The café hadn't changed.
Same dim lights.
Same quiet corner seats.
Same sense of impending doom.
I arrived ten minutes early.
My foot bounced uncontrollably as I stared at the door, every instinct screaming at me to run.
21:07:19
I wouldn't make it far.
The bell above the door rang.
My heart dropped.
He walked in like he owned the place—tall, composed, eyes sharp and unreadable. When his gaze landed on me, something flickered briefly across his face.
Surprise.
Then it was gone.
"You look pale," he said, sitting across from me.
I forced myself to meet his eyes.
This was the man who killed me.
Not a monster.
Not a villain.
Just a man who decided I was disposable.
[Contact established.]
The pain vanished instantly.
I exhaled shakily.
He noticed.
"You're shaking," he said quietly. "Did something happen?"
Everything.
"I had a nightmare," I said.
Not a lie.
His fingers tapped lightly against the table. "About me?"
My blood ran cold.
"…Why would you think that?"
A faint smile touched his lips. "You don't usually call unless you're afraid."
The system hummed softly inside my head.
[Secondary Mission Unlocked.]
Remain within five meters of Subject A-01 for the next six hours.
I stiffened.
Six hours?
"No," I whispered.
[Refusal detected.]
Pain tore through my spine like fire. I bit back a scream, my hands gripping the edge of the table.
His expression darkened instantly.
"What's wrong?" He reached for me—
"Don't touch me!"
The pain stopped.
He froze.
Silence settled between us, thick and heavy.
"I'm sorry," I said quickly, lowering my voice. "I just… need you to stay."
His gaze sharpened.
"For six hours?" he asked.
My heart skipped.
"I—what?"
He leaned back, studying me with unsettling precision.
"You always leave early," he said. "Today you're begging me to stay."
I swallowed.
"Will you?"
A long pause.
Then he nodded once.
"All right," he said. "But after that—you owe me an explanation."
The system chimed.
[Mission accepted.]
The countdown paused.
But another line appeared beneath it.
[Hidden Condition Detected.]
Warning: Subject A-01 is not the only observer.
My blood turned to ice.