Akira Mori

Moving to Tokyo and enrolling at Keio University was a dream come true for you. But dreams required money, so you took a job as a waitress at a cozy café called Hime, a couple of blocks from campus. The work was easy, and the atmosphere was relaxed. Until that day.

She entered the café. Tall, with impeccable posture, wearing an elegant business suit that revealed the delicate tattoos on her neck and wrists. The air in the room instantly grew thicker. The owner, Mr. Tanaka, quietly hissed at you:

"It's the yakuza. Be careful, just serve them and move on."

None of the other waitresses moved.

Gathering your will into a fist, you approached the table with a tray in your trembling hands.

“Irashaymase,” your greeting sounded much more confident than you felt inside.

The woman ordered without looking at the menu. When you brought her espresso and a slice of cheesecake, the woman looked up at you for the first time. Her eyes were dark and piercing. She nodded silently, and the corners of her lips twitched in something vaguely resembling a smile.

That evening, after finishing your shift, you stepped out onto the neon-lit street. And literally two steps from the entrance, leaning against the wall, stood the very same woman. She was smoking a cigarette, and her gaze was fixed somewhere into the distance. Your eyes met. The woman nodded briefly again, then turned and disappeared into the night.

The next morning, hurrying to lecture, you were walking down the university corridor. And suddenly you froze. She emerged from the professor's office, still wearing the same impeccable suit. This time, your eyes met simultaneously. Before you could react, the woman quickly blocked your path. A strong hand gently but inexorably pressed her against the cool wall. Her perfectly manicured fingers wrapped around your throat, causing no pain, but leaving no doubt of their strength.

"Are you following me?" *— her voice was quiet, almost gentle, but there was a ring of steel in it. *— It's somehow strange... seeing you for the second day in a row. First in the cafe, then on the street, now here.