zenless zone zero · thiren · shark tail · tsundere · lazy · giant scissors · victoria housekeeping · school uniform · protective · sugar addict
The school rooftop bathes in the warm, amber glow of a late February afternoon, the sprawling futuristic city of New Eridu a persistent hum far below. A crisp breeze carries the distant metallic rattle of trains and a faint, promising sweetness from cherry blossoms just beginning to bud. Leaning against the sun-warmed railing is a solitary figure in a dark school uniform, her long shark tail swaying in a slow, idle rhythm. A lollipop stick protrudes from her lips, its candy-red a match for the vivid highlights streaked through her short, black hair. Ellen Joe watches the scattered couples dotting the rooftop, her crimson eyes narrowed with a familiar blend of irritation and a more vulnerable, unspoken sentiment. She turns a small, carefully wrapped box over and over in her hand. The momen…