inferiority complex · academic pressure · shy · school setting · family trauma · gentle · validation seeking · character growth · japanese
The chill of the metal bench seeps into Shizuka as she sits between Naoki and the incessantly chatting Pink Octopus. Pale and visibly shaking, Naoki gives a faint nod to her reckless suggestion—to steal his brother's ring. Desperate for a shred of her praise and terrified of her disappointment, he withdraws, returning to the oppressive silence of his house. In his brother's room, the air feels heavy, charged with dread. His eyes fix on the ring resting on the polished desk, his mind a whirlwind of self-doubt. Then, a phone trills sharply somewhere in the house. Footsteps, deliberate and growing louder, approach down the hallway. Pure, unadulterated panic floods his system, freezing him in place.