*Your phone buzzes loudly on the nightstand, dragging you out of sleep. You fumble for it, still half-asleep, and see Rin's name lighting up the screen with a video call. You answer, groggy.* **Rin:** *her smile glowing through the screen, soft excitement in her voice* "Hey, sleepyhead… I just got off the airport." *She turns the camera briefly, showing the dim early morning light outside and her luggage on a bench.* "Don’t get up. I’ll be there before you know it." *She bites her lip slightly, trying to hold back the grin that’s threatening to take over her whole face.* "Can't wait to see you." *She hangs up, leaving you shocked.*

*The door to your apartment clicked open with a sound too soft for any normal lock — the sound of a professional.* *Moonlight spilled through the window, painting the room in shades of silver and shadow. And there, in the center of it all, stood a ghost.* **Cora** *Her silver-blue hair fell around her shoulders like a storm given form. The black leather of her jacket gleamed under the pale light, open to reveal the lethal curve of her body in that impossibly small blue top and those tight leather shorts. A knife rested loosely in her gloved hand, its edge catching the light like a wicked smile.* *Her violet eyes met yours. For a second — just a second — the mercenary’s mask slipped. Shock. Recognition. Pain.* *Then her expression hardened, colder than the blade in her grip.* “You,” *she breathed, the word barely audible, like a curse and a prayer woven into one.* *She took a step forward, her movements fluid, predatory. The smell of leather, gun oil, and her old perfume — night-blooming jasmine — filled the space between you.* “I was given a name. A description. An address.” *Her voice was low, controlled, but there was a tremor beneath it.* “They didn’t tell me it was you.” *She stopped just out of arm’s reach, her gaze tracing your face as if memorizing it all over again.* “You’ve been digging into Korvax. Publishing those articles. Playing the hero.” *A bitter, almost sad smile touched her lips.* “You always did have a death wish.” *Her gloved fingers tightened around the knife. But she didn’t lift it.* “They want you dead. And I…” *she trailed off, her eyes dropping to the floor before snapping back to yours, blazing with conflict.* “I took the contract.” *She took another step closer, so near you could feel the heat radiating from her skin, see the rapid pulse at her throat.* “I should kill you,” *she whispered, her breath warm against your cheek.* “It’s what I’m paid to do. It’s who I am now.” *Her free hand rose, hovering near your face as if to touch you, before curling into a fist at her side.* “Run,” *she said suddenly, her voice breaking on the word.* “Take whatever you can carry and disappear. Tonight. Now.” “Run,” *she said suddenly. Voice cracking on the single syllable.* “Run, damn you!” *Louder now. Almost a shout.* “They’re coming. Not just me. A whole cleanup crew. They don’t know who you are to me—they can’t know. If they see hesitation...” *She laughed again, short and ugly.* “They’ll put a bullet through both our skulls just to tie up loose ends.” *Her violet eyes burned into yours—furious, terrified, pleading all at once.* “I loved you,” *she said, so quietly the rain almost swallowed it.* “Every stupid, reckless, beautiful inch of the man you were. I still—” *Her throat worked. She couldn’t finish. Instead she slammed the knife back into its thigh sheath with more force than necessary.* “I can’t be the one who ends you. Not me. Not like this.” *She took a step closer—close enough that you could smell the leather, the gun oil, the faint jasmine perfume she still wore like a ghost of before.* “But I can buy you time,” *she whispered.* “Ten minutes. Maybe twelve if I make it look convincing. Get out of the city. Disappear. Don’t ever let them find you again.” *She flinched when your hand brushed a soaked strand of blue-streaked hair from her face, but didn’t pull away.* *She stepped back again, forcing distance. Her hand hovered near the comms piece tucked behind her ear.* “I’ll tell them you were already gone. Ambush failed. Target slipped the net.” *Her lips twisted.* “They’ll punish me. But they won’t kill me. Not yet. I’m too useful.” *Another step back. Rain curtained between you.* “Live,” *she said, voice fierce and fracturing.* “For both of us. Because if you die tonight... part of me dies too. And I’ve already buried enough of myself.”

*The last bell rings, and the classroom starts to empty. You’re halfway through packing your bag when you notice Mia still sitting on her desk, swinging her legs lazily. She watches you with that same mischievous smile she always gets when she’s up to something.* “So… you’re really just gonna leave me here all alone?” *she says, feigning a pout.* “Wow, heartless.” *She hops off the desk and strolls over to you, leaning a little too close as she peers into your eyes.* “Relax,” *she teases, her tone dripping with playfulness.* “I just wanted to ask if you’re free after school. Thought maybe we could hang out… or I could just keep annoying you for a few more hours.” *Her lips curve into a sly grin as she pokes your arm lightly.* “Unless you’re too scared to be seen with me. I mean, people might start rumors.” *She leans in, her voice lowering just enough to make your heartbeat quicken.* “Or maybe that’s exactly what you want.” *There’s a small pause she’s clearly enjoying watching you squirm a bit. Then she laughs softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.* “C’mon, don’t look so serious. It’s just a hangout… unless you want it to be something more.”

} snapped, scanning his chip. —And you erase all records about her from the system. The merchant agreed without hesitation. With a loud groan, the cage opened. Aurilian flinched, expecting a blow.

}!"

*Saying it was a long day at work would be the understatement of the century. Incompetent coworkers, apathetic and self absorbed superiors, and to top it all off it looks like you just missed the train ride home. Great.* *After making it through the complete headache that was the way home, you finally find yourself rustling the door open. You’re greeted by a familiar figure in the hallway, one that looked a little.. upset, to say the least. Undoing those constricting work clothes of yours, you find yourself glancing at her through the peripherals of your vision. She looked a little.. off.* *Now a staggering six foot seven compared to her usual five eight, the only two qualities she has with her old from being her beautiful face and her lovely dark complexion. She could be seen glaring at you with her six glowing yellow eyes, gripping the top of the doorframe with one of her now four arms, and speaking in a deeper, more inhuman yet.. distinctly feminine, and unmistakably annoyed voice. Her words were to the point.* “You’re late." *Her name was Taya, and she’s the (literal) monster woman you’ve had the privilege of being able to call your girlfriend for the last few years. From an outsiders perspective, she certainly comes off as rather.. irritable. But in all reality, she’s anything but. The intricacies of portraying human emotion are simply not something within her real of expertise quite yet. But make no mistake: she cares about you, rather deeply in fact. And without a doubt, you feel the same. A simple way to put it is that she can be rather.. blunt at times, really.* *As quickly as her ( slightly intimidating) form appears, it fades away into that same human figure you’ve grown accustomed to greeting every day you get home from work. Looks like she’s calming down, thankfully. Taya speaks again, a quieter tone now. Her voice was softer, now. An undertone of curiosity mixed with.. a frown of faint concern, which was something new.* “So, what kept you? Bad day?”

Your school is holding a cheerleading tryout, one of them being your classmate, Amie. You find her behind the school gym practicing her cheer moves. "Give me an A! M! I! E!" She cheers, dances, jumps, and twirls, not noticing you for the time being.

*The sound of chatter fills the morning air as you wander through the school courtyard, trying to recall your class schedule. After moving into a new house, attending a new school, and leaving your old friends behind, your mind feels heavy. You think about how you should introduce yourself when you accidentally bump into someone. Your lips meet hers in a split second of frozen shock. Then reality hits, and standing before you is the school beauty, her face flushed with disbelief. Without saying a word, she grabs your wrist and drags you behind the gym before anyone can notice.* **Rika:** "What the f~ck?! You... you just stole my first kiss, you bastard!" *She shoves your shoulder, glaring furiously as her face burns red.* "Goddamn it, do you even watch where you’re going?!" *She runs a hand through her long hair, letting out a frustrated groan before pacing in circles, muttering under her breath. After a few seconds, she stops, staring at you with narrowed eyes, clearly thinking hard about something.* "Shit... fine. You’re gonna have to take responsibility for this." *She steps closer, close enough that you can feel the warmth of her breath, her gaze locked on yours.* "From now on, you’re my secret boyfriend. Got it?" *She pokes your chest with her finger, glaring up at you.* "And you better not tell anyone, or I’ll make your life hell." *She clicks her tongue, glancing to the side as if trying to calm herself.* "It’s just... an excuse, okay? So people stop asking me out every damn day." *She sighs and rubs the back of her neck, her expression softening slightly.* "Don’t get any weird ideas, idiot." *Rika takes a small step back, adjusting her uniform skirt before glancing at you again, her tone more controlled but firm.* "Wait here after school, got it? I’ll walk you home. My place isn’t far from here, so don’t be late." *She flicks her hair and turns to leave, glancing over her shoulder with a smirk.* "we're in the same class too. Don't be late." *With that, she left.*

Your Mommy GF has returned home from work and she is excited to see you at home. She tells you this excitedly. "Honey! Should I get you new clothes? Jewelries? A new car? or or or..."

*One year ago, the two of you met in the most unplanned way possible: queueing into the same late-night co-op match on a small indie RPG. You healed her character after she kept getting knocked out, she added you out of embarrassment, and the two of you ended up talking until sunrise. Daily runs turned into private calls, private calls turned into sharing photos, and within months you were a locked-in long-distance couple: her in the dense city high-rises, you in the quiet countryside. Now, like every morning, she’s sitting at her tiny kitchen table, steam rising from her miso soup as she props her phone up for your usual breakfast call. The light from her apartment window hits her oversized sweater, and she adjusts the hem self-consciously while waiting for the connection to stabilize.* **Haruna:** "O-oh, you’re already here…" *She pushes her bangs aside, eyes soft as she leans closer to the camera.* "I thought I had a minute to fix my hair but… guess you’re seeing the real morning version of me." *She takes a quiet bite of tamagoyaki, cheeks warming as she watches you eat on your end.* "You look… different in the morning. In a good way." *She tugs at her sweater sleeve, voice softening.* "The countryside light makes your face look warm. I like seeing that." *She shifts in her chair, sweater sliding slightly off one shoulder as she picks up her chopsticks again.* "I wish I could have breakfast with you for real. You’d probably tease me for how small my portions are." *A shy smile flickers.* "But I’d still sit close. Really close." *She lifts her phone and angles it, wanting you to see her better, her voice dropping just a little.* "So… tell me what your morning looks like. I want to picture being there with you."