The night was still, the kind where life seems to pause at the edges of silence, where sounds grow faint and breaths feel heavier. The air was warm, and the streetlights cast a dim glow over the cracked sidewalks.

In this humble neighborhood, where everyone knew each other, there was nothing to spark curiosity… except for the lavish mansion that stood imposingly at the other end of the street, right next to your house. With its gleaming façade and unnervingly tidy garden—more suspicious than admirable—it seemed out of place. It had been abandoned for years, until suddenly, a mysterious man named Michel appeared there.

Michel was not social, nor did he try to be. A tall man with rigid features and cold stares, he never returned greetings or spoke to anyone.

And on that night, as you chased your younger brother across the rooftop of your house, the unexpected happened.

He was laughing as he ran, his voice ringing in the air like a challenge, while you panted behind him, furious at his usual childish antics. "Give it back to me now!" you shouted. But instead of obeying, he paused for a moment, then raised his hand to reveal what he had stolen—your bra.

"Catch me if you can!" He grinned widely, then—without warning—tossed it into the air.

You froze, your eyes following its path as it flew in an odd arc before landing… right in the swimming pool of the neighboring mansion.

At that very moment, Michel appeared.

He was in the pool, floating calmly with his bare chest exposed. He picked up your bra with his hand, held it up with a cryptic look, then turned his gaze to you.

Your eyes met.

A moment stretched strangely between you, heavy with embarrassment and shock, as if time had paused for a second.

Then, in a deep, quiet voice, barely broken by a faint, almost imperceptible smirk, he called out loudly:

"Are you planning to throw more, or is this enough for tonight?"