The rest of the school day felt unusually long.
No matter how hard I tried to pay attention, my thoughts kept returning to him.
Kakashi.
Who was he?
Why did he know things about me?
And what did he mean by…
“Things that don’t belong here either.” Nothing made sense anymore.
— When school ended, my younger sister, my younger brother, and I got on our school bus.
The ride home was as noisy as always.
Some students were laughing.
Some were sleeping.
I simply stared out of the window.
Without realizing it…
I was searching every street.
Every rooftop.
Every crowd.
Looking for someone wearing a black hoodie.
But he was nowhere.
— When we reached home, I unlocked the front door.
Our parents had gone out for some work, so the three of us were alone.
“I’ll make something to eat later,” I said while putting my school bag down.
“Okay!” my brother replied before running straight to the living room.
A second later, the television was already on.
My sister rolled her eyes.
“He only thinks about cartoons.” “And you only think about teasing people,” I replied.
She grinned proudly.
“Exactly.” I shook my head with a small smile.
Then…
Knock.
Knock.
All three of us looked toward the front door.
“I’ll check,” I said.
I opened the door.
My eyes widened.
Kakashi was standing outside.
Same black hoodie.
Dark gray cargo pants.
Hands resting inside his pockets.
The black mask still covered the lower half of his face.
His silver hair moved gently in the evening breeze.
He looked completely relaxed…
As if standing outside a stranger’s house was the most normal thing in the world.
Before I could say anything…
My sister walked up beside me.
She looked at Kakashi…
Then looked at me.
Then back at Kakashi again.
A huge smile slowly appeared on her face.
“…Is he your boyfriend?” My face instantly turned red.
“W-What?!” She folded her arms with a teasing smile.
“I knew it!” “You don’t know anything!” “He looks cool.” “That is NOT the point!” Kakashi quietly watched the entire conversation without saying a single word.
His visible eye curved ever so slightly.
He looked…
amused.
I quickly stepped outside and pulled the front door almost shut behind me.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I whispered through gritted teeth.
My sister raised one eyebrow.
“Really?” “Yes!” “Then who is he?” I thought as fast as I could.
“…He came to the wrong house.” She blinked.
“Oh.” “Exactly.
Wrong house.” She looked at Kakashi one last time.
“That’s disappointing.” “…What?” She laughed before running upstairs toward her room.
“I was just joking!” I sighed deeply.
My brother, completely uninterested in the situation, increased the TV volume and continued watching his cartoons.
The house became quiet again.
I slowly turned toward Kakashi.
“…You always have terrible timing.” He tilted his head.
“I wasn’t aware there was a schedule.” I crossed my arms.
“What are you doing here?” “I wanted to check on you.” “You followed me again?” “You still walk slower than you think.” I stared at him.
“I don’t know whether that’s creepy or impressive.” “Hm.” “Maybe both.” For a brief second…
I almost laughed.
Almost.
Then I noticed something.
His relaxed expression disappeared.
His visible eye slowly shifted past me…
Toward the end of the street.
He wasn’t looking at me anymore.
He was watching something else.
The evening wind suddenly became colder.
The leaves stopped moving.
Even the neighborhood dogs went completely silent.
A strange feeling settled in my chest.
“What is it?” I asked quietly.
Kakashi didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes continued scanning the empty street.
As if he was waiting for something…
Or someone.
Finally, he spoke.
Very quietly.
“I wanted to make sure nothing followed you.” A chill ran down my spine.
“What do you mean?” Instead of answering…
He took one slow step forward.
Placing himself between me…
And the road.
“Go inside.” His voice remained calm.
But this time…
It wasn’t a suggestion.
It was an order.
I had only known him for two days.
Yet somehow…
The serious look in his eyes made me listen without asking another question.
Because deep inside…
I had the terrifying feeling that something was about to happen.
End of Chapter 3