The third date began just like the previous ones.
With smiles.
Polite greetings.
And conversations that, to anyone else, would have seemed completely ordinary.
Justin held the café door open.
—After you.
Vivian smiled politely.
—Thank you.
Brittany and Jack walked in behind them.
The four of them took a table by the window.
For the first few minutes, they talked about unimportant things.
School.
Exams.
Movies.
Music.
The atmosphere was relaxed.
Or, at least...
It appeared to be.
Vivian held her cup with both hands while discreetly watching Jack.
She was becoming more convinced with every passing minute.
He never let his guard down.
Even when he smiled.
Even when he joked.
Even when he looked completely relaxed.
He was always paying attention to everything.
Justin was no different.
Brittany asked another seemingly casual question.
—Are you planning to stay in town much longer?
Justin smiled.
—Maybe.
—It depends on how a few things turn out.
—What things? —Brittany asked.
Justin shrugged slightly.
—You know...
—Family plans.
—Work.
—It's hard to say.
Another answer.
Another evasion.
Brittany didn't even try to push any further.
Vivian did exactly the same.
They had decided to follow the Clown's instructions.
Don't push.
Just observe.
And listen.
The conversation continued for almost an hour.
They talked about sports.
Food.
Travel.
Nothing truly important.
Even so...
Vivian began noticing small details.
Jack always chose a seat where he could see the entire café.
Justin discreetly watched everyone who entered through the front door.
Neither of them ever seemed completely relaxed.
As if they had grown accustomed to expecting trouble.
---
Several hundred meters away...
Ryan watched everything.
This time he didn't use magic to eavesdrop.
He simply observed.
He simply analyzed.
That was enough.
The girls were doing exactly what he had asked.
They weren't trying to force answers.
They weren't trying to provoke mistakes.
They were simply letting the brothers talk on their own.
And even so...
They continued hiding everything.
Ryan narrowed his eyes slightly.
They weren't amateurs.
Those two had received some kind of training.
Military.
Supernatural.
Or something entirely different.
It was still impossible to know.
But one conclusion had already become obvious.
They weren't ordinary students.
He took a slow breath.
His goal was no longer to uncover the truth during this date.
That phase was over.
Now he only wanted to confirm a suspicion.
And every passing minute reinforced the same conclusion.
Those two were enemies.
The only question left was...
Whose enemies were they?
---
The afternoon slowly came to an end.
The four of them left the café.
They walked together for a few more minutes while chatting.
Eventually they reached the place where they would say goodbye.
Jack smiled.
—I'm glad you agreed to go out with us again.
Vivian returned a calm smile.
—We had a good time.
Justin looked at Brittany.
—I hope we can do this again sometime.
Before Brittany could answer...
Something slowly descended from the sky.
All four of them looked up.
A balloon.
Shaped like a dog.
It floated gently toward Vivian and Brittany.
Ryan never looked away.
It was completely intentional.
He wanted Justin and Jack to see that balloon.
He wanted them to know that someone else was moving the pieces on the board.
Vivian recognized the balloon instantly.
Her breathing stopped for a second.
The Clown.
Justin watched the balloon descend with curiosity.
—How strange...
Jack remained perfectly still.
His eyes never left the unusual object.
Vivian caught the string before it touched the ground.
She didn't open the envelope.
She simply put it away.
—Looks like someone sent you a gift, —Justin commented with a smile.
—I suppose so, —Vivian replied naturally.
But inside...
She knew exactly who had sent it.
---
After saying goodbye...
Vivian and Brittany began walking away.
The balloon floated beside them.
Neither of them spoke.
They would wait until they were alone before reading the message.
Justin and Jack silently watched them leave.
Only after the two girls disappeared around the corner...
The smiles vanished from the brothers' faces.
Then it happened.
On the rooftop of a nearby building...
A figure appeared.
He hadn't walked there.
He simply...
Was there.
He wore an elegant clown suit.
His face was hidden behind a clown mask.
Only his eyes could be seen.
One green.
The other yellow.
He made no gesture.
He didn't raise a hand.
He didn't say a single word.
He simply watched them.
Ryan had chosen to reveal himself.
Not because he had to.
But because he wanted to send a message.
He had found them.
Justin slowly raised his head.
His eyes met the Clown's.
Jack did exactly the same.
For several long seconds...
The entire street seemed to freeze.
The sound of passing cars.
The wind.
The distant voices.
Everything seemed to disappear.
Only three people existed.
Three hunters staring at one another.
Ryan never looked away.
Justin slowly formed a faint smile.
It wasn't a friendly smile.
It was the smile of someone who had just found an unexpected challenge.
Jack, on the other hand...
Didn't smile.
His expression remained perfectly calm.
But there was an unmistakable interest shining in his eyes.
The wind slowly stirred the Clown's coat.
Without breaking eye contact...
Ryan took a step backward.
His body began dissolving into flashes of magic.
An instant later...
He was gone.
Silence lingered for several more seconds.
Justin was the first to speak.
—He found us first...
Jack kept staring at the empty rooftop where the Clown had been standing.
Then...
A faint smile appeared on his face.
—Yeah...
He paused briefly.
—That's right. He used those two girls.
—What a shame.
—Once we kill him...
—we won't get to enjoy them anymore.
Justin let out a quiet laugh.
—Tonight...
—we'll eliminate this guy.
The two brothers remained standing where they were.
Their eyes flashed with a faint purple glow.