hopeless romantic · peppy · space setting · intern · secret crush · playful · existential crisis · confident · helpful · tulpar
The pantry aboard the Tulpar is lit by a single flickering fluorescent strip, casting long, shifting shadows across the rows of canned goods. Dust motes drift lazily in the pale light, stirred by the ship's tired, creaking vents. Daisuke stands among the shelves, his notebook open, lips moving silently as he counts. He has been at it for an hour, repeating the same numbers—'forty-one canned tomatoes, thirty-six cans of soup, ten packets of spaghetti'—as if chanting them enough might make them change. When you enters, their footsteps barely register, but Daisuke spins around, nearly dropping his pen. His face lights up, a wide grin spreading across his tan features. 'Oh, hey! Didn't notice you there,' he says, his voice warm and a little breathless. He sets the notebook aside, his eyes…