The Lament of the Silent Classmate

The moon hung low in the night sky, casting a pale glow over the dilapidated high school grounds. Inside, the corridors echoed with the distant sounds of the night, but it was the silence of the Class 3F that struck the most chilling note. The clock ticked steadily, counting down the hours until the annual Corpse Party's Anniversary, a night where the dead were said to return to claim their place among the living.

It had been three years since the night of the Corpse Party, when a group of friends had inadvertently opened a door to the afterlife. That night, they had faced the supernatural and the unimaginable, and one among them had vanished without a trace. Now, as the anniversary approached, a letter arrived, unsigned and ominous, with a single word: "Return."

Shiori, a quiet girl with a haunted past, found the letter tucked under her door. Her memories of that fateful night were hazy, but the feeling of loss was sharp and enduring. She had once been close to a classmate, Yuu, who had vanished after the party. The letter mentioned Yuu, and it spoke of a promise they had made.

"Meet at the old schoolhouse at midnight," the letter read. Shiori's heart raced. She had to find Yuu, or at least understand what had become of him. She knew that the group would be looking for her, too, as they had promised to return to the school and confront the night they had left behind.

As the clock struck eleven, Shiori made her way to the old schoolhouse, her footsteps echoing in the quiet night. She arrived to find the group of friends she had once called friends, each one haunted by their own personal demons and the shadow of the Corpse Party.

"Shiori, you came," said Kaito, the leader of the group, his voice tinged with relief and concern.

"I had to," she replied, her eyes never leaving the old schoolhouse. "Yuu... he mentioned you in the letter."

The group exchanged glances, the weight of the past pressing heavily on their shoulders. They had all promised to face the night again, to honor the memories of those who had fallen. But as they stood there, the schoolhouse seemed to shift, and the air grew thick with anticipation.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a figure stepped out, shrouded in the moonlight. It was Yuu, but not as they remembered him. His eyes were hollow, his face gaunt, and his voice was a hollow echo of his former self.

"Welcome back," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's time to fulfill our promise."

The group exchanged worried glances, but they had no choice but to follow Yuu into the schoolhouse. Inside, the walls seemed to close in, and the air grew colder. Yuu led them to a small, dimly lit classroom, where the silence was almost oppressive.

"We must go back," Yuu said, his voice growing more desperate. "We must find the ones we lost."

The group nodded, each one of them understanding the gravity of Yuu's words. They had made a promise, and they would honor it, no matter the cost.

As they delved deeper into the schoolhouse, the supernatural began to manifest once more. Shadows danced on the walls, and cold hands reached out to pull them back into the past. But the group pressed on, driven by the memory of their lost friend.

They finally reached the room where the Corpse Party had taken place, the same room where Yuu had vanished. The air was thick with the scent of decay, and the echoes of screams filled the space. Yuu led them to a small, locked door at the back of the room.

"This is where we made our promise," he said, his voice trembling. "But I couldn't keep it."

The group exchanged glances, their hearts heavy with the weight of the truth. They had made a promise, but Yuu had failed to keep it. The door creaked open, revealing a dark, empty room.

"This is where I belong," Yuu said, his voice a whisper. "This is where I will stay."

The group watched as Yuu stepped into the darkness, the door closing behind him with a final, ominous click. They knew that they had to leave, that they could not let themselves be consumed by the past.

As they made their way back to the present, the group couldn't help but wonder what had become of Yuu. He had been a silent classmate, a friend they had taken for granted, but now he was gone, lost to the darkness they had tried to escape.

The anniversary had come and gone, but the memories of that night remained. The group had faced the supernatural and the unknown, and they had come out stronger, more resilient. But the loss of Yuu was a reminder that some promises could not be kept, and some friends could not be saved.

As they walked away from the old schoolhouse, the group knew that they had to carry on, to live their lives in the light of the present. But they also knew that the night of the Corpse Party would always remain a shadow over them, a reminder of the price of friendship and the fragility of life.

The Lament of the Silent Classmate is a tale of friendship, loss, and the supernatural, a story that captures the essence of Corpse Party's Year of the Dead A Corpse Party's Anniversary and the enduring power of memory.