Staring Each Other

His voice stammered, the words tumbling over each other as he looked at the faces of everyone. Nervousness crept into him as he averted their gazes by looking to the ground.

The teacher found herself dumbfounded at this short introduction. "Well…that was pretty short. You can always say any interest or hobby you have…"

At her advice, Shin remained silent as he kept staring at the ground.

With a release of sigh, the teacher pointed toward an empty desk beside a window pane. "You can go and sit there." As Shin got himself comfortable on his desk, the voice of his teacher called out to him "If you need anything, you can always ask the class reps or me." With that said, the teacher resumed her lesson. "Okay, now take out your books…we'll continue from page 46,"

The teacher started teaching history to the class. Shin initially tuned in as the history teacher droned on but the dates and figures started to swirl in a monotonous soup. The sheer volume of information was like a tidal wave, threatening to drown him. A sigh escaped his lips, a silent surrender to the overwhelming deluge.

Suddenly, a prickling sensation caught his attention, a feeling akin to a psychic needle piercing his aura. He twisted his neck to his right. Beside him, a vision materialized. A girl with ravenous hair that cascaded to her waist. Clad in the same uniform, she exuded an aura of quiet confidence. Her black eyes, bottomless pools hinting at untold secrets, held his gaze with unnerving intensity. Their eyes locked in a silent duel. Hers, deep and unwavering, seemed to pierce through him, searching for any secret he might be hiding.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she blinked, her attention snapping back to the droning teacher at the front. Shin with a puzzling face followed suit. But a sudden yank from behind jolted him out of his puzzlement. Looking back, he found himself face-to-face with a boy. His hair, the colour of sun-bleached straw, was cropped so short it practically bristled. A wide, comforting smile stretched across his face.

"Hey, don't mind her. But it'll be good if you stay away from her…because…the consequences will be more than you can handle…I am Kazuo Inoue by the way…the class rep. You can just call me Kazu. If you ever need any help just ask me.." The short-haired boy said to ease his nervousness.

"..."

From the corner of his eye, Shin silently glanced at the girl and looked at the boy again and gave a small nod.

"Then let's go to the cafeteria later…I'll show you the kinds of food offered in this school."

With that, both of them started focusing on the lesson.

***

In another class, 

A middle-aged man was making some diagrams on the board while the students desperately trying to stay awake. Most of them felt lost in the forest of numbers, not knowing where the entrance and exit to the forest were. The students tried hard to resist their desire to sleep. However, one by one, heads dipped lower as they embraced the temptation.

After noticing a movement from the corner of his eye, the man stopped writing and started coming closer to one of the students, a boy. Floating in his own world, he slept, adrift in a daydream.

Realizing the usual event that was going to happen, the rest of the class suppressed their laughter. They knew someone was doomed. 

The teacher reached near the boy and whispered in his ear.

"Are you having the time of your life there, Kenji…?"

The boy named Kenji didn't reply as if he was deeply asleep, not knowing what was happening outside his world.

"He is dead. Even though we empathise with him but still…"

"Sleeping in Mr Tanaka's class is a huge mistake but don't you think he should do something about his way of teaching…I mean he is good but it feels as if he is singing some lullaby every time…"

"To say something like that to him would require balls of steel. Nobody can do anything about him except just bear it."

"Yeah…if it were any other school, he would've been dead by now just for interrupting our sleep let alone for punishment. But this school…"

"Because that man is in this school…mom and dad already told me to not make a mess or everyone in our family will be eradicated."

"Hey! Look! The rest are about to wake up now."

The low murmurs of the students swirled inside the class. Each gaze shined with the anticipation of what was about to happen.

*Bang*

As Mr Tanaka stared at the comfortable sleeping face of Kenji, he clenched his fist and banged on his desk. Everyone in the class jolted up after hearing the loud noise. They looked at their surroundings before releasing a sigh of relief as it wasn't their turn. However, for Kenji…just as he woke up, his gaze met Mr Tanaka's.

'Oh God! Save me' Kenji thought in his mind.

"Did you enjoy your little nap, dear Kenji…?"

Mr Tanaka menacingly smiled as he held Kenji's gaze.

"Ye..I mean no, sir."

"Oh! That's disappointing, I thought you were having a good time. But never worry, for I am here to take your good time… *cough* I mean to give you a good time…"

Nervous, Kenji started to get his hand shaking, as he knew the man in front of him would show him no mercy. It would be a miracle if he could make it out today.

"So Kenji, I know a place where you'll have fun…track field…"

'Shit. This man is going to make me do rounds under this scorching heat.'

"So…"

The voice of Mr. Tanaka started to get heavy as his volume started to increase.

"Get out there and do 30 rounds. Don't show me your useless face until you get it done. Do you understand?"

Kenji with unshed tears in his eyes, stood up from his chair.

"Understood, sir."

"...and don't worry I'll send someone to fetch you if you become a frying egg…now go."

The rest of the class laughed as Kenji hurriedly left the class. But their laughter subsided as Mr Tanaka turned around to look at them. His eyes shone sinisterly.

"You guys better wish I wouldn't catch you next time…because next time someone might find himself duelling with a shark..."

"Now let's resume the class…"

A tense silence descended as he resumed his lesson. The declaration hung heavy in the air, a chilling reminder that echoed in the room. Yet, amidst the sea of fearful faces, one girl sat strangely detached. Her gaze fixed on the blackboard, while her mind lost in her previous encounter, oblivious to the terror Mr Tanaka's words had unleashed.