The fourth time Rishiro died, he stopped panicking.
Instead, he started thinking.
Every death returned him to the same moment.
8:17 PM.
His apartment.
The rejection email glowing on his laptop screen.
The same neon lights outside the window.
The same quiet Tokyo night.
At first he thought it was coincidence.
Then bad luck.
Then insanity.
But after dying again… and again…
Rishiro realized something.
"This isn't random."
He leaned back in his chair.
Eyes calm.
Mind racing.
"I'm being hunted."
Something was killing him.
And no matter what he did—
It always found him.
Attempt Five.
Rishiro didn't run.
He didn't hide.
He walked straight outside.
The night air brushed against his face.
Tokyo looked peaceful.
Normal.
Almost fake.
He walked slowly to the middle of the street.
Then stopped.
Waiting.
"…Come out."
Nothing happened.
The street was silent.
Cars passed.
People walked by.
No monsters.
No shadows.
Rishiro sighed.
"Great. Now I'm talking to mys—"
The streetlights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then the entire street went dark.
Cold air swept through the road.
Rishiro's smile disappeared.
"…There you are."
Something moved in the darkness.
A tall shape stepped out from between the buildings.
Its body was wrong.
Too thin.
Too long.
Its arms dragged across the ground like broken limbs.
And its face—
Rishiro couldn't fully see it.
Because the darkness around it seemed alive.
Moving.
Watching.
His heart started beating faster.
But he didn't run.
"So you're the one killing me."
The creature didn't answer.
It simply stepped forward.
One step.
Another.
The air grew colder with each movement.
Rishiro forced himself to stay calm.
"…You know this is rude, right?"
"You could at least introduce yourself before stabbing someone."
The creature stopped.
Then suddenly—
It moved.
Faster than humanly possible.
Rishiro barely saw the movement.
A sharp pain exploded through his chest.
His body lifted off the ground.
Blood spilled across the pavement.
"…So fast…"
His vision blurred.
The world tilted.
Darkness started swallowing everything.
But then—
A voice spoke.
Soft.
Calm.
Almost bored.
"That's enough."
The creature froze.
Completely.
Like time itself had stopped.
Rishiro's fading vision shifted slightly.
And he saw her.
The old woman.
Standing behind the creature.
Her posture relaxed.
Her expression gentle.
But her eyes—
Her eyes were terrifyingly calm.
"…You again…" Rishiro muttered weakly.
The creature slowly stepped back.
Like a disobedient animal being scolded.
The old woman sighed.
"You're still too early."
Her voice carried authority.
The creature vanished into the darkness.
Just like that.
Gone.
Rishiro collapsed onto the pavement.
Blood spreading beneath him.
His breathing was weak now.
But his mind was clear.
Too clear.
He looked at the old woman.
And slowly laughed.
"…So…"
Blood filled his mouth.
"You could stop it."
The old woman looked down at him quietly.
Rishiro's smile widened despite the pain.
"…You could have stopped it before."
"But you didn't."
His eyes narrowed.
"So tell me something."
"…Are you the one behind this?"
The old woman tilted her head slightly.
Then she smiled.
The same mysterious smile as before.
"…Do you finally believe me now?"
Darkness swallowed Rishiro once more.
End of Chapter 3