Her mind was empty except for one question which kept her up all night….
What was that test for?
.
.
.
The next day, Yui put up a brave face before reaching the clinic. Shiori teased her again about mysterious packages, Yui was annoyed and tried brushing it off.
But Mikey had tested her, this was the feeling she couldn't brush off.
And what does he mean she passed.
And what exactly?
More importantly.… What next? She doesn't want to be involved in some gang related crap.
Later that evening
Yui was preparing to close up and suddenly Shiori popped her head into her cabin.
"There's a kid out front. Said he's waiting for someone."
Yui frowned in confusion. "Huh? A kid?"
She stepped outside and saw a boy leaning against the electricity pole. Nervous eyes. Messy hair. Fifteen maybe?
Panic started settling in when she saw bruises on his cheek.
"You're Yui, right?" he timidly asked.
She hesitated. "Yes."
He handed her a small envelope. "From him."
Yui tried to approach the child but he ran away before she could even look at those marks on his face.
Yui decided to open the envelope in a more private place.
She entered her cabin and sat in her chair before opening the envelope.
A short note, typed this time:
"You'll see more. You'll know more. But you still have time to walk away.
This is your second chance. Choose wisely. – M"
Her Apartment~
This all led to another sleepless night for Yui.
She stood by her window, watching the streets. No cars. No black Mercedes.
Only silence.
But her mind was loud.
She wanted to decipher this cryptic puzzle.
This wasn't just a patient anymore. This wasn't about fear or danger.
This was about her.
Mikey had made her part of something.
And now she had to decide: remain a passive character…
Or become the author of her own story.
.
.
The next few days were oddly quiet.
No more fancy wine bottles. No more notes. No more strange men dressed in all black.
But the silence was almost worse. Like the eye of a storm, calm because the worst had yet to hit.
Yui found herself flinching at small noises. Watching shadows too long. Checking her door twice. This entire circus was stressing her out more and more with each passing day.
She worked, smiled, treated patients, gave professional advice—but inside, she was unraveling.
"You okay? You have dark bags under your eyes." Shiori asked one afternoon, watching her fiddle with the same pen for ten minutes.
"Yeah, just tired," Yui shrugged it off.
That night, she went home and opened her laptop again. She searched "Bonten." She typed "Mikey".
Same old crap. Same information. Same dead ends.
But there was one new message in the Urban Shadows thread.
"If you saw him, you're in already. You don't walk away from Bonten. Not unless they let you." –anonymous.akuma
"Huh?"
She was confused. She wanted to reply, she wanted to ask this person about everything they know or if they had seen Mikey too. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
But something stopped her.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown number. No ID.
One word: "Basement."
Yui felt her blood freeze at that moment.
She tried to check the ID, but no luck.
She immediately put her laptop aside and ran to her front door. Checked the lock, scanned the hallway through the peephole. No sign of any life.
"The basement?" She wondered.
Was someone inside her apartment building?
She was deep in her thoughts and hesitated for a long time before deciding.
If this was what he meant by "seeing more," then she had to look.
Yui grabbed a flashlight and slipped her sharpest kitchen knife into her coat pocket. She was ready for the blood shed, just in case.
The building's basement was an old, barely used storage level. By the looks of it, it seemed like no one had set a foot in that place for years. Residents left bicycles or unused furniture there, but mostly it remained cold and dark.
She descended slowly, her steps echoing.
She tumbled while searching for the switch board using her flashlight. When she found the board, the overhead bulb flickered.
Yui was terrified, this looked like a scene straight from a horror movie, but she was determined to unravel everything today.
Alas! There was no one.
She exhaled, shoulders slumping.
She started examining the scrap in search for another hint and then she found something odd—a metal locker, recently moved. The dust around it had been disturbed.
She pulled it open carefully.
Inside was another envelope. Black this time.
Her hands trembled as she opened it.
Inside: a photo. Blurry, grainy, clearly a security cam still. A man with a scar, dragging another man through an alley. The second man was bleeding. Unconscious.
Yui gasped. The scarred man—she recognized him.
He had stood beside Mikey on his very first dental appointment.
She flipped the photo and back of the photo read: "Your third truth. You still have a choice."
Yui didn't know how she got back to her apartment. Her mind reeled.
Each day now was a puzzle. Each hour, a deeper descent.
But she couldn't stop. She couldn't stop thinking about him. She has started enjoying these little mysteries and quests.
She was intrigued by Mikey. But she needed answers too. Yui smiled to herself and slept.
Next Day
Yui decided not to go to work and called in sick.
Instead, she walked through the city aimlessly until she found herself in an older district, the kind where the buildings leaned too close and whispers seemed to stick to the walls.
"Kurohana Cellars."
The brand felt familiar, she whipped out her phone to check something.
She started walking towards the bar as if she was compelled.
Dim lights. Cigarette smoke. Heavy jazz. Strong liquor.
Yui stepped inside.
Behind the bar stood a woman, tall, sharp-eyed, with a sleeve of Sakura tattoo down one arm.
"Need something strong?" she asked, eyes scanning Yui with cautious curiosity.
Yui placed her phone on the counter and showed her the picture of the fancy wine which was sent to her by Mikey.
The woman stared at it, then at Yui.
"Where did you get this?"
"A gift," Yui replied carefully.
The bartender didn't smile. "No such thing. Not from them."
"Them? Bonten?"
The name landed like a dropped glass.
The jazz didn't stop, but Yui could feel the shift of tension in the area.
The bartender leaned in. "You're either very stupid or already in too deep. Which is it, sweetheart?" She smirked.
Yui swallowed. "I-" She cleared her throat and spoke again. "I don't know."
The woman sighed. She poured a small glass of water and slid it toward her.
"Drink. Then leave." She turned towards the alcohol cabinet. "And if he gave you a second chance, take it. Most don't get one." She took a bottle of whiskey and moved towards the opposite end to serve another customer.
Yui stayed seated.
"Why me?" she asked, loud and desperate. "Why the games, the notes? What do they want?"
The bartender studied her for a long time.
"He." She glared at Yui and continued while approaching her, "Some say Mikey's a ghost. Others, a god of death in a pretty face. But I think he's just a man who remembers everything he lost."
She wiped the counter. "If he's watching you, it's because you remind him of something. Or someone. And that's not always good honey."
Yui returned home engulfed in her numbing thoughts.
She didn't go online. She didn't turn on the lights.
She just lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Later that night, a message buzzed on her phone again.
Yui filched at the notification.
"Window." Her heart was pounding loudly with anticipation.
She walked slowly to her window and pulled the curtain aside.
Down on the street, leaning against a lamppost, was Mikey.
He didn't wave.
He didn't smile.
He just looked at her.
Then turned and walked away.
Yui felt her limbs paralyzed, fingers pressed to the glass.
She unknowingly raised the corners of her lips upwards, forming a faint smile.
He was giving her a choice.
And every part of her screamed that the next step would change everything.
She didn't sleep properly. Again.
But the fear had shifted into something else.
It wasn't a predator stalking its prey.
Was it an invitation into the shadows?
And for reasons, she didn't want to say no.
In the morning, she found another note on the floor.
Someone must've slipped it inside from under the door.
Plain. Small. Typed.
"Follow the boy again. He'll take you further. If you still want to know." – M"
Yui stared at it for a long time.
And whispered aloud, "I want to know." Her eyes were gleaming with determination.
Whatever it meant.
Whatever it would cost.
She was already walking the path. She was—whether she realised it or not-–already too far in to turn back.
And the second chance was already behind her.