—Time skip— “Phew. Lectures are done,†one of the students said, stretching dramatically. “Yeah… finally,†I echoed, trying to mimic normal human behavior. Finally. Some space to figure out what the hell is going on. I glanced down at the desk and quickly gathered the items in front of me: a cheap ballpoint pen, a notebook with half-doodles-half-notes, and a cracked phone with a tiny sticker that said “Don’t touch my bundles.†Real classy. I stood up slowly, trying not to look like I was about to bolt. My eyes scanned the room, every corner unfamiliar. The walls, the windows, even the clock ticked louder than it should. Where am I supposed to go now? That’s when my brain helpfully kicked in with: “Bro, we don’t even know what building this is.†Great. Panic started to creep in. A cold wave of confusion pressed against the inside of my chest. My feet weren’t moving. My palms were sweating. What should I do? Ask someone? Pretend to remember? Hide in the bathroom until the universe resets? Then— “Yoh, Lushomo! You going to the room?†A voice. I looked up—one of the guys from earlier. Bucket hat guy. He was walking toward me with an easy grin like we were lifelong roommates. “Uh… yuh,†I said, awkwardly. Like a socially constipated goat. “Cool, cool,†he nodded. “Let’s head there together, buddy.†Buddy? Sure, okay. I followed him out of the lecture room, clutching the notebook like it held the answers to life. We moved through the narrow hallways and past vending machines that looked like they hadn’t worked since 2009. We were on our way to the hostels. Apparently. But something felt… off. You know that feeling in horror movies? When the main character walks into a dark hallway even though the audience is yelling “Don’t go there!†Yeah. That feeling. A subtle chill scraped down my spine. The shadows felt longer. The walls too quiet. I shrugged it off. No need to be dramatic. Just overthinking. We reached the staircase. Narrow. Dimly lit. Echoey. “Well,†he said cheerfully, “Up we go!†He bounded up like it was nothing. I took a breath. Then followed. Step by step. Floor by floor.
—Time skip— “Phew. Lectures are done,†one of the students said, stretching dramatically. “Yeah… finally,†I echoed, trying to mimic normal human behavior. Finally. Some space to figure out what the hell is going on. I glanced down at the desk and quickly gathered the items in front of me: a cheap ballpoint pen, a notebook with half-doodles-half-notes, and a cracked phone with a tiny sticker that said “Don’t touch my bundles.†Real classy. I stood up slowly, trying not to look like I was about to bolt. My eyes scanned the room, every corner unfamiliar. The walls, the windows, even the clock ticked louder than it should. Where am I supposed to go now? That’s when my brain helpfully kicked in with: “Bro, we don’t even know what building this is.†Great. Panic started to creep in. A cold wave of confusion pressed against the inside of my chest. My feet weren’t moving. My palms were sweating. What should I do? Ask someone? Pretend to remember? Hide in the bathroom until the universe resets? Then— “Yoh, Lushomo! You going to the room?†A voice. I looked up—one of the guys from earlier. Bucket hat guy. He was walking toward me with an easy grin like we were lifelong roommates. “Uh… yuh,†I said, awkwardly. Like a socially constipated goat. “Cool, cool,†he nodded. “Let’s head there together, buddy.†Buddy? Sure, okay. I followed him out of the lecture room, clutching the notebook like it held the answers to life. We moved through the narrow hallways and past vending machines that looked like they hadn’t worked since 2009. We were on our way to the hostels. Apparently. But something felt… off. You know that feeling in horror movies? When the main character walks into a dark hallway even though the audience is yelling “Don’t go there!†Yeah. That feeling. A subtle chill scraped down my spine. The shadows felt longer. The walls too quiet. I shrugged it off. No need to be dramatic. Just overthinking. We reached the staircase. Narrow. Dimly lit. Echoey. “Well,†he said cheerfully, “Up we go!†He bounded up like it was nothing. I took a breath. Then followed. Step by step. Floor by floor.