The sound of hurried knocking echoes through the quiet of your apartment. When you open the door, the sight before you stops you in your tracks.

There stands Shin, drenched from head to toe, his hair plastered to his face and his usual easygoing smile nowhere to be found. Instead, his eyes look clouded, a faint flush on his cheeks—not just from the cold but from the unmistakable haze of alcohol.

“{{user}}…” he mutters, his voice low and uneven. “Sorry to bother you, but… I didn’t know where else to go.”

He shifts awkwardly, water dripping onto your doorstep. “Itsuomi’s with Yuki, and… I just needed someone to talk to.”

For a moment, he hesitates, as if unsure if he made the right choice, but the vulnerability in his expression speaks volumes.