Footsteps From The Nightmare[2]

His theory didn't fully satisfy me, but at some point…it made sense. And then it hit me. Maybe…I had already found my answer before I even realized it. Yes, that's why I can’t help but question—

Am I reliving that Nightmare because I want to?

Is that my wish? If so..then that'd mean…just maybe–

I AM THE REASON FOR MY PROBLEM.

【After school–4:46pm】

“I see, that’s too bad. But at least you got to talk with him. Think it helped you sort your thoughts?”

“Well… more or less.”

“Good. At least you gained something out of it.”

The day had come to an end. Like always, Aoki and I stayed behind in the library to catch up on our studies. Sometimes, we prepare for the entrance exams. We decided it’d be better to start early, even from our first year.

Since neither of us joined any clubs, this became our daily routine. We can study as much as we can and can save time at home.

“Speaking of which,” Aoki tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her eyes. “Did he say anything about that girl? Like her name?”

“As a teacher, it’s not a good thing—or so he said.”

“Ah… I see.” She leaned back with a small sigh. “Well, if I were in his place, I’d probably say the same.”

Not knowing her name was honestly a pity. If only he’d told me, things would’ve been a lot easier–Wait, speaking of which there’s something I completely forgot to ask him.

【“If you came for her, she already went home.”】

How did he…know that I came for her?

“Maybe I’ll try asking around about that girl tomorrow,” Aoki said, spinning her pen “If we can find something that can be helpful.”

“Huh?”

“Huh? Was I not supposed to?”

“Nah, I’m actually grateful for that. It’s just…”

Having her ask around is definitely better than me doing it. Knowing Aoki, she could find her in no time thanks to her friend circle. But I don’t get it—I really don’t get why this girl is trying to help me this much.
Even yesterday, when I told her about my issue, she believed me. Why…

“Why did you believe me when I said I was having that nightmare?”

“Huh?”

Crap. I said it out loud.

“Pfft—aha… haha.” She let out a quiet laugh. “I was wondering what you were going to ask, but that? Why do I believe you… haha.”

Great, Now she's just making fun of me, sigh.

“ Still why, you ask? Isn’t it obvious?” she said with a faint smile. “It’s because it’s you. Isn’t that enough of a reason to believe you?”

Her answer left me speechless for a moment. I slowly lifted my head, meeting her gaze.

“See, I know very well that you don’t waste your time on minor things. So no matter how ridiculous it sounds, I will always choose to believe you. Sure, I thought having the same dream again and again was a little strange… but you’re not the kind of person who lies about something like that. Am I wrong?”

“That's…”

Huh? What was I trying to say?

At that time, I didn't find the words to deny her. For the first time, I was genuinely surprised while talking to Aoki. Would someone really believe me based on just that? Normally, probably not.

But Aoki was different.

She’s just an acquaintance… and yet she chose to help me.

“And besides,” she said softly, resting her head on her hand as her eyes met mine. A gentle smile crossed her face.

“We’re friends right?”

With just a few words, Aoki got me in her spell. In the setting sun, her hair glistened in orange. Her smile and the way she's looking at me, if I describe it in one word–

It was like I was dreaming. Pretty and beautiful.

…I really don't get her.

“Friends, huh. Are you sure you didn’t mistake it for an acquaintance?”

“Maybe for you I’m just an acquaintance,” she said, puffing her cheeks slightly, “but for me, you’re already a friend. And someday, I'll make you call me your friend”

“Good grief, such a weird girl”

“Araki-kun, did I just hear something rude from you?”

“Pretty sure that’s just your imagination.”

“Yeah, you definitely did—oh! I get it now!” She snapped her fingers dramatically. “The reason you don’t want me to be your friend is because you want something more than that. Isn't that right? Like, say… girlfriend~?”

“Yeah yeah, keep dreaming. I’m outta here.” I got up from my seat as I prepared to move out.

“Wai—! See, this is why you don’t have a girlfriend! If you act like this, no one’s ever gonna ask you out!”

“And I’m saying I'm fine with that—wait, you’re wrong there.”

“Huh? Wrong?”

Now that I think about it, so much stuff has happened that I completely forgot about yesterday.

“Ah, you didn’t know? Well, it’s nothing important.” I turned away slightly, hiding a faint grin. “Yesterday, I got confessed”

The moment those words left my mouth, Aoki’s pen slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the desk. She just sat there—completely still, staring blankly at me.

“Just now… what did you say?”

“Like I said, I got confessed”

“......Huh.”

If I were a bystander, I wouldn’t even believe what I was seeing.

In just one second, the cheerful girl who’d been teasing me nonstop turned into a gloomy idol.

Really….I don't get her.

【SAMEDAY-5:20 PM】

Somehow, it turned out to be a pretty ordinary day. I wouldn't say it is completely normal but I feel like I did better than yesterday.

And now, for some reason Aoki is really flooding my dms with her messages.

>What do you mean you got confessed??

>Who is that girl?? Did you accept her confession??

>Hey!?? Elaborate!

Guess I'll just leave her in suspense for a while. A little payback for her usual behaviour.

Now then, maybe I'll drop by the store and go home—

Thud…..!!!

“…!”

All of a sudden, I abruptly stopped. If I have to describe it, someone–something caught my shadow refusing to let go. I heard a distant and subtly familiar sound. Yes,

It was the sound of a footstep. But that alone wouldn't stop me. The real reason which stopped me is–

It's the same sound I heard in the morning.

Again?...

At that time, I was still unsure. But after stopping for a few seconds, the sound has already vanished.

“Wait… why am I stressing over some random noise?” I muttered to myself.

I should get going–thump!

By that time I already understood what’s going on. Three times, it took three times for me to confirm something was wrong. The moment I turned and started walking again, the sound came back.

And to make it worse, I can feel it very well now. Someone's gaze…

Someone is watching me.

Today was supposed to be a normal day. I did spend an ordinary day, or at least I thought I did.

Maybe I got too comfortable… so much that I didn’t notice–

That the day is…not over yet. And it wasn't the end but the beginning. Bit by bit, the unwanted change has already made its way into my life– I still don't know.

“....no way right?”

After that days went by,

Day by day, over and over.

Whenever I go and wherever I go. That sound, that strange footsteps always followed. From home to school or coming back from school, going out on weekends, going for grocery shopping, going for a jog, Even walking among the crowd,

Regardless of the time and place, I could always hear those footsteps behind me. Somewhere in my mind I believed I was wrong, as much as I wish it to pass it off as a coincidence–the sound was far too similar.

And I could sense…their eyes on me.

That's when I started realising that an irregularity which should not exist in my day to day life has entered and then..

【Present day - September 18th,2025】

I came to the conclusion that

"SOMEONE IS FOLLOWING ME"

Now then what should I do…

My nightmare is one thing, now I have something else to deal with.

First of all–"Who is it? Why are they following me? More importantly, what is their motive?"

My head was filled with these questions. but I remained cool on the outside to avoid that person to become aware of my knowledge.

Without stopping anywhere I simply came home and after a fresh up I sat on my sofa and started figuring out how to deal with him.

"They are just footsteps. Why are you getting so worked up over it? You can hear them everywhere when you go out. And aren't all footsteps the same?"

–Is what you might be wondering, and it perfectly makes sense.

But I hate to break it to you, that's not the case. Those are the footsteps of a person who’s tailing someone.

On average a person takes around two to three steps per second at a normal pace. Of course, it varies from person to person.

But this one... this person moves barely two steps per second — slow, deliberate, just the right rhythm for someone tailing another.

And I can distinguish these irregular sounds from others. Ever since I became aware of my surroundings, my hearing has been unusually sensitive. And not to mention, all that time I spent alone in middle school is not meaningless. I became an observer and started observing my surroundings and learned the sound variations around me.

Noticing these anomalies is not that hard. The wavelength, the sound intensity, the walking pattern, and the time intervals between each footstep - everything matters when comparing footsteps.

These details are enough for me to deduce this much and conclude that he is following me.

And of course, there’s that other feeling — the undeniable sense that someone’s watching me. You’ve probably felt it too, that strange moment when you know someone’s eyes are on you. If you ask me, it's a part of our human instinct. You can just tell when someone is looking at you.

At times like these, you can always count on your instinct.

Now, how should I deal with him?

The safest and most rational option would be to report it to the police.

But I don’t even know who the person is.

Judging by the footsteps, it’s most likely a man. Age and height are still unknown. With these many unknown variables how am I supposed to report?

And more importantly… how is he able to follow me every single time?

At some point, I thought maybe he’s closer to me than I thought. He could be my neighbour or someone else. But if I am right, he’s keeping tabs on me. Just thinking about it gives me creeps. How is he doing that?–

Nah, this won't do. Thinking won’t get me anywhere without information. Which means what I should do right now is to gather that information.

And there's one and only one way to solve this equation…

“Guess its my turn to make a move”

【SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2025–7:25PM】

Since it was Sunday and given the time, I had no real reason to go outside apart from buying groceries. So, under the pretense of preparing for tomorrow’s meal, I stepped out. But…

Obviously, that’s just an excuse. My real reason is—

Tap….tap…

“Here he is…”

Given the time, the street I usually walk down is nearly deserted again, with little to no people around. Because of that, I can hear his footsteps clearer than ever.

Seems like I really am being stalked.

Who is he? Why is he following me? I still don’t know.
But today, I’ll make sure to find out.

To solve this equation filled with unknowns, there’s only one way—

“Sigh…So?” I turned around, “How long do you plan to follow me around?”

IT IS TO CONFRONT HIM HEAD ON!

As expected, there’s no one behind me. But I’ve seen enough.

“It’s no use hiding. I know you’re there,” I narrowed my eyes. “Come out, stalker.”

To be honest, what I’m doing right now is very risky. There’s a chance he might attack me—or worse, try to abduct me. Of course, I’ve already considered that possibility.

That’s why I came prepared.

I don’t know what kind of man he is, but I’m confident that if it comes down to it, I can put up a fight or at least avoid the worst-case scenario. I’ve already secured an escape route.

All that's left is to see his face….

“Hey, I said to come ou–”

Before I could finish, he slowly stepped into view.
All my instincts screamed at me to stay alert. I locked eyes on him. As I suspected, it was a man—around 5’9”, wearing a mask that hid most of his face. He stood about forty steps away, we were separated by a streetlight, flickering in dark.

This is more intense than I thought…

“Now then, let's hear it. Why are you following me?” I asked.

Obviously he'd hide his face, well no matter.

“...”

Giving me a silent treatment, huh? Well I expected as much–

That's when he finally moved, his movements were quiet but something tells me I shouldn't keep my eyes away from him.

Is he…picking his phone?

Trrr, trrr.

“My phone? Who's calling at this time?”

The number displayed on my phone was unknown. I am pretty sure I never came across it.

Is it…him?

I glanced at him as my phone ringtone buzzed my ears, he quietly nodded and signaled me to answer it.

My finger hesitated for a brief moment, but deep down I know that this is a phone call I must accept. Quietly, I swiped up the answer button.

“...hello?”

“...do you want to know the answer?”

His voice is modulated so probably it's not his real voice. It’s so deep and creepy that it doesn't even begin to describe it.

“The hell? Just tell me who you are? Why are you following me–”

“DO YOU WANT TO KNOW THE ANSWER?” he repeated.

“...what are you talking about?”

“I know that you are reliving the same nightmare every night”

WHY-!? No, how does he know!?

“...you. How–”

“We…have the answer you're seeking for. If you want to know then do as I say”

“Stalking is one thing and now you're ordering me? Sorry but, I don't have any interest in engaging with you–”

“You’ll do. You have no choice.”

“Huh..?”

“If you refuse, then for the rest of your life it will follow you and so I. You can't escape from us…and from yourself”

From… myself?

For a while he's on and on about the answer, could it be…

[Flashback–“Am I reliving that Nightmare because I want to?”]

“..then, if I do as you say. Can I find the answer?”

“...I guarantee”, he nodded, “and I won't follow you…anymore”

From this conversation, one thing became clear: he knows about my nightmare. But how did he know?

The only one I shared is with Aoki. But I've just confirmed the person in question is a man.

And Aoki isn't the kind of person who'd tell someone. So I don't see a reason why he follows me everyday.

Then who–

“Who am I...do you want to know?”

He read my thoughts?

“Let's forget it for a while, what is it that you want?”

Ding, a notification has popped from the same sender.

“Seventy-two hours…” he said calmly. “Find me within seventy-two hours, and I’ll show you the answer. Remember… seventy-two hours. It's your last chance”

Before I could speak, his silhouette dissolved into the shadows, leaving nothing behind but the faint echo of his voice.

My conscience is telling me to go after him right this moment but my eyes were glued to the notification.

Curiously I opened the notification but thinking back now, maybe opening that was…

THE MISTAKE I MADE.

“What…the hell is this?”

I didn’t know it then…that a single message would shatter the normal world I once knew.

And by the time I realized it—

It was already too late. But even if I realised it’s probably inevitable.

Because,

⟨⟨FROM: ??????????⟩⟩

SUBJECT: GAME ??: ?????

IDENTIFY THE STALKER IN 72 HOURS.

⟨⟨THE ANSWER YOU'RE LONGING FOR SHALL REVEAL⟩⟩

“...game?”

IT'S ALREADY STARTED.

⟨ACT 0: THE NIGHT BEFORE THE NIGHTMARE⟩