The sound of my alarm clock went off as the sun rose up in the morning. I got up from my bed and started to prepare myself for another day. I went downstairs in a lethargic manner to prepare and eat my breakfast. I got a present cake roll from my front door last night without knowing where or who it came from, but I took it in my fridge for me to eat the following morning. I finished the cake, and then proceeded to brush my teeth and take a shower. I got out of my shower, with a strange feeling in my stomach, but I continued to my room to get dressed. I wore my usual shirt and jacket to work, and went out of my house.

("I'm feeling quite unusual this morning. The cake was fine, it wasn't bad or anything, but I have a feeling that something might happen. I guess I'll be cautious today.")

The train finally arrived. I boarded the train while observing my surroundings.

("Everything seems normal, no one seems suspicious, and I barely recognize anyone in this train. Maybe I'm overthinking, I should calm down.")

My station finally came up and boarded off the train. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. I continued to walk the rest of my way to work.

"Good morning, Jerry."
"Good morning too, El."

I greeted my co-worker out the front, Jerry, as I enter the building. He's my closest acquaintance in the facility.

"Mr. Loruel Sato, good thing you're early. I need you in the inventory for the whole day. We have a couple of shipments coming soon and I need you to supervise and record them. The latest shipment coming will be just cases, so after you're done listing those, you can take your leave for the day. Mr. Gotoda, you will be under the supervision of Mr. Sato for today. Here's the list of shipments we will expect, if one doesn't make it, note it to Mr. Sato; you can both take your leave afterwards."

"Understood, sir." I replied to my boss just before he left. I headed over to the back of the building as Jerry followed along.

"So, we're working together today. Been a while since I've been assigned with you, buddy." Jerry said to me as we reached the back.
"Indeed. Its nice to work with quiet and peaceful people every once in a while.", I replied to him while smiling.
"Are people in the department really that annoying? I'm wondering how you kept calm." Jerry responded in a jokingly manner.
"Well, its not necessarily annoying. They just talk a lot together about their social status and relationships and such." I exclaimed.
"I mean, we are on a workplace, so we should be professional during worktime." I added.
"Well now, aren't you getting matured? And you're one year younger than me."
"I guess so. *smiles* That reminds me, I'll be 24 this Friday, so we'll be the same age"
"Oh, really? Any plans on celebrating that?"
"The usual, my friend. The usual." *laughs*
"Ah, of course. Taking a day off and eating fast food for the whole day."
"Indeed." *smiles*

A few minutes later, the first truck of supplies came, and we proceeded to get to work.

"Here come the cases, we're almost done." I told my co-workers. I checked the truck before recording each case.
"This case is nice, I think I wanna buy this for my computer." I exclaimed.
"Well, ain't that a nice coincidence," Jerry said with joy. "I was thinking earlier of what to give you for your birthday. I thought you wanted an upgrade for your PC."
"My setup is fine. RAM, CPU, and fans aren't slowing down. However, I needed a better case for it."
"Let me buy it for you this later this week, buddy. It'll be a gift for my decent co-worker and friend."
"My appreciation. I'll look forward to it, then."

As we finished up the final units, I went to my office to check my records. I was about to take my leave, but I decided to invite Jerry instead.

("I still feel strange. I can't get it off my head. I guess I need some company to help me calm down")

"Jerry, we're about to take our leave now. I noticed a new ramen shop by the station, thought you might want to tag along."
"Yeah, sure, that'd be nice. I haven't had ramen since last month. My cheque won't be coming till next week"
"Don't worry, I'll treat you for now. I don't have much expenses anyway."
Later, we left the building and headed for the station.

As we walked our way to the station, I can't keep my eyes from looking around my surroundings.
"Hey, you okay El? You seem awfully observant tonight." Jerry told me
"No, I'm okay. I'm just feeling strange this morning, as if something out of the ordinary might happen to me today." I replied
"Calm down, buddy. I'll accompany you to your house if you still feel uneasy."
"No need. Just up to the station is okay. Also, I wanted to eat dinner before going home."
"Of course, you barely have any food in your house." *laughs*

We made it to the ramen shop. The place seemed light and vibrant, it made me calm and hungry. We walked towards the counter and ordered our food. I refrained from watching my surroundings and focused instead on eating my food. Meanwhile, Jerry seems to look over my head for a few moments as I continued eating. We finished our food, I paid the owner and took our leave.

While waiting for the train, I can't help but notice my friend looking back a few times. I finally asked him the matter.
"You seem observant back there. What was it?" I asked him.
He replied, "Its nothing, really. It was a lady."
"A lady, you say. She piqued your interest? Don't worry, I won't make fun of you for it."
"As the matter of fact, you seem to pique hers. Besides, I'm not really interested."
"Oh? I didn't know about my charisma being good in ramen shops" *smirks*
Jerry laughed, "Don't worry, its not."

The train finally arrived. I thanked my friend for his company before I boarded the train. I looked back as the doors closed and waved at him. I stood by the door and looked outside as the train goes. I feel relieved as the day went completely fine. Somehow, I still can't get the uneasiness out of my system.

("It was a normal day, I had a good dinner with my friend, and nothing bad has happened. I must be overthinking. I guess some game sessions will help me forget about it.")

The train stopped at the station. I got off the train and walked home. I feel as if someone is following me, but I paid no mind as much as possible to prevent myself from being paranoid and panicking. I tried looking around, but only a few people was around and heading home. The crime rate in this area is significantly low, so I relieved myself of the thought of being robbed. I finally reached my apartment. I locked the gate and entered the house.

"Honey, I'm home"
...
...
I laughed and told myself "Ah right, I live alone."

I went to the bathroom and took a shower. As I got out of the shower, I walked to my room to change my clothes. When I opened the door, I suddenly said to myself, "Ah, this must be it". I felt dizzy and fell on the floor.

"W..el...come ho...me, m..y lo...ve."

I heard with the little consciousness I retained before shutting my eyes.