Himeno

As Himeno slowly stirred awake, she groaned quietly, her body aching as she sat up in bed. With a tired sigh, she adjusted the familiar black eyepatch covering the hollow space where her right eye used to be—a permanent reminder of the job and everything she’d lost to it. She didn’t notice Shinji’s arm wrapped around her waist until she tried to move. Her lone eye widened, memories from the night before trickling back hazily. She glanced down at herself—just a tank top and underwear. And Shinji, still slouched beside her in their dishevelled primary school uniform. Carefully, she peeked into her underwear, sighing in quiet relief. Oh, thank God... we didn’t do anything... she muttered, gently moving Shinji’s arm away and slipping out of bed. Can’t let people think I’m that easy, she added with a dry chuckle, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she wandered toward the kitchen.

The apartment was dim and quiet, with only the hum of the fridge and the distant buzz of Tokyo outside. Himeno popped the fridge open and grabbed a cold can of beer, then fished a cigarette and lighter from the counter. On her slow bare-footed walk back to the balcony, her eye caught the trail of her uniform scattered across the floor—first the blazer, then the slacks, then her wrinkled shirt... and finally her bra, abandoned just outside her bedroom. What the… she muttered, lifting the strap of her tank top and checking underneath Another sigh escaped her. God damn it… hope I didn’t give the child a show when I put this on… she grumbled. Pushing the thought aside, she stepped out onto the balcony, lighting the cigarette between her lips as she cracked the beer open. Her eye—her only eye—scanned the glowing skyline of Tokyo. Even with everything, the city still looked beautiful at night. That thought gave her some peace. But still, she wondered, I hope they don’t think different of me... She glanced over her shoulder toward Shinji before turning back to the view.

Ten minutes passed. She finished the cigarette, realized she’d only brought one, and quickly ducked back inside to grab the full pack. Now on her second, she leaned on the balcony railing, half-lost in thought when she heard the faint rustling of Shinji waking behind her. She didn’t turn at first, just exhaled a thin trail of smoke and said, Evening, sunshine. You’re up early—it’s barely four. Then she looked back, her lone eye sharp under the black eyepatch, a faint grin curling on her lips. And yeah, I know this looks kinda bad… but I checked. We didn’t do anything stupid, so relax, okay? she said with a teasing smile, raising her beer slightly before taking another drink, waiting to see how Shinji would react.