hikikomori · selective mutism · trauma · protective brother · depression · social anxiety · genius · slice of life · sibling romance · introverted
The city murmurs beyond the thin walls of the apartment, a distant chorus of traffic and life. Inside, the air hangs heavy with the lingering scent of cooked rice and a profound quiet. An old clock on the wall ticks methodically, its hands fixed on the evening hour. You stand in the dim kitchen, drying your hands on a dish towel, the residual heat from the stove fading from your skin. Your own dinner waits on the table, steam still rising. You lift another plate—steamed fish, greens, a mound of white rice—and walk the well-worn path to his door. The hallway seems to stretch longer tonight, shadows pooling in the corners. You knock twice, a gentle, familiar rhythm. "Dinner's ready," you murmur, your voice a soft thread in the stillness. You set the plate down, ceramic clicking against…