"Are you… finding me?"
Hearing this, my heart skipped a beat. Haoran and I froze, our eyes locking in fear for a brief moment before slowly drifting toward the source.
A tall figure in a black cloak stood there, silent, watching us. My chest tightened, and a wave of panic surged through me.
Suddenly, Haoran's hand found mine, gripping it firmly. That small gesture brought a flicker of relief amidst the fear.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my voice. "Who… who are you? Why were you following us? And… were you the one following me yesterday evening when I was going home?"
The figure remained silent, the shadows of the cloak hiding their face. The tension in the air thickened, and my instincts screamed that this encounter was only the beginning.
The man chuckled softly, the sound echoing through the still park.
"Oh, I didn't know you two were that intelligent," he said, his voice deep and unsettling. "Good… very good. That's profitable for us."
"Us?" I repeated, my pulse quickening. "Who's us?"
The man tilted his head slightly, his hidden eyes glinting under the dim light.
"You'll find out soon enough," he said calmly. "But for now… stay out of what doesn't belong to you."
Haoran took a step forward, still holding my hand. "Tell us what you mean!"
The man didn't answer. Instead, he turned sharply and walked into the mist, his cloak swaying behind him until he vanished among the trees.
We stood frozen, the air thick with fear and confusion.
I looked at Haoran — his face was pale, but his eyes burned with determination.
Something was happening, something bigger than both of us.
And now… we were part of it.
"Haoran," I called.
He looked at me and murmured, "Hmm?"
"For how long are you going to hold my hand?" I asked, a little teasing in my voice.
Haoran glanced down at our hands, then back at me, his expression unreadable. After a brief pause, he finally let go.
"It's strange," Haoran said.
"Yes, it is strange," I agreed, "but you know what? Nothing on this Earth has ever been truly normal. From the beginning, humans had to improve themselves. Revolutions happened, changes came—and somehow, that became normal."
"Let's go," Haoran said.
I hesitated. "Where?"
"Staying here isn't safe for us. Come with me," he replied.
At first, I was unsure, but a sense of trust and urgency made me nod. Slowly, I followed him. The morning sun filtered through the trees, but the park already felt tense, as if the air itself was warning us.
I glanced around, my heart still racing from the man in the black cloak. "Haoran… why is someone following us? What do they want?"
Haoran kept his eyes forward, voice calm but firm. "I don't know yet, but we have to find out before it's too late."
A breeze rustled through the leaves. My instincts screamed that the day would bring more mysteries than I could imagine.
Haoran led me to a small, secluded house hidden among the trees.
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked, curiosity mingled with caution.
He smiled faintly. "This is my secret place. I come here often whenever something interesting happens—whether it's good or bad. I spend time here alone… thinking, researching, observing. I brought you here so we can investigate the mystery together. Think of it as our research lab."
I frowned. "But… you said it is your secret place."
He paused for a moment, then replied, "Hmm… but from now on, you can come here anytime. These events are happening only to us, so it makes sense."
Suddenly, I remembered the ant's warning about another boy, Feng. My heart skipped a beat. I quickly told Haoran, "Haoran, we're not alone. There's another person who might have powers like ours."
Haoran's eyes widened. "What?"
I explained everything I knew about Feng and the ant's message.
"So, there's another person," he said, his voice a mix of surprise and determination. "I think we should meet him."
I nodded in agreement. "Yes… but when the ant asked for my time, I told it that I'd make my time when Feng is ready. I don't know anything more about him."
Haoran fell silent, his brow furrowed as he thought deeply about this new revelation.
At home, I was thinking about the events that happened today. "What is the reason behind everything? Who was that cloak man? What did he hint? Think, Aria, think… If I am not wrong, then everything is happening is pre-planned. But why?"
Suddenly, I saw the ant on my study table. I went to it and sat down quietly, watching in silence.
"Without wasting any time, I want to tell you Feng said he will meet you tomorrow at 4 p.m. in the 'Ryan Café'," it said.
"Ryan Café? But where is it?" I asked.
"I don't know. He just told me the name," replied the ant.
I said, "Seems like you are in a hurry."
"Oh, really? My Feng is not dumb like you. Can't you see it's dark outside? So I have to go home," it said.
I was a little surprised yet amazed by its behavior. I said, "Oh, ok, you can go now."
After the ant left, I thought, Everything is okay, but how do I find the Ryan Cafe? Then I remembered Haoran. I whispered to myself, blushing, Should I call him… or not? Ask him or not… oof, why is it so hard? But he said I can call him anytime, and he is my partner now. Yes, I should inform him.
I called Haoran. My heart was beating fast; I felt shy and nervous. When the phone rang, I froze. Then suddenly, he picked up.
"Hello?" he said.
I struggled to speak, my words jumbled. Finally, I managed: "Hello… Haoran."
"Yes?" he replied.
"Actually, the ant came back and told me to go to Ryan Cafe at 4 p.m.," I said.
"Ryan Cafe?" he asked in surprise.
"Yes," I replied. "Do you know the place?"
"Yes. It's my father's cafe—the biggest in the city," he said. I was surprised.
"So… Haoran, are you going with me tomorrow?" I asked.
"Do you want me to go?" he said calmly.
"Ahh… no, no. I'm not forcing you, just asking," I said nervously.
"Hmm… I will go with you," he replied.
"Ahh, okay," I whispered.
For a moment, we paused. No one spoke. The atmosphere felt a little awkward. Then Haoran said, "Okay, you should sleep now."
"Hmm… you also sleep," I said.
"No, I will study," he said.
"But it's already 12 a.m.," I said.
"I study late," he said.
"Okay, but take care of your health," I said.
"Hmm," he replied.
I said goodbye and hung up the phone.
The next afternoon, I went to Ryan Café, following the location Haoran sent. I waited outside, scanning for him. Suddenly, I saw him approaching in a light pink T-shirt and grey pants.
"Let's go," he said. I nodded, and we entered.
We were searching for Feng when I spotted him: a boy in a white T-shirt and brown coat, focused on his phone. Haoran and I approached slowly.
"Feng?" I asked.
He looked up and said, "Hmm."
Haoran and I sat. Feng's gaze shifted toward me, his expression charming and confident. I noticed Haoran watching him closely too. I felt a wave of awkwardness.
Then Feng glanced at Haoran. "Who is he, and why is he here?"
I opened my mouth to reply, but Haoran spoke first, keeping his gaze on Feng, calm but serious. "Do you have a problem?"
Feng frowned. "Yes, absolutely. I just called Aria, not you."
Haoran's expression hardened. "What did you say? Only Aria? Why only her?"
"I don't need to tell you," Feng replied.
"Whether you want it or not, it's my café. I can do whatever I want here. Problem?" Haoran demanded.
Feng hesitated. I tried to intervene, but they continued staring each other down.
Finally, I raised my voice. "Are we here to study psychology that you two are looking at each other constantly?"
Feng said quickly, "No, Ari! I didn't mean to disappoint you." I raised my eyebrow in surprise.
Haoran's eyes narrowed. "What?! Did you just call her Ari? How dare you?"
"I didn't call you Haoru," Feng replied.
Haoran snapped, "But who gave you permission to call her that?"
Feng countered, "And who gave you permission to stop me?"
I felt helpless. Everyone in the café was staring. I whispered to myself, embarrassed, I don't know them.
Finally, I said firmly, "Now it's done. It's late outside, and most of the time has been wasted in arguments. If not today, we can contact later."
Feng nodded. "Okay. If you want, we can share our contacts."
We exchanged numbers. Haoran remained silent, calm, his expression unreadable.
Walking home, Haoran stayed silent. He wasn't talking, just staring ahead.
"What's wrong? Why are you behaving like that?" I asked.
He looked at me briefly, then continued walking. I followed, insisting, "Say what happened in the café. You were arguing… it had no logic. Feng just called me Ari. He didn't disrespect me."
Haoran stopped abruptly, turning to me, his face unreadable yet calm. Raising his eyebrow, he said, "Had no logic?"
I tried again. "Then… say why you were angry."
He raised his voice, emotional. "Don't you know why I was angry? Don't you know why, you are foolish!"
I was shocked, frozen in silence, my heart pounding at his intensity. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words caught in my throat.
Then—a sudden rustle from the alley behind us made us both freeze. Shadows stretched unnaturally in the dim evening light. My pulse skyrocketed. Something—or someone—was watching us.
Haoran's hand twitched slightly, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the darkness.
And in that moment, a chilling thought struck me: this… was far from over.