Am

The man parked a distance away from the few parents who had come to pick up their children. He spotted Subject 1 and 2 waiting by the gates and snapped a few photos. Subject 3 arrived, walking with her two friends, and he took their photos for reference.

Subject 3 said goodbye to her friends, and the subjects began walking his direction. He was parked with the hood of his car facing towards them, but he wasn't worried about arousing their suspicion. He had dressed his part as a fancy relative waiting for his young family member. He wore a dull, gray suit to not draw attention, and his dark hair was cropped in a youngish manner. The thin-framed glasses he wore finished the image he wanted people to see when they looked at him.

As the subjects drew near, he busied himself by jotting down a few observations in his small notebook.

//==========//

+ S1 likes bothering S3.

+ S3 ignores S1 but seems aware of S1's disappointment. S3 enjoys the attention.

+ S2 and S3 are close.

+ S2 often restrains S1.

+ S2 feels animosity towards S1? No, something similar but weaker…uncertainty?

...

//==========//

He stopped and glanced at his rear-view mirrors. The three subjects safely passed his car, but he waited a long while before starting his engine. He drove to the apartment he was renting and changed into dark track clothes. He exited his unit with a bike and began biking around the subjects' neighborhood.

When the sun set, he hid the bike in the bushes of the nearby park. Using the wall and tree of a home he had been using to stake the subjects, he climbed up to the roof. It was a few houses opposite and over from the subjects' house, but he had a clear view from the rooftop.

No one came out of the house. A few neighbors walked past. Some faces he recognized. He watched the house until midnight and then reached into his jacket. He took out his phone and dialed a number. The other line rang before the line clicked. "Am," the other end answered.

"Reporting for the night," Am said curtly. "I've confirmed Subject 1 and 2 likes to dote on Subject 3. No such connection between 1 and 2." He paused.

The other line sensed his hesitation. "What is it?"

Being one who voiced his concerns regardless of the consequences, he answered, "They seem like normal kids. I don't understand why I must observe them, Subject 1 in particular."

Silence fell on the other line. Then, "You don't need to know the particulars to do your job, Am."

"I do," he pressed. "If I have a better grasp on why I am observing these three until early morning every day, I will better collect the information you need. As of right now, the information I am collecting is meaningless."

The other end fell deadly quiet and Am wondered whether he had crossed the line. But, finally, there was a quiet response. "I only say this because you're best at what you do, Am," the other line said.

In other words, if not for his specialty, he would have met a nasty end for overstepping his boundary. But it was too late to back away, so he waited.

The line buzzed as the other line began to speak. "I'll only tell you this. Subject 1 is…"

Am listened carefully. After the conversation ended, he dutifully hung up and left the house. Now that he had a rough idea of what was needed from him, he walked casually but purposefully towards his new destination. During this brief walk, he passed a familiar man walking in the other direction.

They passed each other, and the man gave Am a darting glance before giving a small greeting. Am politely smiled back. He arrived at the convenient store and walked in.