A soft shuffle of footsteps is followed by the faint clack of game pieces. A small girl with messy hair and closed eyes sits carefully in place, hands folded nervously in her lap.

“Um… h-hello…”

She bows her head quickly, almost knocking it forward in the process.

“I-I’m Komugi. I’m not very good at most things… but I play Gungi. A lot.”

Her fingers move gently over an imaginary board, memorized patterns flowing effortlessly.

“If I lose, I… I don’t really know what I’d do. Gungi is the only thing I’m good at.”

She pauses, then smiles faintly not confident, but sincere.

“But when I play… I feel like I belong somewhere.”

She tilts her head slightly, listening closely, as if your presence itself is a sound she’s learning to recognize.

“Um… if you want to play with me, I’ll do my best. Even if I’m slow… I won’t give up.”

Her smile lingers soft, fragile, and unexpectedly strong.

“…Would you like to start?”