SSSG Chapter 1: Haunted School (1)

I Got Proposed to Just for… a Bottle of Water?

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Right after a basketball game, everyone is sweating. A few boys are sitting under the hoop and taking huge gulps of icy water, readying themselves for another fight in a moment.

Du Yixin wipes the water off his mouth. He watches as one of his basketball pals is called away by a girl, and then come back with a long face, his brows furrowed.

“What?” He walks towards him and gives him a light kick on the shins, “failed romance? Spit it out and let’s have a laugh ’bout it.”

“Fuck off,” Lu Yao cusses. He really seems to be in a foul mood, so much so he is beyond humouring. He goes to get his clothes, and says, “I’ll be going today.”

The others are unhappy, “hey, we’ve only just started.”

“Didn’t we say we’re gonna be playing all day? We’ll be giving up the field to those cheeky bastards at the Associated High again.”

Though Lu Yao seems like he’s dead set on going. Saying nothing more, and leaves as soon as he’s changed. Du Yixin follows and asks, “what happened?”

Lu Yao gives him a glance then at the court outside. The girl just now is still there waiting, looking in their direction.

“A date? Got it, sure is more important than the game, huh.”

“No,” Lu Yao is hesitant, but says, “she’s a-Shun’s meimei.”

“What?!” Du Yixin is shocked, “a-Shun’s meimei?”

Lu Yao nods with a stern expression.

Du Yixin asks, “a-Shun who?”

“… The heck are you jumping for if you don’t even remember,” Lu Yao holds his forehead with his palm, and continues, “you fought just last week.”

Du Yixin then finally recalls. They had a little mixer with the girls next school over last week. A-Shun was Lu Yao’s friend he met the first time. Unfortunately, their tastes lined up, and they went after the same girl. Neither would back off and in the end it ended up in a brawl, and the mixer got quite awkward indeed.

Du Yixin would not admit he was at fault, though, and says, “oh, that musclebrain, right?”

“Musclebrain? Jeez,” Lu Yao shakes his head and sighs. Both are his friend so he’s not picking sides. He tells him, “a-Shun hasn’t come to school for a whole week now. His meimei knows we’re friends so she’s here to ask if I know anything.”

“A week? So what?”

“What, you think everyone is like you?” Lu Yao rolls his eyes at him, “the problem is he’s been out of reach the entire week too. I sent messages too, but he hasn’t even seen them.”

“He’s gone missing?”

“Yeah, we think so. Well, I hope he’s just lost somewhere, and not…” He stops himself.

They’re already at the entrance now. The girl nods politely towards Du Yixin, then leaves with Lu Yao.

Hearing something like this also spoils the mood for Du Yixin too. He tells his basketball pals and takes his water to leave despite the howls behind him. Then he throws the bottle into the bin after finishing the last drop.

“Ssst——”

A cold breeze blows by and Du Yixin shudders. He suddenly realises he has forgotten his coat when he can feel goosebumps on his exposed arms, and turns around.

Not a few steps and he sees a familiar-looking student in front of the bin. He’s short and has rather clean features. He is pretty sure he’s in the same class as him… What’s his name again?

While Du Yixin is trying to recall, the boy leans towards the bin and… takes an empty bottle out. He looks at it for a few seconds before opening the lid. Then, he puts the bottle to his mouth.

Du Yixin thought he was picking up plastic bottles for small change, however unlikely that is, but something even less likely has happened. He rushes forward and snaps the bottle from his hand, yelling, “oi, what are you doing!”

The boy seems stunned, not having expected him to turn back, perhaps. His face starts growing red, and he turns to run, but Du Yixin has grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him back towards him, asking, “we’re in the same class, aren’t we.”

“Ah…” Then the boy asks, “you remember me?”

“Not really. I only remember pretty junior girls. You look familiar though, what’s your name?”

The boy lowers his head, looking a bit sad, saying, “… my name is Ai Le.”

“Ai Le. Right,” then Du Yixin throws the bottle back into the bin, “you were thirsty or something? Picking up a bottle from the bin of all places.”

“No, I…” Ai Le is growing even redder, and seems to be at a loss for words; he would much rather be anywhere else right now.

“Eh, no worries. I’ll treat you to some water.”

“Eh?” Ai Le’s eyes widen. He seems to be in a daze.

“Poor you. You could have just asked; you thought it might be cleaner since I just threw it inside, right?” Du Yixin gives him a glance, and says, “too bad for you, your senior here is not wasteful like that. The bottle is empty from the inside-out.”

Ai Le is speechless. And Du Yixin drags him with him without allowing objections.

The warmth from his hand makes Ai Le’s heart jump. He feels parched; despite not being thirsty in the first place. In fact, he feels dizzy. He might really need some icy water to calm down.

“…”

Day 210 of him stalking his senior. Other than their first meeting elsewhere, this is the first time they’ve talked and… touched.

Out of the tuck shop, they pass through the shaded pathway. Most of the other departments are having classes right now so the path is practically deserted. Sycamore trees line either side of the path, leaving patches of shade on the ground. The winds are changing; despite the sun, it’s dry and cold.

Though that does not hinder Ai Le’s heart from almost feeling like it’s going to melt. His steps are a bit unsteady with the water in his lap. He is still in disbelief.

“I’mma go this way. See ya.”

He’s leaving?

The boy finally snaps right back into reality, and calls out to him reflexively.

“Yea?”

“Ah, I…” Ai Le reacted on reflex and hasn’t thought it out at all. But when the senior turned around, he felt that if he doesn’t catch the chance this time, the senior will move on and forget all about him again.

He thought he would be disgusted catching him in that act, but he has managed to misunderstand him as being strapped for cash and thirsty, and even bought water for him.

Such a gentle senior. He really… doesn’t want to give up yet.

The cogs in Ai Le’s brain overloads themselves before finally coming up with something, and he says, “money, the money for the water!”

Du Yixin waves his hand dismissively, “I said I’d treat ya.”

He’s about to leave again, and Ai Le, in a panic, yells out, “senior!”

Du Yixin is spooked by the volume. Thankfully there’s nobody else but them here, and he makes a ‘shh’ gesture, “don’t yell; someone else might’ve heard and thought I was bullying you.”

Ai Le raises his head and looks at him with eyes that look like they’re about to tear up any time soon, “I…”

“You?”

“I li…”

“You lie…?”

The boy can’t manage to establish a gaze. Instead, he lowers his head and, as if using up all the energy in his body, yells at the top of his lungs, “I like you!”

The leaves blowing in the wind makes a ‘shwa shwa’ noise.

Du Yixin blanks out. A few seconds later, he leans forward and snaps the water out of Ai Le’s hands, “give me that back!” This world is too dangerous. Just a bottle of water and someone falls in love?

What in the world… He’s lived for 20 years, and has been single for 20 years. And his first confession ever is from a boy.

In all seriousness, if Ai Le was a girl, even if he didn’t know him at all, he’d have agreed on the spot. But the problem is, he’s the wrong gender! He might not be homophobic, but no thanks.

Ai Le tried to dodge his hands but fail to stop him from taking what he has given him back like a brat. He looks at him, still with a passionate gaze, and says, “I’ve liked you since the entrance ceremony.”

Du Yixin goes stiff, and starts looking at air.

The boy is still not giving up, asking, “senior, do you have anyone you like right now?”

“… Yeah.”

“Wh-” Ai Le is shocked instead. He’s stalked him all this time without ever seeing someone like that, or he wouldn’t even have had the courage to propose. He asks, “who is it?”

Du Yixin blurts out, confidently, “a big hottie!”

“…”

“That’s why it’s impossible between us,” but Du Yixin still raises his thumb at him, “but I do appreciate your feelings for me. You have good tastes, man.”

Ai Le falls silent.

Du Yixin sees him seemingly fall into thought with his head down and feels both embarrassed and awkward to keep staying. He tries to sneak away but Ai Le grabs his hand.

“But, senior,” he is grabbing him pretty hard, “I don’t want to give up. What should I do?”

“Just give up. I’m also known as Du ‘Straight as a Steel Pole,’ it’ll never happen between us,” Du Yixin is bullshitting while he starts darting his gaze around. He feels like it’ll be dangerous to keep staying.

Meanwhile, the bell rings. The pathway leads to the main building and, in just a few minutes, the students off to their next class will be here – to bear witness to two boys dragging each other on the road.

Du Yixin would much rather not have that. He tries to struggle free, but Ai Le wouldn’t let go.

“Senior!——” Ai Le suddenly calls out.

The sound of the bell bell has abruptly stopped.

Du Yixin doesn’t know either exactly what has happened. His vision has just gone dark and his body feels as if it has been lifted and locked into a vacuum or something. Suddenly his vision, his hearing, his senses were all robbed from him. When he snaps back to reality, he is already somewhere else.

He can a dirty blackboard in front of him that desperately needs some wiping. The school desks are strewn all about with piles of books above them. A typically energetic but really enervating slogan hangs at the top of the classroom.

It is old; decrepit. The walls are marred, the paint long since dried up and fallen down in patches. The ground is a mess. Cobwebs are visible at the corners of the room. The room seems disused.

Ai Le is still holding onto his arm next to him, who also seems to have blanked out to this inexplicable occurrence. The rest of his words have been stuck at the top of his throat.

There was no transition, no fainting. Just, suddenly, without even blinking, the scenery has changed.

Soon enough, Ai Le asks, his hands shaking, “wh- why? Where?”

Du Yixin rubs his temples. Is he dreaming?

Right, maybe he’s been stuck in some nightmare since Ai Le started confessing to him.

“Senior?”

But, this dream is too real. Whether it’s the temperature of the person standing next to him, or the everpresent dust drifting through the air. The verisimilitude, if it’s even the right word, is unnerving.

Du Yixin pinches himself, hard. And then, he finally comes to accept this happenstance.

He is not dreaming.

He does not know why. But, somehow, he and his junior has suddenly come to be inside a run-down classroom, in an unfamiliar high school.

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TL’s notes: It’s a new novel! Horror-themed this time. I really wanted to do either Hell App or I Rely On Poverty To Sweep Through Survival Games, but I realised they’re both active on NU right now. If you’re here for horror, look to those two instead. I haven’t read their translated versions, but the raws, oof, they give me the heebie-jeebies. This one, eh, nope. Not scary. Disquieting, sure; revolting at times, perhaps, in the latter parts as well, but not scary. I’m skeptical to giving this the horror tag on NU, but theoretically it does attempt to be horror, so that’s that. So if you’re into plot development or really really horrifyingly twisted characters, well, I hope you’d enjoy the ride with me!