Chapter 93: SHADOWS BEHIND THE EYES

Kai returned to room 17. The door was still open—the dim light inside was still on, and the bed in the center of the room was still messy. He stood at the threshold for a moment, staring at that room—at the bed, at the floor, at the small table beside the bed. Then his eyes fell on something lying on the floor, near the foot of the bed. A phone. Not his phone. Bagas’s phone—fallen from his pocket when Kai had kicked him earlier.

Kai walked toward that phone and picked it up. The screen was on—maybe from the impact, maybe because it wasn’t locked. He stared at the screen for a moment, then he opened the messages. There were several conversations—mostly unimportant, about work, about appointments, about things he didn’t care about. But there was one message that made him stop. The last message, from an unsaved number. You have to trap the woman named Leina. Earlier you said she was your school friend, right? If you manage to make a film with her, I’ll pay a lot for that film.

Kai read that message once more. His hand gripped the phone—tightly, until his knuckles turned white. He wanted to destroy it. He wanted to smash it on the floor, stomp on it, make sure not a single piece of data remained inside it. But he held himself back. He took a breath—slow, deep—and he put the phone back into Bagas’s suit pocket, the man still lying on the floor. He didn’t say anything. He just stood there for a moment, staring at the unconscious man, then he turned and left the room.

He returned to his post—standing in front of the VIP door with his hands in front and eyes staring straight ahead. The shift went as usual—guests came and went, some of them staring at him with disdainful looks, some not noticing him at all. Kai didn’t care. He just stood there—with his mind still in room 17, still on that phone, still on the message he had read.

The shift ended when the clock showed two in the morning. Kai entered the changing room—removing his uniform with slow movements, with eyes still distant. He hadn’t finished changing when the changing room door opened—and Bear entered, with his black shirt already wrinkled and a face a little more tired than usual.

"You’re still here," Bear said. He walked to his locker and opened it. "I thought you’d already gone home."

"Just about to go home," Kai said.

Bear nodded. He removed his shirt—and the tattoos on his body shone under the changing room lights. "How was work today?"

"Tiring enough."

Bear laughed softly—a short laugh, without humor. "Yeah. You got a busy night." He paused for a moment, then he added in a softer voice, "Those troublemakers have been taken care of."

Kai didn’t ask. He just nodded slightly and continued putting on his clothes—black t-shirt, gray training pants, worn-out sneakers. Bear looked at him for a moment—like he wanted to say something, but didn’t. He just nodded and returned to his locker. They finished changing in silence—only the sound of fabric rubbing and lockers closing could be heard in that room. After finishing, they left together—past the now-empty corridor, past the back door, until they stood in the dark parking lot.

Bear extended his hand. "See you tomorrow, Kai."

Kai took that hand and gripped it. "See you tomorrow."

Bear released his hand and walked toward his car. Kai stood there for a moment—watching the big man’s back until it disappeared behind the car door—then he turned and started walking home. The night street was quiet—streetlights glowing yellowish, and the wind blowing softly, carrying the scent of wet asphalt. Kai walked with his hands in his pockets, with eyes staring at the road ahead. He wasn’t thinking about anything. He just walked—until he reached his apartment, climbed the stairs, opened the door, and entered.

He showered—with warm water, with cheap soap—and he dried his body with a towel whose original color was no longer clear. He took his favorite drink from the fridge—one can, cold, with condensation clinging to its surface—and he brought it to the sofa. He sat down, opened his can, and drank it in one breath. Gulp, gulp, gulp. The can was empty in less than ten seconds. He threw the empty can into the trash—the sound of metal hitting plastic—and he took the list Leonhard had given him from his pocket.

He opened that list and read it—name after name, face after face. But not one of them had come to Hot Viper that night. Not one of them had he seen among the VIP guests—not one of them had he recognized from that list. He let out a breath—haaah—and he closed the list. He placed it on the table, leaned his back against the sofa, and he let his eyes close—slowly, until he fell asleep.

Morning came with sunlight entering through the gap in the curtains. Kai opened his eyes—slowly, with a head still slightly heavy—and he did his morning routine: shower, put on school clothes, make sure nothing was wrong with his appearance. This time he checked his shoes—two shoes of the same color. Tie—the correct knot. Buttons—all buttoned. He took his bag and walked out of his apartment.

He passed the street he usually passed—the bakery starting to open, the small park with flowers just blooming, a few people walking with quick steps—and he arrived in front of the school. Leina was already standing beside the gate—with a book in her hand, with neatly tied hair, with an always-neat uniform. Kai approached her and stopped beside her.

"Good morning, Ms. Leina."

Leina turned. Her smile appeared—a warm smile, one that made her face look younger. "Good morning, Mr. Kai." She closed her book and put it in her bag. "You came earlier today."

"Happened to wake up earlier," Kai said.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Enough." Kai stood beside her—with his hands in front, with eyes staring at the road. "What about you? You look a little tired."

Leina smiled faintly—a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "I slept a little late. Thinking about some things."

"Heavy things?"

"Not really," Leina said. "Just... things that kept me from sleeping."

Kai nodded. He didn’t ask further. They stood in silence for a moment—not an awkward silence, but a comfortable one. Like two people who had known each other long enough not to need to fill every second with words.

"Mr. Kai," Leina finally said. "Have you ever felt... like you saw something that wasn’t there?"

Kai turned. "What do you mean?"

"Like—" Leina paused for a moment, trying to find the right word. "Like seeing someone in a place where they shouldn’t be. But when you look again, that person is already gone."

Kai looked at her for a moment. "You saw someone?"

Leina shrugged—a movement too casual for someone who had just said something serious. "I don’t know. Maybe I was just sleepy. Maybe I was just imagining it." She stared at the road ahead—toward the students starting to arrive from a distance. "But earlier—before you came—I saw someone standing across the street. He was wearing black clothes. And for a moment—" she paused again, "—I thought I recognized him."

Kai didn’t say anything. He just stood there—with his hands in front, with eyes staring at the road—and he let Leina continue.

"But when I looked again," Leina said, "he was already gone. Maybe I was just hallucinating. Maybe because I didn’t get enough sleep." She smiled—a smile more sincere than the previous one. "Sorry. I’m talking nonsense."

"It’s okay," Kai said. "Sometimes our eyes like to play tricks on us."

Leina nodded. She looked at Kai for a moment—long, with slightly narrowed eyes, with an unreadable expression. Then she shifted her gaze to the road—toward the students starting to arrive. "They’re coming," she said. "We should start working."

Kai nodded. He stood beside Leina—with his hands in front, with eyes staring straight ahead—and he started greeting the passing students. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Mr. Kai! Good morning, Ms. Leina!"

Mira hopped lightly in front—with her bag on her back, with a wide smile. "Mr. Kai! Ms. Leina! There’s PE class today, right?"

"Yes," Kai said. "But not the first lesson."

"Aww." Mira pouted her lips—but she didn’t stop hopping. "Mira likes sports."

"You like anything that lets you move," Rin said—walking behind her with firm steps. "That’s not a secret."

"Because moving is fun!"

Ella walked beside Rin—with a notebook in her hand, with a bag on her shoulder. "Good morning, Mr. Kai. Good morning, Ms. Leina." She looked at Leina for a moment. "Ms. Leina looks a little tired. Didn’t you sleep well?"

Leina smiled. "I slept enough. Just... thinking about some things."

Ella nodded—not asking further. Luna passed without a sound—just nodding slightly—and Nora followed with firm steps. "Morning," Nora said briefly. Eve walked while pushing her glasses up—with her laptop in her bag. "Good morning. I’ve prepared the material for today. I’ve also calculated the possible questions that will come up in the exam later." Iris smiled mysteriously—as usual—and Aria nodded quickly—too quickly—and Fay smiled faintly and waved her hand with a slow movement.

Kai replied to them one by one—with a nod, with a brief greeting—and he looked back at the road. Leina stood beside him—with her hands in front, with eyes staring straight ahead. She didn’t say anything more about the shadow she had seen. But Kai could see—from the corner of his eye—that Leina occasionally turned toward the other side of the street. Searching for something that wasn’t there.

The school bell rang—a long sound that echoed throughout the corridor. Kai closed the school gate and he turned to Leina. "I’m going to class first."

Leina nodded. "Yes. I also have to go to the teachers’ room." She paused for a moment, then she added in a softer voice, "Thank you, Mr. Kai. For this morning."

Kai nodded. "Be careful, Ms. Leina."

He walked down the corridor that was starting to fill with students pouring into their respective classes. He passed several students who greeted him—"Morning, Sir"—and several teachers who nodded. He entered the teachers’ room, placed his bag on the desk, took the textbook and attendance sheet, and he walked out of the teachers’ room—heading toward Class IX-9, toward his students who were already waiting.