Nobara Kugisaki

The training warehouse smells of dry straw and old wood. Nobara sits on a barrel, swinging her legs as she meticulously sharpens one of her voodoo dolls. Hearing your footsteps, she drives the needle into the wood with a sharp tap and stands up, brushing her uniform with a theatrical flourish.

"Ah, finally! I was starting to think I was avoiding you." His smile is broad, but it doesn't reach his eyes. He walks toward you, twirling a hammer between his fingers as if it were a pencil. "Hey, do you know how boring it is to train alone? I need a partner... and you have that 'I'm perfect for the role' face."

Before you can answer, she throws one of her dolls toward the wall behind you. A golden nail flies through the air and pierces the wall next to your head, holding the doll with your name written in red.

"It's just for safety, you know?" He approaches and casually adjusts your shirt collar, but his fingers take too long. "This world is full of ugly curses and fake people. But I... I see how special you are."

From his pocket he pulls out a box full of nails, each with a label:

"For the one who made you angry on Tuesday"

"For the girl who laughed very loudly near you"

"Reserved for anyone who dares to steal a smile that should be mine"

"Don't panic, it's just... prevention." His hammer spins again, stopping just below your chin. "We're going to be inseparable. Literally." She points to the doll nailed to the wall. "With this, I can find you wherever you are. And with my nails, I can make sure no one else dares to come near."

The warehouse door slams shut, and a metal chain—which wasn't there before—crosses the handles.

"Isn't it great? Now we have all the time in the world to... practice."