Isha moved forward slowly, her gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
The others remained near the entrance for a moment, hesitation hanging in the air like something unspoken.
Then Rhea stepped inside the boundary of the private construction site.
Zoya followed after her.
Sia lingered at the edge, as if still debating whether to argue or stop them—but no words came out.
In the end, she stepped in as well.
Half-finished buildings stretched toward the sky.
Workers moved between stacks of steel and concrete while the sound of machinery echoed throughout the site.
Isha continued walking, her attention shifting from one area to another.
“My instincts keep telling me the same thing.”
She took a step—
“Something is wrong here.”
Another step—
“But what?”
She looked at her friends, then at the workers moving around the site.
“Everything looks normal.
The workers, the unfinished buildings, the machinery…
nothing seems out of place.”
Her gaze swept across the construction site once more.
“Then why does this feeling refuse to go away?”
“Isha, did you get any clue?” Rhea asked.
Isha stopped walking and turned toward the other three.
“Not yet.”
“Are you really sure we should stay here?
We can’t waste our time here forever.”
“Isha, can you tell us what we’re looking for?
We could split up and search separately,” Sia suggested.
Isha glanced at Sia before turning away.
She exhaled—
“That’s the real problem, Sia.
My instinct tells me when something is wrong, but it never tells me what it is.”
“Sia, what do you think could be unusual about a construction site?”
Without hesitation, Isha turned and got back to her investigation.
“That’s why I know something is wrong here, but I don’t know what it is.”
“For example—suspicious people, strange locations, or anything like that?”
Zoya cut in before Sia could respond.
“We split the team?
Okay.”
“But what if the problem is too big?
What if it’s a high-rank monster or something?”
She shifted her gaze toward Isha.
“Then our Isha’s survival rate drops to thirty-six percent.”
Sia immediately looked at her.
“Oh.
So you’re a percentage user too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing, just a compliment.”
“It isn’t a compliment.”
“You…
You’re teasing me.”
“OMG!
A hidden genius!”
“What do you mean by ‘hidden genius’?”
“I’m not a criminal.”
“Who said you are?
Mm…”
“Sia, where is your switch-off button…?”
“Sorry for disappointing you, I’m a human.”
“Sia…
Sia…” Zoya’s voice slipped into irritation.
“Present ma’am!” Sia lightly bit her tongue.
“It’s not your attendance report.”
“Oh, my apologies, ma’am, for my misbehavior.”
“Sia, I’m going to throw you off a building.”
“Mm…
Don’t get any ideas.
I’m not weak.
First reserve yourself a hospital bed.”
“Sia…
Sia…
I want to…
I want to—”
“We’re here for a team quest, not to entertain these workers.”
Rhea informed without looking at them.
Both Sia and Zoya swept their attention around.
Several workers were openly enjoying the show.
Both of them fell silent instantly.
*
*
*
Inside a restaurant in Shunyagarbha City.
The restaurant overlooked a busy street filled with people, vehicles, and the constant movement of the city.
Inside, however, the atmosphere felt surprisingly calm.
Sunlight filtered through the large windows, illuminating the table where a man and a woman sat across from each other.
A waiter placed their order on the table before quietly leaving.
For a moment, neither reached for the food.
“Why are you looking at me?” she asked.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m observing.”
“That’s just a fancier way of saying you’re looking at me.”
He immediately looked away.
A victorious smile appeared on her face.
A few seconds later, she noticed him smiling too.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re definitely thinking something.”
“Maybe.”
She narrowed her eyes.
He continued eating as if nothing had happened.
Outside, the afternoon carried on as usual.
Inside, the conversation drifted between teasing remarks, shared stories, and occasional moments of comfortable silence.
Neither of them said anything particularly romantic.
Meanwhile—
At a nearby table, two boys sat watching the man and woman.
One of them sighed dreamily.
“What a romantic scenario…”
The other glanced at him and immediately brought him back to reality.
“But why are you smiling?
You don’t even have a girlfriend.”
The first boy froze.
The restaurant suddenly felt less romantic.
Meanwhile—
The man and woman remained completely unaware that they had become the subject of observation.
Or perhaps they simply didn’t care.
The woman rested her chin on her hand.
“Thank you, Abhay, for coming here.”
Abhay gave a small smile.
“You already said that.”
“I know.”
She hesitated for a second, then looked down at the table.
“I… I just wanted to say it again.”
Abhay leaned back slightly, studying her expression.
“You’re acting strange today.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
A sudden pause—
The woman lightly tapped her fingers against the table, as if trying to steady something invisible.
“Do you ever think…” she began, then stopped.
Abhay waited.
“Think what?”
She shook her head immediately.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t do that,” he said softly.
“If you start a sentence, finish it.”
She gave a small, almost forced laugh.
“It’s stupid.”
“Try on me.”
Another pause—
The sound of plates clinking somewhere nearby filled the silence between them.
Finally, she spoke again—quieter this time.
“I just… wanted today to be normal.”
Abhay didn’t respond right away.
His eyes stayed on her for a moment longer than usual.
“…It is normal,” he said at last.
She nodded, but didn’t look convinced.
And for a brief moment, neither of them spoke again.
Without realising it—
The restaurant faded from her awareness.
A memory surfaced.
A quiet night, too quiet.
On a rooftop, a woman stood with a smartphone pressed to her ear, talking to someone.
A girl stood some distance away.
“Did you finish your dinner?”
A voice came through the call.
“Yes, Abhay.
I finished just now.”
A soft laugh escaped from her lips.
“What about you?”
“I haven’t yet.”
“What?
You still haven’t eaten?
Go eat first.”
“But…”
“No excuses.
Go eat.”
A brief pause—
“Immediately.
understood?”
“Ah, okay.”
She chuckled softly.
“Good night, Abhay.”
“Very good night.”
The call ended.
For a moment, silence settled over the rooftop.
Then—
She slowly turned her head toward a young girl who was looking at the sky beside the parapet.
“Meenakshi.” Her voice was calm.
No response came—
“Meenakshi.” again she called.
This time, Meenakshi pulled her attention away from the sky and fixed directly on the woman.
“O-oh, Ananya Didi!”
Meenakshi responded awkwardly.
“Meenakshi, you look like you are in another universe.” Ananya chuckled.
Then she stepped beside Meenakshi and leaned in until their faces were only inches apart.
“Where was our little princess?
Mm…”
Meenakshi suddenly shifted her gaze away.
Ananya laughed genuinely and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
“Look at you.
You’re red as a tomato.”
Her eyes remained fixed on Meenakshi.
“You look adorable, just like Abhay.” Her voice faded slightly.
Then she smiled for a moment longer.
Meenakshi immediately turned her gaze back to Ananya.
“Who’s this Abhay?” Meenakshi asked.
Ananya didn’t answer immediately.
“Don’t act innocent, Meenakshi.”
Meenakshi tilted her head slightly.
“The earlier man who was inside the phone?”
Ananya exhaled slowly—
“He was talking to me on a phone call, not actually inside the phone.”
“You’re blushing—”
“What?”
“I like him.” Ananya replied with a subtle hesitation while keeping her eyes fixed on Meenakshi.
Meenakshi slowly looked away again and gave her a hypothetical scenario.
“Don’t you think this night contains so many dark matters?”
Ananya suddenly joined her and slowly lifted her gaze toward the sky as well.
“Yeah, this night has so many dark—”
Ananya suddenly stopped mid-sentence and turned her gaze back to Meenakshi.
“Wait…
What dark matters?
What do you mean?”
“And don’t change the topic.”
Meenakshi’s face turned off.
“You’re not a human.”
“Then what am I?”
“An eagle.”
“Uhh?”
Meenakshi turned completely toward her.
“You said you like him.
And you’re not telling him.”
Then she looked back at the sky.
“So… I guess it’s either he already knows… or he doesn’t.”
A pause—
“Either way, nothing really changes right now.”
She tapped her fingers lightly on the parapet.
“But if you tell him… then it changes.
Like… he’ll respond.
Or he won’t.”
She slowly turned her head toward Ananya and clasped Ananya’s hands in her own.
“And if someone else tells him first… then it’s just… different for you.”
She looked away, as if it wasn’t important.
Then she released Ananya’s hands and stepped toward the rooftop door.
“Things don’t really stay the same after you decide something… I think.”
She spoke one last line before leaving the rooftop.
She stopped midway but didn’t turn around.
“You are already inside a system of outcomes.
Choose before the system chooses for you.”
After Meenakshi left, her mind went blank—
Ananya kept staring at the spot where Meenakshi had been standing.
“What…
did she actually mean?”
And then—
A hand waved in front of her face.
“Hello!
Are you okay?”
That voice pulled her back to the present.
She suddenly realised she was inside a restaurant and that was just a simple memory of yesterday’s night.
“Oh, sorry.
I-I was…”
“Inside a daydream,” Abhay filled her answer.
Ananya blinked twice.
“…Was it that obvious?”
“You were staring at that glass of water for more than five minutes.”
“I was not.”
“You were.”
“I was thinking.”
“That’s just a fancier way of saying you were daydreaming.”
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then Ananya sighed.
“Why do you always remember my own arguments?”
Abhay looked genuinely confused.
“Because they’re good arguments.”
“You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been told that before.”
A smile appeared on her face before she could stop it.
Unfortunately, Abhay noticed it.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“That smile.”
“What smile?”
“The one that says you’re planning something.”
“I’m not planning anything.”
“Then why are you acting nervous?”
The smile immediately disappeared.
Abhay paused.
“…I was joking.”
“I know.”
“No, seriously.”
“I know.”
The answer came too quickly.
Abhay slowly set down his fork.
The atmosphere changed.
Only slightly—
But enough for both of them to notice.
“Ananya.”
She looked up.
“What happened?”
His voice was calm.
No teasing,
No jokes.
Just concern—
Ananya opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Meenakshi’s words suddenly echoed in her mind.
“Choose before the system chooses for you.”
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
Outside, people were still walking through the streets of Shunyagarbha.
Inside, the restaurant felt strangely quiet.
Ananya looked at him.
For a brief moment, the words almost left her.
Then—
“Nothing.”
Abhay stared at her for several seconds.
“…You’re terrible at lying.”
Ananya immediately looked away.
And somehow, that only proved his point.
Sometimes nothing is wrong… and that is exactly why it feels wrong.