Okay. I'll wait

Neo's father walked out the door, leaving it open. One of his bodyguards appeared, a tall, stocky, bald man. Instead of closing the door, he entered the room and approached the confused boy sitting on the bed.

"Master Neo, your father has sent you this," he said in a deep, soft voice, handing him a blue object with golden details. Neo took it from the man's large hands and saw that it was a cell phone. The man smiled, but looked as if he had forgotten something. He fumbled in his pockets and pulled out a bundle of cables.

"The charger too, you'll need it."

The boy took the charger as well, still staring at the door, motionless and seemingly lost in thought. The man looked at him sadly, checked to see if anyone was near the door, and turned his attention back to the boy.

"What your father said isn't true," he said, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders and looking directly at him as he shook him gently. "You were good, and you still are."

Seeing little reaction from the boy, the man stood up, gave a smile that masked his concern, turned his back and walked to the door. He glanced at Neo one last time before closing the door, leaving the boy alone with his thoughts.

Later, Len arrived at the dormitory. Neo was lying on the top bed with a somber expression on his face, looking at a cell phone that seemed to be turned off. Len found it strange, but was too tired to think more than necessary. He lay down on the bed and went to sleep.

The next day, Len woke up early and found Neo still asleep. Len continued his morning workout and then went to school, expecting to find Neo there. But his friend didn't show up at school.

When Neo woke up, the first thing he did was to continue staring at the cell phone. He was pensive, wondering if he should turn it on.

Is this what my father wants?

The boy pondered the words he had heard and began to doubt himself. What would happen if he turned on the cell phone? Would he become the person he was before, a bad person? Was it worth the risk?

Neo touched his necklace. His mind was confused. Although he remembered what had happened on the night of the tragedy, not all of his memories had returned, so he wasn't sure.

Could he find the key his father was looking for?

Later, Len appeared in the room. Neo stood motionless, lost in thought. He seemed to be a completely different person. The boy felt a certain longing to see his friend as lively and curious as he always was.

Len thought about talking to his friend, but he didn't want to intrude. Maybe the boy just needed space.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

Neo stayed locked in the room for several days, worrying everyone, especially Saya. She wondered if she had gone too far and hurt the boy. Everything seemed fine; she was so happy to see him the next day, and suddenly he didn't appear anymore.

Len decided to talk to the boy, especially since exam week was approaching and he couldn't afford to miss it. Obviously, Neo was not feeling well; he hadn't slept for days, something was wrong with his body. His vision was blurred, he felt nauseous, and his stomach was upset.

Walking to school was a challenge; he had a constant feeling of paranoia. Being around too many people gave him chills.

Neo arrived at the classroom so late that he could barely get in. As he walked to his seat, he looked at Saya. His expression was one of pain and sadness before he turned his face away, making his heart skip a beat.

He avoided looking at Saya as much as possible and concentrated on the exam in front of him. The written words were difficult to read; they went into his head and did not seem to stay there. He had to make an immense effort to finish.

When he could leave, he thought about talking to Saya. But the threat from his father was a heavy burden, so he went straight home.

He skipped training. He didn't show up for work.

And soon he began to feel the effects. Life without Saya and his friends was so grey. But he couldn't afford to get close to anyone in the state he was in.

When the exams were over, the results came out. There was a board with everyone's name and performance. This time, Neo didn't study with Saya and besides, he felt very unwell. The result was a grade below average.

Something caught the boy's attention - a group of girls talking about how the boy in first place and the girl in second place were a perfect couple.

When Neo looked curiously to see who they were, their names were Kensuke and Saya. Anger bubbled up inside him.

He began to think that maybe the two had become closer than before. Lenner's words haunted him.

Sadly, he decided to return to the dormitory. As soon as he passed through the school gate, a blonde girl, her hair floating in the air, was waiting for him.

"Saya," he said with tears in his eyes.

She tried to tell him something, but the words wouldn't come out. Her hands seemed to tremble. Neo forced a smile. His face showed deep exhaustion.

The boy thought about what to say to her, his mind going to distant places. He wanted to explain everything, and as he was about to speak, he could see some men hiding nearby, wearing suspicious clothes. Paranoia began to take hold of his mind. He couldn't put Saya in danger. Therefore, the only possible solution was...

"Can you give me some time?"

Tears filled the girl's eyes. Neo could not look into her face. Until the sad expression changed to a serious one.

"Okay. I'll wait," she said with a determined voice.