WebNovels

Chapter 23 - Reflections

The city grew sharper the farther Ryunosuke walked.

The soft textures of Chinatown gave way to the sterile sheen of the Financial District—glass towers rising like mirrored trees, steel veins humming with the pulse of money and movement.

His footsteps echoed louder here. Each one crisp against the polished concrete beneath his sneakers.

People moved past in sleek business attire, clutching phones and coffee cups, their gazes fixed ahead. LED tickers scrolled across tinted building faces. Cars whispered through intersections. The noise wasn't loud—it was precise. Mechanical. Intentionally hollow.

And for once, Ryunosuke didn't feel like sketching any of it.

He turned onto a quieter street, drawn more by instinct than direction. He didn't know what he was looking for—maybe a shape or a color that might loosen something knotted in his chest.

But instead, something tightened.

A subtle twist low in his stomach. Pressure behind his eyes, like he'd been staring at a screen too long. But he hadn't.

He slowed his pace.

The wind picked up—light but insistent, brushing his hair, curling around his collar like unseen fingers.

Then came a sound.

Soft.Faint.Almost behind him.

"Ryunosuke."

He stopped.

The world didn't.A car horn.A bicycle bell.The staccato of heels on pavement.

But none of those voices had said his name.

He turned.

Nothing behind him but the narrow lane and the wider street beyond—a coffee shop, a dry cleaner. Tall windows reflecting the sky.

His fingers tightened around his sketchbook.

He took a breath.

"Ryunosuke."

Closer this time. Right at his shoulder.

He turned sharply—just in time to catch something in the window across the street.

A woman.

Just for a blink.

Small frame.Long lavender coat.Pale skin.Violet eyes.

Then—gone.

Not walked away.Not turned.Just… vanished.

Ryunosuke stared at the glass, heart thudding against his ribs. The only thing looking back now was his own reflection—wide-eyed and still.

He stepped forward, closer to the window.

Only his reflection remained. And behind it, the faint outlines of buildings and sky. Ordinary.

But something felt off. The world around him continued—people moved, cars passed—but everything felt slightly… distant. Slightly off-beat. Like a song just half a second out of sync.

He exhaled slowly, rubbed the back of his neck.His fingers felt colder than they should've.

He looked again.

Nothing.

No trace of her.

But the sensation remained—soft, persistent.

That voice.That presence.Like a thread still tugging at the edge of his mind.

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