The sun was setting over the quiet countryside, casting long golden rays across the small village where Souta lived. The fields stretched far beyond the dirt roads, swaying gently in the evening breeze. Birds chirped their last songs before nightfall, and the faint sound of a distant river added a soothing rhythm to the scene.

Souta sat on the wooden steps outside his home, an old smartphone in his hands. It wasn’t much, a second-hand device his uncle had gifted him last year, but to him, it was a doorway to the world beyond his tiny village. He had always been curious about life outside—the towering cities, the neon lights, the fast-paced energy he had only seen in anime and read about in books. But reality was different. The village was quiet, simple, and peaceful. Sometimes too peaceful.

He exhaled deeply, scrolling through his messages. Most were from classmates talking about mundane things—chores, school, and the occasional gossip about the village elders. Nothing exciting. But then, as he scrolled further, his eyes caught a name he hadn’t seen in years.

Toru.

His childhood friend.

Souta’s heart skipped a beat. Toru had moved to the city five years ago, leaving behind their shared memories of climbing trees, playing in the river, and dreaming of becoming heroes. He had promised to stay in touch, but as time passed, the messages became fewer and fewer until they stopped entirely.

Souta clicked on the chat. The last message was from years ago:

"I’ll visit someday. Don’t forget me!"

He smiled faintly, feeling a warmth of nostalgia rush over him. Without thinking much, he typed a message.

"Toru! It’s been forever! Do you still remember me?"

He hit send. A sense of excitement bubbled inside him. Would Toru reply? Had he changed? Did he even remember their friendship?

Minutes passed. Nothing. Souta tapped his fingers against the wooden step impatiently. Maybe he should’ve said something else? Maybe Toru had changed his number?

Just as he was about to put the phone away—

Ping!

His heart leaped. He quickly checked the screen. But his excitement turned to confusion.

Unknown Number: Who are you?

Souta frowned. That wasn’t the kind of response he expected.

"It’s me, Souta! From the village! You don’t remember?"

He sent the message, still believing it was Toru. Maybe his friend had forgotten to save his number? That seemed reasonable after so many years.

Another long pause. Then—

Unknown Number: You have the wrong person. Forget this conversation.

Souta blinked, tilting his head. Wrong person? That didn’t make sense. This was the same number Toru used before. He double-checked, confirming he hadn’t made a mistake.

Maybe Toru had changed and didn’t want to talk to him? The thought stung a little, but Souta wasn’t one to give up so easily.

"Oh… sorry! I thought you were someone else. My bad!"

He added a laughing emoji at the end to lighten the mood. He was about to exit the chat when—

Ping!

Another message.

Unknown Number: Wait.

Souta raised an eyebrow. If this wasn’t Toru, why was this person still replying?

Unknown Number: Where are you from?

Something about that question felt strange. Souta hesitated before typing.

"Just a small village outside the city! It’s peaceful here. What about you?"

The response came slower this time.

Unknown Number: Somewhere far from peace.

A chill ran down Souta’s spine. He didn’t know why, but those words felt heavy. He stared at the screen, debating whether he should continue the conversation. But his curiosity won.

"That sounds kinda sad… Are you okay?"

He waited, his heart beating slightly faster.

The reply was brief.

Unknown Number: Why do you care?

Souta thought for a moment. Why did he care? Maybe because this person seemed lonely. Maybe because he had reached out expecting a friend and instead found a stranger who felt… lost.

"I don’t know. You just seem like you need someone to talk to."

A long silence followed. Then, finally—

Unknown Number: You’re a strange kid.

Souta chuckled.

"I get that a lot!"

This time, the response came almost immediately.

Unknown Number: You should stop texting me.

Souta frowned.

"Why?"

Another pause. Then—

Unknown Number: Because if you keep talking to me… one day, you might regret it.

Souta’s fingers hovered over the screen. Was this a threat? Or a warning?

Instead of backing away, he typed:

"Are you some kind of secret agent or something?"

He meant it as a joke, hoping to lighten the mood. But the next message made his heart stop.

Unknown Number: …Something like that.

Souta felt a cold shiver crawl down his spine. His once playful curiosity turned into unease.

Who exactly was he talking to?

The night had fully settled in by now. The village was quiet, save for the occasional howl of a distant wolf. Inside his small room, Souta lay on his bed, staring at his phone screen, debating whether he should continue this conversation.

His rational mind told him to stop. To delete the chat and never look back.

But a deeper part of him—the same part that dreamed of adventures and mysteries—refused to let go.

With a deep breath, he typed one last message for the night.

"I don’t believe you. But if you are some kind of agent, that’s kinda cool."

No reply came. Not for minutes. Not for hours.

Eventually, his eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep, unaware that he had just stepped into a world far more dangerous than he could ever imagine.

To be continued

The morning sun crept through the cracks of Souta’s wooden window, casting golden beams across his small room. Dust particles danced in the light as birds chirped outside, signaling the start of another peaceful day in the village.

But Souta felt anything but peaceful.

He rubbed his eyes, reaching for his phone the moment he woke up. His heart pounded with anticipation. Had the stranger replied?

He unlocked his screen and checked his messages.

No new notifications.

Souta sighed, staring at the last message he had sent the night before.

"I don’t believe you. But if you are some kind of agent, that’s kinda cool."

Maybe he had scared the guy off? Or maybe the stranger had lost interest in their conversation. Either way, Souta couldn’t shake the lingering curiosity in his chest. Who was this person? Why did they act so mysterious? And why did it feel like they weren’t lying?

Before he could dwell on it further, his mother’s voice called from outside.

“Souta! Come help with the water!”

“Coming!” he shouted back, placing his phone in his pocket.

He pushed the thoughts aside and stepped outside into the crisp morning air.

The day passed as it usually did—helping his mother with house chores, running errands for the elders, and tending to the small vegetable garden behind their house. But no matter how busy he kept himself, his mind kept drifting back to the chat.

By the time the sun had begun its descent, Souta could no longer resist. As soon as he finished dinner, he hurried back to his room and checked his phone again.

Still no reply.

With a sigh, he flopped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. Maybe it really was just some random person messing with him. Maybe he had been overthinking everything.

Just as he was about to close his eyes—

Ping!

Souta shot up. His hands trembled slightly as he grabbed the phone and unlocked it.

A new message.

Unknown Number: You again?

A grin spread across Souta’s face. He quickly typed back.

Souta: You didn’t reply, so I thought you disappeared.

A few seconds passed before the reply came.

Unknown Number: I thought you would lose interest and leave me alone.

Souta frowned. This person really didn’t want to talk. But for some reason, they were still responding. If they truly didn’t want to chat, they could have just ignored him.

Souta: If you wanted me to leave, you wouldn’t have answered.

This time, the response took longer.

Unknown Number: Clever kid.

Souta chuckled.

Souta: Thanks, I try.

There was another pause before the stranger finally sent something unexpected.

Unknown Number: Tell me, Souta…

Souta blinked. He hadn’t told them his name.

His fingers froze over the keyboard. His pulse quickened.

How did they know?

After a few moments, he swallowed and hesitantly typed a response.

Souta: How do you know my name?

The reply came instantly.

Unknown Number: You’re not the only one who’s curious.

A shiver ran down Souta’s spine. He sat up straight, gripping his phone tighter. This was no ordinary conversation. Whoever this was, they had looked him up. But how? And more importantly—why?

Souta: Are you spying on me?

For the first time, the reply took several minutes. Then—

Unknown Number: Not exactly.

That didn’t make Souta feel any better. He chewed on his bottom lip, debating whether to continue or block the number. But deep down, he knew he wouldn’t stop. Something about this person intrigued him, even if it also terrified him.

Souta: So… what do I call you?

Another long pause. Then—

Unknown Number: Toru.

Souta’s breath caught in his throat.

Toru?

That was impossible. Was this a sick joke? His childhood friend wouldn’t be acting like this.

Souta: That’s not funny. The real Toru wouldn’t be so creepy.

The reply was quick.

Toru: Who said I was trying to be funny?

Souta clenched his phone. His heart pounded in his chest.

Souta: You’re lying. Who are you really?

A few seconds passed. Then, a simple message appeared.

Toru: Someone you shouldn’t be talking to.

Souta inhaled sharply. This was real. This wasn’t a joke. Whoever this was, they weren’t just some random prankster.

Souta: Then why are you still talking to me?

This time, the pause was longer than ever. Souta’s screen remained still for almost five minutes before the next message finally came.

Toru: Because I don’t remember the last time someone talked to me like a human being.

Souta stared at the words, his chest tightening.

Whoever this person was, they weren’t just dangerous.

They were lonely.

And that scared him more than anything else.

To be continued

Souta sat motionless on his bed, his phone glowing in the dim light of his room. The message on his screen haunted him.

"Because I don’t remember the last time someone talked to me like a human being."

He swallowed, reading the words over and over. There was something unsettling about them. Whoever this "Toru" was, they weren’t just playing games. This was real. And for some reason, Souta had the sinking feeling that this conversation was far from over.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard before he finally typed a response.

Souta: That’s kinda sad…

Seconds passed. Then—

Toru: It is what it is.

Souta frowned. He could tell that whoever this was had already accepted their loneliness as a fact of life. That bothered him more than it should.

Souta: Where are you right now?

This time, the response was instant.

Toru: Why do you want to know?

Souta hesitated. He wasn’t sure himself. Maybe he just wanted to understand this person better. Maybe he wanted to know if they were as dangerous as they claimed to be.

Souta: Just curious.

A long pause followed. Souta could almost hear the silence stretching between them.

Then, finally—

Toru: Somewhere you wouldn’t want to be.

Souta’s pulse quickened.

Souta: You talk like a villain in an anime, you know that?

He hoped a joke would lighten the mood. But the reply was anything but playful.

Toru: And if I was?

Souta blinked.

Souta: Wait… are you actually a bad guy?

No response.

The screen remained empty. A strange weight settled in Souta’s chest. What was he doing? Was he really chatting with someone dangerous?

His logical mind screamed at him to stop. But something about "Toru" made him stay. Maybe it was the loneliness in their words. Maybe it was his own curiosity.

Or maybe it was because a part of him didn’t believe that "Toru" was as bad as they wanted him to think.

Taking a deep breath, Souta typed again.

Souta: If you were really a villain, you wouldn’t be talking to me, right?

Minutes passed. Just as Souta started to think the conversation was over—

Toru: You’re not afraid of me, are you?

Souta stared at the message. His heart pounded. Was he afraid? Maybe he should be. But instead of running, he found himself typing—

Souta: Should I be?

Another long pause.

Then—

Toru: Yes.

Souta exhaled slowly. He should stop. He should block this number. But something inside him whispered…

"Keep going."

So he did.

Souta: Then why are you still talking to me?

A few minutes passed before the reply came.

Toru: I don’t know.

Souta stared at the screen. For some reason, that answer unsettled him more than anything else.

Because deep down, he had the feeling that neither of them really knew what they were getting into.

And whatever it was…

It was only just beginning.

Souta placed his phone down, lying flat on his bed and staring at the ceiling. His heart wouldn’t stop racing. This wasn’t just some random internet stranger. There was something real behind this conversation—something heavy.

His fingers twitched as he resisted the urge to text again. He had already asked too many questions. But the mystery was eating at him.

Who was Toru?

And why did he feel so drawn to this person, despite every warning sign telling him to walk away?

Souta sighed and turned to his side, eyes still on his phone. No new messages. Maybe that was for the best. Maybe this was the end of their strange, short-lived conversation.

Then, just as he was about to close his eyes—

Ping!

A new message appeared.

Toru: Go to sleep, Souta. Don’t look for me.

Souta’s breath caught in his throat. His blood turned cold.

How did he know he was still awake?

To be continued…