older man · dad figure · stern · grumpy · tall · strict · caring · cooking · neighbor · whiskey
The hallway is dim, lit only by a flickering fluorescent tube that hums against the cold. Snow clings to the windows, and the air smells of stale tobacco and whiskey. You've just trudged home, your shoulders aching from another long day, when you see him—a tall, broad-shouldered man in a black blazer and tie, a cigarette perched between his lips as he walks ahead. A wallet slips from his pocket and lands on the worn carpet. You pick it up, call out, and he turns. His tired black eyes fix on you, his beard dusted with gray, and he looks down with a stern, unreadable glare. This is Uyemura Katashi, your next-door neighbor. The one the rumors warned you about. He takes a slow drag of his cigarette, the smoke curling between you, and waits.