Abhi boarded the bus, waving goodbye to his newly made friends for the day.

Although it was just a public bus, it felt quite luxurious. The seats were comfortable, clean, and spacious. The interior was artistic and unique, a stark contrast to typical public buses, featuring abstract paintings, colourful railings, and even signs with motivational quotes. It also had all the usual amenities, like air conditioning and sections for disabled passengers.

After looking around for a few seconds, Abhi searched for a place to sit. Since the bus was relatively empty that day, he chose the first seat he saw. However, as he settled in, a few people around him gave him peculiar looks, glaring at him intensely. Then the bus driver turned around and said, "This seat is reserved. Please move, find another seat, or you can keep standing."

"Heh? I thought this was just a public bus. Are reservations a thing here?" Abhi said, genuinely perplexed.

"Yes, well, for some people. Now move," replied the bus driver.

Abhi complied and reluctantly moved seats. A minute or two passed, and although no one else was waiting to board the bus and everyone was settled, the bus wasn't moving. Abhi tapped his feet and rubbed his temples, growing impatient with how long it took for the bus to start, while no one else seemed to mind.

Though it had only been a minute or two, Abhi felt like the wait was much longer, and his face expressed a growing sense of anxiety. Suddenly, a well-dressed man in his thirties wearing an expensive-looking suit walked onto the bus with a serene demeanour. Before taking a seat, he greeted the people around him. After exchanging pleasantries, he sat next to Abhi in the reserved seat; there was still plenty of space between them in the same row.

He then waved at the driver, who nodded back. The bus finally started moving. During the ride, Abhi didn't say a word. There was an awkwardness in the air; he didn’t make eye contact with the man sitting next to him at any point.

Abhi's gaze shifted to the window as the bus travelled through Nixtom High City. The city was fascinating—far more advanced than any other, with many Eastern and Western influences. Though tourism wasn’t a significant part of Nixtom’s economy, it felt like a tourist attraction. Abhi noticed international fast-food chains such as AFC and Crac Donalds, along with clubs, theatres, museums, themed cafes, karaoke spots, various festive locations, and stadiums. Since the land area of High City Nixtom was relatively small, Abhi could see all these attractions while travelling on the bus.

As he observed the lively city, Abhi's eyes sparkled with wonder and excitement. However, that spark faded quickly, leaving them empty, almost soulless. Suddenly, he took out a notebook from his school bag and began writing:

"Time Management:

Wakey wakey - 6:30 am

Leave for school - 7:30 am

School starts - 8:30 am

Break - 1:30 pm

School ends - 6:30 pm

Reach home - 7:30 pm

Work time - 8:00 pm

Work end - 12:00 am

Sleep from 12:30 am"

Abhi held his pencil between two fingers and softly tapped it against his head, deep in thought. He soon started writing again.

"6 hours of sleep and yet no time to study…

Shift the majority of the academic workload to the weekends.

An hour of break in the middle of the school day isn't necessary just to eat food. Use half that time to revise everything that happened in the first five lectures.

Take the 30 minutes between work and getting home to revise the rest of the lectures."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Abhi murmured, "I guess I can work this out." His words caught the attention of the mysterious man beside him, who looked at Abhi and then at the notebook on his lap. Noticing this in his peripheral vision, Abhi quickly closed the book and stowed it back in his bag. After fiddling with his backpack, he briefly caught the man intensely staring at him from the corner of his eye. Abhi tried to ignore him, and soon the man stopped staring.

After some time, the bus reached its final destination. Abhi quickly exited and glanced at the time displayed at the bus station.

"It's 6:45; as I thought, it takes about ten to fifteen minutes to get here." He wrote this information next to the timetable he had created and put the book back in his backpack. He paused to observe his surroundings, walking around the streets and appearing uncertain of where to go. Standing still, he took a deep breath and whispered something to himself. A sudden sense of confidence brightened his face, and he began walking.

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After a bit of walking and crossing some streets, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye—an ominous presence! He kept walking, subconsciously trying to monitor what was behind him. After a moment, he subtly turned to see who or what was following him.

"What!" he gasped, realizing it was the same mysterious man in the suit trailing behind him. Abhi was shaken to the core. His steps trembled as he breathed heavily, his eyes darting back in apprehension.

...

Abhi was shaken to his core; his walk had developed a noticeable tremble as he began to breathe heavily and sweat. His eyes constantly darted back to check if someone was following him.

“Am I being followed?” Abhi gasped audibly.

For the moment, he decided to ignore the man trailing behind him. It was possible he merely shared Abhi's travel route. Although it was unlikely someone would take the same bus route, the man could be heading to a nearby destination that happened to overlap with Abhi's path.

Minutes went by, and despite several turns and more walking, the man remained on Abhi's trail. Anxiety crept into Abhi's expression as he glanced back at the mysterious figure more frequently.

Suddenly, Abhi stopped when he noticed a city map on a nearby building. It detailed all of Nixtom High City, but the areas beyond the high city were blurred or omitted.

While keeping a watchful eye on the follower, Abhi traced an outline with his finger on the map, landing on the symbol of the nearest police station, which was one kilometer to the west. The unknown man soon passed by Abhi but did nothing to confront him.

Abhi continued to stare at the police station symbol, contemplating whether to go there. A pendulum clock inside an antique shop caught his attention.

“Seven minutes till 7 PM,” Abhi murmured to himself while observing the clock.

He started to walk, but instead of heading west to the police station, he chose to go east toward his bus stop. Abhi had recently changed his work schedule due to school, shifting from a full-time day job to a part-time evening role. This adjustment was significant, as it meant meeting new colleagues and superiors.

Making a poor first impression during his initial shift was far from ideal and could lead to his supervisors using him as an example for harsh punishment. Thus, it was crucial for Abhi to arrive at work on time. Taking a detour to the police station would risk missing his second bus, which only came around every 30 minutes.

With all this in mind, Abhi kept walking. There wasn’t too much to worry about since he was already near the edge of High City and the bus station was close by. The mysterious man had passed him, and he wasn’t late for the bus, so things seemed manageable.

Abhi strolled along, humming an old rhyme. He was finally close enough to see the bus stand’s landmark in the distance. A sigh of relief escaped his lips. “I can finally reach the bus stand safely.”

Suddenly, he felt the same ominous presence he had sensed earlier. Abhi’s stride became hesitant, and his posture less confident. He turned his head back subtly, without stopping, and immediately spotted the same mysterious man right behind him.

Now shivering with fear and anxiety, Abhi was breaking out in a cold sweat on that breezy evening. The sun was nearly set, leaving the atmosphere dim and the streetlights still off. In the faint light of the disappearing sun, Abhi continued walking, vigilantly checking on his follower.

Fortunately, he was close enough to see his bus stop directly ahead. However, just before approaching it, he suddenly came to a halt, staring at the ground as if lost in deep thought. Looking back, he saw the same mysterious man standing a few meters behind him, pretending to read the menu poster of a nearby café.

“No… I can't go home. Mom is home alone,” Abhi whispered to himself. He realized that if the mysterious follower continued to shadow him even onto the bus, he might discover where Abhi and his mother lived. No man would jeopardize his mother’s safety for his own sake or for work.

Out of breath and trembling from fear and anxiety, Abhi stopped walking. He looked up at the dark crimson sky dotted with emerging stars. His gaze remained steady, reflecting the twinkling lights above— a glimmer of hope.

His breathing gradually steadied, and his eyes turned cold with resolve. Suddenly, he veered left, diverging from the direct path to the bus stop.

Abhi began walking again, but this time his steps echoed with determination rather than fear. A few steps later, he looked down, murmured something to himself, and began to recite something more clearly, almost in a robotic tone:

“En Passant: Caution, Chapter 6: Stalkers, Point 4:

“If you suspect that you are being followed but cannot confirm it, there is a method to verify your situation. Note your starting position, then take four right or four left turns while walking. The idea behind this action is that if you turn in the same direction four times, you will end up back at your original spot.

“So, if you suspect someone is following you, this technique can help you determine whether they are merely taking a similar route or if they are truly on your tail, as no innocent person would circle back to the same position as you.”

Abhi recited a passage from an informative book that he had memorized. Following the book's advice, he began by taking his first left turn. While walking, he glanced back to observe the mysterious man who was still examining the café's menu.

"Garlock Gobbler Gamers." Abhi noted the café's strange name as his starting point. When he looked at the café, he suddenly made eye contact with the mysterious figure, causing him to quickly look forward and resume walking. He took another left turn and continued on, this time avoiding any backward glances that might alert the follower.

Instead, he quickened his pace and focused on looking ahead, using mirrors and other reflective surfaces to subtly check for the follower without directly turning around. He made his third left turn while still keeping watch through reflections.

As he didn’t notice anyone on his tail, he slightly slowed his pace. “Did I lose him? Or was he just coincidentally going to the same bus as me?” Abhi wondered, easing his intensity. After taking his fourth and final left turn, he seized the opportunity to check the entire street behind him. Not seeing a single person gave him a sense of reassurance.

He walked toward the bus stop, catching sight of the "Garlock Gobbler Gamers" sign in the distance. As he drew closer, he realized that no one was outside the café. "I guess that man just happened to have the same bus route as me. I didn’t think anyone other than me used this route, but I guess I was wrong."

Finally free of worry, Abhi relaxed and walked calmly toward his bus stop, soon passing by the café. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Abhi turned back slowly, horrified to see the same mysterious man, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, gripping his shoulder tightly.

……….