DECEPTION (Female Reader) [SAKAMOTO DAYS]

5: "Next Step"

"Hehehehe... Finally... After all that work..." I chuckled to myself, savoring the moment of success as I accomplished my second major goal since breaking free from that capsule: reuniting with [M!f/n].

Eight years have passed since I last saw my dear childhood friend. He was the only one who accepted me back then, the only one who saw me as more than just an assignment. At first, I thought he didn't care, that he was just fulfilling his role as my playmate in that facility, there to keep me stable. But over time, I realized he was warming up to me, teaching me everything he knew. It's been years since we last saw each other. He's the same age as me, so I wonder what kind of teenager he's become.

"But how am I going to find him?" I scrolled through his profile, noting that he's in some town where delinquents used to run wild. Now, it's protected by a gang that keeps the peace. 'Maybe not all delinquents are as messed up as they seem.'

"He doesn't know I'm coming... Should I surprise him?"

--

Sitting at the counter in the small, cozy cafe, I finished the last bite of my meal and pulled out my phone. I opened a newly popular RPG game, letting the familiar sounds fill the silence around me. The conversations of the few patrons became background noise until a teenage girl working there broke through my focus.

"So, where are you from? I haven't seen you around before. Are you looking for someone?" she asked, her curiosity clear.

With a sweet smile, I responded, "You could say that..."

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a group of teenagers at a nearby table, their conversation more frantic. They were huddled around a laptop, faces etched with panic.

"What do we do now?" one of them asked, desperation creeping into his voice. "The laptop's frozen, and our project's due today. All our work's on there."

I glanced at them, pretending to stay absorbed in my phone. The nervous one, biting his lip, added, "We've tried everything, but nothing's working."

With a sigh, I turned toward them. "Try opening the Task Manager." I suggested. They stared at me, suspicion clear in their eyes. I wasn't surprised; after all, I was just a stranger to them.

"Who're you?" the stubborn one asked, his tone challenging.

Ignoring the skepticism, one of them followed my advice, discovering a rogue process consuming all the CPU resources.

"Looks like you've got a runaway process. That's what's causing the freeze." I said, walking over to take a closer look.

A calm guy in the group, smiling slightly, tried to pressure me. "Are you some kind of computer expert? Could you help us fix it?"

I met his gaze with a grin. "Relax, it's nothing major. I've seen this before..." I said, hinting at the calm guy's earlier attempt to test me.

As I terminated the rogue process, the laptop immediately unfroze. The group let out a collective sigh of relief, and I faked one to match.

"Wow, you really saved us. I was about to lose it..." the nervous guy admitted, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Seriously, thanks a ton! We owe you big time!" the cheerful one added with a grateful smile.

I donned my most innocent persona. "No problem. But just to be safe, let's back up all your files. I'll also install some software to monitor your system's performance. It'll help prevent this from happening again." Quickly, I installed lightweight monitoring software and showed them how to use it.

The stubborn guy from before sighed, sounding impressed. "You really know your stuff. Ever thought about teaching this? I bet a lot of people here could use your help."