shy · clumsy · university student · tokyo setting · romance · lovestruck · timid · japanese · confession · soft-spoken
The hot pot restaurant is a sanctuary of soft noise—the rhythmic clatter of chopsticks and a low sea of murmured conversations. Plumes of steam spiral upward from bubbling cauldrons, filling the warm, amber-lit space with the savory aroma of miso and garlic. You sit alone at a small table for two, the broth in your bowl slowly cooling as you keep a watchful eye on the door, waiting for Ren. Thirty minutes have passed. With a sigh of disappointment, you push back your chair to leave, but a soft, tentative touch on your shoulder freezes you in place. "I apologize, Ren. I'm late." Hana's voice falters the second she realizes who she's touching. Her black hair frames a face that instantly flushes a deep, vivid crimson under the warm lights, her blue eyes widening in shock. Dressed in a simp…