[JOW]
“Clay, who was that girl?” I called out to Clay, irritation dripping from my voice.
We were in the supernatural club room. Coincidentally, Clay didn’t have second period and her last class in the afternoon got canceled, so she decided to drop by. I was halfway through munching the chicharon Rain had given me when it happened.
A girl with gray hair peeked into our classroom, eyes scanning the room until they locked with mine. Then—she laughed. Like she knew something. Like she owned something. And without hesitation, she ran toward me, threw her arms around my neck, and plopped herself onto my lap.
Rain yanked her off by the hair.
The tension was immediate. Rain went full-on confrontational, and they started bickering in front of the entire class.
Amid their heated exchange, I caught Nova scowling in the background, her glare sharp and silent. Even Lean May’s expression darkened—eyes narrowed, lips pressed tight.
The argument only ended when Rain snapped, “Jow’s not going to accept someone so scandalous and disrespectful. Especially one who clearly doesn’t know boundaries.” She then turned to me, “She has a thing for you, doesn’t she?”
That made the gray-haired girl freeze. Nova walked up to her, leaned in, whispered something. The girl’s expression shifted. She backed away… and left.
Now, here I was, demanding answers.
Clay, standing at the blackboard, was scribbling down Japanese lyrics.
"Ahh, who?” she asked absentmindedly.
“That girl with gray hair! She had the audacity to announce in class that she loves me. She even argued with Rain—my cousin, by the way!”
I squinted at the board. “Wait… is that One More Time, One More Chance?”
“You just got here and you’re already interrogating me,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Yeah, it’s from that anime Five Centimeters Per Second. Though honestly, they should’ve called it Endless Pain Per Second.”
“You’re not a fan of sad anime endings?”
Clay spun around, brows furrowed, one hand on her hip. Then, jabbing her finger toward me, she declared, “Do you *want* a sad ending? Who even enjoys pain like that? Are you broken or something? Seriously, with your alien behavior lately—especially yesterday when you were sulking because you accidentally hurt someone’s feelings—you’re acting like Johan. You got manipulative vibes now, huh?”
> She said a lot… but didn’t answer my question.<
“That girl,” I pressed. “She claimed she was well-known on campus. Even said she transferred here recently.”
“That’s why you came here?” Clay asked, raising a brow.
“Answer my question before asking yours. Geez.”
She let out a breathy chuckle, shaking her head. “Gray-haired girl? That must’ve been Ruffa. She’s the only one with that kind of hair here. Ruffa Belhaid. I mentioned her to you before—my friend who came back to San Juanita and had a crush on someone? That was you, by the way.”
> Ruffa… so that’s her.<
I turned back to Clay. Something dawned on me. “Wait—how are you writing those lyrics without looking at your phone?”
> No phone. No reference. This girl is absolutely obsessed with anime.<
“That really was her, huh?” I muttered, still processing.
My gaze shifted to the electric fan beside me.
“Show some mercy to whoever’s paying the electric bill,” Clay suddenly called out. “You’ve got that fan on setting number three.”
“It’s fine. School fees cover electricity anyway,” I countered.
She rolled her eyes and resumed writing.
> Ruffa. She’s not going to be easy to deal with.<
I pressed the fan’s power button, turning it off.
“Clay!”
No response.
“Clayrin?”
She finally turned around.
“What?” she snapped. “Are you interested in Ruffa now? Planning to chase her? You want my help? Better ask permission from your wife first—Jovenyl.”
Her sarcasm hit harder than expected. Anger flickered across her face, veins showing at her temples, her brows knitted tightly together.
“You’re jumping to conclusions. Clay, can you tell her to stop approaching me? I don’t want anything to do with her.”
Both her hands flew up, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“Why? Why would you say that? Aren’t you at least flattered someone likes you? Or… oh. You’re afraid again. Scared you’ll hurt her feelings?”
> That’s not it... It’s just… right now, all I can think about is you. Wait. What am I even saying?<
Suddenly, Clay’s entire form began to glow.
My face heated up. The air I exhaled felt warm and shaky. My heart—God, my heart—it was pounding so hard it felt like it was slamming against my lungs.
“Damn… it’s getting stronger,” I whispered.
“Huh? Hey, alien boy, are you zoning out again?”
> Her eyes sparkle so brightly... the background’s blurring… everything but her is fading out.<
I bit the back of my hand to snap out of it and turned my back on her.
“Never mind. I’ve got something to do,” I muttered, unable to face her.
I left the club room.
Headed straight to the restroom.
At the sink, I splashed cold water on my face, staring at my reflection.
Flushed. My eyes glowed faintly with awe.
> Why is her image stuck in my head? When Ruffa jumped me earlier, why did I picture Clay storming in, slapping her, dragging her out? Why did I imagine how sad she would’ve looked seeing Ruffa on my lap?<
> When I see Jovenyl, I feel… nothing. But with Clay—why does everything burn?<
I rubbed my eyes, trying to ground myself.
“I fell in love again?” I whispered.
I clutched my chest.
“Clay…” I whispered again, squeezing tighter. “Would you forgive me for what happened to Cruzecrin? Maybe you’d be happier if you were still with him…”
> Idiot. How can I say I love her when I’m one of the reasons she’s hurting? Can I really let this feeling grow? Or should I bury it completely?<
---
I spent thirty minutes just… standing there in front of the mirror.
When I finally calmed down, I left the restroom.
Decided I’d head home early.
I went to our classroom to grab my bag.
“Going home already, Kuya?” Rain asked, her eyes full of concern. “Did you cry? Your eyes are red and puffy…”
“I just need to rest,” I said firmly.
“You’re thinking about your ex again?”
I shook my head. That wasn’t it. Not this time.
“See you tomorrow,” I said before walking out.
She didn’t ask further. Just quietly let me leave.
I exited the senior high school building and stepped onto the city sidewalk, where blaring horns and revving engines filled the air.
---
Eventually, I found myself walking along the river again—the same path I took the night I saw that man named Sandugo with the black string of fate.
The river was calm today. Crystal-clear and flowing fast.
I paused.
Just ahead, someone stood by the riverbank. A figure in a white dress, back turned to me. That same rose design etched into the back of her dress.
> That damn ghost!<
I jumped down the slope and ran toward her.
“Hey!” I called out.
She turned slowly. Tears streaked down her cheeks like they hadn’t stopped for hours.
“We meet again… the man who can see me,” she said in a hollow voice, wiping her face.
“What are you doing here? Why that same dress? Are you even real? Are you haunting this city?”
Questions poured out of me, uncontrollable.
> Tch. She has a black string of fate too. What even is she?<
She sat down on the grass.
“I asked you a question!” I yelled, storming toward her and grabbing her by the shoulder.
The next second—I was airborne.
Grass and soil flew with me as I slammed backward onto the ground, landing hard on my tailbone.
> What the hell? Is she really a ghost?<
I winced and reached for my left eye, something warm trickling down from it.
Blood.
My blind eye was crying blood.
“One eye… bleeding?” I whispered. “Are you the one who cursed us?”
She didn’t respond to any of that. Just one word escaped her lips.
“Us?”
Tch. She latched onto that?
My knees buckled. I dropped to the ground.
> I need my phone. Clay. Nova. I have to tell them what’s happening.<
I reached into my pocket.
My phone’s screen was shattered—unresponsive.
> Fuck!<
“Let him explain it to you,” she suddenly said, her voice low.
“Damn it!” I cursed, clutching my knee in frustration.
Then—
A voice. A gentle, old man’s voice, carried by the wind.
“We meet again…”
I turned my head sharply.
A man with long hair, sunglasses, and a flowing beard walked toward us. A guitar slung over his shoulder, which he strummed gently while singing:
“I bless the day I found you… I want to stay around you… and so I beg you, let it be me…”
He stopped in front of us and smiled at me.
“Hello again, Eyeden Ylliard Hayle,” he said as he set down his guitar.
“You—YOU’RE the guy from the photo!!” I shouted, wide-eyed. “You’re the one who gave me this cursed ability to see red strings of fate… at the cost of my eyesight!”
Somehow, I found the strength to stand.
And then I punched him square in the jaw.
He rolled across the grass.
“Take it back! Remove the curse!”
He stood up, brushing himself off.
A strange itch crawled across my right eye.
I stumbled.
To be continued.