Smiles and Strangers

The police came that night but were of no help. 

“Because the security cameras are broken and you don’t know the man, there’s nothing we can do. Just be more careful. If anything happens, call us and we'll be there.”

The police left with polite nods and empty promises, their cruiser's red lights flashing briefly against the pale walls before disappearing into the night. The silence that followed felt heavier than before - too still, too vulnerable.

More careful? Akari bitterly laughed to herself

Akari buried her face in her hands as she sat there in the middle of her dim living room, air thick with the faint scent of flowers that haunted her. 

She had always done her best to be careful. Every word rehearsed. Every gesture precise. Every interview answer designed to charm but reveal nothing. She did everything she could to be careful. To be the perfect star. To leave everything behind. To not let anything show through her mask. 

Yet, somehow, someone had still found their way in.

She stood and moved with a mechanical calm - checking locks, drawing curtains, investigating for anything new or out of place. 

She went to the bathroom to wash her face and worries. The mirror caught her reflection. But despite not a strand of her pink hair undone, her makeup intact, and her red contact lenses in place. It didn't look like her perfect self - more like the ghost of the girl she'd been once before. The one she'd buried twelve years ago.

She wasn’t going to let it end this way. She wasn’t going to let someone ruin everything she built. This wasn't her dream, but this was something only she could protect and she was determined to see it through.

“He’ll be back. I’m sure he will... This time I’ll be ready.”

-

The night had not been kind to Akari, but her world didn't stop moving for her personal unpleasantries. 

The hall was decorated to match the sweet bubbly theme of her song. Cameras flashing, air thick with perfume and heat. The fans cheered and squealed as they waited in line for just a moment with their favorite idol. She couldn't disappoint.

Akari's hand cramped from signing autographs, but she kept smiling. She knew which side of her face photographed better, how long to hold a fan's gaze to make it feel personal. The illusion was second nature now.

"Next!" The staff called.

A man around her age stepped up. He was ordinary, in a way that's almost comforting - clean-cut, polite, neatly dressed. But his eyes were bright. Too bright.

"Akari." He said softly. "You look even more beautiful up close."

"Aww thank you." Akari replied automatically, voice dripping with honey as her pen poised over the glossy photo. "What's your name?"

"Toru." His hands shake slightly as he places an elegant handmade collage on the table. Pictures of her from her debut until now, even pictures from movies and songs that weren't that popular, showing how much of a dedicated fan he has been.

"Oh my! Did you make this?" Akari asked surprised to see so many memories in one place.

Toru smiled, a little too wide. "Yes, I made it myself. These are all moments I thought you shined the brightest. It would mean the world to me if you could sign it."

Akari looked over the carefully made collage, nostalgia washing over her, before quickly catching glimpse of one picture that did not fit in. Among the pictures, one stood out, one that she did not pose for or take herself, one that she wasn't aware even existed. Not from a performance or film. Not a behind-the-scenes shot or from an event. It was candid. Taken from the distance.

In the picture, she was standing on a street at night, half-turned toward the glow of a vending machine, her face caught in the cold blue light. Her expression wasn't posed or playful - she was tired, unaware, vulnerable.

It wasn't a picture from her personal life or of her in her casual disguise. It was something else. Something that quietly said: I'm watching you.

Akari felt her fingers tighten around the edge of the collage before she forced them to relax. Her practiced smile didn't fail her.

"You even included a candid shot." She said softly, keeping her tone light.

Toru leaned forward slightly, his eyes glinting with pride. "That's my favorite one!"

"Oh?" 

"You look so real there." His voice almost reverent. "Like you're just... Just you. Not the version they show us. It's beautiful."

The air between them suddenly felt thinner.

Akari laughed gently, though her throat felt dry. "That's very observant of you."

"I notice a lot of things." He replied simply. "You can tell so much from the way someone moves when they think no one's watching."

Her smile froze.

"We have to keep the line moving Akari." A staff member whispered from behind.

Akari nodded, forcing her face to cooperate and her hands to sign the collage. "Thank you, Toru. It was really sweet, and I appreciate you showing your support. It must've taken a lot of work."

"It was worth it." Toru smiled, taking the signed collage and album. "Every moment I spend watching you is worth it. I'll always support you Akari!"

Before Akari could say anything else, Toru stepped back to follow where security motioned him, disappearing into the crowd and camera flashes.

-

There were no flowers again today. Akari had made it back inside her apartment building without any encounter. She didn't know whether to feel relief or concern.

The elevator hummed softly as it climbed. The silence should've been comforting. Instead, it felt like a held breath.

The doors opened to her floor. Akari stepped out, keys ready, tote bag slung over her shoulder. The hallway lights flickered on.

She didn't even make it three steps before someone grabbed her from behind.

A rough hand clamped over her mouth - the same cheap cologne as before. Akari's body froze and panic seized her lungs. She forced herself to fight back, grabbing at the man's hand, kicking backwards at his legs, but the man was stronger.

He hissed into her ear. "You shouldn't have moved, Akari... Or should I say... Haruka?"

The fight left Akari's body. The world instantly crashing around her. 

That name, Haruka, shouldn't exist anymore.

The man's grip tightened as he dragged her backward toward the stairwell. The air reeked of metal, sweat, and that same awful cologne. 

As the stairwell door banged shut behind them, cutting off the hallway's light. The stairwell was dim, only the red glow of the emergency bulb painted the steps.

The man slammed Akari down hard against the stairs. Pain shot through her shoulder and up her neck. 

"Don't resist Haruka." His voice low and close. Too close.

Akari tried to wedge her knee between them, but he was already on top of her. One hand locked around her throat, pressing her back into the cold sharp steps. 

Air vanished. A high, whining sound filled her ears.

She clawed at his wrist only for her hands to be gripped by his free hand. She kicked and struck his ribs with her heel, but his grip only tightened from aggravation.

Her vision blurred, her throat dried, her tears burned, her ears rung.

This was not how it was supposed to go... This is not how I wanted everything to end... Why won't my body listen to me? Why can't I do anything?

And then, suddenly, the weight was gone.

A blur of movement, a crack of metal on bone. The man jerked sideways, his hand tearing from her neck.

Akari collapsed onto her side, gasping, her vision swimming. Through the haze she saw the man stumble backwards, and in front of him - Jun, face stern, one arm swinging from the momentum of the blow. The metal flashlight in his hand dripped a smear of blood.

The attacker unconscious on the floor. 

Jun's breathing was steady, his eyes sharp and alert. Once the attacker didn't show signs of getting back up his attention immediately shifted to Akari. "You okay?"

Akari's chest rose and fell too fast. "Did- Did you follow me?"

"You know, most people go with a simple thank you in this situation, but I'll let it slide. No, I didn't follow you. I just figured he'd come back. I'm sorry I was late."

Akari's breath began to steady. "You're right... Thank you."

Jun crouched by the unconscious man, checked his pulse, then started patting him down with quick efficient movements.

"Who are you?" Akari asked.

He didn't look up. "Jun Kubo. Former detective from organized crimes." He pulled out a folded knife, burner phone, and an envelope from the attacker's pockets. "And you?"

She hesitated, her lips wanted to speak but her brain interrupted. "...No one..."

Jun gave a short, humorless laugh. "Right. That's what most people say before someone tries to kill them."

He stood, his shadow falling over the body. "You need to leave. This place is compromised."

"You're not calling the police?" Her voice hoarse.

"We already did yesterday. What help were they? I know very well how useless the police can be..." He sighed. "I called an old friend; he'll take care of this guy."

Her throat tightened. She wasn't sure whether that made her feel safer or worse.

Jun looked at the hallway cameras - dark, dead. "Convenient how these always stop working when you need them."

He turned back to Akari, his expression softening just slightly. "My car is in the garage. I'll take you somewhere safer."

Akari stared at the unconscious man and then back to Jun. She'd spent so long convincing herself she could manage this alone, but this was far bigger than she was.

Still. She didn't know if she could trust Jun.

Jun noticed the hesitation in her eyes. "If I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't have stopped him."

"That's not exactly reassuring." She muttered, voice shaking despite her attempt at sarcasm.

He huffed a breath that might have been a laugh as he offered her his hand. "Fair enough. But staying here isn't an option." 

Hesitantly, she took his hand. His palm rough and warm - the kind of steadiness she didn't realize she needed until now.

Before they left the building, Jun draped his jacket over Akari. The fabric was heavier than she expected, carrying the faint scent of rain and coffee.

"Stay close." He said gently. "Just in case there's someone else."

They walked calmly to Jun's black fully tinted car, the kind of vehicle you wouldn't think to look twice at.

"Get in." He said softly, opening the door for her.

Akari hesitated for a moment before getting in.

As she settled into the passenger seat, for the first time in a while, she let herself exhale, just a little.

"Is there somewhere I can take you, Haruka?" Jun gently asked.

Akari stiffened. "Don't call me that." Her voice practically a whisper.

"Then tell me who you really are."