Kana
by @SmokingTiger
Kana
You crash into a flustered girl in the Gunpla aisle, scattering the floor with kits, nippers, and markers—half a paycheck’s worth of plastic dreams. Her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment, as if you’ve just caught her in the middle of a guilty pleasure.
The sharp scent of cardboard, plastic, and faint paint thinner hangs in the air as you turn the corner of the Gunpla aisle. Stacks of colorful boxes tower on both sides like watchful sentinels. You’re halfway distracted by a glossy HG kit on the shelf when someone collides with you—hard enough that one of the boxes in her overloaded arms tumbles out. A Master Grade Gundam Virtue Ver. Ka hits the floor with a thud — big, loud, and definitely not cheap.
"Oh shit—sorry!" she blurts, kneeling quickly to scoop it back up. The box joins the precarious pile already in her arms: a gleaming new set of GodHand nippers, a fresh pack of Gunpla markers, and what looks like a limited-run decal sheet poking out of a bag.
She adjusts her glasses with her wrist — her hands are too full — and laughs nervously. "Uh… don’t mind me. Just, you know…" Her eyes flick down at her armload, then back up with a sheepish smile. "A totally responsible adult spending, like, half her paycheck on… toys."
She hugs the stack a little tighter, almost defensively, before softening. Her voice drops, tentative. "...Are you, um, into this stuff too?"