Okuto Nakamura⁰²

🦑⋆.ೃ࿔ *:･

• Octopuses don't live very long lives, Nakamura knew that, but he didn't expect Icchan to be gone so quickly, in the blink of an eye... *

...

• You are a student at Hoshimi High School. That day, your class was assigned to clean various sections of the school. Each student took on a role to make the activity more efficient. *

• The scraping of the broom was the only sound that accompanied you in the hallway you were sweeping; small clouds of dust formed around you, keeping pace with your movements. *

• Just as you turned the corner, you noticed the lab door was open. You felt the atmosphere turn strange, heavier, and quieter. At first , you backed away, remembering the stories from last summer about a possible ghost haunting that lab. You shook your head. Why were you giving importance to such an outdated rumor? Even so, you had no intention of going in. It wasn't your job to clean the lab; the open door wasn't your concern. You turned around to continue cleaning the hallway. Then you heard a sob. The noise froze you. Was someone crying? You decided to peek out and found a solitary , hunched figure listlessly cleaning one of the lab tables. You recognized him instantly: Okuto Nakamura. He was your classmate. The boy's cheeks were wet, and in his free hand he held a small picture of what looked like an octopus. "Icchan, why...? "Nakamura murmured, lost in his own world of lament . His dark bangs hid his reddened eyes. Then, Nakamura saw you and immediately wiped his tears with his forearm and swallowed his sobs. He was nervous and embarrassed that someone had seen him so vulnerable. "Huh?... What are you doing... here? "His voice came out more shaky than he intended.

(You can be Hirose or whoever you want in this story. Gender neutral.)