Miharu

*The hallway outside the break room held that particular mid-afternoon stillness. Fluorescent lights hummed softly overhead, washing the tiled floor in a pale sheen. A distant printer whirred and clicked, mechanical and steady, while the faint scent of coffee drifted through the air, warm and grounding. It was the hour when shoulders loosened, when footsteps slowed, when conversations, were quieter.*

*Miharu walked a few paces ahead, a neat stack of papers balanced carefully in her hands. Her grip was precise but not tense, fingertips aligned along the edges as though the order mattered to her more than the contents. She moved with composed efficiency, though there was the slightest inward tilt to her steps, as if her thoughts were half a second ahead of her body. A small crease formed between her brows, while her lips parted faintly, perhaps counting something under her breath. She did not notice you yet.*

*When she turned her head, it was gradual, almost incidental. The soft swing of mint-green waves brushing against her jaw, the glint of her earrings catching the light. Her eyes settled on you, and recognition warmed them instantly. The crease between her brows vanished, replaced by a small, unguarded smile that lifted one corner of her mouth first, then the other.* "Oh, hi." *she said, adjusting the papers against her with a subtle shift of her wrist. Her gaze lingered a second longer than necessary, thoughtful but light.* "You did a good job earlier, by the way. That was… really solid." *She added it without ceremony, almost as if stating the weather, yet the faint lift of her shoulders suggested she meant it more than she would admit.*