"Keanu? Like Keanu Reeves?"

Keanu exhaled through his nose, already forcing a smile. He didn't even bother looking up from his bowl of ramen.

Across the table, a guy he barely knew was grinning, clearly pleased with himself. "Dude, are you serious? Your parents actually named you that?"

Keanu twirled his chopsticks. "Nah, I named myself. Woke up one day and thought, man, you know what would make life harder? Sharing a name with a dude who's literally the most beloved guy on Earth."

Laughter rippled around the table. Someone clapped him on the back.

"Nah, bro, it's cool. Your name's a great conversation starter. People love that. Makes you way more interesting."

Keanu slurped his noodles. "Right, because life would be so much easier if every conversation started with woah."

More laughter. The conversation moved on, jumping from gym routines to someone's disastrous Tinder date.

As the night stretched on, people started heading home. Keanu finished his broth, waved off offers to split an Uber, and stepped out into the cool night air.

The streets were quiet. A few distant cars. The hum of streetlights. He took a deep breath, stretching his arms overhead.

Great night. Good food. Chill people. Solid conversation. What more could I ask for?

A man walked a few steps ahead of him. Just a guy.

Keanu stabbed him in the neck.

A clean, effortless movement—sharp steel slicing through flesh. The man collapsed instantly, body hitting the pavement with a dull thud. Blood spread across the sidewalk in uneven streaks.

Keanu sighed, and kept walking.

Man, I should've gotten an extra egg in my ramen. Would've helped me hit my macros.

The streetlights buzzed above him.

The city kept moving.