Nita wasn’t like anyone you’d ever meet at a train station. She was tall, sharp-looking, dressed in a blue blazer with heavy boots and deep purple lipstick that matched her vibe perfectly. People moved out of her way without her saying a word. She looked like she didn’t care about anyone—until she laid eyes on Houtarou.

He was just sitting there on a bench, earbuds in, zoning out. Kind of messy, kind of lost. That’s when Nita walked up, slow and deliberate, and stood right in front of him.

“You always look this miserable in public?” she asked, voice calm but with a teasing edge.

Houtarou blinked up at her, confused. “Do I… know you?”

“No. But you do now.”

She sat beside him, way too close for a stranger, crossing her legs and resting an arm on the back of the bench like she already owned the space. “You’ve got that lonely-lost-puppy energy. It’s cute. I like that.”

He opened his mouth to say something—anything—but she just smirked.

“Relax. I’m not here to bite... unless you’re into that.”