The walk home beneath the darkening evening felt different from yesterday. Lighter. Softer. The heavy fog that had clouded my mind before was gone, replaced by a strange, almost vivid clarity.
Tsukiyo…
Just thinking her name steadied something inside me. Somehow, in her quiet and peculiar way, she had helped clear my head.
The night air stirred gently around the street as I walked, until a sudden sharp rustling of leaves snapped my attention toward the nearby park.
Who's there?
The words never left my mouth, but they rang loudly in my mind. My body stiffened as I turned toward the nearest tree, scanning the shadows beneath its branches.
No one.
For a moment, an irrational thought crept in—a ghost?—but I quickly pushed it aside.
Then I saw it.
A small piece of paper was pinned against the bark of the tree.
My footsteps slowed as I approached, a cold unease crawling up my spine. The message wasn't written in ink.
It was written in blood.
My eyes traced the jagged letters.
Celi will chase you.
Celi loves you.
And Celi is always watching.
Who's Celi?
The question surfaced quietly in my thoughts as I stared at the note.
The presence I thought I felt earlier was gone now… yet the air around me still felt wrong. Too close. Too aware.
As if someone were standing just beyond the edges of my vision.
Watching.
Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run.
But something deeper—something colder and more rational—held me in place.
Don't run.
If I ran… I had the unsettling feeling it would trigger something far worse.
I stepped out of the park slowly, forcing my pace to remain steady.
Behind me, one of the swings creaked softly, swaying back and forth. There was no breeze—yet it moved anyway. The faint metallic groan echoed in the quiet night, sending a chill through the air.
And through me.
The cold had deepened. My hands stayed buried in the pockets of my jacket, trembling slightly. I kept them hidden. Any visible sign of weakness—any hint of panic—might attract attention.
Whoever… or whatever… had left that note might still be watching.
But what did it mean? Loving me?
The thought circled uneasily in my head.
Who are they?
Or maybe that wasn't the right question.
Is it a they… or an it?
The distinction felt disturbingly important, though I couldn't explain why.
About fifty yards down the street, a yard light flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then a nearby lamppost sputtered violently, sending brief sparks into the dark.
Every alarm in my mind screamed at once.
Run.
Leave.
Get out of here.
But beneath that rising panic, another instinct surfaced—quieter, colder, far more certain.
Don't run.
Something deep in my gut whispered the truth with terrifying clarity.
Running will kill you.
Behind one of the mall's stone pillars, Tsukiyo stood perfectly still, hidden from view.
Her gray eyes followed him.
"My spec brought me to him… why?" she murmured quietly to herself. Then something shifted in the air—something subtle, but unmistakable.
She paused mid-thought, her gaze sharpening as she scanned the surroundings.
"…This presence."
For a brief moment she remained completely motionless, analyzing, measuring the feeling creeping through the night.
"It's… Celi," she concluded softly. "Celina of the shadows."
Her voice remained calm, but the realization carried weight.
What do I do? Ken is in danger…
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she continued observing the street.
Kento Sakayanagi… she's already onto you.
Out on the street, Ken walked with a quiet, uneasy tension in his steps. He tried to appear normal, but the nervousness lingered beneath the surface.
The walk home felt heavier than usual.
Instead of heading straight back, he began circling the nearby blocks, wandering aimlessly through the dim streets. Going home suddenly felt like the worst possible decision.
If someone was truly watching him, leading them to his apartment would be a death sentence.
But what if they already know my address?
The thought surfaced in the back of Kento Sakayanagi's mind, cold and persistent.
Around him, the night felt wrong.
The looming presence moved somewhere beyond his sight—circling quietly, like an invisible phantom closing in.
Another note appeared the moment he turned the third corner.
It hadn't been there a second ago.
The paper clung to the brick wall beside him, crooked, as if it had been slapped there in a hurry. The dim glow of the streetlight barely illuminated it—but the color was unmistakable.
Red.
Not ink.
Blood.
Kento Sakayanagi froze. His pulse thundered in his ears as he forced himself to step closer. The metallic scent lingered faintly in the air.
The message was written in loose, playful strokes.
Due to sudden interruptions, I will stop circling you for the night. It's my bedtime.
Ta-ta, my dream boy.
Kento exhaled slowly, the breath leaving his lungs like air escaping a punctured tire.
Relief washed over him—brief, fragile.
But the danger wasn't gone.
The adrenaline still burned in his bloodstream, refusing to fade. His shoulders remained tense, every muscle coiled like a spring.
What if it's a bluff?What if she's still watching?
His eyes scanned the empty street.
The flickering streetlight above him buzzed softly. Wind scraped a loose newspaper across the pavement. Shadows pooled in the narrow alleyways between buildings.
Anyone could be hiding there.
Anyone.
Suddenly—
His phone buzzed.
The sharp vibration made him flinch before he quickly pulled it from his pocket. The screen lit up in the darkness.
A message.
From Tsukiyo.
It's safe. I can confirm it.
Kento stared at the text for a moment before quickly typing back.
How are you so sure? And how do you even know?
The reply came almost immediately.
My spec tells me a lot of things.
That was all.
No explanation. No elaboration.
Just that.
Kento stared at the screen for a few seconds longer before locking his phone and slipping it back into his pocket.
The conversation ended there.
He finally began walking home, his footsteps slow and heavy against the pavement. Exhaustion crept into his limbs now that the immediate terror had passed.
Still, the unease lingered.
Even as he unlocked his door.
Even as he collapsed onto his bed.
The thought remained in the back of his mind like a blade hanging by a thread above his neck.
What if she comes back?
But the night passed quietly.
True to Tsukiyo's words, nothing happened.
Morning arrived without incident.
Kento awoke suddenly to a sharp ache in his chest, his eyes snapping open as he sucked in a breath. For a moment he simply lay there, staring at the ceiling while the dull pain slowly faded.
He was alive.
"I trusted Tsukiyo…" he murmured hoarsely.
A faint, relieved smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"She really saved me."
With a groan, he forced himself upright and swung his legs off the bed. His body still felt heavy with fatigue as he stumbled toward the sink.
Cold water splashed across his face.
The shock of it helped clear the lingering haze from his mind.
Droplets slid down his cheeks as he lifted his head and looked at his reflection in the mirror.
"I still wonder what her spec actually is though…"
The thought lingered there, quiet and unresolved.
As I lifted my face after splashing it with cold water, droplets slid slowly down my skin and dripped into the sink. I raised my head and stared at my reflection for a long moment.
My eyes met themselves in the mirror.
There were no eye bags. No obvious signs of exhaustion. Yet somehow… I still looked tired.
The mirror felt like it was lying.
Or maybe the world was.
The reflection staring back at me looked exactly like me, yet something about it felt distant—like I was looking at someone I only partially recognized.
Am I a lie?
The thought surfaced quietly, almost casually.
I let it hang there for a moment before pushing it aside. That question would have to wait for another time.
Routine was easier.
I moved through the motions of my morning again: taking a bath, cooking a quick meal, brushing my teeth, getting dressed, and preparing for school. Each action followed the next like a set of gears turning in a machine I'd operated for years.
Eventually, I stepped out into the morning and made my way to the train station.
It was jam-packed.
Bodies pressed together in restless waves as commuters pushed forward in the usual morning rush. The platform buzzed with noise—conversations, footsteps, the distant screech of metal wheels approaching the rails.
I skidded my way through the crowd just as the train arrived, slipping inside before the doors closed.
The ride passed in a blur of standing shoulders, tired faces, and the rhythmic clatter of the train.
By the time I reached the college entrance gate, the familiar building loomed ahead like it always did.
And right on cue, someone was waiting.
"Oh! Ken! How are you?"
Hiro.
He greeted me with his usual energy, stepping closer with a friendly grin. But the moment his eyes met mine, something in his expression shifted slightly.
He noticed.
He didn't point it out directly, though.
That was the thing about Hiro—he was good at being subtle.
"You look tired."
His tone was casual, almost offhand, but there was a quiet understanding behind it. He leaned back slightly and shrugged.
"I won't pry too much. But I got the message!" His grin widened, the entire atmosphere around him suddenly lighter. "You got a girl you like?"
"It… it isn't that way…"
I looked away, my face heating up before I could stop it.
Beet red.
Hiro stared at me for a moment.
Then the corner of his mouth slowly curled upward into a devious smirk.
"You're a liar, Ken."
His tone was playful, but his eyes were sharp—like he'd already figured everything out and was just waiting for me to admit it.
I let out a small snicker, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Alright, alright…"
For a second my composure slipped. The words caught in my throat before I finally gave in.
"I do like her that way."
Hiro froze.
Then—
"Tell me her name! NOW!"
He practically bolted forward with explosive excitement, grabbing my shoulders as if this was the most important revelation of the century.
"I need to know who the lucky girl is!" he blurted out, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Like you've been single for the past 18 years, even though you're literally the most handsome, responsible, and coolest guy I know!"
Students passing by glanced at us briefly, probably wondering why someone was shouting in the middle of the campus entrance.
I couldn't help it.
A grin spread across my face before I broke into a quiet chuckle.
"Hahaha. Thanks. That makes me feel a lot better, man."
Hiro's enthusiasm was contagious. Just being around him made things feel… lighter.
Without another word, we bumped fists.
Fist bump.
The small impact was quick and familiar, something we'd done a thousand times before.
Hiro pulled his hand back and narrowed his eyes slightly, studying my face again.
"You're not sad because she rejected you, right?" he said, pointing a finger directly at me like a detective making an accusation. "Because I know for sure no girl is rejecting you. You."
I shook my head slightly, a small smile lingering.
"You're right."
I paused for a second, realizing how easily he had read me again.
"You always read me so well."
Hiro shrugged casually, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Of course."
He grinned.
"I'm your best friend."
"I wonder what I would do without you, Hiro." I said, throwing a weak, playful punch toward his arm.
He laughed immediately and returned the gesture, bumping his fist lightly against my shoulder.
"You'd definitely die!"
"YOU'RE SO RIGHT LOL!"
"I KNOW RIGHT! HAHAHAHA!"
Our laughter echoed briefly across the campus walkway. A few passing students glanced our way before continuing on, the morning crowd slowly thinning as everyone filtered toward their classrooms.
For a moment, everything felt normal again.
Just two friends joking around before class.
Eventually the bell rang in the distance, snapping the moment apart.
Hiro stretched his arms over his head, exhaling.
"Alright, guess it's time."
We started heading in opposite directions toward our buildings, but just before he moved too far ahead, Hiro suddenly stopped and turned back.
"Oh, wait."
He pointed at me like he had just remembered something important.
"You still haven't told me her name yet."
By then he had already drifted a good distance away, walking backward while waiting for my answer.
I raised my voice slightly so he could hear me across the courtyard.
"It's Tsukiyo."
He tilted his head.
"Her name's Tsukiyo."
Hiro paused for half a second, processing it.
"Tsukiyo, huh..."
Then his usual grin returned.
"Alright! Cya brah!"
He waved once before turning around and jogging off toward his class, disappearing into the stream of students entering another building.
I watched him go for a moment before letting out a small breath.
"Better go to mine too."
I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and headed down the corridors. The halls were already buzzing with movement—students talking, lockers slamming shut, footsteps echoing against the polished floors.
By the time I slipped into my classroom, the lecture was just about to begin.
Perfect timing.
FYI: This chapter has been MASSIVELY improved my AI. AI has been used in this chapter, the story still stems from my but it has been MASSIVELY polished and improved by AI in terms of vocabulary/ writing and proofreading. But for the most part the story is still made by me, and it follows my storyline that I still had to plan out.
Reminder: I am doing this entirely for fun and please do not harass me for AI usage for I am simply just writing down stories I like.