Missing Homeroom Teacher

"This is Alex, speaking on-site where a woman was murdered. According to eyewitness reports, an unknown assailant charged at her and stabbed her with what seemed like an ice pick. After looking around, the assailant seemed to vanish in front of everyone's eyes." Alex reported.

"Vanished in front of everyone's eyes? Can you articulate on that, Alex-san?" The main reporter for today's news asked as he relayed Alex's report on TV. Just like everyone else on set, she was extremely nervous since this was the first time she was assigned to announce an emergency report.

"Yes, it was hard to believe at first but more than ten people had witnessed the whole thing and they all gave the same accounts. Today is not April the first so I don't think every eyewitness is pranking us right now. Furthermore, all the eyewitnesses mentioned the murder weapon even though they were interviewed individually. I don't think they'll be lying. Either the murderer is a proficient user of illusion techniques, or he has a way of vanishing into thin air. Those are the only possible conclusion." Alex continued. He was struggling to keep his expressions in check since the whole thing sounds so suspicious to him.

But no matter what situation was given to him, he swore to himself that he would give an accurate report to the masses. This amount of dedication was the main thing that got him finally promoted to an on-site reporter. That's why he's not going to waste his chance right now. After all, this was his first time as an on-site reporter.

"So we're dealing with an expert murderer here." The main reporter assumed as her brows furrowed. As a seasoned reporter, even she doesn't know what kind of a maniac they were dealing with. Even though she had honed her straight face throughout the years, she can't help but show concern in front of the camera as she tried to analyze what was happening in the city.

Seeing her troubled face, the other main reporters waved his hand as he tried to take over the news while his partner was lost in her thoughts. "Y-yes, are there any other connections when it comes to the other murders, Alex?"

"As a matter of fact, there are no indications to prove that this murder is related to the others, but when it comes down to it, a murder is a murder and we have a murderer on the loose," Alex responded, handing the mic to the Chief of Police who was at the murder scene.

"We are doing the best we can in tracking down the murderer who took five innocent lives. Just like what Alex said here, there are no indications that these murders are a series of murders but we're doing all we can to catch the perpetrator behind these heinous acts."

Meanwhile, Sakurai Rin heaved a sigh as he drank his morning coffee. After seeing the news report, he immediately recognized the woman who was identified by the investigators at the scene. After all, he had met her many times when it comes to talking about certain problems about his son at school. She was also one of the few teachers who took really good care of Yuuta during his stay in Fujikawa High School. "That's the fifth one. What is going on?" He asked himself, praying inwardly that nothing bad happens to people they know who are also residing in the City.

In retrospect, two out of the five murder victims were someone closely related to Yuuta. That's why Sakurai Rin knew that hoping that everyone would be safe is just wishful thinking.

.....

Fujikawa High School

The bell already rang a few minutes ago to signifying that lunch break has come. On a normal day, the whole class would've erupted into a lively conversation with their cliques as they enjoyed lunch together. There would be the occasional gossip, the talk of trends, and the debating when it comes to the mysterious murders.

But today, it was different. No one even flinched from their seats even after their new homeroom teacher, Osama Shigeo, already left the class. There were the stealing glances, but aside from that, no one moved from their seat. There was only one thought in their mind and that is, their ever-increasing worry about their homeroom teacher.

Rie Takanashi in particular wasn't that cheerful, to begin with. But for some odd reason, she connected to everyone in the class and brought them together. Of course, a clash of personalities is inevitable when it comes to any classes, but Rie Takanashi had a different way of halting it whenever it happens. Instead of seeing it as a chance to blow off steam, she sees it as an opportunity to bring the class closer together. In no time, Yuuta's entire class had a sense of camaraderie amongst themselves. This is also one of the few underlying reasons why Yuuta was never bullied in class even though he was the odd one out for being blind.

It would've been a case of celebration for the whole class if their teacher had been promoted to the main school, or if their teacher was allowed to teach overseas. And yet, somehow, they felt like her absence was caused by something far more sinister. And based on their overall feeling-in-the-bones, they concluded that something bad must've happened to their teacher.

A few more minutes passed and finally, someone left their seat. Everyone in the class stared at him as he grabbed his bag and slung it on his shoulders. He didn't even bother taking his bento out of his bag as if indirectly implying that he wouldn't have lunch in the classroom.

It was Yuuta.

"Yuuta, where are you going?" Shiki asked as he stepped in front of him before he stepped foot out of the classroom entrance.

"Home, I need to do something." Yuuta simply answered.

"But, you can't just skip classes. What would our new homeroom teacher think?" Shiki was troubled. It was a first for him to see his friend act out of the rules.

"They didn't tell us anything about Takanashi-sensei, don't you think that's a bit suspicious? We should at least know where she went." Yuuta whispered before stepping sideways. He then spun his body after twisting his ankles to avoid hitting Shiki as he exited the classroom. Shiki was shocked; Yuuta didn't even touch him even though he was blocking the majority of the doorway.

As soon as Yuuta got out of the classroom, everyone's jaws dropped as they noticed Yuuta's irregular movements. For a moment, they totally forgot that Yuuta was their blind classmate.

After dodging every teacher in school, Yuuta successfully took his leave. He knew that he will immediately be caught if he took the main entrance so he decided to go to the back of the school and hop out of the fence from there.

"Yuuta? What are you— perfect timing!" A voice behind him exclaimed.

'Not again.' Yuuta inwardly clicked his tongue as he faced the girl whit the very familiar voice. "Why are you here?" Yuuta hissed in a low voice for fear that someone might overhear him.

"Skipping class, are we?" Miki teased, nudging him by the shoulder. "In any case, this is perfect timing. I was just about to head to your class and look for you."

"What is it this time? Oh, is this about the pre-arranged tests in Lucid Dream Server? Don't worry, I finished all those this morning. I'll be logging in tonight to get a hang of the game." Yuuta responded. "In any case, bold of you to assume I'm skipping class when you're skipping class yourself."

"Heh, as a matter of fact, I didn't skip school. I was excused." Miki smugly grinned as he grabbed Yuuta by the arm and dragged him.

"What are you doing?" Yuuta calmly asked. He didn't want to struggle out of her grasp for fear that he might dislocate her arms— and they were thin arms at that.

"Quick, you don't want to be caught, right?" Miki said with an urgent tone.

In the end, Yuuta let Miki drag him all the way to a nearby park. In Yuuta's perspective, he was being forcefully dragged by the girl, but from a third-person perspective, one would only see a lovey-dovey couple linking their arms together as they stopped by a nearby park. Once they were there, Miki picked out a vacant bench. "Sit down, I'll be right back," she ordered.

Yuuta nodded. He decided to just follow Miki's lead for now, and then try to shake her off when an opportune moment comes. "Is she going to the restroom?" Yuuta couldn't help but wonder.

She came back a few moments later, carrying what seemed to be two crepes in her hand. She was extremely enthusiastic about the whole situation, much to Yuuta's bewilderment. After all, why would someone be excited about another student skipping out on school? Perhaps she saw Yuuta as a partner in crime, an accomplice, for skipping out on school as well. Or maybe she was just looking forward to spending time with him just like always.

Yuuta guessed it was the latter.

"Anyways, it's unusual for you to skip out on school. Why did you do it? Did something happen?" Miki asked, handing him a crepe.

"Thanks," Yuuta said as he reached out to his pockets.

"No, it's my treat. You don't have to pay me." Miki mildly panicked as she rejected the gesture. "So, what happened this time?"

"Nothing much. They replaced our homeroom teacher without telling us the reason. I figured I'd just go home and play Lucid Dream Server since there's nothing else to do at school." Yuuta said. He didn't want to alarm Miki by telling her about the unproven connection between the murders and the Lucid Dream Server. That's why he simplified his reason for skipping class.

"Then, why don't we head over to your place and play our hearts out? You skipped school and I'm excused from school so technically, we're both skipping school. I'd say it's not that bad of the deal, right? I'll also fulfill my promise of teaching you the ropes of the game."

"If my younger sister and my dad allow it, then fine. We can play together." Yuuta casually said. He knew that it would still take time before he could get his sister a VR Headgear for herself. That's why, for now, he concluded that playing with another beta tester would be beneficial for him. "How about your other promise? You said you'll tell me everything once I finished the three tests. What was that about?"

Something in Miki's mind clicked into place as she remembered what she was tasked to do. Her mouth shaped into a small 'o' as she clapped her hands. "I remember now! I told you that I was going to your classroom to talk to you, right?" Miki reconfirmed.

"Yes, why?"

"That's because the gathering for Dreamers has been pushed to today's date. There has been an emergency and we'll be gathering by tonight. All the other Dreamers are already nearby and they're going to attend the gathering as well. I don't have to tell you anything right now, you'll hear everything about it on that gathering, or should I call it, a conference."