Dream 01
Nozomu lifts his head from the table and sees an empty glass and bowl before him. Not thinking of it much, he goes to the kitchen for the teapot. When he returns however, the tea is already served along with a fresh beef bowl. Mixed within the beef and rice, Nozomu could spot a frame of glasses. It was similar to his, but smaller.
"I fixed it for you, Sensei." a pale girl said with a smile and a slight blush. She was in the closet of the room, wrapped in a thick blanket and holding a kitchen knife; dried blood stains still on it.
"Thank you, Komori-san" the teacher said with hesitation. He was not sure where the apprehension came from, but he felt uneasy in this room he's been living in for years.
He stood up and pressed the up button for the elevator. He had to hurry, he was running late. The mall looked so busy around, despite it still being early in the day. Faceless people walked all over, each having a destination in mind. At the ding, the doors opened showing the occupants packing it to the brim.
"I'm terribly sorry, Sensei. Please wait for the next elevator." The nervous looking attendant bowed her head. She was lanky and looked too young for a job. Her short thin ponytail seemed to be twitching along with her nervous shaking.
He had no more time for another elevator. He might have to run if he waits any longer.
"It's fine, I'll take the stairs." Nozomu politely responded. The attendant took one more bow before closing the doors.
Reaching the top of the stairs, he opened the window and stepped on the bench outside. The park he was on was usually not in his route to the school, but it was close to it from another direction. There was still 15 minutes left. He could still make it on his usual pace. From just outside the park, he could see a long line of people. He found it tracing down the same direction he was heading, all the way to inside the school.
"Good morning, class." The teacher entered the class in his usual manner, both palms now planted on the teacher's table. Never mind that there's no such thing as a good morning. He begun on the usual lesson when Arai-san, the school counselor, suddenly entered the room.
"The school has run out of vacant classrooms. To make up for the admission of new students, we will place some of them here."
"Very well, Let them in." Nozomu said without much thought. If it was the school's decision, there was nothing he could do.
The new batch of students filed in. Even after doubling all the seats, they filled them all. Later on, midway through the lesson, Arai-san came in again. She brought with her more students.
"Until we organize the new arrangement, these will be in the care of your class."
"Let them in."
The new influx of students took up the floor. As the lesson went on, more and more students piled in. Soon enough, there wasn't enough space to sit. Shortly after that, students even took up the teaching platform.
5 minutes left. He might not make it. He stopped for the while, and opened the classroom door. He went through it to the toilets. He checked each and every stall. All of them occupied and locked. These stalls, the cup he was supposed to fill for breakfast, the elevator-
"-the park benches, the phone booths, the mall, and now this classroom!" He had difficulty turning to the class, students were pressing on him from all directions. The classroom was filled, from wall to wall, from floor to ceiling. "I'M IN DESPAIR! THIS OVERFLOWING SOCIETY HAS LEFT ME IN DESPAIR!" The teacher couldn't take this anymore. He ran out of the class.
"SENSEI!" A girl with hairclips keeping her bangs to the side stood, attempting to stop her teacher, but she was too late. The rest of the original class stood and chased after their teacher.
Trees were all over. On every branch was a noose. All he had to do is grab onto one...
"Sensei!" The class called out from behind.
"You can't!" The student with the hairclips, Fuura-san, tried to dissuade him.
Abiru-san, a girl covered in bandages, grabbed him by the tail he didn't have a while ago and stopped him.
"And why not?" He turned to them.
His students were all wearing blank white masks. He felt something from them, something trying to tell him to get away, that it isn't safe here.
"Because... we filled them all." Kitsu-san, the girl with the hair parted down the middle and carrying a rusted shovel approached him.
The trees surrounding them were now all dead, and people were hanging from every noose.
Kitsu-san with the shovel, Tsunetsuki-san with a knife, Fujyoshi-san with a T-square, all of them crept closer and closer.
"Don't worry, Sensei."
"When there is no space, we'll just have to clear up the clutter."
Kitsu-san's shovel swung towards him and all faded to black.