Chapter 01

Karma's Thoughts

Trying to catch the last non existing drop of cold strawberry milk from vending machine, Karma almost swallowed the poor straw & empty box of drink with a lot of noise. He watched Nagisa, who was far away in his own world despite being only a few steps away at the other side of the Acoustic Studio, trying to add a few more sounds to the unfinished song of the guitar in his hand. He was watching the guitar in the kindest special way, as if the strings were going to become tentacles at any second now!

Yep! Nagisa was looking for tentacles in almost everything. He became like that after a particular lifelong one year, which they spent in Kunugigaoka Secondary School 3rd year E Class. Now in High school, Nagisa was the Head of a music band made by old members of 3rd year E Class Students: Isogai, Maehara, Kayano, Karma, & Nagisa. He gathered this group, followed by a Doctor's advice to try "Art" as a form of self-expression, after his Mental Breakdown resulted by 3rd year E class events. The name of the Band was of course, "Tentacles"! This was the group of the same Nagisa, who made the song "Shooting Star" & sang the words: "If I could play you on a music instrument, the world would be amazed!"

Karma finally clashed the milk box in his fist, and pulled out the straw.

-"Nagisa!" he called out to his old friend. The other boy startled suddenly returning to the reality, & the guitar stopped.

-"Yes, Karma?"

-"What are you doing? After a whole day of practicing with the group? Everyone returned long ago!"

Nagisa looked blank for a moment, then his face lightened up,:

-"Oh, I'm creating a new song named "My Teacher, Koro Sensei!" …"

Karma let out a sigh.

-"Really? Are you sure it's new? As far as I remember, all your songs are about Koro Sensei!"

-"This one is different. We're going to sing it at Obon Festival, at the "Talking to Spirits" Ritual!"

-"I see!" Well, as usual there was only one thing on Nagisa's mind.

And it was too obvious even to mention. Not by the mascot little & big yellow smiley face goods like straps or key holders that you could see everywhere around or on Nagisa. Not even by the fact that Nagisa couldn't eat anything with the shape of Crescent Moon anymore (the other day he felt sick when saw the Croissant bread in his plate at the Coffee Shop, and pushed the plate away to Karma). But maybe by the fact that He was restlessly trying to find a way to communicate with creatures resembling Koro Sensei. You could say, He thought that Spirits exist around us, and you can feel them & see them & talk to them if you try hard enough! That, turned to be Nagisa's way of thinking! Well, if it could actually rescue him from drowning in his mental break down, Karma didn't have any objection. But in fact it seemed that it pulled him even deeper inside the dark hallucination.

….