Chapter 10 - Camera

My first reaction to seeing the stalker was to stop walking. He hadn't noticed me yet, which gave me the advantage of surprise.

'So, it's true. Ryo really has someone on her tail.'

Suddenly, he raised his camera, brought it to his right eye, and closed the other. That's how I knew I couldn't wait for him to take a picture.

"Hey!" I shouted, instinctively running toward him.

He twisted his head, and our gazes met. His eyes widened, and he turned to run.

However, he was clumsy, and I had plenty of stamina from the exhausting work I'd been doing. So, I quickly caught up with him, stretched out my arm, and grabbed the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

He struggled, almost making me lose my balance, but I held on tight with my other hand.

"Get the fuck off me!" he grunted.

"Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?"

"This is none of your business!"

He pulled away abruptly and took a few steps back, but he knew he couldn't outrun me. This close, I got a better look at his face. He must have been in his early twenties, with disheveled hair and deep circles under his eyes. He looked nervous, his eyes darting between the house and me repeatedly, as if calculating whether he could still get away.

"I've already called the police," I lied, crossing my arms. "If you run now, you'll only look more suspicious."

He stared at my hand for a moment, perhaps checking to see if I really had a phone in there. Then he gritted his teeth.

"Liar... You don't even know who she is, do you?" 

I frowned. "What's that got to do with anything?"

He laughed, a dry and humorless laugh. "Sooner or later, you'll find out. When you do, you'll want to take a picture of her too."

Then he started running again, and I saw no reason to chase after him. I'd already scared him off and bluffed him about the police, so it would take him a while to get back here.

'Who was that guy? What did he mean by that?'

My mind racing, I finally turned to the gate and opened it with the key Hayato had given me.

When I entered the house, Ryo was coming down the stairs.

"It took you a long time."

"I had a setback."

"I heard some shouting in the street just now... Did something happen?"

"A guy was here," I said as I closed the front door and locked it. "A stalker, probably. He was trying to look inside the house and tried to take a photo."

If she was surprised, she hid it well. "And where is he now?"

"He ran away. He said some strange things and ran."

"Did you see his face?"

"Yes. Pale face, deep circles under his eyes, messy hair. He couldn't have been much older than me." 

"I see... I think I've seen him around here a few times. Please say nothing to Hayato."

"What? Do you think hiding it is a good idea?"

"Hayato already has too much to deal with. Besides, it's not the first time someone's shown up here like this."

She zipped up her jacket, covering the neckline of the tank top she was wearing, which I only noticed because of the motion. 

I scratched the back of my neck, hesitating to agree, but in the end, that wasn't my choice. 

"All right, all right. I won't say anything for now. By the way, that guy said something strange before he ran off. He said that I 'don't know who you are.'"

"He was just trying to confuse you. Forget it. Go pack your things and then come to dinner."

"Dinner? But Hayato..."

"Hayato won't be home tonight. He's going to call me soon and say he needs to deal with new problems at the branch in the West, and that he'll have to work through the night. So, to thank you, please join me and mine daughter for dinner. I hope you like Tonkatsu."

"It's my favorite food."

"Good. Now go. You have too many boxes to organize."

I did what she asked and went to my new room. Once inside, I closed the door and stared at the boxes stacked against the wall. 

The space was small, but enough for me. I pulled the handle of my folding bed and lowered it with one swift movement, making it fit perfectly into a corner of the room. Then I went over to the disassembled chest of drawers and put it together.

The parts were simple, and I had done this before, so the structure was ready in no time. Then I started taking the clothes out of the boxes and folding them into the dresser. 

As I worked, my eyes fell on the notebook lying on the bed.

Those words from the stalker were still hammering away in my head:

 "You don't even know who she is, do you?" 

It wouldn't leave my mind. No matter how hard I tried to ignore it.

'Who are you, Ryo?'

I knew Hayato had said she was a writer. Maybe that was a clue.

I sat down on the bed, put the laptop on my lap, and opened it. The screen flickered before lighting up, and I quickly typed "Ryo writer" into Booble's search bar.

Several names popped up, most of them independent authors with works in different genres. Some were Japanese, others foreign. But none of them had the numbers to explain having several stalkers.

'Of course, it would not be that easy.'

I narrowed down the search. I remembered that, in the room rental ad, Hayato had used the surname Morioka. If Ryo was his wife, then her full name might be "Ryo Morioka.

I typed this into the search.

Nothing relevant. No writer by that name.

'Strange...'

I paused, looking at the screen. Maybe it was a pseudonym? Many writers used pen names to publish books.

I remembered that in the YeahChat she used another surname: Nakano. Could that be her public persona? 

I typed in "Ryo Nakano writer" and pressed Enter.

Nothing.

Then I tried searching only for "Nakano writer."

This time, a few results came up, but they were all men. No woman named Ryo Nakano appeared. 

'This sounds strange...'

If Ryo really was a famous writer, why was there nothing about her? She might simply not be as famous as I thought, but even minor writers often leave traces — blogs, social media accounts, or interviews. 

I had tested all three of the names I knew for her, but there was one I still didn't know: her maiden name. Could that be the key? If I could get my hands on one of her documents, I might find this missing surname. 

When I caught myself thinking about it, I shook my head and let out a frustrated sigh.

'You know what? That's none of my business.'

It wasn't right for me to pry into her life. There was already one weird guy following Ryo — I didn't want to become another nosy person. I closed my laptop and stood up.

That was her problem, not mine. I just needed to scare the stalkers away when they showed up.

I got up and continued organizing my clothes in the dresser. I still needed to finish unpacking before dinner.

'Wait, Ryo-san has a daughter?'