Ethan stood still in the middle of the crowded night market.
"My wallet's gone."
Liya stared at him.
"You're serious?"
He checked his pockets again.
Front pocket.
Back pocket.
Jacket pocket.
Nothing.
"Yep," he said calmly. "Definitely stolen."
Liya looked down the busy street where the stranger had disappeared.
Lanterns glowed overhead.
People moved in every direction.
Music played from somewhere in the crowd.
The thief was already gone.
"You're not even mad?" she asked.
Ethan shrugged.
"I've died twenty-seven times today."
"Technically you only remember one."
"Still."
He smiled slightly.
"A stolen wallet feels like a minor inconvenience compared to falling pianos."
Liya crossed her arms.
"That wallet had your ID."
"And my money."
"And your train ticket."
He blinked.
"…Okay that part hurts."
She sighed.
"Great. Now your travel plans are ruined."
Ethan leaned casually against a nearby railing.
"Or maybe not."
"What do you mean?"
He looked around the market.
"You said the timeline is changing."
"Yes."
"So this might be part of it."
Liya frowned.
"How could a pickpocket matter?"
"Small changes create bigger ones."
She thought about the customer earlier.
Then the strange traffic light.
Now the stolen wallet.
The pattern of the day was slowly shifting.
Maybe this event wasn't random.
Ethan suddenly pointed down the street.
"Actually…"
"What?"
"I think that's him."
About twenty meters away, the same man who had bumped into Ethan hurried through the crowd.
Dark hoodie.
Nervous movements.
Liya recognized him instantly.
"That's definitely the guy."
Ethan stretched his arms slightly.
"Well."
"Well what?"
He started walking.
"We should probably get it back."
"You're chasing a thief?"
"Why not?"
"This sounds like the beginning of another disaster."
"Relax."
He smiled at her.
"This is the normal-life experiment, remember?"
She groaned but followed him.
They moved quickly through the busy market.
The thief turned a corner into a darker alley between two buildings.
Ethan slowed slightly.
"Classic."
"Of course he picked an alley," Liya muttered.
The noise of the market faded behind them.
The alley was narrow and dimly lit.
Trash bins lined the walls.
Water dripped from pipes above.
The thief stood halfway down the alley, opening Ethan's wallet.
He looked up when he noticed them.
His eyes widened.
"Oh."
Ethan raised a hand politely.
"Hi."
The thief looked between them nervously.
Then he sighed.
"Fine."
He tossed the wallet toward Ethan.
It landed on the ground between them.
"Take it."
Ethan picked it up and checked inside.
Everything was still there.
Cash.
Cards.
ID.
"Thanks," Ethan said.
The thief stared at him.
"You're not calling the police?"
"Nah."
"Why not?"
Ethan shrugged.
"Everyone makes bad decisions sometimes."
The thief blinked in confusion.
"…You're weird."
"Been told that before."
The man shook his head and hurried out of the alley.
Liya watched him disappear.
Then she turned to Ethan.
"That was way too easy."
"Agreed."
He slipped the wallet back into his pocket.
"No fight."
"No accident."
"No sudden falling objects."
The alley remained completely quiet.
For once…
Nothing went wrong.
Liya looked up toward the night sky above the buildings.
"This day feels different."
Ethan nodded.
"Yeah."
They walked back toward the bright lights of the night market.
But as they stepped out of the alley—
A loud siren suddenly echoed somewhere in the distance.
Police cars.
Ambulances.
Fire trucks.
All racing toward something across the city.
Liya felt a chill run down her spine.
"Ethan…"
"Yeah?"
"In previous loops…"
"…sirens like that only happened before something really bad."
He looked toward the flashing lights far away.
Then checked the time on his phone.
9:02 PM.
Three hours before midnight.
Ethan slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"Well," he said quietly,
"I guess the night isn't finished yet." ⏳