Chapter 29: A Funeral

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Half a year passed, summer faded, and winter arrived.

Cold winds drove the drizzle before them, forcing every student to pull on the thick winter uniform.

The first semester of senior year had come to an end. With umbrellas raised, the students hurried away from campus at a light jog.

Rody was just as he had always been, leaving almost at the last possible moment. He had never made a habit of carrying an umbrella, so he merely pulled up the hood of his school uniform and covered his head. Under the watchful eye of the security guard, he became the last student to leave the school.

Some time had passed since dismissal, and yet the school gate, which should have been quiet by now, echoed with a familiar voice.

“Rody! Hey!”

He looked up.

The class monitor stood by the curb, half her face buried in a scarf as she waved at him repeatedly.

Seeing that Rody was still ambling along at his usual leisurely pace, she took the initiative and walked toward him with her umbrella. It was just large enough to shelter them both.

Rody asked in a low voice, “Isn’t a car coming to pick you up?”

“The driver had something to take care of at home and took the day off. I was going to take a taxi back myself. But we were dismissed an hour early today, so I can afford to get home a little later.

“I think my home is more or less on the way to yours, so I thought I’d wait and walk with you! I haven’t taken the bus in ages. It’ll be nice to experience it again.”

“You really do sound like a young lady from a wealthy family.”

“Heh~ At least I can get you to say a few more words.”

Half the passengers were missing from the winter bus. As usual, Rody sat by the window in the last row, but this time the space beside him felt rather crowded.

“How are you getting on with that ‘sword’ of yours?”

“Fine. I occasionally hear zombies grinding their teeth, but the Research Bureau’s monthly inspections have never found anything wrong.”

“That’s good. There are only six months left before the entrance examination. I can already imagine how shocked everyone at school will be when you show that thing during the physical assessment. You might even rank first in the entire school.”

“I don’t care. As long as I can get hired by an ordinary company, that’s enough.”

Rody stared out the window, as though he had remembered something. But a light jab of an elbow soon pulled him back to the present.

“What are you doing over winter break? My family can probably give me three days to arrange however I like. Should we organize something and go somewhere with everyone?”

“No.” Rody rejected the idea without hesitation. He had already planned thirty days of watching movies and did not want anything disrupting it.

“Huh~ If Gao asked you, would you go? I’ve seen the two of you doing push-ups together every day lately. You even keep chatting all the way back to the classroom after meals.”

“I’m really not going.”

“All right.”

The conversation seemed to have reached its end, and the entire back row fell silent.

The class monitor followed Rody’s gaze toward the window. She had no idea what there was to look at, yet her heart gradually grew calm.

“Residential Complex Thirteen has arrived. The doors will close in ten seconds.”

“I’m getting off.”

Rody squeezed past the class monitor’s legs and deftly slid down the pole as he left the bus.

Strangely, as he stepped off, he felt something he had never felt before. A casual farewell like this seemed somehow inadequate for the start of winter break.

He turned back toward the rear window of the bus, intending to give the class monitor a more proper goodbye.

Before he could even raise his hand, however, he discovered that she had already gotten off behind him.

“What are you getting off for?”

“Huh? Didn’t I say so earlier? I can go home a little later. Besides, you don’t seem to have an umbrella. I can walk you home.”

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“You should go home first. I don’t need an umbrella.”

“No.” Wu Wen refused this time as well, her eyes filled with earnest determination.

“Only as far as the building entrance.”

“Yay!”

The stern class monitor instantly returned to normal and walked ahead with light, springy steps.

They had only gone a short distance into the residential complex when they heard a burst of mournful wailing, accompanied by scraps of yellow paper drifting through the air.

Looking ahead, they saw that a funeral was being held beneath an apartment building directly beside Rody’s.

The two stopped talking and did their best to pass by in silence.

It seemed to have happened only recently. The relatives dressed in black were all crying their eyes out.

As Rody passed before the mourning hall, he pressed his palms together, lowered his head, and bowed. The class monitor walking beside him imitated him.

Just as they both lowered their heads—

Whoosh.

A gust of ghostly wind swept past. Strengthened by the winter cold, it seemed to seep beneath their skin and brush across their bones.

The chill drove them to quicken their pace as they crossed the funeral area. Ahead stood the building at the very back of the residential complex, where Rody lived.

The class monitor had no intention of pushing her luck, and her steps came to a halt.

The two stood together beneath the umbrella, their arms pressed against each other.

The class monitor reached up and pulled down the scarf covering her face. Her damp lips drew as close as possible, almost touching Rody’s ear, and she whispered:

“Hey~ Did you notice? The portrait hanging in the mourning hall seemed to be of a young girl.”

“I saw it. Don’t talk about funerals.”

“Ugh~”

The class monitor quickly covered her mouth, then immediately whispered, “What should I do~? I’m a little scared now. How about you walk me back to the bus stop?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be braver than I am?”

“Tsk~ I just wanted to talk with you a little longer. I’ll be stuck with my tutor for the entire following month, and it’s going to be so boring!

“By the way, I have three free days during winter break. Can I come to your place and do homework with you? That shouldn’t cause any trouble, right?”

“Don’t.”

“Ah… bye-bye. See you next semester.”

The class monitor stopped pressing him and pulled her scarf back up. As she turned to leave, her eyes seemed to have lost some of their light.

Not long after she had gone, a somewhat indistinct voice came from behind her.

“If it’s just doing homework… we can meet at a fast-food restaurant not too far away. My home isn’t very convenient.”

“All right.”

The class monitor answered quietly without turning around.

On her solitary walk back to the bus stop, she passed the mourning hall once more. The cold seemed even more intense this time, as though something were urging her to leave.

Meanwhile, Rody had already reached the top floor.

“Dad, Mom, Sis, I’m home.”

“How did you do on your exams?” his father called from the kitchen.

“Same as always.”

“Come eat. We’ve been waiting for you.”

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“I’m going to wash my hands.”

On his way to the bathroom, Rody glanced through its window at the outside world. His eyes turned toward the bus stop beyond the residential complex. After catching sight of a familiar figure and the color of her umbrella, he turned and walked away.

He returned to the dining table and sat down with his family.

“Little brother, we’re going away during the holidays. Do you want to come?”

“No.”

“Wonderful! Then we’ll leave the important task of guarding the house to you.”

“Got it. Be careful on the way.”

Living alone was what Rody liked best. He had already begun imagining the bliss of watching movies, lifting dumbbells, and eating homemade flatbread all at the same time.

…

The Tenth Day of the New Year

Only ten days remained before winter break ended.

His family had set off on their journey the day before, and Rody had officially begun his blissful life alone.

After waking early, he gnawed on a steamed bun while cleaning the house. Once everything was finished and he was preparing to do his homework—

Knock, knock!

A series of heavy knocks suddenly sounded from the door.

Rody glanced at the time displayed on his wristband: 8:40 a.m. The community office did not open until nine and would never come looking for him at this hour.

He peered through the peephole, but there was no one outside.

“Did I hear that wrong?”

Just as Rody turned away, preparing to return to his homework—

Knock, knock!

The knocking came again.

Rody hurried back to the bedroom and pulled out the machete wrapped in burial cloth from beneath his bed.

He looked through the peephole again. There was still no one there.

This time, however, Rody did not walk away. He gripped the doorknob with one hand and waited in silence.

Knock, knock!

On the third knock, he flung open the door and swung the blade, its edge wrapped in white cloth.

His movement stopped in midair.

Crouching in the doorway was a female high school student, her hands already raised in surrender.

“Rody, do you really have to be this cautious…? You scared me to death.”

“Class monitor!?”

Rody instinctively pulled the door back toward him, blocking her view of the inside of the apartment.

“Relax~ I won’t come in without your permission. Didn’t you say earlier that we could meet at a fast-food restaurant to do our homework? I figured you’d reject me outright if I called, so I came straight here instead.

“Are you coming? It’s fine if you don’t. I can ask Anna.”

“I’ll go. Give me a moment.”