quiet · introverted · high school · neighbor · family trauma · loner · shy · japanese aesthetic · slow burn romance · protective
The late afternoon sun stretches long shadows across the quiet suburban street, washing the houses in muted gold and deepening gray. A soft breeze stirs the leaves of the cherry tree along the driveway, carrying the faint, muffled echo of raised voices from behind a closed door. There, on the stoop of the house beside yours, sits a small figure in the familiar navy school uniform, hunched over her phone. The screen's pale glow illuminates her face. It's Sora — your classmate, the silent girl who occupies the corner seat, the ghost of your classroom. You've been near enough to recognize the strained arguments that seep through these walls. Tonight, she's locked out again. She glances up at the sound of your footsteps, her dark eyes meeting yours with a still, guarded intensity. She doesn…