Surviving in a School of Ghost Stories-Chapter 16

"Melody Hastings, you may already know, but for this semester, only three transfer students were selected, ranked from first to third."

On the first day of school, I followed my 2nd-year F-class homeroom teacher as she explained the details.

"However, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the other two students suddenly declared they would give up their transfer due to personal reasons. So, this year, you're the only transfer student, Hastings."

"I see."

I nodded vigorously, as though eager to show my understanding. The teacher smiled at me with a satisfied look.

"Transfer students are usually assigned to classes with insufficient seats. And the class with the most frequent shortage of seats is always F-class. Because of that, transfer students are always assigned to F-class."

As I walked alongside my homeroom teacher, I looked around.

Aside from a few students running late, it seemed that all the other students had already arrived. The hallway was quiet.

"At Saint Gloria Private School, classes are assigned based on grades when a new school year begins. The classes are assigned in order: S-class, A-class, B-class, C-class, and D-class. F-class, being a special class, is treated separately, and as a result, it often lacks enough seats."

"Why does the special class always have a seat shortage?"

"Students in the arts and physical education tracks are assigned to F-class regardless of their grades. Since there are fewer students in the arts and physical education tracks compared to general students, the seats are always in short supply."

Ah, so S-class to D-class are reassigned based on grades every year, but F-class remains the same regardless of grades. That's why it’s called a special class.

For reference, Erica was in S-class.

"Transfer students are initially assigned to F-class, but when the new year comes, they'll be reassigned to general classes based on their grades, so keep that in mind."

So, that means after this semester, I'll be moved to a general class.

'But before that, I’ll have to leave this school.'

Before next summer comes, I have to get Raven out of this school to save him from death, right?

If I can't find the cause of his death.

The 2nd-year F-class homeroom teacher energetically opened the classroom door.

Creeeek—

"Everyone! Did you have a good vacation?"

I didn’t realize that my homeroom teacher had so much energy. I subconsciously shrank my shoulders a little.

Read lat𝙚st chapters at fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓ Only.

"As you all probably know from the rumors, a transfer student has joined us."

The teacher gestured toward me as I stood at the door. I walked slowly toward the desk.

The students in F-class looked at me with indifferent faces.

I’d heard a lot about how much they’d been talking about the transfer student, but no one seemed interested in me at all.

'What’s going on? The atmosphere feels a bit strange.'

I stayed silent for a moment, trying to gauge the mood, but the teacher urged me on.

"Hastings, please greet your classmates."

"Nice to meet you. I’m Melody Hastings."

I greeted them automatically, as prompted by the teacher. However, the students still showed no reaction.

To be exact, they were glancing at me, pretending not to care.

But they couldn’t hold it in anymore, and soon began whispering to each other.

"Look. It’s that crazy sister, right?"

"They don’t look alike."

"She’s prettier than I thought."

"I heard she showed up covered in blood when she took the transfer exam."

"Yeah, she’s definitely that crazy sister. Seems like she’s not ordinary after all."

"We should be careful."

And then, it happened.

BAM—

Someone kicked a chair with their foot. The classroom went silent in an instant.

I turned my head toward the direction of the sound and saw a familiar face.

'Huh?'

Gray hair, golden eyes. A slightly aloof posture and a relaxed attitude. When our eyes met, the male student smiled slightly.

Leonard Norton Ramsport.

He was the student I had met during the transfer exam.

‘I thought he’d be in S-class, but he’s in F-class?’

The fact that someone who almost won first place in the transfer exam didn’t end up in S-class meant that Leonard was in the arts and physical education track.

And F-class only accepts students from the arts and physical education tracks, regardless of grades.

Leonard, undisturbed, smiled and pointed to the seat in front of him.

"Teacher, Wellington’s seat is empty. The transfer student can sit here."

I could see the teacher sighing.

That was when I understood why Leonard was called 'Canard.' Nobles always seem a little strange.

"Do you want to sit there? That’s the only empty seat."

The teacher pointed to the vacant seat and briefly stepped out of the classroom.

With the heavy gaze of the students on me, I walked toward Leonard’s seat.

My desk mate, called Wellington, was a brown-haired male student who was lying on his desk in gym clothes, apparently asleep.

'Don’t do anything that will draw attention.'

It would be better to stay quiet for Raven’s sake.

Anyway, I cautiously placed my bag on the desk hook and was about to sit down.

I was almost sure I was going to do that until my sleeping desk mate suddenly jerked his head up.

THUD—

Since I had bent over to sit down, my face collided directly with my desk mate's solid head, like hitting a rock.

"Ugh."

It hurt so much that tears welled up in my eyes. I felt warm liquid flowing under my nose.

Sure enough, it was a nosebleed.

The entire class stared at me in surprise, their eyes wide open. I could hear people gasping for air from all directions.

The already awkward atmosphere in the class became even more uncomfortable.

"Hey, Melody. Are you okay? You’re bleeding."

Leonard, startled, quickly jumped up and shouted.

My desk mate, still half-asleep, nervously apologized with a blank face.

"Mel, nosebleed...? Are you okay? I’m sorry. That must hurt. But how can your name be 'Melocopy'?"

I looked at him with a dumbfounded gaze, blood pouring from my nose.

What is he even saying? He must still be half asleep.

Before Wellington could finish his sentence, the bell rang from the bell tower near the courtyard.

Ding— Ding—

It was the bell signaling the start of class.

Only then did the students stop paying attention to me and start preparing for class.

"My nosebleed won’t stop. I think I should go to the hospital."

Wellington, who had pulled out a handkerchief to stop the bleeding, muttered with a very serious face.

As I listened to him, I heard Leonard, who had been quietly listening to our conversation from behind, suddenly stand up.

"Melody, do you want me to help you?"

"Suddenly? How?"

I thought he was going to tell me how to stop the nosebleed, but he said, "Excuse me," and then lifted me up, as if carrying a sack of flour.

Ugh. It felt like the nosebleed was flowing backward.

"Going to the hospital because of a nosebleed seems a bit much, right? Let’s just go to the nurse’s office. Wellington, you should report this situation to the teacher."

After warning Wellington, Leonard took me out of the classroom.

I was being carried like a sack, holding my nose, scanning the surroundings.

Since class had started, the hallway was quiet.

The Johannes Castle, which housed 1st-year to 4th-year F-classes, certainly had a different atmosphere from the main building.

It was the oldest building in the school, and it was a bit rundown and tucked away in a corner, giving it a dreary feel.

‘I think it’s a little cold too.’

I shivered as I felt an uneasy chill and Leonard, who was carrying me, spoke.

"Just hang in there. The nurse’s office is on the first floor."

I nodded, but soon realized that the cause of the chill wasn’t just the cold air.

There was something behind us.

'What is that...?'

In the hallway, I saw long, round, translucent figures wrapped in white cloth, floating around.

'Isn’t that something I used to see in picture books when I was little? They called those ghosts.'

"What's wrong?"

Noticing something was off, Leonard stopped walking and put me down.

I staggered a bit and pointed over his shoulder.

"What are those?"

"What?"

Leonard turned to look in the direction I was pointing.

The ghost-like things were still floating around in the hallway.

"What are you talking about?"

Leonard looked back at me with a confused expression.

"The white things over there. Don’t you see them? They’re floating in the hallway..."

I trailed off, realizing Leonard's face was becoming more and more perplexed.

That’s when I understood.

Leonard couldn’t see the ghosts at all. Unfortunately, it seemed the ghosts were only visible to me.

"Once we go back a year, Hastings, you will get a mark. That mark will give you the ability to see things that others can't."

Only then did I remember what the Student Council President had said.

‘Things that others can't see’—was this what he was talking about?