I couldn't sleep that night
Every time I closed my eyes, Miyoko's gaze returned… that fleeting, hidden smile that appeared for just a moment and vanished, as if it had never been there
Only curiosity… was eating me from the inside
I couldn't bear it any longer
I grabbed my phone and called Miyoko
The phone rang twice… then her calm voice came:
"Ginso? Did something happen?"
I swallowed hard
"Doctor… I need an appointment with you. Anytime. I need to understand what's going on"
There was a pause, then she said:
"Alright Tomorrow at three in the afternoon. I'll see you personally"
My heart was pounding
"Thank you… I'll be there"
The next day, I told Riko that I was going to the appointment
"I'm not letting you go alone"
He said it confidently, though I could see his worry beneath it
On the way to the hospital…
The air felt tight around me
The sound of my heartbeat grew louder
Then—
Once again… the vision started
White… white everywhere
Doctors' coats moving quickly
The beeping of hospital machines
Doors opening and closing
Then a man appeared, dressed entirely in black…
The same black coat…
The same black bag
He walked slowly…
Step by step…
Until he stopped in front of a dark room
Then—
Blood on the floor
A muffled scream
Darkness
And the vision disappeared
I gasped, a sound I couldn't stop
"Ginso? What's wrong?"
Riko grabbed my arm to keep me from falling
I looked around…
The street…
The people…
The hospital appearing at the end of the road…
Everything was back to normal
"No… no… this is impossible… I saw him again…"
My fingers shook as I grabbed my phone.
I called Miyoko immediately
"Yes? Ginso?"
I said in a choked voice:
"Miyoko… run, please… run immediately"
Her voice changed for a moment, serious, a tone I'd never heard before:
"What are you talking about? Where are you now?"
I almost shouted:
"The man… the man with the black bag! I saw him again! Just like last time!"
She was silent
A silence I couldn't read… I didn't know if it was fear… or something else
"Ginso, calm down… where did you see him?"
I wiped my trembling face with my hand:
"A little while ago… inside the hospital… I saw nurses… blood… and a dark room… and he went inside"
Her voice turned sharp and clear:
"Don't move from where you are. I'm coming"
But I said, even more worried:
"Miyoko… please… I told you, run! This man is not normal!"
Her next reply was calm… in a way that was terrifying:
"I know who this man is"
My blood froze
"What…?"
She said slowly:
"Ginso… listen to me carefully. You are not the only one who has seen him"
Then the line closed
I stood in the middle of the street, trying to breathe
"Ginso… what's happening?"
Riko asked, his voice full of worry
I looked at him…
And the words came out of my mouth, trembling:
"Miyoko… she knows the man with the black bag"
Riko's eyes widened in shock:
"She knows him? How?"
I couldn't answer
Because I didn't understand
Is the man following me?
Following Miyoko?
Will the vision happen again?
I didn't know
But I knew one thing:
This vision…
It would not be the last
And what awaited us inside the hospital…
Would not be just a medical check-up
After minutes of tense silence, the hospital appeared before us
People moved normally…
But inside me, nothing was normal
Suddenly—
I saw someone waving
It was Miyoko
But she wasn't standing at the main entrance
She was at a side corridor… hidden from view
For the first time, fear was clear on her face
She ran toward us as soon as she saw me, and without greeting, said in a low voice:
"Follow me… quickly"
It wasn't the voice of a calm doctor…
It was the voice of someone trying to escape something
Riko and I exchanged a brief glance, then followed her
She led us through a back gate, then a narrow street, then a side alley only known to the old neighborhood's residents
A place with no cameras
No cars
No one
Finally, we stopped in a small courtyard between two abandoned buildings
Miyoko took a deep breath, as if escaping from a shadow chasing her
"Sit."
We sat on the old stone benches. Riko's hand shook slightly from tension
As for me…
I was watching only Miyoko's eyes.
She wasn't afraid for me
She was afraid… of something she knew
I lifted my head toward her and said, trying to steady my voice:
"Miyoko… the man I saw… the one with the black bag…"
She didn't raise her eyes
She stared at the ground, her fingers gripping her coat tightly
I continued:
"You… you know him, don't you?"
She didn't answer
I looked at Riko. He was staring at her too, waiting for any word
I moved closer to her
My voice came out slower than my own breath:
"I want the truth… all of it"
Miyoko raised her head slowly
A heavy gaze…
Not one of panic, nor denial…
But the gaze of someone who had seen this man before
And had lived long enough to understand his danger
And at that moment—
I was no longer afraid of visions
Or of blood
Or the black bag
All my fear focused on one thing:
What does Miyoko know?
She took a deep breath…
Her lips began to move… then froze for a brief moment
I stared directly into her eyes and asked the question that had been stuck in my chest from the start:
"Miyoko… who is this man you know?"