Morning sunlight crept through the curtains, falling across Noah Sato's face.
His right eye twitched.
He could feel Nana's presence before she even spoke.
A deep, rumbling voice echoed through the small wooden house.
"Noah. Up. School."
He jolted upright like a soldier hearing a drill instructor.
"Yes, Nana!"
She stood in the doorway—
6 feet, muscular build, presence like a forest bear that wandered too close.
She crossed her arms.
"And Noah…"
He flinched.
"Y-Yes?"
"Make some friends today."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Friends always come in handy."
He nodded frantically.
"O-Okay!"
Inside Noah's mind:
She means real friends. Normal friends.
Inside the national surveillance command room:
"She ordered him to build local intelligence contacts."
"She's expanding his network."
"He begins recruitment TODAY."
Everyone braced for disaster.
On the Way to School – The Incident Begins
Noah jogged down the road, bag bouncing, Nana's words echoing in his brain.
Friends always come in handy…
He spotted something:
A tiny kitten stuck high on a branch, crying loudly.
Noah didn't think.
His body moved.
He climbed the nearest pole, reached the branch—
The kitten panicked.
Noah slipped.
"W-WAIT—!"
CRACK—
The branch snapped.
Noah fell.
Directly.
Onto someone walking below.
A girl.
Lilly Cross (Undercover Spy) – POV
Lilly Cross was supposed to be inconspicuous, invisible, undetectable.
A ghost in plain sight.
But today—
sTHUD—!!
A human missile plummeted from the sky and collided with her.
Her breath vanished.
Her vision spun.
Her instincts screamed:
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT.
She rolled away, hit the ground, and sprang up defensively.
I've been spotted.
No one gets that close unless they intend to—
Then she saw him.
The boy.
Expression blank.
Eyes hollow.
Presence sharp and feral for a split second.
A killing aura.
A predator's focus.
Then—
He blinked.
"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't see you!"
The aura vanished like it never existed.
Lilly's blood ran cold.
He turned it off.
Like a switch.
No normal human does that.
Student Council Surveillance – Immediate Reaction
Avery and Elias, arriving early, saw the scene.
Avery whispered:
"…He fell from a tree."
"But landed perfectly on a human target."
Elias swallowed.
"No miscalculation. No injury.
He… used the fall."
Avery's face tightened.
"He weaponized gravity."
Government Command Room – Catastrophic Interpretation
The drone caught everything.
"Subject Noah dropped from a height deliberately."
"He neutralized the unknown operative by landing on her."
"His body control… insane."
"Was that a signal?"
"A move?"
"A warning?"
Someone gasped.
"Look at his expression afterwards—perfectly calm."
Another whispered:
"He's analyzing her."
The director clenched his jaw.
"What was the girl's reaction?"
An analyst spoke in a trembling voice:
"She immediately rolled into a defensive stance…
consistent with trained operatives."
The room froze.
"She's a spy."
"And Noah… engaged first."
Back to Reality – Noah Tries to Help
Noah offered his hand desperately.
"I-I'm really sorry! Are you okay!?"
The girl stared at him, pulse racing, heart hammering.
Why is he this close?
Why is he being… nice?
Why can't I read him?
She finally took his hand.
Her voice trembled.
"I-I'm fine…"
He blinked.
"Wait! Your elbow—it's bleeding!"
She stiffened.
"How did you—"
"It's obvious," Noah said softly.
"My grandma always notices little injuries."
The girl swallowed.
He noticed… instantly.
Hyper-awareness. Situational reading.
This boy… is dangerous.
Walking to School Together – Escalating Tension
Noah insisted on accompanying her to the nurse's office.
Grandma said make friends.
He tried.
But Noah's "helpful, concerned tone" came out wrong.
"So… where are you from?"
Interrogation.
"Why did you transfer?"
Is he profiling me!?
"What were you doing under that tree?"
He KNOWS. He knows why I was there.
She stiffened further with every question.
He kept going.
"Do you live alone?"
He's collecting personal intelligence information—!?
"What's your blood type?"
"…What!?"
"Oh sorry—my Nana always asks that."
Is blood type a requirement for his organization!?
Cold sweat dripped down her spine.
Then She Realizes the Terrifying Truth
As they neared the school gates, she suddenly froze.
Her eyes widened.
Her breath caught.
Because she finally pieced everything together:
The perfect pin-point fall.
The expressionless predator eyes.
The unnatural calm after impact.
The instant injury detection.
The invasive questioning.
His uncanny perception.
And the tree…
No one climbs a tree that fast.
No one lands that well.
No one hides their killing aura that smoothly.
Her heart dropped into her stomach.
This fall wasn't an accident.
He targeted me.
I've been caught.
She glanced sideways.
Noah smiled casually.
"Want half my sandwich later?"
Her chest tightened.
H-He's bribing me…?
To keep silent?
To make me talk?
To break my guard!?
She lowered her eyes, voice barely above a whisper.
"…W-What do you want from me…?"
Noah blinked.
"Huh? A friend?"
Her mind exploded.
A—A FRIEND!?
Is that the code name for what comes next!?
Her steps faltered.
Her pulse spiked.
She was trapped.
She was compromised.
And she was walking beside a boy whose existence terrified both her handler…
…and the country watching through hidden cameras.