Сказка о принцессе Сонг в Хэйан-кё

Глава 1

Class 0, Grade 11

1. The first dead

Members of Class 0, Grade 11:

Girls – Peng Zhi, Lin Nana, Su Siyu, Li Biqi, Fang Manting

Boys – Deng Zhuofan, Zhu Yu, Gao Qixian, Li Wenbin, Qiu Wangzi

They have no parents, no relatives or friends.

They are a group of orphans.

They all received admission notices for Class 0 of Grade 11.

Then, they all mysteriously disappeared.

No one has found their remains.

No one knows what exactly happened that night.

But... their university acceptance letters are reappearing in the world one by one.

Class 0 of Grade 11 has been revived!

Growing up in solitude, living in solitude, but one day, that solitude was suddenly shattered by fear...

Admission Notice

It wasn't until it was completely dark that Gao Xiaoyuan began packing her schoolbag. Now she was the only one left in the classroom, and it was quiet and silent.

The large characters "Welcome New Students" on the blackboard looked somewhat lonely and helpless under the bright fluorescent lights. Gao Xiaoyuan walked up to the podium, picked up the blackboard eraser, and prepared to wipe those characters clean.

Today is her first day at this high school, and also her first day meeting new classmates. She didn't make any new friends because she was already used to being alone.

She didn't like her home either. Although her father and mother were there, their strictness had created an invisible oppression in Xiaoyuan's heart since she was a child. Moreover, they were often away on business trips, and most of the time, Gao Xiaoyuan had spent her life alone. So, home felt like a hotel to her. Given this, Gao Xiaoyuan preferred to stay at school until dark.

"Bang—" The window near the podium suddenly slammed shut, as if a gust of wind had blown in. Gao Xiaoyuan's hand, holding the blackboard eraser, froze on the blackboard, and she turned her head slightly to look in that direction.

It was pitch black outside the window; nothing could be seen clearly, and it seemed as if there was nothing at all. Gao Xiaoyuan pursed her lips, wiped the last two words clean, dusted herself off, turned around, walked to her desk, picked up her schoolbag, and prepared to leave.

A piece of paper slowly floated down to Gao Xiaoyuan's feet. She paused for a moment, then bent down to pick it up.

It was an admission notice, which, in addition to the school's official seal, also bore Gao Xiaoyuan's name. Strangely, the notice did not list Gao Xiaoyuan's current class, Grade 11, Class 3, but rather "Grade 11, Class 0".

Does the school still have a Class 0 in the first year of high school? Gao Xiaoyuan had never heard of it before, so why was the name on this notice the same as hers? This made Xiaoyuan even more puzzled. Suddenly, the classroom lights flickered.

After a few clicks, before Gao Xiaoyuan could react, the light went out.

"squeak--"

In the darkness, Gao Xiaoyuan heard the classroom door open, followed by light footsteps, and then she saw a blurry white figure standing in the doorway.

"Who...is it?" Gao Xiaoyuan squeezed out two words through gritted teeth, her whole body pressed against the blackboard with tension.

The white figure slowly walked into the classroom, its movements as mechanical as a zombie.

Gao Xiaoyuan's breathing quickened. She was so frightened that she shrank under the podium and peered at the classroom floor through the gap in the podium.

The white figure was still moving, and after passing the podium, it went straight to the desk. It was more like it was moving than walking, because Gao Xiaoyuan couldn't see the white figure's feet at all.

No feet... Could it be a ghost?!

Gao Xiaoyuan closed her eyes, no longer daring to look at the white figure. She only opened her eyes when she heard another creak, and the light came on at that moment.

Gao Xiaoyuan slowly crawled out from under the podium and stared blankly at the classroom.

The classroom was empty. She walked down from the podium, looking around until she reached her desk. She quickly picked up her bag to leave, and just then, a piece of paper fell to the ground.

Gao Xiaoyuan hesitated for a moment, but in the end she bent down and picked up the paper to examine it carefully.

It was also an admission notice, with Peng Zhi's name and the school's seal on it, but the class was not the one Gao Xiaoyuan was in now, but "Grade 10 Class 0".

Who put this admission notice on my backpack? And where is Class 0 of Grade 11? Could it be that...ghost from earlier?

A girl playing the cello

How come this school has a Grade 10 Class 0?

The next day, Gao Xiaoyuan sat in the classroom staring blankly at the admission notice in her hand, completely unaware that her homeroom teacher, Ms. Xia, had already walked up to her.

"What are you doing, peeking at the classroom!" Teacher Xia's stern voice immediately startled Gao Xiaoyuan awake. She jerked her head up and frantically shoved her admission notice into her desk, only to have it snatched away by Teacher Xia. "What is this?" Teacher Xia asked, unfolding the admission notice as she spoke. But then her face turned deathly pale, her eyes filled with panic. Trembling, she held up the admission notice and demanded of Gao Xiaoyuan, "How did you get this? Did you make it yourself?"

"No, I discovered it by accident..." Before Gao Xiaoyuan could finish speaking, Teacher Xia suddenly called out, "Peng Zhi..." and then turned and ran quickly out of the classroom.

Gao Xiaoyuan stared blankly at the classroom door.

What's wrong with Teacher Xia? Why is she reacting like that? Could it be...?

Just then, the classroom erupted in chaos. Everyone seemed curious about Ms. Xia's reaction, and speculation and rumors abounded. Noise and chatter filled the air. Only Gao Xiaoyuan understood that Ms. Xia must be concerned about Class 0 of Grade 11. Did Ms. Xia know something about Class 0 of Grade 11?

Gao Xiaoyuan didn't know why she waited until dark. Perhaps it was because of loneliness, or perhaps it was because she wanted to see that white figure. But the thought of that white figure filled Gao Xiaoyuan with fear and tension, even making her tremble. However, she had made up her mind that if she saw that white figure again, she would muster the courage to ask who it was and what was going on with Class 0 of the first year of high school. But by eight o'clock in the evening, Gao Xiaoyuan still hadn't seen that white figure.

Gao Xiaoyuan was somewhat discouraged. She picked up her schoolbag and walked out of the classroom in frustration.

The dim light in the corridor shone on Gao Xiaoyuan as she walked forward, head down, lost in thought. Suddenly, a muffled melody began to play, and Gao Xiaoyuan stopped in her tracks.

The sound continued, and it sounded very deep, like the sound of a cello.

Gao Xiaoyuan slowly turned her head and looked at the dark end of the corridor behind her. There seemed to be no one there, but the music was indeed coming from there.

Who's still there so late?

"Is anyone there?" Gao Xiaoyuan asked, mustering her courage.

No one responded in the darkness, but the music continued.

Gao Xiaoyuan frowned slightly, gripped her schoolbag tightly with both hands, turned around, and mustered her courage to slowly walk in that direction.

The lights in that corridor were broken, so it was pitch black.

Gao Xiaoyuan calmed herself down and tentatively asked again, "Is anyone there?"

There was no response in the pitch-black corridor.

Gao Xiaoyuan gently bit her lower lip, hesitating whether to move forward, when suddenly a light in one of the places turned on.

Gao Xiaoyuan gasped and looked in that direction.

That place was at the corner at the end of the corridor, a storage room that no one usually paid attention to or went into. So why was the light on there now?

Gao Xiaoyuan quietly walked over and peeked inside through the crack in the door.

The house was a mess, with clutter piled up everywhere, but there was no one in sight, only the sound of a cello.

Gao Xiaoyuan gently pushed the door open, and she slowly walked in. She still didn't see anyone, but the piano music continued. Gao Xiaoyuan unconsciously glanced around the cluttered room. It looked incredibly dirty, covered in dust and cobwebs. Old books were piled on the floor, and broken tables and chairs were haphazardly stacked against the walls. It seemed like no one had been here for a long time.

But the cello music continued.

Gao Xiaoyuan followed the sound of the piano and walked inside. She flipped through a pile of old books on the ground and finally found the source of the music.

It was a brand new MP4 player, and the cello music was coming from there. The MP4 screen showed a long-haired girl in a school uniform playing the cello with great enthusiasm. She was pretty and charming.

How did a brand new MP4 player end up in the storage room? Who sneaked in and left it here?

Just as Gao Xiaoyuan was wondering what was going on, her eyes inadvertently caught sight of a photo frame in the corner.

The picture frame was sandwiched between a dilapidated desk and the wall, covered with a thick layer of dust, and looked like it hadn't been touched in a long time.

Gao Xiaoyuan stepped forward, reached out and took the photo frame out of the gap. After wiping away the dust, the photo in the frame slowly came out.

Group photo of all students in Class 0, Grade 11.

The red characters were clearly printed in the upper left corner of the photo.

It turns out that there really is a Class 0 in the first year of high school at this school.

Gao Xiaoyuan quickly wiped the photo frame a few more times, and the people in the photo gradually became clear.

There were five girls, five boys, and one female teacher in total. They were all neatly dressed in the same school uniform and teacher's attire, except...

Gao Xiaoyuan frowned.

The faces in the entire photo became very blurry, except for one face that was very clear: the long-haired girl playing the cello in the MP4 screen.

Class 3-10

As Gao Xiaoyuan descended the stairs, she looked at the photo frame in her hand. This photo was so strange; only one person's face was clearly visible. What did it represent? What was this girl's name? Could it be the name on that admission notice? Where were these people now? If Class 0 of the first year of high school really existed, why was no one mentioning it? And why did Teacher Xia have that expression? This series of questions almost suffocated Gao Xiaoyuan. She lost her footing and fell down the stairs, the photo frame flying out of her hand.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Gao Xiaoyuan, pulling her back and causing her to crash into someone's chest.

Gao Xiaoyuan stopped and quickly looked up at the person who had approached, only to find that he was a high school student wearing the same school uniform as her, but he was a full head taller than her, and his face wore an arrogant expression, cold and devoid of any emotion. Gao Xiaoyuan's face flushed, and she quickly lowered her head and softly said, "Thank you!"

The boy didn't say anything. He walked down the stairs, picked up the photo frame from the ground, glanced at it, and handed it to Gao Xiaoyuan, coldly saying, "The glass is broken."

Gao Xiaoyuan took the photo frame blankly, not daring to look up at the boy. She just stared at the photo. Perhaps because it had fallen so hard, the bottom left corner of the photo had squeezed out of the frame and torn a small hole. Gao Xiaoyuan carefully put it back into the frame.

The boy turned and walked away, but stopped after a few steps. He stood with his back to Gao Xiaoyuan, seemingly lost in thought. Suddenly, he turned to look at Gao Xiaoyuan and asked, "Where did you find that photo?"

Gao Xiaoyuan was taken aback at first, then stammered, "I found it in that...that storage room..."

The boy didn't speak, but just stared directly at Gao Xiaoyuan.

Gao Xiaoyuan was a little nervous, avoiding the boy's gaze. He was very handsome and attractive to girls, but he was too aloof.

"Do you know what that storage room is?" the boy suddenly asked.