“This must be it.”
I muttered to myself, kneeling behind the counter of the bar, where the old CCTV drive was tucked between stacks of dusty bottles and cleaning supplies. I carefully pulled it out, wiping a thin layer of dust from the surface. “Gotta check this,” I murmured, my voice low but steady.
The place was silent except for the faint hum of the refrigerator and the rain pattering softly against the window. It felt strange being in the bar during the day — like seeing your teacher outside of school. I plugged the drive into my laptop, my heart thudding faster with every click.
“Okay… yesterday, around 9:30 p.m.” I scrolled through the footage, eyes glued to the tistamp. My breath caught as familiar scenes appeared — serving custors, Natsuki laughing over his drink, and then—
“Oh, this was the mont Natsuki ca in. Not far from this.”
A few more minutes passed. Then the door opened again — and there he was.
Riku.
The sight of him made my whole body tense. His calm, almost casual expression didn’t match the fear that instantly clawed at my chest. He leaned against the counter like he owned the place, his lips moving — and to my relief, the sound quality was clear.
I turned the volu up, listening closely.
> “Riku, you’ve done enough. Leave. And stop bothering my family.”
> “And what if I change my mind?”
> “What do you an you changed your mind?”
> “I an... I want your family too.”
Even hearing it again through the laptop made my hands tremble. His tone was calm, but every word dripped with quiet nace.
I quickly cropped the clip, isolated his voice, and saved it on the desktop. Then I uploaded it to my cloud drive — a hidden one, with two-step verification and everything. “Nice… got a clean one,” I muttered, forcing a grin even though my palms were sweaty.
I pulled out my phone and sent a quick ssage to Keiko:
> Got it. Clear voice and everything. Uploading now.
I leaned back on the chair and exhaled deeply. “One step closer,” I whispered.
Maybe… just maybe, we could finally stop being afraid.
---
That evening, the bar was alive again.
“Heya, Ryuko!”
I turned and found Natsuki grinning at as he slipped through the door, shaking the rain off his jacket.
“Welco!” I called out, waving with a towel in hand. “Sorry, Natsuki, today’s a bit crowded. You won’t get your favorite stool seat tonight.”
He chuckled, “I’m fine, though. The usual set, please.”
“Got it.”
The place was packed — the sound of laughter, glasses clinking, and the faint jazz music blending with the rain outside. Maybe because it was storming, people sought shelter here. I didn’t mind. Busy ant normal, and normal ant safe.
After half an hour, I rang the bell. “Your set’s ready, Natsuki!”
“Thanks, Ryuko!” He ca up to grab his food, then smirked. “You know, you really need a staff. Sohow this place is getting more popular every week.”
I laughed lightly, wiping my hands on the apron. “I’ll consider it. But you’re here so often you might as well work part-ti.”
He chuckled. “Ha! I should, considering I’m practically your biggest investor here.”
“Half of our profit must be yours at this point,” I said.
We both laughed. It felt… good. Normal.
---
By the ti the rain stopped, the crowd had thinned. The last group of custors stumbled out, leaving behind only the faint scent of beer and grilled at. I leaned on the counter, stretching my back. “Man, what a night…”
“Ryuko, got ti?” Natsuki asked, swirling the last sip of his drink.
“Hmm? Yeah, you can talk while I clean.” I started collecting empty glasses.
He hesitated before asking, “Who was the guy from yesterday?”
My hand froze mid-air. The clinking glass felt suddenly louder in the quiet bar.
He noticed my silence and quickly added, “Ah, it’s okay if you don’t wanna say. I was just worried. He didn’t look like a friendly custor.”
I sighed, lowering my head. “He… was soone dangerous.”
Natsuki blinked. “Dangerous?”
“That’s all I can say for now. Sorry.”
He nodded, surprisingly calm. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell everything. But… if you ever need help, just ask, okay?”
I looked at him — really looked. There was sincerity in his voice, not pity, not curiosity. Just quiet concern.
I smiled faintly. “Maybe you could help if he suddenly appears again.”
“Sure,” he said, flashing his usual grin. “Count in.”
I laughed softly. “Thanks, man.”
---
Days passed quietly. No new ssages, no suspicious figures lurking around the bar, no strange calls. Maybe Riku was bluffing, or maybe he’d lost interest.
Still, I kept checking the CCTV every night before closing. Paranoia had beco part of my routine.
Keiko and I stayed in touch constantly — sharing updates, reviewing the footage, talking about little things to distract ourselves from the fear. It was comforting to know we were in this together.
I kept up my usual Monday routine too — picking Keiko up from her restaurant job, “Manna’s Kitchen,” like always. She always scolded for being early, but I liked waiting for her — it made feel… safe sohow.
Today was Monday, February 22nd, 2027.
A normal day. Or so I thought.
I wait across the street and watched the light from Manna’s Kitchen glow warmly through the windows. It was almost closing ti, and I could see Keiko inside, wiping the tables. Then there's Aki too helping Keiko.
I smiled. “Almost done, huh?” I muttered.
Then, out of the corner of my eye — a shadow moved.
I squinted.
There, standing in front of the restaurant, under the dim streetlight — was a familiar figure.
Riku.
He wasn’t moving. Just standing there, coat buttoned up, his gaze fixed on the restaurant door.
My breath caught. My hands tightened on the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white.
“…No way.”
He was smiling faintly — the sa calm, sinister smile I’d seen that night in the bar.
Every instinct scread at to stay still, to not attract attention. But my heart was pounding so loud I swore he could hear it from across the street.
Was he waiting for Keiko?
I swallowed hard. “No… not again.”
Not this ti.
I grabbed my phone, my hands trembling as I opened the cara. I hit record, zooming in on him.
“Keiko…” I whispered, barely breathing. “Please, don’t walk out yet.”
My eyes stayed locked on Riku — the man who had promised to destroy my life — standing right there under the streetlight, waiting.
And I didn’t know if I had enough courage to confront him…
Or enough ti before he made his next move.
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