Surviving in a School of Ghost Stories-Chapter 10

Sitting on the stiff bed in the lodging, I blankly stared at the window, where the morning sunlight was streaming through.

Looking at that peaceful scene, it almost felt like everything I had experienced so far was just a dream.

Today was the day the results for the transfer exam were announced.

Normally, regardless of the transfer exam results, I had planned to find Raven and leave this island.

“He's a Student Council member, you know? He’s all in when it comes to school life. His loyalty to the school is immense. He's the headmaster's lapdog.”

“Are you seriously planning on leaving the school with your brother? Don’t even think about it. Raven’s not going anywhere until he graduates.”

“Want me to call him? How to meet him? The only way is for you to enter the school yourself. Raven won’t even listen to us. Well, maybe if you say you came to see him, he might listen. I’ll pass along the message.”

The reason they call Raven "the crazy one" is because his personality really is a bit nuts.

Could it be that they're confusing him with someone else?

The kind and innocent Raven being called crazy? That doesn’t make sense.

But...

Just before I heard the news of Raven’s death, I recalled the letter he had sent me.

The letter full of inexplicable hatred toward me from Raven.

Had Raven been going through some terrible puberty since entering this school?

‘Maybe it won’t be easy to leave with Raven after all.’

If Raven doesn’t follow my lead, it might be better to just protect him by my side.

In that case, it would be better to go through the proper transfer procedure and enter the school.

So, early in the morning, I headed to Gloria Bank, the only one in the island village.

When I checked the balance in my account, thankfully, there was enough money for a year’s worth of living expenses for Raven and me.

Just in case, I’d need to figure out how to get a scholarship for the school fees.

‘If things get tough, I can always find a side job on the island.’

I cashed out the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ living expenses and tuition fees, then left the bank.

On the streets, I saw the villagers bustling about since early morning.

Everyone’s faces, young and old, looked peaceful.

For some reason, I felt a bit melancholic thinking about Chesswind Village.

What was that village? Why hadn’t I suspected anything? I always thought of myself as a fairly sharp person.

Lost in thought, I slowly walked down the street and spotted a cafe at the corner of the village square.

From noon on weekends until 8 PM

※ Preference given to Saint Gloria Private School students ※

The sign asking for part-time staff caught my eye.

I reached into my pocket and fiddled with the envelope of money.

Considering Raven's living expenses and tuition, I would need a bit more money.

‘I should consider working at the cafe.’

After a morning walk to clear my troubled mind, I returned to the lodging to find Leonard waiting for me.

I thought, why is he here again, but then I remembered I had asked him to deliver my news to Raven.

As if on cue, Leonard brought up the matter.

“Raven... No, I gave him your message yesterday. He said it was nonsense. He didn’t even believe you came to this island.”

“Did you give him the handwritten letter? He’ll believe it if he sees my handwriting.”

“No. He didn’t even look at the letter. Did you do something wrong to your brother?”

I couldn’t answer Leonard’s question. I couldn’t believe this situation myself.

I had a bad feeling that even if I met Raven, he wouldn’t believe me.

How strange and terrifying the things I had gone through, and how hard it had been for me to come all this way just to meet him.

Maybe Raven wouldn’t even care. A dark premonition crept over me.

Noticing my gloomy mood, Leonard, who had been watching me, put his arm around my shoulder and joked.

“You’re the first woman who’s asked me to run errands for her, Hastings.”

I decided not to criticize his outdated attempt at consolation. I checked my pocket watch and started packing my things.

“It’s already this late. The transfer exam results must have been announced. I need to go check.”

“There’s nothing to check. The first place will be mine, anyway,” Leonard said confidently.

I just smiled and followed along.

“This is unbelievable.”

Leonard muttered in disbelief after reading the results on the announcement board.

1st place - Melody Hastings (Full marks)

My name was at the very top.

2nd place – Leonard Norton Ramsport (90 points)

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Below that was Leonard’s name. 90 points, impressive.

The line through his name indicated that he didn’t meet the conditions to take the transfer exam, so his score was invalid.

“I’ve never seen someone get a perfect score on a transfer exam. Damn, a perfect score? How can anyone get a perfect score on that test?”

Leonard stared at me in disbelief.

“Hastings, tell me. You’re not human, are you?”

And with that, he called me “Hastings,” drawing everyone’s attention, and the crowd began to murmur.

At that moment, a teacher came out and loudly announced.

“Alright, check your results, and those who passed, please proceed with the transfer procedures. And our perfect scorer, come this way.”

In the end, I had to walk through the crowd, receiving a lot of attention.

Following the teacher, I arrived at the headmaster’s office of Saint Gloria Private School.

“He’s a Student Council member, you know? He’s all in when it comes to school life. His loyalty to the school is immense. He’s the headmaster’s lapdog.”

Leonard’s words suddenly came to mind.

Raven is the headmaster’s lapdog, he said.

How did that happen, I wondered? What kind of person was the headmaster?

Maybe I could find a clue to why Raven changed after entering the school. Perhaps I could even find a hint about his death one year later.

The teacher who had guided me to the headmaster’s office smiled and patted my shoulder.

“It’s nothing special, Miss Hastings. The top students meet with the headmaster once every semester. He’ll give you a few words of encouragement.”

I cleared my throat, thinking about what kind of information I could gather from this meeting.

‘Raven is the headmaster’s lapdog. I need to figure out if the headmaster is using Raven, what he thinks of him, and what I can learn beforehand.’

I followed the teacher into the headmaster’s office.

The office wasn’t as intimidating as I expected. It looked more like a neat office.

The most noticeable feature as I entered was a statue of an old man I had never seen before.

The inscription beneath the statue read, Founder of Saint Gloria Private School: Charles Windsorster. So, it was the founder’s statue.

Passing the statue, I climbed about half a flight of stairs to reach the headmaster’s office.

At the luxurious ebony desk sat an elderly man with a strict and stubborn expression.