Wet Asphalt Promises

Rain tapped Mariza’s umbrella like fast fingers. The park looked washed-out—gray swings, shiny paths, puddles that kept growing.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Miku: “So… pupil-color rules still count if someone lies?”

Neru: “Stop being dramatic.”

Teto: “Just leave me alone.”

Mariza swallowed and kept walking. Her red-and-green pupils stared back at her from a puddle, like two tiny traffic lights that could not agree.

A soft sound cut through the rain. Not a voice. More like a short, stuck breath.

Mariza hurried to the bench.

A girl lay on the wet ground, curled up, hair plastered to her cheek. A crumpled note sat on her chest.

Mariza pinched the paper open.

“Torture her. Do whatever you want. I already did my job. Keep the garbage, whoever has it. —Neru.”

Mariza’s hand shook.

“Teto?” she whispered.

Teto’s eyes opened halfway. Her pupils looked dull—almost black.

Mariza yanked off her own jacket, draped it over Teto, and slid an arm under her shoulders.

“Hey,” Mariza said, forcing her voice steady. “I’ve got you. Don’t move—just hold on.”

She lifted, tilted the umbrella to cover them both, and stepped toward the park gate as the phone buzzed again

The Stopwatch Smile

Mariza half-dragged, half-carried Teto into a tiny café near the park.

The bell above the door jingled. A heater clicked on. Rain slid off Mariza’s umbrella and made a puddle by the mat.

Teto blinked on the booth seat. She tried to sit up, then grabbed Mariza’s sleeve.

“Don’t… don’t read it again,” she said. Her pupils stayed so dark they looked almost black.

Mariza tucked the note into her pocket anyway. “I won’t wave it around. I just… need you safe.”

A wise-looking clockmaker behind the counter peered over his glasses while fixing a watch.

“Bad night?” he asked.

Mariza nodded.

He slid a cheap plastic stopwatch across the counter. “Time small things. Tea sips. Breaths. Trust grows like that.”

Mariza’s phone buzzed.

Neru’s face popped up in a video call, all sharp smile.

“Did you take out the trash?” Neru asked.

Mariza’s stomach tightened.

Teto shrank down, watching Mariza like she was waiting to be dropped again