Defeat. I was lying in bed, my arms and legs completely spread out.
Today is Sunday. I am only 1 day away from finding out what Himari has planned.
I turned onto my side, closed my eyes, but couldn't sleep. I began to toss and turn in my bed, trying to find a position that would make me sleepier.
After a while, I gave up and tried to keep my eyes closed without opening them, but it didn't work.
I continued tossing and turning for quite some time until I saw on my alarm clock that it was already 5:00 AM.
When I noticed the time, I got frustrated.
Even so, I got up and went to my bathroom, washed up, and changed in a flash. Then I went to the uni feeling like some kind of undead creature.
The journey was quiet. When I arrived, I tried to sleep in class as always, but in the end, I couldn't.
Every time I had free time, I went to the spot, then returned to classes, only to grab my head and feel a mixture of stress and expectations taking over my behavior.
At the end of classes, I went again to where she had told me. I waited for two hours, but in the end, I got a message from her saying she couldn't see me for a whole week because she got a very important contract that would keep her extremely busy.
I returned home a bit depressed, lay back down on my bed, but this time I could sleep well. Actually, not that well.
On Tuesday, I went to the uni hoping to see her, but to my surprise, she wasn't anywhere.
On Wednesday, I went to the theater club to see if by chance she got some time and decided to spend it with her friends, but I found nothing.
On Thursday, I checked the attendance sheets of all the teachers who had her in class. To my surprise, she did have attendance, but I didn't see her during any free time.
On Friday, I gave up and just slept.
Both Saturday and Sunday, I spent doing nothing, but I realized I had run out of food for the night, so I went to a convenience store.
I started walking to the place. Lately, I feel very watched. If I had to give an exact date, it has been since last Thursday, but no one has actually attacked me. Still, I set a save point every morning just in case.
When I arrived at the store, I went straight to the section with instant food, the kind you just heat for 1 or 2 minutes, and it's ready.
While checking, I noticed a person with a hat and a black robe.
I leaned over to see what they were looking at. I tried in some way to follow their gaze and noticed they were looking at the instant ramen.
If I give them money, will I get something like good karma so that Himari finally tells me the reason for her strange behavior?
I approached the person and tapped them on the shoulder. "Hello, sir, do you need money or something?"
The person jumped suddenly, giving me a headbutt directly to the chin. I was about to fall to the floor, but my mental resilience helped me stabilize quickly.
"Sorry! Argh, I was about to give you something, and I hit you. If you don't want to now, you can back out; I won't get angry." The person in front of me looked around with an expression of anguish, then bowed to me.
When I could see better after the blow, I noticed something: the person in front of me wasn't a man.
The girl had beautiful light blue hair and a pair of charming greenish eyes. Plus, she had an incredible tan, almost impossible for a human...
While looking into her eyes, I felt something strange, similar to the attraction metal feels towards a magnet. It wasn't romantic, not at all; rather, it was something telling me this person is important...
She's another girl from the manhwa!
Her hair is an unusual color. Well, actually, thanks to Power, mutations of that type are very prone to happening. Still, I can rely on her perfect tan. She doesn't seem to have much money, so it's complicated for a normal person to achieve such a result.
"Huh? Don't worry, it was an accident. Besides, I mistook you for a man; I hope I didn't hurt your feelings." I tried to act disoriented while thinking about how to proceed.
"Ah, thank you! If it's not too much to ask. I'd like you to help me buy an extra spicy ramen. I swear I'll pay you back." She bowed to me again, then grabbed what she wanted from the shelf.
I took the ramen and then headed to the refrigeration section, where they had a kind of baguette with pepperoni, turkey, and cheese.
As I turned around to go to the register, I noticed there was a 2-for-1 deal on drinks. "What do you like? Taking advantage of the two-for-one, I'll give you the drink," I said while grabbing an orange Fanta.
"A cola is fine." The moment she said it, I grabbed a cola and took everything to the counter.
There, I took out my card and paid. I handed her things to the girl. "I don't have a phone, so go to the club 'Cerro Va' on Friday and say you're looking for Anna Silvia."
"Ok." I don't plan to lose money, plus she's key. She probably has some problem I need to fix so she can be safe and live peacefully until the next woman in distress I need to save or help appears.
After this encounter, my life went back to being automatic. For the rest of the week, I didn't have any kind of interaction with Himari.
Her presence disappeared from my life completely.
Friday arrived in less time than it takes a rooster to crow. I didn't know what time the club opened, but I went there anyway and entered.
The first thing I noticed was the number of people. On this specific day, there were too many faces. Plus, the smell of cigarettes and alcohol was almost palpable.
I began to navigate through the sea of people until I reached the bartender. I told him I was looking for Anna Silvia, and he just pointed to the second floor.
Going up, I could see the same girl I saw in the store. She was talking to several people. A big smile was on her face as she gave them instructions.
I approached her and tapped her on the shoulder so she would turn around. "Hi, remember me?" I asked.
She looked me directly in the eyes for a few seconds, then her eyes widened. "You're the guy from the store, right?"
I nodded without speaking. When she saw that, she directed her hands to her pockets. "Here." She gave me the exact cash for the ramen.
She put her hands behind her back and then looked to a specific side. "Hey. Do you want a beer? My friend is giving them away." She pointed with her green-painted index finger to a specific table.
"It's just the first drink," she said after retracting her finger and placing it near her cheek.
Drown my sorrows in alcohol? It doesn't sound healthy... But it doesn't sound bad either.
"Ok." I started walking towards that table; she followed me.
When I was about to arrive, I noticed two guys laughing. I don't know, it felt very weird knowing I'm in a club, but when I followed their gaze, I noticed they were looking right at the person behind me.
I stopped for a few seconds next to that table, then, just as Anna was arriving, one of them prepared his hand to slap her butt. I waited patiently for her to get closer, aiming to catch that idiot's hand.
Just as I expected, he attempted to slap her butt, but I grabbed his hand before it got close. "You have a very mischievous hand, don't you think, idiot? People like you really bother me."
I remembered what happened to Himari, so I began to twist the guy's hand out of anger. "Stop stop stop stop!!! Please, stop!" He grabbed my hand with his other hand.
Soon, I slid my hand along his, to grab his index finger and break it. "You are truly disgusting." I kept thinking about what happened to Himari, but I stopped because I was in a club. No matter how much noise there is, these kinds of stupid, arrogant jerks are too noisy when they cry.
The guy grabbed his hand tightly; he was looking at his finger with an extreme tremor taking over his entire body.
Anna approached where I was; she had a frightened look. "You are really terrifying. I don't even know why you did that. Anyway, it's been done to me too many times; I'm used to it."
"That's wrong. You should defend yourself or something; just 'letting it go' is sad," I said. My body was grabbing a beer from where Anna's friend was. They only asked for ID to see if you were of age.
"You just got me into a big problem, you know. Those guys didn't do anything to me just because I let them slap my butt in peace, but now they'll corner me or something." She sat down and crossed her legs.
I sat down in front of her. I didn't know if I could, but I did it anyway, then took a big sip from my bottle. "Then I'll help you. Just tell me what places you frequent." In part, it's because I have to do it no matter what.
She gave me a big smile. "I only frequent this place and the vicinity of my apartment. It's about 350 meters from the convenience store where we met." After saying that, she stood up and started walking around there, talking to people with a big smile.
I ordered two more bottles and got out of there.
I soon stopped acting consciously, and when I woke up, I noticed I was in my bed. I rolled to the edge and grabbed my phone. I went back to Monday the 20th, but the last save I had was from Friday. Anna died.