At first, I thought it was just a dream. The ring, the whispers, the cold breath of that building… even the cat with those stormy, blue eyes.
But when I opened my eyes, she was there—curled up beside me like she'd always belonged. Quiet. Watchful. Real.
I blinked a few times. My room was bathed in soft morning light. I reached for my phone.
10:02 AM.
…Wait.
Panic kicked in. There were ten missed calls and a barrage of texts from Misaki and Satoshi. The latest message from Misaki read:
Misaki: Club meeting starts at 9:30. Don't be late.
Oops.
Just as I scrambled out of bed, daze and with hair that could qualify as a small bird's nest, the doorbell rang.
"Haruki! Your friends are here!" Mom's voice floated up the stairs.
Of course. Misaki lives next door. I should've known they'd come to drag me out of bed themselves.
I went downstairs, still half-asleep, hair a complete disaster.
"Sorry, I just woke up," I muttered, stifling a yawn.
Misaki crossed her arms. "Seriously? We thought you'd died or something."
"Well, technically, I'm still dying. Of embarrassment," I said, scratching my head.
Misaki crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed. "You had one job, Haruki."
Satoshi gave me a thumbs up. "You still look cool even with bed hair. Is that a superpower or something?"
I glanced at him, squinting. "You need better role models."
"I think you look like a zombie," Misaki muttered.
Ayame, standing quietly behind them, offered a small wave. "Good morning."
"Give me five minutes to brush. You can wait in my room—it's upstairs."
I washed up, fixed my hair (sort of), and headed back.
When I walked in, Misaki was inspecting my bookshelf.
"Your room's surprisingly organized," she said.
"Yeah, I like finding things without digging through chaos. Saves energy."
Ayame, who had silently followed them in, pointed. "And who's the cat on your shoulder?"
My shoulder?
I looked—there she was. The black cat from yesterday, perched comfortably, like it's her resting place.
"Oh. Right. That's… uh, a new member. Found her yesterday. She's a stray."
"I didn't know you were into cats," Misaki said.
"I like cats," I shrugged. Though truthfully, her eyes… those whispers… that ring—were the actual reasons I took her with me.
"What's her name?"
I paused. "…Haven't decided yet."
"You guys got suggestions?"
"Milo" Ayame offered.
"Milo doesn't matches the vibe." Misaki said.
"What about 'Batman'?" Satoshi said, excited.
I smirked. "He who lurks in darkness to fight evil. I like the energy."
We threw around names: Vamp, Ego, Fate, Shadow, Night, Lord of the 7 streets....it was chaos.
[Lord Of The 7 Streets sounds cool, but are we naming a cat or starting a gang?]
Misaki cut in, arms folded. "You guys are just throwing edgy words now. I vote Cosmo."
"Cosmo?" I repeated.
She nodded. "Yeah. Mysterious, like the universe. And she's got those otherworldly eyes."
Everyone paused, then nodded in agreement.
"That… actually sounds good," I said. "Didn't know you were good at names."
She shrugged. "I'm not. You guys are just bad."
"Can I play with Cosmo?" she asked.
"Go ahead. She is friendly."
Misaki stroked Cosmo's fur gently. "She's so soft… and her eyes are beautiful."
I nodded. "Yeah."
Soon, all three of them were huddled around Cosmo, laughing and trying to get her attention. I leaned against my desk.
"Guys," I said. "Club discussion?"
They all looked up, almost in unison.
"It's your fault for being late and owning the cutest cat ever," Misaki shot back.
"…Fair enough." I sighed. "Let's get back on track."
We spent the next couple of hours planning, discussing upcoming activities, and throwing in the occasional sarcastic comment. It actually felt… nice.
Eventually, they were getting ready to leave.
And that's when it happened.
A faint glow emerged from my pocket.
Huh?
I reached inside and pulled it out—the black ring I'd found yesterday.
But now, it was glowing white. A soft, pulsing light.
"Uh… what's that?" Satoshi pointed.
Misaki squinted. "Is that a… ring?"
"It's just a ring," I said casually.
"'Just a ring' that glows?" she replied, clearly not buying it.
I showed it to them. As soon as I did, the glow faded. The ring was back to its usual black.
"What the hell…" I mumbled.
Satoshi stared at it. "That's a mysterious ring that changes color. Sounds like something out of a fantasy novel."
"It's, uh, a magic ring. Bought it from an online store," I lied.
Even I wasn't convinced by my own lie.
Ayame took the ring gently. "This pattern… I've seen it before. In a book."
She looked more serious than I'd ever seen her.
"Where did you find this?" she asked.
"In an abandoned building," I admitted. I can't lie anymore.
Misaki's eyes narrowed. "The one we explored together?"
"Yea…I went back yesterday. Found it there."
As I tried to explain further, a cold breeze drifted through the window.
Then it came—the whisper.
"H E L P"
Barely audible, like a breath from another world.
"Did you guys hear that?" Satoshi asked, stepping back.
"I did," Misaki said.
Ayame nodded. "Me too."
Wait… they heard it?
"You guys were able to hear those whispers this time?" I asked.
Misaki stared at me. "What do you mean 'this time'? You've heard that before?" Haruki… what's going on? Are you messing with us?"
I shook my head. "No pranks. I swear. I've been hearing those whispers for days now. Ever since we visited that building. And I think… Cosmo might be connected too."
I told them everything.
About the first whisper.
The second trip to the building.
The moment I found the ring.
The strange pull I felt from Cosmo.
All of it.
They didn't believe me at first—but when I laid it all out, and they remembered what just happened, their doubt began to fade.
They looked stunned. Understandably.
I could see the fear in their eyes. Even Satoshi was pale.
"I don't know what's going on," I said, "but I think the ring… and the whispers… they're trying to tell us something.".
Ayame stayed quiet, fingers tracing the edge of the ring.
"You're serious about all this?" Misaki asked.
I nodded. "I wouldn't joke about creepy whispering ghosts. I'm not that creative."
They all slowly sat down again, the mood shifting from casual to tense.
I turned to Ayame. "Do you know anything more about this ring?"
"I don't know everything," she said slowly, "but I've seen this design before. There's a book in the library. It talks about relics—objects with hidden connections to memory, time, and… spirits."
Spirits?
"So you're saying this might be… cursed?" Satoshi asked, half-joking but clearly uneasy.
Ayame shook her head. "Not cursed. But definitely not ordinary."
And just like that, the casual morning turned into something else.
Something deeper.
Something I couldn't joke my way out of.
Cosmo jumped from my desk to my lap, curling up quietly.
She purred like nothing was wrong.
[Cosmo's living her best life while I'm out here questioning reality. Must be nice to be a cat.]
But I couldn't ignore the truth anymore. The whispers weren't in my head. The ring wasn't normal.
And now…for the first time, I realized—this wasn't just my problem anymore.
The whispers had found new ears.
And the story was only just beginning.
To be continued…