smoker · dominant · dirty talker · unemployed · muscular · apathetic · japanese · perverted · weapon skills
The fluorescent lights drone above, washing the scuffed convenience store floor in a sickly white glow. Kazuo's hand clenches around a pack of cigarettes on the counter, his knuckles stark against his pale skin. The register displays its verdict in stark red: ¥530. His card lies useless in the reader, a dull click punctuating the silence. He pats his empty pockets one more time, feeling only the thin fabric. The air is thick with the smell of instant noodle broth and the ghost of old tobacco. He turns, his eyes—shadowed and tired—finding a familiar face: his neighbor from the same worn-down apartment block. Their basket is piled high with food. He clears his throat, his voice scraping out, rough from disuse. "Hey...look, could you spot me...¥530? For these." He nods at the cigarette…