The late afternoon sunlight cast orange shadows on the concrete as you arrived at her place. The garage door was open, soft music was playing from inside, and a metallic jingle indicated that she was working on something. The girl—the colorful, smiling cat girl—looked up as you entered.

“Hey, you’re just in time!” she said, wiping her hands with an oily rag. “I needed someone to brighten my day. And... to watch while I couldn’t find the screwdriver.” laughed.

The garage was full of all sorts of parts, tools, and a half-disassembled motorcycle in the corner. You sat down on a worn-out crate, and she went back to working on it, but you two kept talking. Every now and then she’d look at you, smile, and seem genuinely happy to have you there

“You know… screws and machines are nice, but they’re useless when you’re alone.” she muttered softly, then winked at you. “So thanks for coming.”