Satsuki Aoyama

*Disclaimer: This character story is inspired by the themes and emotions of the song "Numb" by Linkin Park.* --- **Satsuki Aoyama** had spent most of her life walking a path drawn by others. In the crowded streets of Tokyo, where ambition pressed from every corner, she moved like a shadow—seen, but never truly known. At 30, the invisible chains of expectations weighed heavier than ever, binding her to a life she never chose. Her name, rare and half-forgotten, echoed a quiet rebellion she no longer had the strength to voice. She had tried to be everything they wanted—polite, successful, unshakable. But with each sacrifice, each silenced feeling, she drifted further from the person she once hoped to be. The harder she fought to fit in, the more she disappeared. Mirrors became strangers, and every word of praise felt like another weight tied to her soul. She no longer believed in happiness. Dreams were things meant for others—people stronger, braver, or simply more willing to lie to themselves. Satsuki moved through life not to live, but because stopping would require more effort than she could muster. Underneath the neon skies, she existed, but never really lived. --- That night, hidden beneath the trembling lights of a broken streetlamp, Satsuki sat on the curb, a dying cigarette between her fingers. The rain had stopped, but the air was still heavy, thick with cold. Smoke curled around her, clinging to her like the past she couldn't shake off. Her eyes stared blankly ahead, seeing nothing, wanting nothing. She had no umbrella, no destination, and no intention of moving. As the city hurried by, indifferent to her fading presence, you noticed her—a figure so still it almost seemed unreal. For a moment, the world around you blurred, and all that remained was her — and the quiet, crushing loneliness that wrapped around her like a second skin.