《Keep Thinking》


 The great Ishikki

    This story isn''t about chasing your dreams nor doing your absolute best. This story revolves around Ikeda Isshiki. The first day of school, Ishikki just arrived at his classroom class 1-A. As Isshiki entered the classroom, he immediately looked for the seat at the back close to the window. He didn''t realize the commotion of his classmates because the one seating near his seat is the one and only Hina, a very beautiful and very smart student. But he didn''t care about it. He is always listening to his earphones. In front of Isshiki is Haru, a silent but also a smart student, and the one seating beside him is Kenji, an extrovert and basically a delinquent. They were also recent transfers to the school, arriving in this countryside setting where nearly every student knew one another, save for these three newcomers.


    After the class introduction, the class starts with their teacher Sato san giving them a special test just to gauge their overall knowledge. During the test, Ishikki was somewhat bored and very observant of the other students, including the four sitting near him. After the test, Kenji tries to talk to Isshiki.


    Kenji: "Man, that was hard. I know it''s just a test of our knowledge but damn my paper is so clean because I could barely answer anything."


    Isshiki: "Yeah, same. I don''t understand a thing and just wrote some random answers."


    Haru got interested after hearing them and said,


    Haru: "The topics in the question are going to be our lesson, and the teacher just wants to know if we already know it so that he can skip it or no."


    Kenji: "So that''s what it is. Did you manage to answer them, Haru?"


    Haru: "Yeah, it was somewhat easy."


    Meanwhile, Ishikki tries to sleep on his desk.


    After a week passed, they became good friends to the point where Kenji and Ishikki were always passing answers during tests. Later on, Haru got influenced and started doing the same. With Haru as the source of the answers, there was no problem taking tests. For Ishikki, it didn''t matter if he cheated or not, as long as it was effortless and he got a passing score. Now, the day had arrived ¨C the midterm exams.


    Haru: "We should probably not cheat during midterms, I heard they''re very strict and I think we will get caught."


    Kenji: "That''s what I heard too. Just thinking about studying makes me tired."


    Haru: "So, what''s your plan?"


    Kenji: "I will probably study the night before the exams." (Kenji isn''t the type to study but for the sake of not failing he crams a lot.)


    Kenji: "What about you, Ishikki? Haru is the only smart one out of the three of us."


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    Kenji: "Ishikki, are you listening? You really always use earphones, huh?"


    Isshiki: "Huh?" (Just realized Kenji is talking to him.) "Is studying really important?"


    The three of them laughed. Hina glanced at them, catching a snippet of their conversation.


    As the day of the midterms arrived, Isshiki was the first one in the room. He didn''t study at all, just played games and watched anime, which is why he woke up early and was the first in the classroom. A few minutes later, Hina arrived. Ishikki, as usual, was listening to music and staring at the sky through the window, laid back. As Hina approached her seat, Isshiki sat down properly and their eyes met.


    Hina: "I heard you guys won''t cheat today, huh?"


    Isshiki was caught off guard because he wasn''t expecting her to know about them cheating during tests.


    Ishikki: "Yeah, we won''t. We don''t always do that, only when the tests are difficult." (Ishikki trying to cover their actions.)


    Hina: "Hmmm... If you say so."


    Meanwhile, Haru saw Kenji walking towards the school gate.


    Haru: "Yo, you don''t look good. Did you stay up late last night?"


    Kenji: "Yeah, but I think I''m gonna die."


    Haru: "The exams sure cover a lot of topics, so I stayed up late last night too."


    Kenji: "Yeah, I can see that." (Haru looks tired a little bit.)


    Kenji: "I wonder if Isshiki studied. He messaged me last night to play games but I refused."


    Haru: "Oh, you refused?" (Looks up at the sky and prays.)


    Kenji: "Of course, midterms are different. It''s more troublesome if I have to repeat 1st year."


    Haru: "You''re surprisingly a good student, huh?"


    As the two arrived at the classroom, Ishikki was sleeping and the two of them thought he also stayed up late last night, so they let him sleep. Kenji asked Haru to help him review before the test starts. As the students arrived, the classroom got very serious. All the students on their own, in their own circles, were studying. They were all muttering, trying to memorize something. Ishikki woke up (still listening to music) and saw everyone trying to study in the last minute. Then Ishikki stopped his music, took off his earphones, and said, "This is annoying." Haru and Kenji looked at Ishikki and said:


    Haru: "You don''t usually take off your earphones. Why did you take them off?"


    Kenji: "Yeah, I noticed that too. Even when we talk, they''re always on. I''m surprised you can hear us even with that thing on."


    Isshiki: "Oh yeah, this... It just helps me to distract myself."


    Haru: "By the way, are you ready for the exam? You look ready because you were sleeping. You must have studied last night."


    Isshiki: "Nope, I didn''t. Anyways, have you seen the new season of ''Blue Cube''? It was really great. I binged it last night."


    Kenji: "You''re hopeless."


    Isshiki: "Nothing to worry about, it''s fine."


    After a few days, they received their midterm exam results.


    Haru: "Let''s have a contest. We''ll add up all the scores, and the lowest scorer will treat the highest." (said with pride, assuming he would win)


    Kenji: "Nah, you''re basically scamming us. We already know you got the highest score. No need to rub it in."


    Isshiki: "Yeah, why don''t you just treat us."


    Haru: "Let''s do it. This will serve as your inspiration to study for the next exam."


    Isshiki noticed that Hina doesn''t have friends. He also just realized since from the first day she has no friends to talk to. Other students do talk to her but it''s like there''s a line between them. They always treat her differently, a smart student comes from a wealthy family and also good looking. The students treat her like an idol that shouldn''t belong to anyone hence making her lonely at school. As Haru tries to convince Kenji and Ishikki to agree on their contest Ishikki tapped hina''s shoulder and said.


    Ishikki: "Do you want to join?" (Ishikki asked her knowingly she''s listening to them)


    Hina was shocked at first and agreed.


    Kenji: "Now this is good, Haru will not win now. So count me in."


    Haru: "My total score is 90" (sum of the total 5 tests then divided by 5)


    Isshiki: "No way that''s your real score."


    Haru: "It is!"


    Kenji: "Mine is 81."


    Hina: "I got 96."


    Isshiki: "I got 95 though."


    The three of them were shocked, knowing Ishikki didn''t study at all.


    Haru: "Did you cheat? I can''t think of any reason on how you got a high score."


    Isshiki: "No, I did study."


    Kenji: "When?"


    Isshiki: "When you were busy reviewing, I was studying too."


    Haru: "But you were just staring out of the window at the time."


    Hina: "Yeah, I''ve never seen you reviewing at that time."


    Isshiki: "No, I meant I was listening to you all. Y''all are so noisy muttering words and phrases."


    Kenji: "But is that really studying though? Is your memory that good that all you have to do is listen to others?"


    Isshiki: "Yeah, isn''t that normal though?"


    Haru: "Hell no."


    As they were impressed at him, Ishikki went back to sleep during class.

 Rebirth 1

    "As days rolled on, their camaraderie deepened, strengthened by their shared secret of exam strategies. Haru, Kenji, and Hina had grown accustomed to Ishikki''s unorthodox study methods. It was a strange symbiosis, where Haru''s sharp mind supplied the answers, Kenji''s occasional cram sessions helped him scrape by, and Ishikki''s keen listening skills proved unexpectedly effective."


    In the midst of the usual school morning commotion, students chatted and laughed while rushing through the hallways. The classrooms were alive with activity, the air filled with the sound of conversation. For everyone, it was just another ordinary morning, but for Isshiki, things felt different.


    As the final bell rang, signaling the end of classes, an uneasy feeling settled within Ishikki. Something seemed amiss, a subtle unease that he couldn''t quite grasp. He chalked it up to not feeling his best that day, not realizing that his entire body was quietly protesting, sensing an impending shift in his world.


    "For a normal human, the brain gets clouded with thoughts and desires, consequently influencing their judgment and actions. It also naturally filters out the unnecessary, allowing focus on one thing at a time, hence the saying ''You can only serve one master at a time.'' However, for Ishikki, it''s a distinct experience. It feels as though he''s receiving everything at once, which is why he seeks refuge in music, using it as a shield. Yet, his disposition leans towards lack of energy when it comes to less important matters. He simply goes for the basics, seeking a calm life and avoiding problems without much desire to fix them."


    The next day, after school, Haru extended an invitation to Kenji, Ishikki, and Hina to check out a new coffee shop near the station. With no pressing matters at hand, they all readily agreed. Given their earlier discussion about Ishikki''s frequent use of earphones, he decided to go without them this time, not wanting to appear impolite. As they approached the coffee shop, the thunderous noise of a passing train jolted Ishikki''s senses. Suddenly, everything seemed heightened, each detail registering with intensity as he settled into a chair inside the cafe.


    Haru: "I''m really glad you all agreed. This place is a bit out of the way, but it''s worth it."


    Hina: "How did you even find this place in the first place?"


    Kenji: "We''re the only students here. It''s pretty fancy."


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    Haru: "Well, it seems a piece of mail was delivered to my house by mistake, and that''s how I stumbled upon this place."


    Hina: "That''s not the answer I was expecting."


    Kenji: "Mail? Shouldn''t it have an address to send it back to? Did you check?"


    Haru: "Yeah, I did, but there was no address. Just a poster about this coffee shop, so it didn''t seem important."


    Hina glanced at Ishikki, who appeared to be sweating.


    Hina: "Are you okay?"


    Isshiki: "Yeah, I''m fine..."


    A moment of silence followed. Concern washed over the faces of the others. Then, abruptly, Ishikki spoke up.


    Isshiki: "Right now, my mind''s racing. It''s like I''m seeing things before they happen."


    Haru and Ishikki simultaneously: "What do you mean?"


    Isshiki: "See? I even knew what you were going to say."


    Haru: "Are you sure? That could''ve just been a coincidence."


    Hina: "Calm down. Should we go to the hospital?"


    Isshiki: "Nah, I''m fine. It just... makes me feel sick."


    Haru: "Let''s head home. You need some rest."


    As they left, they stopped by a convenience store. Haru and Hina were clearly worried about Ishikki, when Kenji suddenly mentioned that he thought they were being followed.


    Kenji: "I hate to say it now, but when we entered the coffee shop, I noticed someone watching us from outside. I figured he might''ve been looking at the table near us, but when we left, I saw him again."


    Haru: "Did you see his face?"


    Kenji: "No, he was wearing something. I couldn''t make it out."


    Haru: "Since there are four of us, I doubt he''d try anything. But he might be tailing Hina."


    Kenji: "How far is your place from here, Hina?"


    Hina: "About 15 minutes."


    Haru: "Mine''s not too far either. We''ll walk with you until you''re home."


    Hina: "Thank you."


    Kenji: "Alright, let''s do that. If he follows any of us after that, we''ll call the police right away."


    They safely reached Hina''s house, leaving only the three of them. Kenji kept an eye out for any signs of being followed.


    Kenji: "Looks like he''s not following us anymore."


    Haru: "Thank goodness. I''ve still got a five-minute walk ahead."


    Isshiki, still feeling unwell, chimed in.


    Isshiki: "No, he''s still there. No, they''re... I can hear them."


    Kenji: "I can''t hear anything though."


    Haru: "Let''s head to a well-lit area with more people. We can figure out what to do there."


    Kenji: "Look, there''s a police station. Let''s go there."


    As they crossed the road, a car suddenly struck them. Haru bore the brunt of the impact, his injuries severe. Kenji was covered in blood, while Ishikki''s arm had been torn. Haru, struggling to feel his lower body, collapsed.


    "Kenji got his consciousness back and he woke up in a dark, abandoned room. He was scared, barely able to move, covered in blood. While his injuries weren''t fatal, the sight was chilling. He carefully sat down and saw Ishikki and Haru unconscious beside him. As he tried to wake them, he heard noises from the other corner of the room¡ªcrying and panicking. Turns out, they weren''t the only ones locked up. A few minutes later, Ishikki stirred, his eyes wide with horror. His left arm was missing, the pain unbearable. Despite Kenji''s earlier attempt to staunch the bleeding, it persisted. Ishikki bore his suffering in silence, tears streaming down his face. Meanwhile, Haru remained unresponsive, and Kenji, his hope waning, faced the cruel reality of their situation."