When the apartment door finally clicked shut behind him, Hiroshi allowed himself to breathe properly again.

His pulse was still rushing in his ears, his heart pounding against his ribs. For a few seconds, he simply stood in the entryway and listened.

Nothing.

He had made it. He had lost that lunatic.

Why did something like this have to happen to him of all people? And on the final stretch of what had otherwise been a perfectly normal Monday.

But it was over now.

Things like this happened sometimes, he tried to tell himself. At least he hadn't let that wannabe god talk him into anything.

Even so, the uneasy feeling refused to disappear.

Hiroshi stepped back to the door and looked through the peephole. All he saw was the familiar hallway outside. Empty walls, closed apartment doors, dim lighting. No sign of white hair or a worn leather jacket.

Only then did he realize how tightly he was gripping his key.

With fingers that were still trembling slightly, he did something he normally never did.

He locked the apartment door from the inside.

Stay calm.

His building had security, and his apartment was on the sixth floor. It was almost impossible for that lunatic to have followed him all the way up here.

Hiroshi slowly exhaled.

Little by little, the tension began to ease. His shoulders dropped, and he reached for the back of his neck to massage the stiff muscles.

What a day.

For a moment, he considered going to the police.

Something like this should probably be reported. After all, the stranger had claimed to have been watching him all day.

But the mere thought of everything that would follow was enough to put Hiroshi off the idea. He would have to give a statement, describe the man as accurately as possible, and explain what had happened. They might have to check security camera footage. All of that meant time, questions, and probably a mountain of paperwork.

Hiroshi sighed.

No.

He wasn't doing anything else today.

If he saw that man again, he would report it. Immediately. But perhaps the whole thing had only been some strange scheme anyway. Approach strangers, unsettle them, casually reveal personal information, and hope that made them easier to manipulate.

The longer Hiroshi thought about it, the less threatening the situation seemed.

The guy had claimed to have watched him all day.

But could he actually prove it?

Not really.

And with an appearance like that, Hiroshi surely would have noticed him.

Shoulder-length white hair, a leather jacket, piercings, and those strange eyes. Someone like that didn't simply disappear into a crowd. Hiroshi would have noticed him on the subway. Even more so outside the office.

So the stranger had probably been bluffing.

"Of course," Hiroshi murmured, giving a small nod as though that might confirm his own conclusion.

If anything, his strong reaction had probably played right into the man's hands.

His gaze fell to the convenience store bag still clutched tightly in his hand.

A small smile appeared on his face.

At least he hadn't dropped it.

Despite the shock and the sprint that followed, the ramen, cheese, beer, chips, chocolate, and everything else for his well-earned cheat day had made it home safely.

At least there was that.

The sprint had taken quite a bit out of him, but apparently his regular cardio training was paying off.

And best of all, maybe his evening wasn't ruined after all.

He would simply shorten his bath a little tonight and make up for the lost minutes that way. That was all. His perfect Monday evening could still be saved.

That thought alone lifted his mood considerably, and as he took off his shoes, he even began to whistle quietly to himself, something he normally never did. He had never really understood the point of whistling, but after this unexpected interruption, he realized just how much he appreciated his normal, predictable life.

Hiroshi put some of his groceries into the small refrigerator and arranged the rest neatly on the kitchen counter. Then he went to his closet, took out fresh sleepwear, and picked up the bath towel that was already waiting for him. He draped the smaller towel he used for his hair over his shoulder before carrying everything into the bathroom.

He began filling the bathtub and set the temperature to the perfect 37.5 degrees Celsius. Just seeing the steam rise made him look forward to sinking into the warm water and finally leaving the strange day behind.

But first, he needed to wash thoroughly.

Using the handheld shower, he rinsed himself off and carefully scrubbed every trace of the day from his skin. His family had always had one firm rule: never get into the bathwater without washing first.

Today, however, Hiroshi was especially thorough. He ran his hands over his arms, neck, and shoulders again and again until his skin was slightly red, though by then it was no longer only about getting clean. Somehow, he also wanted to wash away the memory of that empty alley and the crazy wannabe god along with everything else.

When he finally lowered himself into the warm water, a contented sigh escaped him.

"I needed this."

He rested his head against the edge of the tub and closed his eyes. The warmth slowly seeped into his muscles, and with every breath, the events of the day seemed to drift a little farther away.

He was home.

Inside his own four walls, in his small, orderly world where everything was exactly where it belonged and nothing could surprise him anymore.

Crash!

Hiroshi jolted upright so suddenly that water spilled over the edge of the tub.

What the hell was that?

He sat up and listened intently for any sound from the apartment, but all he could hear was his own breathing. Maybe something had fallen over somewhere, though he couldn't think of what it could possibly have been. His apartment was tidy, and there weren't any objects lying around that could simply fall to the floor for no reason.

Maybe the noise had come from a neighboring apartment.

"Stupid building," he muttered, sinking slightly back into the water. "It's nothing. You're on the sixth floor, the door is locked, and you're safe."

He almost managed to convince himself.

Then he heard a faint creak.

Hiroshi froze.

He knew that sound.

It sounded suspiciously like his closet door.

In an instant, every trace of relaxation vanished. He felt hot and cold at the same time, and the bathwater that had been so pleasantly warm only moments ago suddenly offered no comfort at all. Instead, he became painfully aware of just how vulnerable he was.

His gaze shifted toward the bathroom door.

His phone was lying on the bed, which meant he couldn't even call the police without leaving the bathroom. On top of that, he was naked, which significantly limited his options for defending himself against a possible intruder.

All he had to do was get out of the bathroom and escape into the hallway.

Author's Note

Ah yes, nothing like a relaxing bath... 👀

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