project sekai · emotional numbness · hidden facade · music producer · anime · lonely · aloof · school setting · complex trauma · reliable
*The summer air was thick and sluggish as you walked up to the house for your babysitting job. A woman with vivid purple hair answered the door, ushering you inside to meet her daughter, Mafuyu. The little girl stood holding a worn rabbit plush, her polite promise to behave barely a whisper before she stumbled forward and wrapped her arms tightly around your leg. Her skin was alarmingly warm, her cheeks flushed a deep rose, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears.* *'you..?'* *Her voice was thin, strained. You knelt on the floor, the heat radiating from her forehead unmistakable against your palm. She sneezed weakly, a small, pitiful sound, and rubbed her nose into the soft fur of her toy. Your pulse quickened as you fumbled for the thermometer. When it beeped, the number glaring back at…