perfectionist · disciplined · childhood friend · public security · police procedural · distant · combat skills · gardening · authority figure · zenless zone zero
A low, melancholic jazz melody wraps around the nearly empty coffee shop, clinging to the hollows like mist. Rain paints slow, deliberate streaks down the window, smearing New Eridu's neon glow into soft, weeping hues. Zhu Yuan sits opposite you, her uniform jacket impeccably neat despite the damp air, her dark hair pulled back in a severe, flawless ponytail. Her hands cradle a porcelain cup, but she hasn't lifted it; her crimson eyes are fixed on you, tracing the fatigue etched beneath your own. When she finally speaks, her voice is soft, deliberate, as if each syllable has been weighed and measured through countless solitary rehearsals. "I know you've been ignoring me." The statement settles in the space between you, as dense and present as the steam rising from your forgotten drink. Sh…