1pm class

pilot

the cooking classroom

it was a rather sunny, peaceful morning in reitaku high school. students clad in summer uniforms were piling in and out of the building; their laughter echoing down the busy hallway and endless chattering filling the almost gloomy room. well, nobody knew why each classroom felt gloomy and depressing, but strange rumors always floated above the futile gossips.

as for ishikawa hanako, she didn't care about the rumors. they're all bunch of made up and nonsense things anyway. a headless body found hanging in the ball hoop at the gymnasium? a child with a red umbrella that was said to be lurking in the hallways in the middle of the night? really, who would believe those childish, scary stories? hanako didn't; she had been attending this school for as long as she could remember, and not a single frightening event had happened to her.

today, as hanako shifted in her seat, they were told by their new teacher in their cooking class that they'll be learning something new again—cutting vegetables, that is. it was the basics that their new teacher known as yamaguchi kei would be teaching later, and almost everyone knew it already.

hanako sighed inwardly, looking down her lunch box, which her older sister had made for her this morning. it consisted of rice and the pork they bought from the market the other day, along with other side dishes. it was simple and looked delicious; hanako's stomach rumbled at the sight.

when she was about to lift her chopsticks and eat, her stomach suddenly clenched in pain, and she turned to her side to double over at the sudden ache. her best friend, kawashita keiko, who was sitting in front of her while reading a book, noticed and her eyes widened.

"k-keiko-senpai, i don't really think i can attend the cooking class this afternoon," hanako said, groaning as she rubbed her belly in circles.

it was a stomach ache, but it felt more like a sick, terrible feeling settling inside her stomach and making her want to vomit. keiko looked at her with eyes of confusion and worry, patting her back with a gentle hand. she had already put her book down to somehow ease hanako's pain, but it wasn't helping at all. hanako felt like the world was spinning in circles, and she gripped onto keiko for support while her eyes closed.

"are you okay?" keiko asked, concern dripping in her tone. hanako shook her head in response, which made keiko purse her lips. "what did you eat? is it stomach ache?"

"no," hanako gritted out as her stomach flipped again and sweat started to break out across her forehead. "probably, i don't really know. this only happens whenever something bad is going to happen."

keiko seemed to be in deep thought as she watched her friend clench her fists in the terrible feeling. something bad, eh? she thought to herself. her mind was working in gears and she was about to say something to hanako when the class president of the class entered the room.

"alright, girls," mori hikaru smiled brightly at the girls inside the room, clapping her hands to get their attention. once everyone had their eyes on her, she cleared her throat and began, "our cooking class with the new teacher is at one o'clock, and i suggest that you guys should start preparing the things kei-sensei has told us to bring."

one girl named reina raised her hand with her head titled in confusion. "isn't our cooking class on two-thirty, kaichou?"

everyone started to murmur to each other; some were annoyed at how early the class was going to start and others were talking about what would they do with the vegetables and materials they brought for the class.