OTHERS: Five elements

CHAPTER 5.2: AIR

21 February 2033, 07:45 AM

The train ride didn’t take long. As soon as I stepped off, a cold wind cut through me, sinking into my bones. I adjusted my scarf quickly and headed toward the school.

Even though it was morning rush hour, Setagaya didn’t have the chaos I always felt in Shibuya. The streets were filled with families and students walking calmly toward school. Only the occasional passing train and the distant hum of cars disturbed the peaceful morning routine.

The closer I got to the school, the livelier it became. Parents stood near the front gates—some holding younger children by the hand, others quietly chatting as they watched their older kids walk inside.

I smiled politely and gave a small bow as I passed.

- “Good morning.”

A few parents nodded and returned the greeting.

- “Good morning, Tanaka-sensei!” two cheerful girls in neat school uniforms called out, their hair tied into matching braids.

- “Good morning,” I replied warmly, smiling.

The girls giggled, gave me a quick bow, and hurried to the entrance, their school bags bouncing against their backs.

- “Don’t run too fast, you might fall.”

Inside, the familiar smell of chalk and polished wooden floors greeted me. I took off my coat and stepped into the teachers’ room.

- “Good morning, Tanaka-sensei,” said Sato-sensei, a kind man in his forties, bowing politely.

- “Good morning, Sato-sensei,” I returned the bow with a smile.

Another teacher, Miyako-sensei, greeted me with a grin. She was three years older than me and had helped me a lot when I first started teaching.

- “You look wonderful today. You’re glowing!”

- “What makes you say that?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

- “Your smile gives you away. Anyone can tell—you’re getting married in two weeks!” Miyako-sensei said, laughing. “Are you ready?”

- “I am. Everything’s prepared. Now we just have to say the big ‘yes.’”

After a short morning meeting, I headed to my classroom. The moment I opened the door to 2-B, I was greeted by a chorus of voices.

- “Good morning, Tanaka-sensei!”

All the children stood up at once, bowing in unison, their hands at their sides. I smiled warmly.

- “Good morning, everyone. Please, sit down.”

The students quickly sat, their faces bright and curious.

- “Today,” I began, holding up a calligraphy brush, “we’re going to practice shodō—Japanese calligraphy. We’ll be writing the kanji character yume (dream). Do you remember what it means?”

Several hands shot up immediately. A girl in the front row called out.

- “It means hope for the future, dreaming dreams, sensei!”

I nodded with a smile.

- “That’s right. We’re all going to write it beautifully, with strong hearts.”

As they dipped their brushes into ink, I walked between the rows, watching them concentrate, their brows furrowed in determination.

At the back of the classroom, Souta sat completely still. His brush hadn’t even touched the paper, his gaze fixed on the desk. I approached quietly and crouched to his level.

- “Souta-kun?”

When he didn’t react, I tried again.

- “Souta-kun, are you feeling okay?”

- “I don’t feel well,” he answered softly.

I placed my hand on his forehead—it was burning hot. He had a fever.

- “You’re burning up. You should go to the school nurse.”

I asked one of the students to help him, and Souta stood slowly, leaving the classroom. The rest of us continued working.
When class ended, and parents picked their children, I went to check on Souta in the nurse’s office. The school nurse told me he was lying down, waiting for his parents to pick him up. But when I entered the room, he wasn’t there. I stepped outside to look for him and found him sitting in a corner, hidden between bushes. His head was lowered, his face buried in his hands.

- “Souta-kun, why are you outside? Are you okay?”

- “The voice… it’s getting louder,” he whispered.

That’s when I noticed his hands—bloody, with bite marks. It looked like he had bitten himself. I moved closer, crouching again, and touched his forehead. It was even hotter than before.

- “Souta-kun, you shouldn’t be outside. Why haven’t your parents come yet?”

He didn’t answer, just stared at the ground.

- “Where are your mom and dad?”

- “Dad can’t come… and Mom is sick,” he said quietly.

- “If no one can pick you up, I’ll walk you home.”

Souta’s house was only a ten-minute walk away. When we arrived, he entered first. I immediately noticed the mess—everything was scattered, as if someone had thrown things around. Instinctively, I stepped inside to check.
When I turned, I saw someone in the corner. It was Souta’s mother. She looked… different, as if she wasn’t fully herself. And in an instant, she lunged at me. I fell to the floor, and in her frenzy, she bit my hand hard.

- “Mom, stop!” Souta screamed.

I felt blood trickling from the wound. The bite was deep, and a wave of weakness rushed over me. My vision blurred as I started to lose consciousness.

Then two people appeared. A girl, around my age, with a darker tan—probably Latina—and a snake tattoo on her arm, grabbed Souta’s mother, pulled her off me, and injected her with something.

Next to her stood a figure dressed in white.

- “Who are you?” Souta asked fearfully.

- “Call me White Ghost”.

That was the last thing I remembered before everything went black.