BEEP—BEEP—BEEP
The school bell rang, declaring the end of the first day.
"Yo, dude—stop by my place."
Students poured out of the building, each heading where they were supposed to go.
Some walked with friends.
Some walked with their partners.
Some walked alone.
"Yaaawn… God, I'm so tired."
Satsuki let out a deep yawn, rubbing her eyes as she headed toward the front gate.
As she approached—
"Yo."
Kuroki was standing there, hands in his pockets.
"Oh… Kuroki? I thought you already left."
"Nah. I was waiting for you."
"Heh…" She smirked. "You can't stay away from me, can you?"
"Shut up and let's go."
—
The two of them walked down the street toward their homes.
"So," Kuroki asked, "how was school today?"
"What are you, my fucking mom?" Satsuki shot back.
"Just asking, bitch. Thought you might've had a better day than I did," he replied, clearly annoyed.
"It was alright, I guess." She flipped her hair. "Mostly everyone staring at me—appreciating my beauty and charm."
(Ha… if only they knew.)
They continued walking in silence until—
"Hey," Kuroki muttered. "You see him, right?"
"Yeah," Satsuki whispered back. "Who the hell is that guy?"
Behind them, a tall figure lurked—ducking from pole to pole, clearly trying (and failing) to stay hidden.
(Why is he following us? And why is he so damn tall?) Kuroki thought, his face tense.
Satsuki leaned in and whispered into his ear.
"On the next corner—we run."
"Got it."
They approached a left turn, their footsteps slowing just slightly.
They glanced at each other.
Ready.
(Three.)
(Two.)
(One.)
They bolted around the corner, sprinting away from the strange man.
"Pant—pant… Kuroki, move your ass—run faster…!pant!" She yelled at Kuroki.
"Pant—I'm—I'm trying…!pant!"
(I'm not built for this, ) Kuroki thought as his lungs burned.
They kept running—left, right, wherever their feet carried them—anything to get away from the guy behind them.
Satsuki glanced over her shoulder.
(Holy shit!!! He's fast!!!!)
The tall man was closing the distance, sprinting like a track athlete, his long strides eating up the road.
"Kuroki!!" Satsuki screamed.
"I know! I know!" he shouted back.
They turned sharply left around a corner—
—and skidded to a stop.
A dead end.
"Shit!!!" Kuroki snapped, panic creeping into his voice. "Why did we take this corner?!"
"Because we were trying to get away from that guy!!" Satsuki shot back, clearly irritated.
Footsteps echoed closer.
"U-um…"
The tall figure approached them slowly.
Up close, he was massive—nearly 195 centimeters tall, with messy black hair and an awkward posture that somehow made him look even more unsettling.
"W-what do you want?!" Satsuki demanded, her voice sharp. "Why are you following us?!"
She stepped forward, dropping into a fighting stance, muscles tensed and ready.
"U-um… I-I hav—"
He raised a hand, clearly trying to say something—
—but before he could finish, Satsuki lashed out, swinging a high kick straight toward his head.
The tall man easily dodged the kick, moving as if he had seen it coming.
"Wha—"
Satsuki stumbled back, eyes wide in disbelief.
(Holy shit!!! He dodged that!!!) Kuroki thought, frozen in place.
(This guy's really dangerous…) Fear crept into his chest.
The tall man continued to approach.
Step.
Step.
Each footfall was slow, deliberate—unsettling.
Satsuki swallowed hard, then quickly slipped behind Kuroki, gripping the back of his jacket.
"H-Hey… don't come any closer," Kuroki said, his voice shaking as he tried to stand his ground.
The man loomed over them, silent.
Too close.
The tall man reached into his pocket.
"Eek—!"
Both of them shrieked in fear.
He moved slowly, deliberately.
(What does he have? A knife? A gun?!)
Kuroki's mind spiraled, every worst-case scenario flashing through his head.
"Y-you l-left…" the man stammered, still reaching into his pocket.
Their bodies trembled.
"Y-you left—"
As he finally pulled his hand out, both of them squeezed their eyes shut, covering their faces.
"—your wallet."
"Huh?"
Both of them spoke at the same time.
"Y-you left y-your wallet," he repeated.
In his hand was a dark blue wallet. Tucked inside was Satsuki's school ID.
"O-oh…" Kuroki froze for a second, then took the wallet, confusion mixing with relief. "T-thanks."
"B-bye," the tall man said softly before turning around and walking away, disappearing down the street.
Silence followed.
The two of them stood there, staring at each other.
"…That was unexpected," Kuroki finally said.
"Yea…," Satsuki replied.
They resumed walking toward their homes, the tension slowly fading—both of them already trying to forget everything that had just happened.