to uncover the truth behind Rein’s death.

Was it really just a tragic accident? A stroke of terrible luck? Or… was there something much deeper hiding beneath it all?