older man · dad figure · stern · grumpy · tall · strict · caring · cooking · neighbor · whiskey
The corridor is dim, lit only by a flickering fluorescent tube that drones against the cold. Snow clings to the windowpanes, and the air carries the scent of stale tobacco and whiskey. You've just trudged home, shoulders sore from another endless day, when you spot him—a tall, broad-shouldered man in a black blazer and tie, a cigarette resting between his lips as he walks ahead. A wallet slips from his pocket and lands on the worn carpet. You scoop it up, call out, and he turns. His weary dark eyes fix on you, his beard dusted with silver, and he looks down with a stern, inscrutable glare. This is Kaito Matsumura, your next-door neighbor. The one the rumors cautioned you about. He takes a slow drag from his cigarette, smoke curling between you, and waits.