Chapter 2: A strange routine.

The next morning.
Reina woke up to the sound of her alarm.
She immediately threw a pillow at it.
The alarm survived.
Unfortunately.
With a groan, she sat up and stared at the ceiling.
Morning.
Her least favorite time of day.
For several seconds, she considered going back to sleep.
Then she remembered she had class.
Tragic.
Absolutely tragic.
She dragged herself out of bed and began getting ready.
...
Twenty minutes later.
She stepped into the hallway.
At the same moment, the door to Apartment 408 opened.
Shadow stepped outside.
Both froze.
Neither spoke.
Reina smiled.
"Good morning."
"...Morning."
"You look dead."
"I just woke up."
"That's usually how mornings work."
Shadow thought for a moment.
"Fair point."
Reina nearly laughed.
The man somehow managed to make every conversation feel unusual.
"Where are you going?"
"Outside."
"..."
"..."
"Outside where?"
"A café."
"That's a place, not a plan."
Shadow looked genuinely confused.
Reina sighed.
"This is going to be a long friendship."
"We're friends?"
"Congratulations. You figured it out."
Before he could respond, she grabbed his sleeve.
"Come on."
"What?"
"You're walking me to university."
"I don't remember agreeing to that."
"I don't remember asking."
And just like that, she dragged him toward the elevator.
...
The city was already awake.
Cars filled the roads.
Students crowded the sidewalks.
The morning sun reflected off the glass buildings.
Reina walked ahead while Shadow followed.
"Do you always talk this much?"
"Do you always talk this little?"
"...Maybe."
"That sounds unhealthy."
A small smile appeared on Reina's face.
Teasing him was becoming surprisingly fun.
Shadow, meanwhile, wasn't entirely sure how these conversations kept happening.
The strange woman next door had somehow inserted herself into his daily routine.
And he had done absolutely nothing to stop it.
...
The university campus buzzed with activity.
Students rushed between buildings.
Clubs advertised events.
Friends gathered beneath the trees.
Reina stretched.
"Well, this is my stop."
Shadow nodded.
"Have a good day."
"You too."
She turned away.
Then stopped.
"Actually."
Shadow looked back.
"What?"
"You're buying me lunch."
"...Why?"
"Because I decided you are."
That answer made absolutely no sense.
Reina grinned.
"See you later, Shadow."
She disappeared into the crowd.
Shadow watched her go.
For some reason, the campus felt noticeably quieter afterward.
A strange thought.
He ignored it.
...
Across the street...
A camera clicked.
A young man lowered his lens.
One photograph.
Then another.
Nothing unusual.
Just students entering the university.
The kind of photos nobody would ever look at twice.
The photographer examined one image.
A blonde woman.
A dark-haired man.
Walking together.
He stared at it for a few moments.
Then quietly saved the file.
Before continuing on his way.
...
That afternoon.
Reina's classes dragged on forever.
At least, that's how it felt.
By the time she finally left campus, the sun was beginning to set.
She found Shadow exactly where she expected.
Inside a small café.
Sitting alone.
Reading.
"You're actually here."
Shadow looked up.
"You told me to meet you."
"I was joking."
"Oh."
"You came anyway?"
"...Yes."
Reina stared.
Then laughed.
The man was impossible.
And somehow, that made him interesting.
Very interesting.
Outside the café window, the city lights slowly came to life.
Neither of them noticed the photographer standing on the opposite side of the street.
Watching.
Waiting.
And taking one more picture.
...
Later that night.
An email arrived in someone's inbox.
Attached were three photographs.
No message.
No sender.
Only images.
A blonde woman.
A dark-haired man.
And the beginning of something neither of them could yet see.