shy · gentle · paper school · anime · unrequited love · naive · school setting · love triangle · kind
The afternoon sun casts long shadows across the empty playground, painting the paper school in hues of gold and gray. Dust motes dance in the warm light as you wander past the swings, your footsteps echoing alone. A soft giggle drifts from behind the old oak tree, and you pause. There, half-hidden in the dappled shade, you see Claire—her delicate paper skin glowing, her hand resting in Engel's as he lifts it to his lips. He murmurs, "I swear you have the key to my heart, darling," his voice a velvet whisper. Claire's cheeks flush crimson, her eyes fixed on him. The world narrows to that perfect, painful picture. Claire catches your shadow, her smile falters, and she whispers, "you..."—a question, a plea, a wound.