"Ack! I thought we were going to ride a jet?!"
It took the group an entire hour to decide where to spend their nights and sleep while their dormitories were still being prepared. Unfortunately, they'd all forgotten a very crucial detail: they were still minors. As soon as their parents found out, they were immediately summoned home.
Still, as newly bonded friends, none of them wanted to part too soon. So they decided to prolong the inevitable and walk together to the farthest subway station near Mega Academy.
But now… it was time to say goodbye.
"N-no…" Gary pressed his face against the train door the moment it slid shut, watching Riley and Hannah on the platform as though they were drifting into another dimension. Hannah raised her hand to wave, but immediately retracted it when she noticed both Gary and Benjamin looked like they were about to cry.
"Is this all our friendship amounts to?!" Gary wailed, gaining the attention of everyone both inside and outside the train. "We were supposed to build a sect together! The Dragon Monarch Sect!"
"Fret not, big man…" Benjamin placed a solemn hand on Gary's shoulder. "We gon' see them again… in the twilight."
Meanwhile, Bella had wisely moved to another train car—far, far away from both of them.
Riley, unfazed by the drama, gave them a polite wave. This only made Gary and Benjamin louder.
"Oh god…" Hannah turned away and lowered Riley's arm. "Stop. Pretend we don't know them."
"I thought you liked them, Sister?" Riley blinked, looking up at her. "You smiled a lot around them."
"W—Shut the fuck up," Hannah muttered, clicking her tongue as she watched Bella's train pull away. Then, very subtly—almost begrudgingly—she lifted her hand and gave a small wave.
Afterward, she crossed her arms and looked away, trying her best not to smile again. But then she caught sight of something which immediately made it easier not to smile at all.
"What the…?" She mumbled, squinting at the other side of the platform. "Just how many times are we going to run into that bitch?"
"Hmm?" Riley tilted his head and followed her gaze, only for her to immediately twist his head back so fast she nearly dislocated his neck.
"D-don't actually look at her!" She hissed. "Shit… good thing she hasn't seen us yet."
Riley had only caught a brief glimpse, but it was enough. He saw her.
Steph.
Oh, Stephanie. What have you done to the universe to deserve this? Is this karmic design for what you did to Sister? That would make sense—the universe adores her. And you hurt her. Again and again. It is only right that I hurt you too.
Riley glanced at Hannah, then carefully turned back toward the north side of the platform again to look at her. There she was—Steph, standing alone among the crowd of commuters.
Where is your entourage of friends, Stephanie? You are very lucky we're in a crowded place, or like Ryan Roman, I would have followed you in—Uh oh. What's this?
Riley's head snapped forward as Hannah shifted beside him. He waited.
Then turned his gaze back again.
But this time—
Where are you going, Stephanie? I thought you were waiting for the train. Oh… is that…
Riley's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked up at the sign above the corridor Steph was suddenly heading toward.
The public restroom? Why would you go there now, away from the crowd? Could it be… you want me to kill you, Stephanie?
He turned his gaze forward again, checking to make sure Hannah wasn't watching him. Then, he gently tugged on the sleeve of her shirt.
"Hmm?" she looked down.
"I need to go to the toilet, Sister," Riley muttered.
"Toilet? Like… right now?" Hannah blinked, caught completely off guard. "You? Using a public toilet? You?"
"Yes," Riley nodded, head tilted slightly.
"W-wow… you've only been in school for a day and it's already doing good for you," Hannah didn't know where to smile or just laugh, "But can't you just fucking hold it in? The train's gonna be here in five minutes or something."
"I will just urinate, Sister."
"Are you… sure?" Hannah narrowed her eyes, "Well… okay."
Hannah shrugged, once again smiling as she looked proudly at Riley. Her smile, however, quickly faded as she suddenly pointed at him.
"And don't you fucking dare go missing," she said, "Or I'll go find you myself and then kill you. You understand?"
'Oh, I understand, Sister. But I am not going to be the one being killed today.'
"Okay, Sister. Please, wait for me."
Without another word, Riley turned and walked calmly into the crowd. Hannah watched him disappear down the platform, debating whether to follow, but after a few moments, she just shrugged and pulled out her phone. It had been confiscated all day, after all.
And while she watched her memes and reels, Riley was watching Steph.
What's this now…?
He was hiding beside a vending machine, hood pulled over his head, watching Steph linger just outside the women's restroom. She stood casually, glancing at the door but not going in.
Why aren't you going in, Stephanie? I thought you were going to use the toilet. Why else would you leave hastily when your train is about to arrive?I only have four minutes, Stephanie. Do something.
Riley sighed quietly as he continued to observe.
Steph shifted slightly when a woman exited the restroom, then took a final glance around before stepping inside—but not all the way. She stayed near the entrance.
Then… she waved.
At him. At Riley.
Me?
Riley's eyes widened.
Why are you waving at me? Do you… truly want me to kill you? But—
But before he could finish the thought, a young man brushed past him. Riley followed him with his gaze as the man casually made his way toward Steph.
The man didn't speak. He simply looked around with Steph, then slipped into the restroom with her once he was sure no one was paying attention.
Now, why would you do that? Does someone else want to kill you, Stephanie? But why would you call for him? I'm… confused.
Several thoughts raced through Riley's mind. To silence them, he stepped away from the vending machine and walked toward the women's restroom, stopping just outside where Steph had stood moments earlier.
He glanced around—and immediately noticed something.
The cameras aren't working.
The red lights above each lens were dark.
No cameras. Does the universe truly want me to kill you now, Steph? But someone else is in there with you. Why?
Riley then looked at the digital clock on the ceiling, and he only had three minutes left before their train arrived or Hannah came rushing in to find him.
Wait… what's that sound?
He tilted his head. A soft, rhythmic thudding echoed from inside the restroom.
Without hesitation, Riley stepped inside.
Hm. This sound…
He tilted his head again as the noise grew louder.
It's the same sound Father and Mother make in their room. That man isn't killing her at all.
Riley's eyes moved to the stall where the noise was coming from. His fingers twitched.
Now, I at least know I only have less than a minute before they stop and come out.
He walked deeper into the restroom, scanning it quickly.
I don't have the time to kill you, Steph. But I want to. I really want to. If not you, then someone else. But it needs to be… you.
He turned toward the mirror and stared at his reflection.
Think, Mr. Riley. Think.
He recalled the countless criminal cases Bernard had shown him and Hannah over the years to review.
Lure her. I need to lure her somewhere. Something to bait her with.
Riley's eyes flicked back toward the noisy stall, and he realized something.
Oh? The universe truly wants this to happen.
He opened his phone and pulled up the map. After scanning it for a few seconds, he put it away and then grabbed a pencil and notebook from one of the many other pockets of his baggy pants.
He scribbled something down, tore the page free, then looked at the floor in front of the stall.
Too dirty.
So instead, he moved to the sink. He used a bit of water to stick the note to mirror—clearly visible as soon as someone stepped out.
You won't be able to ignore this, Stephanie.
With one final glance at the stall, Riley turned and left the restroom… the sounds still echoing behind him.
But a few seconds later, another stall—slightly already ajar—slowly creaked open.
And from it stepped a girl. Silent, small, her black hair framing her face. It was Tomoe—the quiet student from Riley's class. The same girl who had flinched away when Gary approached her earlier that day.
"That guy…" she whispered, her tone still monotonous, "wasn't he in my class?"
She moved slowly, worried the noise from the other stall would stop if she spoke too loudly.
"Hmm?" Then her eyes fell on the note stuck to the mirror. Curious, she stepped closer and read it:
'For Steph.
I know what you are doing, and who you are doing. Go to this location tonight at 11 PM if you do not want me to expose you.'
Her cold, almond-shaped eyes seemed to glimmer faintly as she looked at the address on the bottom of the page.
"What… is this?"