Chapter 3: An Untouchable Target

Akira clenched his coffee cup, his gaze locked onto Mayu's.

— And why would I help you?

She tilted her head slightly, her smile returning to her lips.

— Because if you try to kill me… you will fail.

The assassin didn't respond immediately. He never failed. Every mission he undertook was executed with surgical precision. Yet this girl confidently claimed that she would survive his blade.

— I've seen the future, she added, crossing her arms. In all possible versions… you cannot kill me.

— There's no immutable future, he retorted coldly. Every choice creates a new possibility.

— Maybe, but the end is always the same. You don't kill me.

Akira slowly set down his cup. It wasn't a threat, nor a challenge. Just an absolute truth in her eyes.

— Who wants you dead? he finally asked.

Mayu's smile faded. She looked down, tracing an invisible circle on the table with her finger.

— Someone who knows my power. Someone who knows I can see… things they don't want me to see.

Her tone turned serious. Akira could see in her eyes that she wasn't lying.

— But the problem, she continued, is that I don't know who commissioned your mission.

The irony was biting. A girl who could see the future, but who didn't know who wanted her dead.

Akira leaned back in his chair, observing the young girl. She wasn't trembling, showing no signs of panic. She was clear-headed and incredibly calm for someone with a contract on her head.

— You seem rather relaxed for someone in danger.

Mayu shrugged.

— It's not the first time someone has tried to kill me.

Akira raised an eyebrow.

— How many times?

— Four. You're the fifth assassin sent against me.

A heavy silence settled.

Akira knew the unspoken rule of the mercenary world: if a target survives more than three attempts, they are considered an anomaly. A ghost.

— And the others? he asked.

Mayu took a deep breath.

— Two disappeared without a trace. One had an "accident" before even getting close to me. And the fourth… committed suicide.

Akira's fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the table.

— And now you're here, she concluded.

Her gaze intensified.

— So, Akira Kurogane, the man who never misses his target… what will you do?

The assassin didn't answer immediately. He knew his code. He had accepted a contract; he had to execute it.

But he also knew one thing: when a contract didn't make any sense, there was a trap.

And this girl was a living trap.

He slowly stood up, putting his computer away in his bag.

— I'll start by checking your information.

Mayu smiled.

— Does that mean you're not going to kill me?

— Not yet.

He adjusted his coat and turned toward the exit.

— But if I find out you're lying to me…

He cast a cold look at her.

— Then I'll make sure this time, the future changes.

Without waiting for a response, he disappeared into the night.

Mayu remained seated, staring at the door he had just crossed.

Then, softly, she murmured:

— That's exactly what I had seen…