Chapter Two

The next day, another cardboard box arrived—just like the one before.

The mailman handed it over with a businesslike gesture, asking for my signature.

I opened it the exact same way as yesterday and pulled out the envelope inside.

You must’ve been startled yesterday.
And maybe you worried I was a stalker.
But I swear—I won’t ever appear in front of you.
Please, let go of the gloomy thoughts left behind by your illness.
That’s all I ask.

The sender denied being a stalker.

Of course, I couldn’t take the words at face value.

I shivered a little and considered calling the police.

But I’d heard that contacting them doesn’t always help.

Besides, I’m still nineteen—a college sophomore, technically underage.

If they found out I’d been targeted (or almost targeted), they might contact my parents.

And that—that was the real problem.

My parents had always opposed me going to college in the city.

“Because you’re a girl,” they said.
“Are you just kicking dirt at your hometown?”

Ridiculous reasons.

So I insisted. I had to go.

Theme parks and TV stations I’d only seen on screen.
Window shopping with friends I hadn’t met yet.
Sipping ginger Italian tea at a cozy café.

I had no use for a hometown that only offered ramen.

Even now, a year and three months after I started college,
my parents still weren’t happy about it.

They made me call them three times a week to check in.

And every time, they’d say,
“If things don’t work out, you can come back. Even if you have to stay here and secretly study for another entrance exam.”

If this turned into a police case,
it’d be like hitting a bullseye in archery—ten points, gold medal.

And my return to the countryside?
Also guaranteed.

What should I do...

Looking only at the letter’s content,
it wasn’t exactly threatening.

I’d been staying inside even after recovering from pneumonia,
which basically told the sender I was always home.

They knew my address, sure.
But I didn’t want them to think I was always there.

Those two thoughts nudged me forward.

The next day, for the first time in a month and a half,
I headed to campus.

It was a clear day, just after the rainy season—
bright, and full of fresh air.