The girl woke up with the first light of dawn.She yawned softly, then washed her face and carefully put on her school uniform.Before leaving the room, she turned toward the couch where Jack was sleeping.She watched him for a few seconds — his calm face showing the exhaustion of the night before — then walked to the fridge, took out a bottle of tea, and quietly left the apartment.
After she left, the old man woke up, followed by Jack.The old man spoke in a warm tone:
"Did you sleep well?"Jack replied quietly:"Yes... thank you."
The old man went out, taking Jack with him.On the way, the old man broke the silence and asked:
"Jack... don't you have a place to go?"The boy stayed silent for a moment, then answered calmly:"No."
They arrived at the stall, and the old man started preparing tea and serving customers.Jack sat on a small chair to the side, watching silently, his eyes moving between the customers and the old man's hands.The Japanese voices around him had no meaning to him, but he listened to them as if they were strange music from another world.
Meanwhile, in another place — inside a dark room in an unknown facility — three scientists sat before glowing screens.One of them said nervously:
"Project 96 has escaped."The second replied seriously:"He's one of our most successful subjects. Losing him will cost us a lot."The third spoke sharply:"He must be retrieved at any cost... he's not just an experiment, he's the key."
Tension filled their faces.On one of the screens appeared physical data and old images of Jack inside a glass capsule, while another side panel showed pages full of unclear information.
At sunset, Jack sat on a sidewalk, his eyes staring at the crowded city.The sounds grew inside his head — cars, children's laughter, footsteps, horns — all mixing and growing louder until they became a suffocating noise.He pressed his hands against his head, feeling the headache tear through his thoughts.Time passed slowly until the old man called him at night, and they went back together to the apartment.
As soon as they entered, the girl said in surprise:
"Again?"The old man answered calmly:"The boy has nowhere to go... I decided to let him stay."The girl shouted angrily:"And why?! Who even is he? How can you trust him?! We barely live on your income, and now we have to take care of him too?!"The old man's tone rose slightly:"Enough!"
The girl went silent, regret filling her eyes.She lowered her head and walked quickly to her room.She closed the door behind her, sat on her bed, her eyes shining with tears before she quietly fell asleep.
Jack, meanwhile, stood still — tense, not knowing what to say.The old man turned off the lights and went to his room.He lay down on his floor bed and whispered to himself:
"Truly...why am I keeping him? Is it because I fear leaving her alone after I'm gone?"Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
The next morning, the girl was getting ready to leave for school.But when she opened the door, she froze in place.Jack was standing next to the old man, wearing a school uniform similar to hers.
Her eyes widened:
"What... is this?!"The old man smiled gently:"From today on, he'll go to school with you."She shouted in shock:"Whaaat?!"
She turned toward Jack, who simply gave a small smile.Her face turned red with anger, and she said:
"Follow me if you want, but don't get close to me!"Then she walked quickly ahead, while Jack and the old man exchanged a brief look before Jack followed her with quiet steps.
Jack walked beside her, watching the people, cars, and students with the curiosity of a child seeing the world for the first time.As for her, she was tense and angry, feeling as if everyone was looking at them.A friend approached her and asked curiously:
"Who's that?"She stammered and said:"Just a... distant relative!"
In her mind, she murmured:
"Today is my first date..."While Jack thought as he saw the school gate approaching:"My first day... at school."
Elsewhere, in the back garden of the school, a boy was finishing his workout:
"97... 98... 99... 100."He sat down, catching his breath:"That's a hundred push-ups for today."
Back in the facility, inside a large room with a huge screen, a video was playing from the security cameras.The footage showed Jack fighting four security guards two days ago — then escaping.
Around the table, six men in black military suits sat with faces as cold as stone.One of them spoke firmly:
"So... that's 96, the one we're supposed to capture."One of the scientists replied sarcastically:"And what have we been talking about since the beginning?!"
The sound of a gun safety clicked — krk! — and one of the soldiers pointed his weapon at the scientist, saying in a cold, deadly tone:
"Watch your words... ugly one."The scientist panicked and stepped back, stammering:"S-sorry..."
End of Chapter 5.