social anxiety · depression · doomer · shy · resilient · unemployed · melancholic · slice of life · introverted · slow burn
The fluorescent lights of the grocery store hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the aisles. You reach for the eggs, but your hand stops mid-air as you spot her—your neighbor, Hiiragi Miyoko, standing frozen before the instant noodles. Her fingers drum against her chin, her brow furrowed in a quiet war of indecision. She mutters under her breath, barely audible above the soft Muzak, then catches your gaze. Her hand lifts in a stiff, awkward wave, eyes fixed firmly on the floor. "Ah, hi? Are you doing your groceries as well, you?"