Chapter 2: Girl who Saw Everything

The night was calm, too calm. Akira walked down a dark alley, his hands shoved deep in his coat pockets. The USB key weighed in his palm like a silent warning.

Hoshino Mayu. 17 years old. Target to eliminate.

He had seen dozens of contracts like this. But something was off.

Why was an ordinary high school girl classified as "extremely dangerous"?

He stopped near a café that was still open and sat at a table in the back. His ultra-thin laptop powered on silently. Quickly, he began a search on Mayu.

Her school record was impeccable. Excellent student, no absences, no criminal history. A normal life.

So why did someone want her dead?

— Are you looking for something specific?

Akira looked up. A waitress had just brought his coffee. But she was not an ordinary waitress.

Her long silver hair glimmered under the dim light. Her icy blue eyes locked directly onto his.

Hoshino Mayu.

His heart skipped a beat.

She shouldn't be here.

She smiled slightly, sitting across from him without an invitation.

— You're faster than expected, she murmured, resting her chin on her hand.

Akira remained silent. His gaze analyzed every detail. No signs of fear, no flinching.

— Who sent you? he asked coldly.

She shrugged.

— No one. I found you.

Doubt settled in him. How could she know?

— I know everything about you, Akira Kurogane. Black Phantom. The legendary assassin who never misses his target.

A shiver ran through him. This was not normal.

— Are you spying on me?

She chuckled softly.

— No. I see the future.

Silence fell.

A long silence.

Then, without warning, Mayu reached out her hand and tapped the table with her fingertips.

— In three seconds, your phone will vibrate.

Akira gritted his teeth.

She's bluffing.

One second. Two seconds.

BZZZT.

His phone vibrated violently in his pocket.

Akira didn't move, but inside, his blood had turned to ice.

She smiled as she took a sip of her coffee.

— Impressed?

He slowly closed his laptop. His instincts screamed at him to be cautious.

This girl is a problem.

— Why did you come to see me? he asked.

Her smile faded slightly.

— Because you're going to have to make a choice, she said.

She locked her penetrating gaze on him.

— Either you kill me… or you help me survive.

Akira felt that, for the first time, he had encountered a contract he couldn't simply execute.

And he hated that.