Luke adjusted his bag over his shoulder. “I can’t stay for the free period. The science fair’s today, and Yen’s already waiting for me.”

Hakari groaned. “Lame. You’d rather do science than hang out with us?”

Luke shot her a flat look. “Yes.”

Sen snorted. “Well, can’t argue with that.”

With Luke leaving, there wasn’t much point in staying behind. Investigating by themselves just wasn’t as fun, or productive, without him to keep them on track. So, after grabbing their things, Sen and Hakari left Shady High, stepping into the cold afternoon air. As they reached the sidewalk, Sen glanced over his shoulder, feeling the prickling sensation of being watched.

And then he saw him.

Leaning against a wall a few yards away, a scruffy-looking man sipped from a gas station coffee cup. His dark hoodie was faded, the sleeves frayed at the edges. He studied them like they were the ones out of place, rather than him.

Sen slowed his pace, nudging Hakari. “Hey. You see that guy?”

Hakari followed his gaze and frowned. “Uh. Yeah. Is he—?”

Before she could finish, the man spoke.

“Took you long enough to notice me,” he said, unimpressed. His voice was rough, and he smelled like smoke.

Hakari tensed. “Uh. Sorry?”

The man pushed off the wall and took a slow sip of coffee. “You kids have been running around that school like you own the place. Thought I’d see how long it’d take for you to realize you weren’t the only ones watching.”

Hakari crossed her arms. “And what, you’ve just been spying on us for fun?”

He gave a lazy shrug. “Call it curiosity.”

Sen narrowed his eyes. “Curious about what?”

The man exhaled, shaking his head. “About how deep you’re willing to dig before you realize you’re dealing with something way bigger than yourselves.” He tilted his head slightly. “You didn’t even notice me, and I’ve been here the whole time. What if I had bad intentions?”

That sent a chill down Sen’s spine.

Hakari frowned. “Well, do you?”

The man chuckled. “If I did, you wouldn’t be standing here asking.”

Sen exchanged a glance with Hakari. This guy was weird.

He took another sip of coffee before continuing. “Look. I don’t care what you’re hoping to find in that school, but I’ll give you this—Shady High is haunted. And sooner or later, the spirits are gonna make themselves known.”

Hakari blinked. “Ghosts? Seriously?”

His expression didn’t change. “Dead serious.”

Sen frowned. “And you know this how?”

“Because I can see them.” The man’s gaze darkened. “And eventually, so will you.”

For once, Hakari had nothing to say.

Sen swallowed. “Okay. Let’s say we believe you. What are we supposed to do about it?”

He sighed. “Don’t be too scared. Most of them aren’t in a good situation. They need help.” He took another sip of his coffee before adding, “But don’t go looking for things you aren’t ready to handle.”

Before either of them could ask what that meant, the man turned and walked away, disappearing around the corner.

The silence stretched between them.

Hakari sighed. “Well...”

Sen rubbed the back of his neck. “What do we do with that information?”

Hakari scoffed. “What do you think? We go tell Luke and Yen.”

With that, they broke into a jog, hurrying toward the building where Luke’s science fair was being held.

By the time they reached the event, it was already crowded with students, teachers, and parents examining different projects. They scanned the room until Hakari spotted Luke and his brother, Yen, standing by a well-organized display on astrophysics.

Luke barely had time to react before Hakari grabbed his sleeve. “Dude, you will not believe what just happened.”

Yen blinked at them, wide-eyed. “Uh, hi?”

Sen caught his breath. “Okay, so, weird guy, super sketchy, just told us Shady High is haunted.”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

Hakari nodded. “Yeah. Just some random dude sipping gas station coffee like it was a normal day. Said he’s been watching us.”

Yen looked uneasy. “That’s kind of terrifying.”

Luke frowned. “And you believed him?”

Sen hesitated. “I mean, I don’t know? But he knew we were investigating. And he knew stuff. Like, he wasn’t just some random guy.”

Hakari crossed her arms. “Look, I don’t know if I believe the ghost thing, but he knew something. And that means we have another lead.”

Luke exhaled. “Alright. Tell me everything he said.”

As the science fair bustled around them, the four huddled together, the weight of the conversation settling in. Whatever they had gotten themselves into—it was only getting deeper.