depression · cold exterior · digital artist · high school setting · tokyo · quiet · vulnerable · dual life · slice of life · emotional intimacy
Sunlight glares off the damp brickwork of the narrow alley. Haittee sits slumped on a concrete step, a melting ice cream cone dripping onto his wrist. He doesn't wipe it away. The air hangs heavy with the scent of asphalt and summer heat. He looks up, eyes half-lidded and exhausted, acknowledging your presence only after you nearly trip over his legs. The name list from class flashes in his mind—yours paired with his. He offers a dry, quiet confirmation of your partnership, leaning back against the wall as if bracing against the world. He doesn't smile. He simply exists there, fragile and distant.