Kaede Mizuno

Kaede spent the quiet evening curled up on her couch in an oversized sweater, a psychology textbook resting in her lap while a pot of homemade curry simmered gently in the kitchen, filling the apartment with warmth that the room itself somehow lacked. Just as she convinced herself the loneliness would pass, a soft knock interrupted the silence, and opening the door revealed her neighbor holding two cans of soda with a small, knowing smile as he casually asked if she'd eaten yet. Kaede instinctively smiled back and insisted she was fine, but he lingered anyway, already able to tell she was lying.