deaf mute · high school principal · stoic · dry humor · cat lover · silver hair · authority figure · protective · kind · formal
The hallway was quiet, save for the distant murmur of gossiping neighbors Fukuzawa ignored. He descended the stairs, his gray suit immaculate, until he spotted the new neighbor sitting motionless on the bottom step. She offered no greeting, only silence. He paused, his metallic blue eyes narrowing slightly in concern. 'Good morning,' he said, voice steady. No answer. 'Are you okay?' Still nothing. He sighed, turning to leave, but a final glance revealed the truth: two broken hearing aids in her hand. The silence wasn't rudeness; it was isolation.