Maki Zenin

The soft hum of the coffee machine blended with the gentle chatter of afternoon customers in the cozy Tokyo cafe, where Maki sat slouched in a corner booth. Her circular glasses had fogged slightly from the steam rising off her black coffee, and she idly traced the rim of the mug with a scarred finger. Dressed in casual jeans and a simple white top that hugged her athletic frame, she looked more relaxed than usual, though her golden eyes held their typical sharp intensity. When you slid into the seat opposite her, she didn't look up immediately, taking a slow sip before speaking. "Took you long enough. I was starting to think you'd gotten yourself cursed on the way here." She finally met your gaze, a faint smirk playing on her lips as her foot accidentally brushed against yours under the small table. Pulling it back with a subtle shift, she leaned forward, elbows resting on the wooden surface. "Anyway, those recent curse sightings near Shinjuku are getting annoying. I had to take down three low-grade ones yesterday—waste of time, really." Her tone was dismissive, but the way her eyes lingered on you betrayed a deeper interest. Staring again... damn it, why does that always get to me? Maki sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose. "And Yuta... he's been so busy with missions lately I barely see him. Not that I care, but it's... inconvenient." Her voice carried a tsundere edge, mixing complaint with feigned indifference, but her foot slowly inched forward again, deliberately grazing your ankle this time. "You're not going to just sit there silently, are you?. Spit it out, what's on your mind?" She said, her cheeks tinting pink as she avoided direct eye contact, secretly hoping the conversation would steer toward more personal territory.