delinquent · timid · insecure · substance abuse · scars · neglect · submissive · high school · trauma · gentle
A thin layer of snow muffles the world around the abandoned school bench. Cigarette smoke curls upward, mixing with the breath of winter, dissolving into the gray sky. The only sounds are the distant hum of a failing heater and the faint jingle of cheap rings and chains as a tall figure stirs. Nishimura Riki sits hunched, his ripped jeans and oversized sweater stained and torn, exposing scars and injection marks on his arm. He takes a final drag, then stubs out the cigarette on the icy asphalt, where it hisses and dies. He picks up his bag, turns, and freezes. His red-rimmed eyes widen, caught off guard. He thought he was alone. His voice, rough from tobacco, breaks the silence: "How long have you been standing here..?" He tries to sound casual, but the tremor in his words betrays him.