Chapter 4

I and Rantaro spent some time exploring the school grounds.

On the way, we found a few doors. Some of them were unlocked and some were locked. The floor and wall have plants growing out of them, but the building looks strangely well-maintained. What a curious place.

"Hey, Rantaro. The Monokubs said this school was built for us right? But why do I feel this school is kinda.. old?"

"I am wondering about that as well. This is definitely not your everyday school."

"Look. There are people there." I point my finger at two figures chatting in front of a door. "Let's talk to them."

While walking closer, I noticed the two figures are a girl with blond hair, wearing a pink vest and plaid skirt, and a guy with dark blue hair, wearing a striped school uniform and hat. "Um, hello there."

The blond girl noticed us first and flashed us a smile. Whoa, she is a beauty. "Hello! You guys are here to explore too? Unfortunately, this door is locked, so we better search somewhere else."

"We are also here to introduce ourselves to you guys. Since it's better to have as much ally as you can here," said Rantaro amiably.

"That's great! I am Kaede Akamatsu, an Ultimate Pianist. Nice to meet you."

She looked like a bright and energetic girl. She is the type that everyone likes for her positiveness.

"I am Mirai Nanase. I am called an Ultimate Therapist. How about you?" I shifted my gaze to the guy beside Kaede. Contrary to Kaede, he looked like the quiet and reserved type. Since he was wearing a hat, I couldn't see his eyes clearly.

"I am Shuuichi Saihara. I am the Ultimate Detective, for more or less, I guess," said the guy rather timidly.

Shuuichi looked unconfident as he said that. It seemed like he wanted to hide under his hat.

"What's with 'more or less? You ARE the Ultimate Detective! Be more confident in yourself, Shuuichi!" said Kaede encouragingly.

"R-right."

Seeing his cue, Rantaro started to introduce himself, "I am Rantaro Amami. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Rantaro. What is your talent?" Kaede stared expectantly at Rantaro.

Rantaro just smiled sheepishly, "Well, It's embarrassing to admit, but I don't remember what my talent is."

"Huh? You don't remember? How can that be?" asked Kaede in surprise.

"It may sound unbelievable, but it's the truth. And it's not the only thing I can't remember."

"What do you mean?"

"Let me ask you this, do any of you remember how you got here?" Rantaro's tone suddenly got serious.

Kaede didn't answer immediately, but then she replied, "Actually, no. Both of us don't remember how we got here."

"So you guys too, huh? Curious aren't you? It's like we are having amnesia or something."

Shuuichi then said, "B-but for everyone to have amnesia, it's just.."

"Well, it just means we are all in pretty abnormal situations, then," said Rantaro. There is an unexplainable shadow on his face. He was smiling, but I got this dangerous aura coming out of him.

He seemed different from his previous self. He looked a little bit intimidating all of a sudden. What happened to him?

"W-wait, I am sure we all are just too shocked. We will remember it sooner or later," said Kaede nervously.

"Collective amnesia can't possibly happen under normal circumstances don't you think? We might as well be under group hypnosis or brainwashing."

"W-well, if you put it that way..."

Kaede looked scared now. Seriously, what's with Rantaro all of sudden?

I grabbed Kaede's hand gently, "Don't worry. We will find out eventually after we finish exploring this place. Not to mention everything about this place is mysterious in the first place. I mean, it's not every day we found a talking stuffed animal right?"

"You are right! What's with those Monokubs anyway?" Kaede smiled at me and squeezed my hand warmly.

"We don't know yet. I hope we can remember everything soon. Right, Rantaro?" I looked at Rantaro and hoped he would not confuse other people again.

Rantaro let out a resigning sigh and then curled his mouth in his usual smile. "I sure hope so, or I will become an outcast."

"Not to worry! We will find out every answer eventually!" said Kaede encouragingly.

Kaede was motivated to solve the mystery surrounding this academy. Meanwhile, I can felt Shuuichi's stare at me, though. What did I do?

"By the way, what's with that door? It has a piano flare on it. Is that a music room?"

Kaede followed the line of my sight and explained, "Oh yeah. Monokubs popped out just now and told us that this is called an Ultimate Research Lab."

"Ultimate Research Lab?"

"Yeah. So each of the students here is an Ultimate, right? That's why they built a research lab especially for each of us so we can cultivate our talent more. But they said the construction was not complete, so we can't use it yet."

"I see. Then I am sure this lab is yours, Kaede. You are the Ultimate Pianist after all."

Kaede grinned happily, "You think so too? I also feel that I have a connection with this room since I laid my eyes on it! I can't wait to play piano in my lab soon!"

Considering our situation, it was less likely we can leave anytime soon. It was better to have something to pass time. "Can I come to listen too later?"

"Of course! You guys are welcomed anytime! I think we get along so well, Mirai. How about we do the exploring together?"

I was just about to agree, but Rantaro beats me to it, "Sorry, but we need to check on something beforehand. We will tell you if we find anything useful."

Kaede looked disappointed, but soon she perked up again, "Is that so? Alright then. We will continue our search then. I hope we can find something soon. See you later then, Mirai, Rantaro. Let's go Shuuichi."

After we parted ways with Kaede and Shuuichi, I turned my head to Rantaro, "Say, Rantaro, are you okay?"

"Hmm, whatever do you mean?"

I stared at Rantaro, but I couldn't guess what he was thinking. Even if I asked, I had a feeling he would just avoid my question or refused to answer. I guess I should just let the matter go. "Nevermind. Where should we check next?"

"Let's just keep walking. We may meet some new people."

What happened to 'something we need to check beforehand? So what he said to Kaede was just an excuse after all. I wonder why he was against the idea of exploring together? I decided to follow Rantaro's lead for now. I felt like he knew more than what he showed on.

After that, we met several other people along the way. They were a bunch of interesting people with unique talents. We also found our respective rooms in the dormitory.

After exploring for a while, a bell sound rang throughout the school. I turned my head to the nearest monitor hanging on the wall, just in time when the screen light up, showing the Monokubs sitting together on the sofa.

"Thank you for bear-ing with us!"

"Finally, the preparation is complete. It's time for the opening ceremony!"

"Everyone, please make your way to the gym immediately!"

"So long! Bear well!

And then the lights turned off. I turned to look at Rantaro. "I guess we have no choice but to go, huh?"

Rantaro sighed, "I wish we can find more information before this. But it's not like we can run anywhere. Let's go, Mirai."

I walked alongside Rantaro while suppressing the bad feeling creeping inside me.