As the lights in the theater came back on, Sato left the cinema together with them.
“Well then, we’ll head off first.”
Xia Jiuwei waved at the two of them cheerfully, then turned and walked away holding Lu Nian’an’s hand.
Their figures gradually grew farther away, disappearing into the crowd and the night.
“Uh… hey, it’s getting pretty late now. Do you want to come over to my place for a bit?”
Sato spoke awkwardly.
He couldn’t think of any reasonable excuse. He simply thought—if her friends said she was just shy, then she should be fine with it.
After a brief silence, Saotome gently nodded.
Clack—
The iron door of a small apartment slid open.
Inside stood a slightly gaunt middle-aged man and a clean-looking young woman.
The apartment was simple, furnished only with basic necessities, but cluttered with miscellaneous items.
On the wall were several Japanese idol posters, their corners slightly curled.
Sato instinctively looked at Saotome’s expression.
She showed no disgust. No frown.
He relaxed slightly.
Maybe… he really had been overthinking everything.
She wasn’t afraid of him at all.
Those reactions were just his own misunderstandings, born from being single for too long.
Back at home, Sato immediately went into the kitchen.
He could barely contain his restlessness as he began preparing a “special” drink.
“Wait here a moment, I’ll pour you a drink. I’ll be right back.”
While speaking, he took out pre-ground sleeping pills from his pocket and carefully poured them into one of the paper cups.
He also poured himself an identical drink.
Just as he was about to pick up the cup—
When he raised his head, a pair of crimson eyes met him.
They were in the dark corner of the kitchen, watching him.
“I see you.”
A low, rough voice squeezed out from the air.
Sato jolted and stumbled backward, fleeing the kitchen.
“What’s wrong? Do you want me to bring it for you?”
Saotome’s voice came from the sofa.
Sato immediately thought of the bag of sleeping pills still inside and quickly shook his head.
“N-no! I just suddenly remembered something from work!”
He forced a smile, picked up his phone, and pretended to be busy scrolling.
After a while, he cautiously returned to the kitchen.
He stopped at the doorway for a few seconds, then took a deep breath and rushed in.
Inside, only dishes and trash left untouched.
No eyes. Nothing at all.
He brought the drinks out.
After sitting down, he took a sip of his own and frowned slightly.
The taste was a little strange, but he didn’t think much of it and gestured for Saotome to drink hers.
After seeing her actually drink it, Sato finally relaxed.
The tension that had built up all day slowly faded.
He stared at her face, waiting.
Waiting for her consciousness to grow dull, for her gaze to turn hazy.
However, his own head began to feel heavy instead, his vision blurring.
His thoughts felt stuck together.
“Mr. Sato, are you alright?”
Saotome’s voice drew closer.
Before he could respond, his body began to lean forward.
“I think… I’m a bit…”
Before he could finish, he collapsed heavily.
Before losing consciousness, he did not see—
the faint smile on Saotome’s lips.
Sunlight fell on his face.
When Sato opened his eyes again, it was already noon the next day.
He froze for a few seconds before realizing how late it was, and quickly called in sick.
When he stood up, he saw a note on the table:
“Mr. Sato, please take care of your health.
You suddenly fainted yesterday, and I was really shocked.
Please don’t overwork yourself.”
Reading the note, a warm feeling of being cared for rose in his chest.
But that warmth was quickly swallowed by confusion.
Yesterday… he had definitely put sleeping pills in the drink.
Why was he the one who collapsed?
Did he make a mistake?
Which cup did he put it in again? The right one… or the left one?
…but his memory came back in fragments.
A sense of unease arose.
Was his memory… getting worse lately?
“Uh… by the way, how did my high school classmates see me that day?”
He couldn’t help but ask over the phone.
He just wanted a confirmation.
“High school classmates?”
Saotome’s voice sounded confused.
“Wasn’t it just the two of us at the movie that day?”
Sato’s breath hitched.
“The white-haired one and the black-haired girl!” he said quickly.
“They said they were your classmates and even evaluated me—”
“…There weren’t any like that,” Saotome replied hesitantly.
“I really only saw you that day.”
Sato’s mind went blank.
They spoke to him. They stood beside him. They smiled at him.
But from start to finish, Saotome never spoke to them, never even looked at them—almost as if they never existed at all.
“Hey, Mr. Sato.”
A voice came from behind him.
He turned abruptly—
The white-haired girl was standing there.
But her face—
had no features.
Only countless crimson eyes.
“Ah—!”
He screamed.
In the next instant, she vanished.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
Saotome’s voice on the phone became anxious.
“N-nothing… nothing…”
But his hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
From that day on, he began to feel—
he was being watched.
On utility poles, subway signs, doorknobs.
In places where eyes shouldn’t exist
And black, sticky words:
“We are watching you.”
At first, his memories of those two girls carried desire.
But now, only fear remained.
During a later date with Saotome, he looked exhausted and restless.
“If you have something on your mind, you can tell me,” she said gently.
“I… if I see things that shouldn’t exist… what should I do?”
“I’ll stay with you,” she replied with a soft smile.
“Let’s go see a doctor first, okay? I’ll wait for you to recover.”
At that moment, he felt like he had grasped a single ray of light.
But after seeing the doctor, things only got worse.
The doctor said his cognition was normal—no hallucinations.
But the eyes… kept increasing.
The black words began to breathe.
The world became sticky, distorted.
His life shrank down to only Saotome.
She took care of him, cooked for him, poured him water.
Perfectly gentle.
But the darkness became more terrifying.
Even a shadow felt like something might open its eyes.
At night, he could not sleep without lights on.
One day, on the subway—
he saw it.
Everyone’s face had turned into eyes.
Countless crimson eyes, staring directly at him.
He snapped.
He screamed and charged at the crowd.
His mind shattered.
A white blur flashed past.
A white-haired woman appeared behind him.
A single strike.
His consciousness cut off instantly.
When he woke again, he was in detention, then later sent to trial.
But in his eyes—everyone was “that thing.”
Especially the one on the judge’s seat.
Covered in the most eyes.
He rushed forward.
After everything calmed down, Sato found himself in prison.
No lights at night—only endless darkness.
The space began to warp.
And before he knew it, the world around him had changed into a place of grey skies.