After pressing the button on the rice cooker, the rumbling sound of boiling water from inside the machine began to echo in the kitchen, where the light was still dim.
Mimi was still in her pajamas, opening the fridge door while yawning.
"Ugh, what do I have here… Eggs, vegetables, tofu…"
Mimi looked at the contents of the fridge and took some vegetables, eggs, and ham. She didn't know what she was going to cook, but either way, any dish would taste good with rice… even bread.
The sound of utensils echoed, bouncing off the walls of the still-quiet house.
Not long after, Ryan entered the kitchen. Seeing his little sister cooking, he washed his face at the sink before approaching Mimi.
Without a single word, Mimi handed the knife to Ryan. Ryan took it and started chopping the vegetables. He didn't know what Mimi was planning to cook.
But as siblings, they both seemed to already know what they'd be having for breakfast.
"You're up early. Not like you."
Ryan kept chopping the vegetables. Carrots, long beans, and tomatoes were cut into small pieces.
"Hmmm? Yeah… I'm going out later at 9."
"With a girl?"
"Uh-huh…" Ryan nodded, grabbing a small bowl to scoop up the mixed vegetable cuts before handing it to Mimi. "My friend asked me to hang out. I don't know where she's taking me. Probably the mall or a bookstore."
Taking the bowl from Ryan, Mimi poured a little oil into the pan and turned up the heat slightly before adding the vegetables to stir-fry.
She added some seasonings and oyster sauce, stir-frying until the vegetables were slightly wilted. The aroma of wok hei spread quickly, giving off a distinctive, fragrant smell.
"That's Arisa, right? Didn't she have a boyfriend, if I remember correctly?" Mimi lowered the heat and kept stirring, glancing at Ryan with a teasing grin. "Heh… Don't tell me you're her side piece~"
"Of course not, dumbass. Besides, she broke up with her boyfriend two weeks ago."
"Hoo… so why'd she break up with him?"
"No idea." Ryan walked over to the rice cooker, grabbing the rice paddle from the rack. "None of my business, anyway… besides, that's Arisa's personal stuff."
Tasting the dish and deciding it was just right, Mimi turned off the stove and transferred the stir-fry to a plate.
Putting the pan back on the stove, Mimi poured in a little oil and grabbed some eggs.
"Sunny side up or omelet?"
"Sunny side up," Ryan replied, answering the question about his egg preference.
Mimi cracked the eggs while watching her brother cook the rice in the rice cooker.
The sun was rising higher, the outside was getting bright, and it wasn't raining today. Clear weather for anyone wanting to go out.
•°•(;￣Д￣) ✧ (￣～￣;)•°•
A very satisfying meal. Mimi's cooking was as delicious as always; she should've gone to culinary school instead of art school.
But Mimi once said she didn't like sweating… yeah, working in a professional kitchen really wouldn't suit Mimi, who was always relaxed and did things her own way.
"If you're going out, get me some pudding and ice cream. Three puddings and one box of ice cream."
Ryan was washing his hands after doing the dishes and looked over at Mimi, who was sitting at the table eating dragon fruit.
"That's a lot of requests." Ryan walked over, took the skewer from Mimi, and ate a piece of dragon fruit. "But you'll have to wait until the afternoon or evening. You know how it is when I go out with a girl—I usually come back late."
"Hmm… okay. If that's the case, add some snacks or chips too." Mimi took the fruit skewer back from her brother and continued eating. "Nom... nom… don't be too long."
Ryan patted his sister's head and ruffled her hair briefly. "Okay, I won't be too long."
"Huff… stop petting me, I'm not a cat." Mimi brushed off her brother's hand with a slight smirk. "Don't forget what I asked for!"
Ryan smiled at Mimi. Her words and her expression didn't match at all. She really was like a kitten.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah… I won't forget. Later. If you go out too, don't forget to lock the house."
°❀⋆(｡ŏ_ŏ) ✧ (Ŏ⌓Ŏ;)⋆❀°
Brighton was as busy as usual, especially since it was Sunday and the weather was pretty clear.
The atmosphere was a little cool with a gentle breeze, and of course, the distinctive smell of the sea made it a pleasant place to live.
The only downside was probably the stupid seagulls that always stole food whenever they had the chance.
Getting off the bus, Ryan walked from the bus stop to his meeting spot with Arisa.
The two of them had agreed to meet at Churchill Square, the place Ryan always went with his girl friends.
Arriving there, Ryan already spotted a familiar figure leaning against the wall of a shop.
The girl had long blonde hair in a low ponytail. She was wearing a cable knit sweater dress that reached her thighs. She was really stunning.
But for Ryan, seeing a view like this was pretty ordinary. His guy friends sometimes envied how he could be friends with so many girls.
Yeah, the answer was probably to be a good person and, of course, be perceptive… that's probably what a womanizer would say. But Ryan wasn't a playboy; he'd never even been in a relationship… the way to be popular with girls was certainly because he was smart and perceptive.
Like the saying he'd once heard from his grandfather.
If you want to be popular in elementary school, be the fastest. Boys who run fast are more liked because it's really cool.
If you want to be popular in middle school, be the strongest. Teenagers tend to like showing off, so during this time, fighting and being edgy, for some reason, is more liked by girls.
If you want to be popular in high school and onward, be the smartest. At this stage, it's time to stop being edgy and fill your head with all kinds of knowledge. It doesn't have to be school subjects; even general and random knowledge is good. Broad insight will help you befriend anyone.
Basically, if you want to be a popular guy, you have to be fast, strong, and smart.
And Ryan Anemone, with discipline, had applied this principle, which made him quite well-known even though his circle of friends was limited.
"Hey. Am I late?" Ryan asked as he stopped in front of the girl leaning against the wall.
The girl, Arisa, lifted her head and smiled. "Hmm… yeah, you're two minutes late." Arisa put her phone into her small bag. "Let's go."
They both walked through this shopping district. The atmosphere here was as busy as usual on weekends. There were families out spending time together, couples on dates, and even friends being affectionate, like Ryan and Arisa.
"So why did you ask me to come out?"
"Hmm… I just needed someone to talk to~"
Ryan looked at Arisa's sweet smile. If he were a SIMP, who was easily tempted, he might have been captivated by this girl long time ago.
"You know if your ex sees you walking with me, he'll go completely berserk." Ryan sighed, scratching his head where it didn't itch. "He is a real psycho, right?"
Arisa just laughed when she heard that, though her expression was a bit bitter and sour when Ryan brought up her ex-boyfriend.
"Umm… yeah, he was like that… too possessive, maybe. But… umm, ehh, it's not important, why are we suddenly talking about him?"
"Okay… you know it would be really funny if we ran into him. Besides, the world is small, isn't it?"
"Ughh, I hope I don't run into him right now. If he sees me walking with you, he'll think we broke up because of you."
Mmm… Yeah, when I think about it, that would be a problem.
"Hehe, don't worry about it, Ryan. The chance of us running into him in the city is probably less than 50%, and besides, who goes for a walk alone in the city?"
"So the other 50% of you is hoping we run into him."
Arisa continued laughing at Ryan's joke, she bump her shoulder to hin. Leaving the conversation about her ex behind, Arisa walked from shop to shop.
Ryan was honestly like a boyfriend accompanying his girlfriend shopping… not that's not quite fit right. They were really like a married couple, a newlyweds.
Arisa was a girl Ryan knew when he was still in middle school. They got to know each other because they were in the same extracurricular club, the book club.
Back then, she was a bookworm, but yeah, when she entered high school, she underwent a major makeover.
Changing her appearance from a bookworm to a poster girl. Honestly, Arisa's appearance back then was like Reva, his sister's friend he'd met yesterday.
Honestly, the one-sided braid worn over the shoulder or a bun hairstyle, for some reason, was the best hairstyle ever created by humanity, at least that what Ryan opinion.
Or maybe that was Ryan's type, girls with that kind of look. But he'd never been in love, so he didn't really think much about what his type was.
Yeah, even though Arisa's appearance had changed, inside, she was still a little the same. Even though they weren't at the same university now, Ryan and Arisa still had a good relationship.
Whether this good relationship would remain as just friends who were affectionate or become something more…
✧･ﾟ: * (◎_◎;) * :･ﾟ✧
Night had fallen.
In the end, their "date" ended at 6 PM.
Ryan and Arisa were walking towards the bus stop to go home.
But for some reason, Ryan had been feeling like something was off since earlier. He didn't know what was off… but it felt like he was being watched and followed.
"What?" Arisa asked when she saw Ryan occasionally glancing behind them. "Are we being followed?"
"Maybe…"
Arisa also glanced behind them to see if anything was strange. But of course, nothing seemed unusual besides people going about their lives.
When they reached the bus stop and waited a few minutes for the bus to arrive, Arisa was about to board but stopped when she saw Ryan wasn't getting on.
"Come on."
"I forgot my sister asked me to buy her something."
"Hmm… if that's the case, I'll come with you. Besides, we've been together all day, so why not go home together?"
"Hahaha, what are you saying?" Ryan laughed at Arisa's statement. "We're not climbing a mountain. So we don't need to go home together, besides, our houses are in different neighborhoods."
"Wouldn't that be stupid, I mean-"
"The bus driver is waiting, get on quickly."
Arisa sighed and nodded before getting on the bus and sitting by the window, looking at Ryan.
Ryan watched Arisa and waved until the bus drove off.
Not long after, Ryan's phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and saw a message on the screen.
Ryan replied with a thumbs-up emoji before putting his phone back in his pocket and walking towards the Family Mart near the bus stop.
Buying three puddings and one small box of ice cream, Ryan walked out and again felt that strange feeling following him. But he didn't think much of it.
The bus arrived, and he got on, sitting in the middle row. Nothing seemed suspicious; the passengers who got on besides him weren't suspicious either.
During the bus ride, Ryan just played on his phone in silence. Even so, he felt a sense that something was off. An uninvited gut feeling.
The bus arrived at the stop near his house.
It was still 7 PM, still not that late, but the street leading to the housing complex felt very quiet.
Was it because it was Sunday night, so some people were still busy with holiday things?
He didn't know, but one thing was certain… Ryan was definitely being followed.
Mugger? Stalker… who's that guy in the hoodie?
Ryan thought, realizing someone had been tailing him since he got off the bus and was walking towards his house.
It was still about a 15-minute walk to get home, and if it was a mugger… at home, there was only Mimi. He couldn't just go straight home because that would show him where he lived.
If that person was a stalker… who? Ryan felt like he'd never had any issues with anyone.
Ryan glanced back over his shoulder to see if the person was still there.
Who the hell is that…
Ryan started walking around, looking for a more crowded area. But the streets towards his housing complex were mostly houses; there were no shops or anything around here.
No other choice…
Ryan stopped walking and turned around.
The guy in the hoodie also stopped, confused as to why Ryan had turned and was staring at him.
You picked the wrong target, idiot.
Ryan then ran, not towards the back to escape, but towards the man following him.
Like people on the internet said, confuse yourself to win against others.
Ryan lunged, kicking the man. Because it was sudden, the man naturally lost his balance and fell. Without waiting or pausing, Ryan kicked the man's head hard before grabbing the hoodie to see the face of this mysterious man.
"…Karl?"
The hooded man, Karl, was Arisa's ex. As Ryan already knew… he was truly crazy. But he didn't expect his comment earlier today to become a jinx.
"What are you doing following me?" Ryan stepped back, creating distance. "You know if you want to be a stalker, at least do it to Arisa, not me."
Karl got up, rubbing his cheek where Ryan had kicked him, staring at Ryan while reaching into his hoodie pocket as if he were about to pull something out.
Ryan raised both his hands in a 'surrender' gesture, to avoid provoking this psycho further, especially since he'd just kicked him hard.
"Oi, oi, oi, I know I just kicked you, but that's because you were following me. So we can talk this out nicely, okay?" Ryan put on his best smile to show he had no problem with him. "Everything's fine, right?"
"…What were you doing with Arisa?"
"Huh?"
"What were you doing with Arisa. She… she's my girlfriend."
Crazy guy… didn't they already break up?
Ryan paused to think, choosing his words carefully so as not to anger this heartbroken lunatic.
"Didn't you guys break up?"
"NO. WE DIDN'T BREAK UP, I STILL LIKE HER!!!"
Karl pulled out a small knife, his posture ready to strike at any moment.
Seeing this, Ryan lowered his hands. Seems like talking wasn't going to be useful with this schizo guy.
No wonder Arisa dumped you, idiot.
"So you're going to stab me with that little knife~" Ryan smiled. "You know, I heard from Arisa… your 'knife' is smaller than the knife you're holding~"
Karl charged, intending to stab Ryan. But Ryan didn't just stay still. He swung the plastic bag with the pudding and ice cream he'd bought towards Karl's head and quickly grabbed Karl's hand holding the knife.
He put him in a hold until the knife fell and then delivered a spinning kick that sent Karl crashing to the side of the street.
"You're not the type who's familiar with street fighting, are you?" Ryan opened the bag he'd swung to check if the puddings were smashed. "You know you'll have to replace the pudding and ice cream I bought if it's ruined."
He picked up the small knife that had fallen and pointed it at Karl. "so... want keep continue or leave."
Seeing Karl just staring at him, looking defeated but with a vengeful glare, Ryan sighed and turned to walk away.
See you later, loser… I don't understand why Arisa could like him. Yeah… he is kinda handsome though.
"Argh!!"
Pain stabbed into Ryan's back. Karl had actually stabbed him. He had two knives; Ryan hadn't expected that.
"Fuck…" Ryan swung his arm back to make Karl step back. Then he stepped back and felt his back.
Looking at his hand, now red with blood, his mind went blank, like it was lagging as he processed the information.
Slash!
Ryan fell to the pavement, clutching his slashed neck, blood gushing out.
Damn… I don't want to die.
"Good riddance," Karl said, before stabbing Ryan in the stomach several times, until Ryan's eyes truly began to grow dim.
No one saw because the street was very quiet, and Karl ran off, leaving Ryan lying in a pool of blood that continued to seep out little by little.
With the last of his strength, trying to stay conscious, Ryan struggled to reach for his phone in his pocket.
CALLING Mimi… Have to call Mimi. I have to call my sister…
But his hand had gone numb. His vision was starting to blur. He could only stare at the sky.
The moon looked beautiful up there. Even though it couldn't emit its own light, it could still shine beautifully.
Hahaha… looks like I'm going to be a wandering ghost. I'm not dying peacefully anyway. But I don't believe in ghosts though…
Dying as a virgin… and never having been in a relationship. Hahaha, I kinda regret never experiencing love besides family love…
The blurry world slowly turned as dark as the night.
Ryan Anemone, 21 years old, Died.