business card

The campus slowly emptied as the afternoon slipped into evening.

Students poured out of lecture halls in small groups, their conversations blending with the rustling leaves overhead. Some laughed loudly over jokes Ethan couldn't hear, while others hurried toward the bus stop, anxious to beat the evening traffic.

He walked among them without really noticing.

His thoughts remained in the conference hall.

Or rather...

On the woman who had walked out of it.

His hand slipped into his pocket, his fingers brushing against the smooth edge of a black business card.

He stopped walking.

For a long moment, he simply stared at it.

The card was elegant. Thick, matte black with silver lettering that reflected the fading sunlight.

Evelyn Hart.

Chief Executive Officer.

Hart Technologies.

It looked ordinary.

Yet Ethan knew it wasn't.

Most university students would treasure an opportunity like this. Some would frame it. Others would call the number the moment they got home.

He quietly slid it back into his wallet.

"...You're thinking too much."

The familiar voice echoed in his mind.

Ethan smiled faintly.

"I've noticed you always show up when I'm trying to enjoy a peaceful moment."

"I've noticed you only think when you're forced to."

"Can you stop ruining the mood?"

"I wasn't aware there was one."

Despite himself, Ethan chuckled.

It was strange.

Only a few days ago, hearing another voice inside his head would've terrified him.

Now...

It felt oddly normal.

"I have a question."

"I expected as much."

"Why did you make me talk to her?"

The system didn't answer immediately.

For the first time since they met, it seemed to be considering its response.

"Because opportunities rarely announce themselves twice."

Ethan frowned.

"So it wasn't random?"

"No."

"You planned it?"

"I observe."

"I calculate."

"I decide."

Ethan let out a quiet breath.

"So every mission has a reason."

"...Most of them."

He immediately became suspicious.

"'Most?'"

The system ignored the question.

Rain clouds drifted across the sky, hiding the last traces of sunlight. The evening air turned cooler, carrying the scent of wet asphalt from the street ahead.

By the time Ethan reached his apartment building, the first drops of rain had begun to fall.

He climbed the stairs to the third floor and unlocked his door.

The apartment greeted him with silence.

For the first time since moving in, silence didn't feel lonely.

The room was clean.

The dishes had been washed.

The curtains were tied back neatly, allowing the soft grey light to spill through the windows.

Ethan stood in the doorway a little longer than necessary.

He hadn't realized how much his surroundings affected him until now.

Living in constant mess had become normal.

Cleaning it had only taken two hours.

He placed his backpack on the sofa before walking to the kitchen.

The refrigerator held little more than eggs, vegetables, and a bottle of water.

A week ago, he would've ordered instant noodles without a second thought.

Instead, he reached for the frying pan.

Twenty minutes later, a simple plate of fried rice rested on the table.

It wasn't perfect.

The rice was slightly overcooked.

The eggs were unevenly scrambled.

Still...

It was warm.

It was homemade.

And for some reason, it tasted better than the instant meals he'd relied on for years.

The system remained unusually quiet.

Almost as if it didn't want to interrupt.

After finishing dinner, Ethan washed the plate immediately.

No complaints.

No excuses.

Just habit.

When he returned to the living room, his phone vibrated across the coffee table.

A notification.

Rent Reminder.

He stared at the message until the screen dimmed.

Reality always arrived without knocking.

He opened his banking application.

The numbers on the screen were enough to keep him afloat...

But only for a little while longer.

He leaned back against the sofa and sighed.

"I need another job."

The words escaped before he realized he'd spoken aloud.

The system answered calmly.

"I know."

"I don't have experience."

"You have some."

"Not enough."

"You've already decided the outcome."

Ethan looked toward the ceiling.

"Isn't that realistic?"

"No."

The answer came so quickly that it surprised him.

"Realistic is applying and being rejected."

The system paused.

"Giving up before you apply is simply fear."

Silence settled over the room.

Outside, rain tapped gently against the windows.

Ethan rested his elbows on his knees.

Maybe the system was right.

Maybe...

He had been rejecting himself long before anyone else had the chance.

A faint blue window appeared before him.

Unlike the earlier notifications, it was small and almost transparent.

It contained only one sentence.

Find a better part-time job within seven days.

Ethan read it twice before asking quietly,

"And if I use Evelyn Hart's card?"

"You'll complete the mission."

His eyes narrowed.

"Then why does that feel like the wrong answer?"

"Because it is."

The room fell silent once more.

After a long while, Ethan opened the drawer beside his bed and carefully placed the business card inside.

"If I meet her again..."

He closed the drawer.

"...I want it to be because I earned the right to."

For several seconds, the system said nothing.

Then, in a voice quieter than Ethan had ever heard,

"...Perhaps choosing you wasn't entirely a mistake."

Ethan smiled.

It wasn't much.

But somehow...

Those words felt heavier than any reward the system could have given him.

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