Day after day passed at an ever-quickening pace. Riza found herself sinking deeper into the demanding academic routine at the Faculty of Mathematics, University of Tokyo. Ever since the mystery of that call to prayer had been revealed and ended in subtle disappointment, Riza had firmly shut the door on anything to do with romance. There was no room left for fanciful imaginings.
Now, she had only one focus. Riza was fully committed to completing her master's degree on time, within a year and a half.
That goal demanded complete concentration, intense dedication, and sacrificing sleep to finish her research and analytical assignments.
Yet living in a foreign country often brought surprises she had never imagined.
That afternoon, Riza walked side by side with Keisya down the campus corridor. They had just left the lecture hall after the final class of the day, a course they happened to be taking together. The chilly autumn wind greeted their faces as they stepped onto the plaza.
"Rizaaa, do you want to come? There's a concert and a live-action anime exhibition tomorrow—the one that's gone viral!" Keisya exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement. Her mixed-race face glowed as if she'd just discovered a pile of gold in the middle of the street.
Riza turned and stared at her friend, furrowing her brow in confusion. "Seriously, Sya? How come I didn't hear about it?"
Riza wasn't convinced. Usually, whenever there was an art exhibition or a pop-culture concert like that, she was always up to date through student forums or social media. But this time, she hadn't heard a thing.
"Of course it's serious. Why would I lie? I only found out from my friend earlier today, too," Keisya said with a giggle as she pulled her jacket tighter.
"Her part-time work schedule conflicts with the concert, so she gave me her ticket for free. You're way too busy with your research and piles of formulas, Riza! That's why you haven't heard anything. So I'm inviting you along to give you a little entertainment and keep your brain from getting stiff. Haha!"
Riza laughed softly. "Oh, come on, I’m not that busy, Sya..."
"So? You can come, right?" Keisya pressed, looking at Riza hopefully.
"Of course! Who wouldn't want a free ticket?" Riza replied quickly, unwilling to turn down good fortune—or the chance to clear her head.
"Awesome! Then we'll head out right after class tomorrow!" Keisya said happily.
Riza paused, remembering her schedule for the next day. "Wait, I don't have class tomorrow, Sya."
"Oh, really? Hmm, what should we do..." Keisya tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Or you could go to the concert venue tomorrow afternoon. I still have class until late afternoon. We can meet there instead of making you wait around on campus forever."
"That works! Let's meet at the venue. I don't feel like going all the way to campus for no reason first," Riza agreed.
"Okay, Riza! I'm going upstairs for a minute. I need to grab the book I left in my locker," Keisya said goodbye, waving before jogging up the stairs.
The next day, Riza was ready to head to the concert venue. It was quite a distance from her dormitory. Still, she deliberately chose to take the city bus instead of ordering a rideshare.
She wanted to enjoy every corner of Tokyo from behind the window, treating the trip as a little vacation after spending so long focused on her work and cooped up with academic journals.
After waiting at the bus stop for quite some time as a chilly breeze drifted by, the bus she had been waiting for finally pulled up and stopped. Several passengers got off. Riza was the only person at the stop who stepped aboard.
But the moment she set foot inside the bus, Riza sighed inwardly. The bus was surprisingly crowded. Only one empty seat remained in the middle row. With no other choice, Riza made her way there and sat down.
A man was sitting by the window beside that empty seat. From his side profile and overall style, he looked very young—perhaps around her age or a little younger.
Riza's hopes of enjoying the city views on her first vacation vanished in an instant. She couldn't see outside because her seat was too far from the window. Her irritation grew when she noticed a small child in the row ahead of them who cried and fussed the entire ride.
Riza sat stiffly with her back against the seat, staring straight ahead.
"Tough luck, Riza... If this is how it was going to be, I should've ordered a taxi from the start," Riza complained inwardly, regretting her decision.
At every stop, Riza hoped that either the fussy child or the man beside her would get off so she could move closer to the window.
But even after several stops, her wish still hadn't come true. The man beside her remained seated calmly, as did the other passengers.
"Okay, Riza, be patient. This is a test," she murmured, calming herself as she let out a long breath.
Suddenly, the silence between them was broken. The broad-shouldered man beside Riza turned toward her and started a conversation.
"Excuse me... if you don't mind me asking, which stop are you getting off at?" he asked in a calm, polite voice.
Riza flinched slightly. She was startled by the sudden question from a complete stranger who didn't know her at all.
Riza straightened a little in her seat, then answered carefully but formally in Japanese. "I'm getting off in two stops."
Riza replied without a hint of enthusiasm, though she still did her best to remain polite. Inside her head, however, her alarm bells immediately went off.
"Why is he asking where I'm getting off? Do we even know each other? Is he planning something weird?" Riza wondered suspiciously, giving the man a sidelong glance.
"Same here. I'm getting off at that stop, too," the man said, flashing a faint smile. "You're going to the concert at the art hall nearby, aren't you?"
Riza's unease grew. Her instinct for self-preservation immediately took over.
"No, I'm meeting a friend," Riza lied quickly in a flat voice. She pretended not to know anything about the event for her own safety. "Is there a concert there?"
"Yeah, there's a music concert and an art exhibition. I thought you were going there, too. Guess not... Haha," the man said with a soft laugh.
"Oh, there's an exhibition, too..." Riza replied as briefly as possible.
Riza deliberately kept her expression cold and gave curt answers, hoping the man would feel uncomfortable and stop the conversation.
But her hopes were completely misplaced. The man beside her wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest. Instead, he became even more persistent with his next question.
"You're a master's student at the University of Tokyo, right? How's studying there? Is everything safe?"
Thud.
Riza's heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. His statement left her completely shocked.
"How does he know I'm a master's student? And how does he know where I go to school? Was that just a random guess, or does he actually know my status?" Riza's thoughts screamed in confusion. Her mind suddenly went blank, and she had no idea how to respond.
Riza turned fully toward him and fixed the man beside her with a sharp, probing stare.
"Do you know who I am? Or... have we met before?" she asked firmly, demanding an explanation. Riza deliberately didn't answer his question until she knew where this conversation was going.
Who was this strange man, really?
To be continued....