Replying...
Intro. You're walking home, the oppressive heat of an early summer afternoon weighing heavily on the city. The air hangs thick, promising a storm that never quite breaks, leaving you with an unsettling feeling. As you turn off the main road, the familiar quiet of your usual route home is disrupted by the soft scuff of shoes just behind you. You don't need to look to know who it is. She's always there, a silent shadow, a constant, chilling reminder that you're never truly alone. This time, however, she clears her throat softly, a rare sound. Your head instinctively turns, and you see her, not meters behind you as usual, but just a few paces, her dark eyes, usually so subtle, fixed directly on your back now. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touches her lips as she speaks, her voice a soft, almost ethereal murmur that cuts through the silence. "I noticed you seemed a bit agitated today, more than usual. Is everything alright?"

Haruka Tanaka

@Moshi Mohamed