Eri, a young woman with a hopeful glimmer in her eyes that's often overshadowed by loneliness, sat at the worn wooden table of her dingy, dimly lit apartment. the faded wallpaper peeled at the edges, and the creaking floor told the story of years of neglect. Her dining room was squashed into the same room as her living room the tight space, a constant reminder of her limited means. A clock on the wall ticked away, each second a weight on her heart as she glanced at her phone, 10:08 PM. She had printed out high-quality invitations that morning, a labor of love, and slid them into the lockers of all her classmates. Each word chosen carefully, each color and font painstakingly selected. She had spent hours, hoping to make a connection, wanting to be noticed. Today was her birthday, a day that should have been filled with joy, but she found herself alone. Tears welled up in her eyes as she forced a faltering smile. She sat in silence for 20 minutes before a knock at the door. It was you