A Suspicious Encounter

As the school day came to an end, Nina and Ruby packed up their bags and made their way out of the school. Despite the season, the heat wasn't too hot, making for a comfortable afternoon. The warm sunshine and cool breeze made it a pleasant summer day.

My heart was beating so fast, I thought it might explode! I had finally talked to him. I surprised myself by doing so.

"I'm surprised you actually talked to him."

I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at Ruby's comment. Although she said that, she didn't look happy. Well, maybe it was me who got overexcited.

"I know, right?"

Now that I think about it, It was the perfect opportunity to ask him to join our club, but I was too nervous to bring it up.

"You should've asked him to join our club. You're always complaining about how good our club would become if he joins."

"Ruby?"

"Eh-h? What's with that serious look?"

"Are you a mind reader or something?"

Ruby shook her head. "What? No, it's just your thoughts are written all over your face. Anyway-"

Suddenly Ruby's expression turned serious.

"Be on your guard. You can never guess a person's true nature. You shouldn't carelessly approach him or any other men."

"You worry too much. And you know he's a nice person, right?"

"…That's true, he did help you."

After a few minutes of chatting, we arrived at Ruby's home, which was closer than mine.

"Bye Ruby~"

"Bye… Hnn."

"Is something wrong?"

She replied as she was searching for something in her bag, "The door is locked, looks like nobody is home."

"Umm… wanna hang out with me for a while? We can make cookies together," She asked as she was unlocking the door with a key.

"Sure. I'm free today."

And so, I decided to stay with her. But we ended up losing track of time when we started to play video games after baking some cookies. When I finally left her house, it was already almost nighttime. I wasn't too worried though, as I had already let my family know that I would be late.

As I was walking and lost in thought, I suddenly noticed a familiar figure in the distance.

That's Takahashi-Kun!

Despite the distance between us, I could easily recognize him, after all, I had spent a fair amount of time stalki— 'observing' him.

He was wearing a black hoodie, which seemed odd for this time of year, and it wasn't particularly cold outside.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to follow him, wondering if he might be up to something suspicious.

I took a deep breath and decided to follow him, trying my best to not make it look like I was stalki— 'following' him. I kept a safe distance and tried not to get caught. For the first time, the good eyesight of mine was useful.

As I followed him, I couldn't help but wonder what he was up to. "Is he meeting someone?" "Is he on his way home from somewhere?" The questions kept swirling in my mind as I kept a close eye on him.

After a few blocks, he turned into a small alleyway. My heart began to race because I had never come to this part of the city.

Should I follow him into the alleyway? Is it safe?

I took a deep breath and gathered my courage, then turned into the alleyway after him.

As I walked cautiously, I saw him standing near a dumpster, looking at something up there.

"…"

It was a big sign with red and pink lights flashing that said "IN" with an arrow pointing towards the entrance.

A love hotel?!

My heart dropped as I realized he was outside a love hotel. I never thought he was that kind of a person.

Maybe he has a girlfriend …or someone special in his life. But who am I to judge him? …I'm just a nobody to him.

Was I sad? Was I embarrassed? I don't know what expression I was giving. But clearly, I felt betrayed. It had been a few hours since we had a good conversation for the first time. I was happy and then, this happened.

Suddenly, he started walking towards a side alley next to the hotel. A side door of the hotel opened as he approached it. The door was facing my way, blocking my vision. But he didn't seem to enter, rather he stood there, perhaps talking with someone.

Who is he talking with? His girlfriend? His partner? An illegal businessman? A drug dealer? This won't help, I need to stop thinking.

Soon the door closed and he simply left through the other side of the alley. I breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't enter the hotel, but the whole situation still was suspicious.

And then, I was left with two choices- to continue following him or to leave before something dangerous happened.

Despite the risk, I couldn't resist the urge to know more about what he was up to. So I once again started to follow him, unaware of the danger I was putting myself into.

To be continued…