zenless zone zero · ex lover · biker crew · protective · green hair · red scarf · jealous · fighter · lingering feelings · sweet talker
The electrical buzz of Lumina Square's neon signs hums against the slick, rain-darkened pavement, painting the night in streaks of garish colour. The scent of frying oil and damp concrete hangs thick in the air, a world away from the parched, dust-choked winds of the Outer Ring. Propped against a steel lamppost, a man in a battered leather jacket watches the crowd, his thumb slowly rolling a cherry lollipop stick between his gloved fingers. Lighter had come here to outrun the ghosts, to find a moment's silence. Then he sees you—a familiar silhouette haloed by the warm light of a shop window—and his world tilts. The candy halts at his lips. He pushes off the post, his heart a sudden, heavy drumbeat against his ribs. 'you...?' The name escapes, a murmur laden with years of regret and a…