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Exam week is hell.
That was what Nate, alongside every other student on campus, had been thinking for the past few days. It was almost the end of Nate’s first college term and midterms hung over him like the shadow of death itself. As much as he hated doing it, studying was non-negotiable, but studying in his dorm was quite the hassle. Housing assignments had, unsurprisingly, not taken the presence of yo-kai companions into account and he never quite knew what to say when his roommate questioned his “habit of talking to nobody.”
Thus, the library had become his study spot of choice. It typically wasn’t too crowded but still had enough people for him to not stand out, and when luck was in his favor, he could reserve a soundproof study room. With Jibanyan as his snack courier (paid in chocobars bought on Nate’s dime, of course) and Whisper there to keep him on track, he had worked out a pretty good system. He had somehow even managed to book a study room during exam week where he could cram for his Physics 101 exam in peace.
“So if I have delta-y of 100 meters and an initial horizontal velocity of 50 meters per second…” he sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair. “God, I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
“Perhaps it’s time to call it a night. It is getting quite late, after all.”
Nate glanced over to Whisper, who had been watching him study. The spirit floated over to glance at Nate’s work and seemed to almost grimace for a brief second.
Nate sat up and ran a hand through his chestnut hair before glancing down at his watch— a normal watch, since he now opted to keep the bulky yo-kai watch affixed to a belt loop at his waist— and saw that it was nearly 11:00PM. After a brief yawn, he began packing his things.
“I may have to take you up on that suggestion…”
When he tugged on a packet that had become his feline friend’s bed, he was met with a quiet, half-asleep grumble.
“Can’t we just stay here? I’m comfortable,” Jibanyan complained, seeming to only curl further into himself.
Whisper said something about “lazy feline tendencies,” but Nate’s half-awake mind mostly tuned it out. In all honesty, he had been itching to leave for a while. He donned himself in his winter jacket, slung his bag over his shoulder, and reached to pick Jibanyan up and place him on the ground.
“You can sleep in the dorm. Come on.”
With that, Nate left the library with Whisper and Jibanyan following close by. The winter air hit him like a truck as soon as he left the heated building, drawing a shiver out of him as he began walking back to his dorm.
The walkways and green spaces were lit by street lamps and the occasional blue-light post, lending Nate a clear path back. If not for the occasional other person, the quiet, still space would have had an almost liminal vibe.
“You know,” Whisper began, floating a little ways ahead to make eye contact with Nate, “you’re a much more diligent student than you used to be.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Nate replied, his breath creating a small cloud in front of his face.
“I’m serious!” Whisper continued, his eyes suddenly having a shimmer of reminiscence, “I remember all those summers when you would leave your homework at the school… ah, the memories!”
“Okay, you can stop now,” Nate laughed, “I get it, I was an irresponsible kid.”
Suddenly, Jibanyan’s pace slowed, a troubled look on his face. “Hey, guys? Does something feel… off to you?” he asked.
Both Whisper and Nate turned to him with a raised eyebrow, both preparing to speak before the watch at Nate’s waist chimed. He unclasped the carabiner attaching it to his waistband before glancing at the watch.
His stomach dropped. The face of the yo-kai watch showed an all-too-familiar icon: the face of an oni and a countdown. As if on cue, a thick fog rolled in, blanketing their surroundings and nearly blinding them. Everything appeared white and hazy, and the trio knew that the danger only grew with every passing moment.
“Come on!” Nate whisper-yelled, practically grabbing his companions as he ducked for a nearby bike rack. He and Jibanyan crouched as Whisper floated to the ground, the three of them breathing heavily.
“Fuck,” Nate cursed, and by Whisper’s expression he could tell that the spirit was fighting the urge to reprimand him. “This is horrible timing.”
“Terror time shouldn’t be happening here,” Whisper stated. He made an attempt to power on his tablet, but the screen only lit up with the message that he had no service. He sighed, putting the device away. “It’s the manifestation of chil—“
“—dren’s nyightmares, we know,” finished Jibanyan, his half-tucked tails glowing eerily in the fog.
The butler shook his head before continuing, “My point is that this campus is inhabited almost entirely by adults. I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t a single child sleeping nearby right now.”
Nate’s eyes trailed off as he thought, placing a hand to his chin, “So either it’s the nightmares of one or two kids, or it’s the collective exam stress nightmares of all the students here. I’m not sure which is scarier, honestly..”
Within moments, the fog rolled out, revealing a grayscale version of the campus the trio had become familiar with. Nate took a chance to peek over the top of the bike rack, and to his relief, there didn’t seem to be any patrols nearby. He gave a silent motion before sneaking out of hiding, his friends not far behind. As they walked down a sidewalk, Nate checked his pockets and found.. pretty much what he expected.
“Yeah, we might be screwed… I don’t have anywhere near a full team of medals on me.”
“This is why you should always be prepared,” Whisper chided, still keeping his voice down.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve thankfully been more focused on getting my degree than saving the wor—“
“Hey, man, you gotta help me!”
Nate startled as another student nearly ran into him, carrying an open laptop in his arms. The young man appeared normal save for his panic, but Nate still grabbed his shoulder and pulled him behind a pillar for good measure.
“You didn’t get spotted, did you!?”
“..Spotted? I- no, listen,” the student continued, ignoring the implications of Nate’s question, “Please tell me you’ve taken one of Professor Tanaka’s classes.”
A look of confusion crossed Nate’s expression as he thought for a moment before shaking his head, “No, I can’t say I have… why do you ask?”
The other student’s panic only seemed to grow as he gripped his hair, groaning, “Gah! My schedule for next semester is due in an hour and RateMyProfessor is down… I’ve heard mixed things about him and don’t want to risk it,” he glanced down at his computer in a frenzy before walking away with a muttered thanks.
Nate, Whisper, and Jibanyan simply stood in silence for a moment, not sure what to say after the weird exchange. It certainly was not a typical terror time experience.
“I’m gonnya go with these being students’ nyightmares…” Jibanyan muttered. Nate simply nodded and Whisper hummed in agreement before the three of them pressed on.
However, what they saw around campus only made things stranger. One student was having a heated argument over some due dates with a professor. Another was frantically trying to find a vending machine stocked with caffeine. Someone else was freaking out over the wifi not working. Everywhere they walked, they just saw students panicking over different things.
“Yknow, I’ve not seen any patrols,” Nate noted.
“Or heard any oni walking around,” Jibanyan added.
“It appears that terror time fueled by college students is far more tame and less… oni-filled,” Whisper stated, “I suppose it makes sense. Most adults don’t believe in oni.”
Nate simply nodded, “Honestly, I had stopped believing them before I got the watch.” With that, he glanced back down at the yo-kai watch face and smiled tiredly. “Speaking of, the exit gate should open soon.”
As if on cue, Whisper pointed up a hill at some of the campus’ dorms. “I think I see it!”
The three of them moved quickly— likely out of habit— up the hill where Nate pulled open the newly-spawned door. After a brief flash of light, the three of them stood at the entrance of Sakura Dorm Hall, back in the fully-colored real world.
“Thank goodnyess that’s over! I’m exhausted…” Jibanyan sighed, immediately running to the main entrance.
“You just followed me around and slept everywhere,” Nate quipped, following his feline companion and fishing his student ID from his wallet. He swiped the card in the reader for the door’s electronic lock, but…
“Whisper, are you sure we’re not still in a nightmare?”
The yo-kai raised an eyebrow, moving to glance over Nate’s shoulder, “Yes… why?”
Nate turned around with a smile that badly hid strong exasperation and a chuckle that betrayed his stress.
“Because, heh.. my key card isn’t working.”