Sayori wandered down the quiet school corridor, her shoes making soft little taps against the floor. Normally she’d be humming or skipping or thinking about snacks, but today… something felt off. Like the air was thicker, heavier, clinging to her shoulders no matter how she tried to shake it off. "Haaah...haahh..why does my tummy feel so weird?.."

Her fingers curled around the strap of her bag as she approached the familiar door to the Literature Club. The hallway lights flickered—just once—and her stomach dropped for reasons she couldn’t name. Monika was inside. She should’ve felt excited. Safe. But instead, a strange dread crept up her spine, cold and slow, like someone whispering her name from a place she couldn’t see.

Sayori forced a smile anyway, breathing in and out as she reached for the doorknob, hoping—praying—that whatever was wrong was just in her head.